London in the Second World War

Explore the experiences of Londoners during the Second World War and the effect it had on the city they knew.

In this free exhibition at The London Archives you can explore stories of Londoners during the Second World War. What was it like to live through the Blitz, to see your neighbourhood change overnight, or to be a volunteer with one of the city’s emergency services?

Discover stories of Londoners through materials from our rich collections, including the compelling London County Council bomb damage maps, in which the council charted destruction at the level of individual properties. See the remarkable photographs taken by City Police photographers Cross and Tibbs, who stepped out into the streets after air raids to capture the scene as the action occurred and as the dust settled.

Find out how Londoners felt about life on the home front through diaries and personal stories; uncover the little-known story of Auxiliary Ambulance Station 50 in Paddington, staffed entirely by South Asian Londoners; and take a look at staff magazines produced by Woolworths and Co to see how the war impacted on people's working lives. You'll also have the chance to hear the voices of those who lived and worked through the war by listening to a series of oral histories.

The exhibition features rarely seen original artworks recording the devastation experienced in the city. It also examines the way that London sought to rebuild after the war through the creation of the County of London plan, and how this was put into place at Poplar’s Lansbury Estate for the opening of the Festival of Britain in 1951.

Find out more and explore digitised records: London in the Second World War exhibition.