Smith Square WWII Ghost Sign

a wartime sign frozen in time

A faded painted wartime sign pointing to a long-gone air-raid shelter, surviving on a Westminster wall.

Free to visit · Westminster · Westminster · SW1P 3HZ

Opening: Viewable any time

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.

Getting there: Around Smith Square in Westminster, a short walk from Westminster station.

Best time to go: Daytime, on a quiet walk around Westminster's back streets.

Insider tip: Ghost signs are faint, so visit in good light and look up at brickwork above head height where they tend to survive. Once you start noticing wartime and old commercial ghost signs, you will spot them across the older parts of London.

Free things to do in London · London Free Guide