Smith Square WWII Ghost Sign

The lowdown

On a wall near Smith Square in Westminster survives a ghost sign, a faded length of old painted lettering left over from the Second World War, directing people to the nearest public air-raid shelter. In the Blitz such signs were everywhere, guiding Londoners to safety as the bombs fell, but almost all were painted over or weathered away in the decades since.

This rare survivor, ghostly and half-legible, is a direct and poignant link to the city's wartime ordeal. It is free to find, an easily missed reminder of the fear and resilience of everyday Londoners hiding on an elegant Westminster street.