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I Bring Old Photos Of The London Underground During The 1940-1941 Blitz Back To Life
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I Bring Old Photos Of The London Underground During The 1940-1941 Blitz Back To Life

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My name is Lottie, and I love looking through old photos. For my day job I work in costume, so I’m passionate about social history and getting the colour accurately matched. I recently started colourising black and white photographs to bring out how the scene would have actually looked at the time the picture was taken. I think black and white photographs have a beautiful style of their own, but colourising them helps the pictures feel relevant and relatable today, and gives them more context in the real world.

I chose to colourise a series of photographs from the Blitz during World War Two. The original images are so interesting, and I find it surreal that people took shelter in all sorts of places whilst the war was happening around their homes. I hope that by doing this, I can reinforce that people over 75 years ago looked and felt just the same as we do today. Hope you enjoy them!

More info: Instagram | colourisedphoto

These colourised photographs show how people took shelter in the London Underground in the 1940s

The Blitz was an almost daily bombing raid during 1940/1941. During this time, Londoners were encouraged to take cover overnight in the tube stations and tunnels

Originally the Government had concerns that people would be too scared to leave the tube and would not surface to work towards the war effort. With many having nowhere else to go, they relented

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Numbers averaged around 150,000 a night, however a total of 177,000 people spent the night underground on 27th September 1940

It was far from safe. Many people were killed from direct station hits. In March 1943, 173 people died in a crush at Bethnal Green station when a woman panicked and slipped on the stairs entering the station

Many felt safer sleeping with the noise of the bombing more muffled above them as they slept deeper down in the stations and tunnels

They look surprisingly snug!

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Lottie Cutcher

Lottie Cutcher

Author, Community member

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Photo restorer and colouriser. @colourisedphotograph

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Lottie Cutcher

Lottie Cutcher

Author, Community member

Photo restorer and colouriser. @colourisedphotograph

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Nadine
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I grew up also hiding in shelters and I can tell you that there is no sound more terrifying than that of a dropping bomb. In countries like Syria people are still living that everyday. War is humanity's worst creation.

Sarah Poli
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lottie, it's a beautiful and meaningfull work that you do. And I thank you for sharing it with us.

Light
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nowadays people would sometimes complain about baby boomers ruining the economy, about the difficulty of home ownership, about millenials spoiled rotten. Honestly, I am grateful I am not born during both world wars and witnessed and experienced its atrocities. We as a generation were still fortunate living in a relative time of peace.

Agnes Jekyll
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The situations that led to the rise of the far right in Germany are very prevalent in the world right now. Yes, we've lived through a very peaceful time, but the world is far from stable right now.

Load More Replies...
Gerry Higgins
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mother told me stories of her childhood growing up during the blitz. Playing the the underground and breaking their gas masks

Sarah H
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Such a simple idea (though not simple to do) that brings life to these photos. Where I would have flicked through the B&W versions, I've spent ages looking at the detail in these. Thank you.

Brigitta Swart
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am fascinated with the people sleeping on the escalator, that looks so uncomfortable, but I suppose there were so many seeking shelter. Thank you for showing us these in colour

Chich
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If that were today we woud have idiots protesting in the streets and shinning lights in the sky yelling about their "freedum". We have become a sorry lot.

Sheila Stamey
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My grandfather was drafted into the navy, even though he was classified as married,a farmer, had children and was classified as what we would call an essential worker because he was both a farmer and was a talented carpenter. He was sent to London from S. Carolina, USA and was in the blitz, helping build. It terrified him to no end. He had never been more than twenty miles away from home.

Nugget
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These are fascinating. Recently went to Ramsgate tunnels,it was really interesting to see how people shifted their lives and existed down in the tunnels during the bombing/war.

Seán Baron
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Jerry Springer was born in a Tube Station - Highgate on the Northern Line.

Full Name
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You probably didn't do all the writing but if you did, can you explain "In March 1943, 173 people died in a crush at Bethnal Green station when a woman panicked and slipped on the stairs entering the station"? 173 people died because a woman slipped on some stairs and started a panic?

Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The writing was all my own! On one evening at around 8.30pm there were a large number of people, mostly mothers with their children, trying to enter the station when there was the sound of artillery fire and rumours quickly spread. In trying to hurry down the poorly lit stairwells one lady slipped, causing a a crush that killed 173 people in around 15 seconds.

Load More Replies...
Franc Esca
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looking surprisingly snug? An over goamourised era. Sleeping in the tunnels brought many of the dangers that still haunt homeless people today. It wasn't one massive sleepover with everyone having tea

LeilaOdinis
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thank you for sharing your wonderful work. Pictures like these should not be forgotten in the digital age.

Nadine
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I grew up also hiding in shelters and I can tell you that there is no sound more terrifying than that of a dropping bomb. In countries like Syria people are still living that everyday. War is humanity's worst creation.

Sarah Poli
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lottie, it's a beautiful and meaningfull work that you do. And I thank you for sharing it with us.

Light
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nowadays people would sometimes complain about baby boomers ruining the economy, about the difficulty of home ownership, about millenials spoiled rotten. Honestly, I am grateful I am not born during both world wars and witnessed and experienced its atrocities. We as a generation were still fortunate living in a relative time of peace.

Agnes Jekyll
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The situations that led to the rise of the far right in Germany are very prevalent in the world right now. Yes, we've lived through a very peaceful time, but the world is far from stable right now.

Load More Replies...
Gerry Higgins
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mother told me stories of her childhood growing up during the blitz. Playing the the underground and breaking their gas masks

Sarah H
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Such a simple idea (though not simple to do) that brings life to these photos. Where I would have flicked through the B&W versions, I've spent ages looking at the detail in these. Thank you.

Brigitta Swart
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am fascinated with the people sleeping on the escalator, that looks so uncomfortable, but I suppose there were so many seeking shelter. Thank you for showing us these in colour

Chich
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If that were today we woud have idiots protesting in the streets and shinning lights in the sky yelling about their "freedum". We have become a sorry lot.

Sheila Stamey
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My grandfather was drafted into the navy, even though he was classified as married,a farmer, had children and was classified as what we would call an essential worker because he was both a farmer and was a talented carpenter. He was sent to London from S. Carolina, USA and was in the blitz, helping build. It terrified him to no end. He had never been more than twenty miles away from home.

Nugget
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These are fascinating. Recently went to Ramsgate tunnels,it was really interesting to see how people shifted their lives and existed down in the tunnels during the bombing/war.

Seán Baron
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Jerry Springer was born in a Tube Station - Highgate on the Northern Line.

Full Name
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You probably didn't do all the writing but if you did, can you explain "In March 1943, 173 people died in a crush at Bethnal Green station when a woman panicked and slipped on the stairs entering the station"? 173 people died because a woman slipped on some stairs and started a panic?

Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The writing was all my own! On one evening at around 8.30pm there were a large number of people, mostly mothers with their children, trying to enter the station when there was the sound of artillery fire and rumours quickly spread. In trying to hurry down the poorly lit stairwells one lady slipped, causing a a crush that killed 173 people in around 15 seconds.

Load More Replies...
Franc Esca
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looking surprisingly snug? An over goamourised era. Sleeping in the tunnels brought many of the dangers that still haunt homeless people today. It wasn't one massive sleepover with everyone having tea

LeilaOdinis
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thank you for sharing your wonderful work. Pictures like these should not be forgotten in the digital age.

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