Westminster City Archives highlights the hidden remnants of World War Two within modern-day London, where evidence of the Blitz persists. One such reminder is a fireplace embedded in a garden wall along Vincent Street, a site where a German V1 flying bomb caused destruction, resulting in seven deaths and significant structural damage. City guide Katie Wignall emphasizes the emotional impact of encountering these remnants, which serve as a stark reminder of the random nature of wartime destruction. Eighty years later, London continues to bear the scars of the six-year conflict, with many sites preserved as memorials for future generations.
"It's very moving when you first see it. Seeing this glimpse inside someone's house makes it seem more real," says City guide and founder of Look Up London, Katie Wignall.
"Sometimes it was luck if a bomb hit you or your neighbour and that must have been really hard... it was completely random."
Eighty years after World War Two was declared over in Europe, such scars of a six-year conflict remain etched across London.
Some have been left as memorials, others by accident, but all provide a snapshot of life in a city where an estimated 12,000 tonnes of enemy bombs were dropped.
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