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RR 2016/137 The London County Council Bomb Damage Maps 1939-1945 Laurence Ward Thames & Hudson London 2015 288 pp. ISBN 978 0 500 51825 0 £48 $75
Keywords Buildings, London, Maps, Twentieth century, War
Review DOI 10.1108/RR-01-2016-0004
The aerial bombardment of London during Second World War could well be considered the most significant event in the city's modern history. Between 1939 and 1945, London and its boroughs experienced destruction on an enormous scale with air raids and rocket attacks reducing entire buildings and streets to rubble and bringing death and destruction.
The architects' department of the London County Council (LCC) recorded the damage to buildings caused by air raids and V weapons in a series of maps, and it is these maps which appear in The London County Council Bomb Damage Maps 1939-1945. The full set of maps is made up of 110 hand-coloured 1:2500 Ordnance Survey base sheets, which were originally published in 1916 but which were updated by the LCC to 1940. Because the maps are from 1916, they have the added advantage of giving us a glimpse of a "lost London", showing what it was like before post-war redevelopment schemes began to shape the modern city. Because of the scale of the maps, it means that all buildings are shown, and therefore, reasonably precise damage information can be displayed as well. The maps are colour-coded to show total destruction; damaged beyond repair; seriously damaged - doubtful if repairable; seriously damaged - repairable at cost; general blast damage - not structural; blast damage - minor in nature; and clearance areas. Additionally, the maps show the impact points of the V1 flying bombs and V2 long range rockets as large and small circles, respectively.
I think it vitally important that the prospective reader is aware that the book does not represent London bomb damage, but London County Council bomb damage. A modern map of London will show London as made up of 32 London boroughs (its administrative areas). From 1889 to 1965, the LCC was the central administrative authority for the "County of London", which is an area which roughly equates to the inner London boroughs today. I mention this fact to avoid confusion and disappointment. I had initially rushed to find the house...