London in the Second World War - Exhibition
Explore the experiences of Londoners during the Second World War and the effect it had on the city they knew. Extended to 19 February 2026.
Location
The London Archives
40 Northampton Road London EC1R 0HB United KingdomGood to know
Highlights
- In person
Refund Policy
About this event
EXHIBITION DATES EXTENDED - now open until 19 February 2026
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.
[Cross and Tibbs photo of Bank Junction. London Picture Archives: 35509]
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.
[Southwark Bridge by Ernest Borough Johnson. London Picture Archives: 25092]
Find out more and explore digitised records: London in the Second World War exhibition
Join a curator-led tour of the exhibition on selected dates. Tickets for curator-led tours until December 2025 are on-sale now.
See our other events related to the exhibition in the London in the Second World War events collection
Visit our website for more details about The London Archives: www.thelondonarchives.org
Please note: There will be no access to the exhibition during our annual closure from 4.30pm on Thursday 30 October until Monday 17 November 2025 at 10am. The exhibition will also be closed from 4.30pm on Tuesday 23 December 2025 until 10am on Monday 5 January 2026.
Frequently asked questions
We encourage everyone to book a free ticket as it helps us to manage visitor numbers but you are welcome to turn up without a ticket to see the exhibition (on the days we are open). Please notify us if you are visiting in a group larger than 6 people.
No. Please select "10am" on the date that you'd like to visit, and you can visit at any time during exhibition opening hours on that day. We'd recommend to arrive at least 1 hour before exhibition closing time, so you have the opportunity to see everything.
It takes about an hour to view the exhibition and digital exhibits in our Mediatheque. There are additional optional items to view for as long or as little as you like such as the air raid reports database, bomb damage maps, and a selection of reference books.
Thank you for your support! A small donation can make a big difference to our work to preserve and share London's archives by helping us to deliver outreach and learning activities, develop free exhibitions and care for the collections.
The exhibition is held on the first floor and is accessible by stairs and a lift. An accessible toilet is adjacent to the exhibition space. Further details: www.thelondonarchives.org/visit-us/accessibility . Please contact ask@tla.libanswers.com if you have any specific queries about access needs.
Yes, we're running curator-led tours on selected dates. For more details and to book, please see the Eventbrite page: Curator-led Exhibition Tour - London in the Second World War.
Groups of 7 or more people need to make special arrangements to visit so we can manage capacity - please contact ask@tla.libanswers.com to make a group booking. In addition, we may be able to offer curator-led tours of the exhibition for groups for a small charge, depending on staff availability.
Yes. Interactive learning sessions about the Second World War can be booked for Key Stage 2 classes, and take place in our Learning Studio. These can be combined with a visit to the exhibition - please indicate on the booking form. See https://www.thelondonarchives.org/learning/primary-schools
If you’d like to bring a school group to visit the exhibition only, without an interactive learning session, please contact TLA.Schools@cityoflondon.gov.uk with the proposed date of your visit.
We don't have a cafe on site, but we're located right next to Exmouth Market, which has lots of good options for coffee and lunch.
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