Read the briefing: rebuilding a capital

The Blitz was a sustained campaign of German bombing against British cities. London was heavily bombed from September 1940 to May 1941, and raids continued at other times during the war. Homes, factories, railways, docks, shops and public buildings were damaged or destroyed. By 1945, many Londoners needed somewhere safe to live, while the city also had to repair essential services. Reconstruction was not simply a matter of replacing each building exactly as it had been. Planners considered how housing, roads, workplaces and open spaces might fit together. The 1943 County of London Plan, associated with planner Patrick Abercrombie, proposed changes to improve living conditions and organise the growing city. Not every proposal was carried out, and rebuilding took many years. There was an urgent shortage of homes. Some families moved into temporary prefabricated homes, often called prefabs. These factory-made homes could be put up more quickly than traditional houses. They were intended as temporary accommodation, but many residents valued their modern conveniences and stayed in them for years. London also had to restore transport, schools, hospitals and places of work. In 1951, the Festival of Britain brought visitors to the South Bank and presented ideas about design, science and a hopeful future. It did not solve every housing problem, but it showed how the country was looking beyond wartime hardship. Rebuilding involved public authorities, building workers and Londoners themselves, and priorities had to be weighed against limited money, labour and materials.