This map index is a digital reconstruction of a map originally drawn on several sheets. Zoom in and move around to see the entire map. To see an individual sheet in more detail, and to obtain a copy of it, click the icon in the top left corner of the corresponding rectangle.
Created within the Architect’s Department of the London County Council (LCC), the bomb damage maps record cumulative damage to buildings in the County of London caused by air raids and V weapons during the Second World War.
The full set of maps is made up of 110 hand-coloured 1:2500 Ordnance Survey base sheets originally published in 1916 but updated by the LCC to 1940.
The colouring applied to the maps records a scale of damage to London’s built environment during the war - the most detailed and complete survey of destruction caused by the aerial bombardment. Although a large proportion of this damage arose from the incendiary bombs which set large areas on fire, high explosives that blasted buildings apart, and other devices dropped by the Luftwaffe (the German Air Force), the maps also show the impact points of the V-1 flying bombs and V-2 long range rockets, as large and small circles. It is, therefore, unsurprising that in some areas of highly concentrated damage where the same buildings were hit and repaired on several occasions, it can be difficult to ascertain cause using the maps alone.
The bombed areas are coloured with synthetic dyes and crayon, in colours which represent categories of damage, ranging from black to yellow.
Key:
BLACK – Total destruction
PURPLE – Damaged beyond repair
DARK RED – Seriously damaged; doubtful if repairable
LIGHT RED – Seriously damaged; but repairable at cost
ORANGE – General blast damage; not structural
YELLOW – Blast damage; minor in nature
LIGHT GREEN or LIGHT BLUE – Clearance areas
SMALL CIRCLE – V-2 Rocket
LARGE CIRCLE – V-1 Flying Bomb
Note that many parks and open spaces are coloured light green, while areas of water are coloured light blue.
