INCREDIBLE images show the remains of a fireplace on a London street that managed to withstand the bombings of the Blitz.
The stone hearth has been left almost perfectly intact for eighty years since the German bombing campaign and still includes its metal grate.
Despite the surrounding area of Vincent Street in Westminster, London being turned to rubble, the fireside managed to withstand the test of time.
Images of the fireplace show the old red brickwork that adorned the top of, what would have been, someone’s heat source.
Another image shows the refurbishment and redevelopment of the surrounding area while the historical fireplace is shown tucked neatly beside a large gate.
Bomb maps detailing the damage inflicted by the Third Reich on the streets of London confirm that Vincent Street was hit by a large explosive device.
The maps show how the explosive caused “damaged beyond repair” according to the bomb damage map key.
Around the Vincent Street area, a total of 21 properties were deemed “damaged beyond repair”.
Images of the intact fireplace were shared on social media on Wednesday by Steven Herd, he captioned his post: “Fascinating find.
“A fireplace in a wall in Vincent Street SW1.
“There was a row of mews houses here that were lost in the Blitz.
“The site stayed as a bombed-out site for 40 odd years until it was redeveloped into sheltered housing in the 1980’s.
“Two fireplaces remain.”
Since Steven shared images of the old fireplace on Wednesday, other social media users have revelled at the interesting find.
Serena Wilson said: “How fascinating. Thank you.”
Robert Ian Wares posted: “I love it. I hate bland boring walls. This certainly catches the eye.”
The Blitz was a Second World War bombing campaign from Nazi Germany against the United Kingdom during 1940 and 1941.
The term ‘Blitz’ originated from the term ‘Blitzkrieg’ – the German word for ‘lightning war’.
Germans conducted large attacks from the air and targeted towns and cities, beginning with raids on London.
Over 40,000 civilians where killed by the Luftwaffe, the Nazi air regiment, during these initial attacks and more than a million homes were destroyed or damaged.
