Title:
Copy plans of bomb damage in West Ham
Level: Category
Records of Essex County Council
Level: Fonds
SECOND WORLD WAR AIR RAID PRECAUTIONS RECORDS
Level: Sub-Fonds
MAPS
Level: Series
LONDON (GROUP 7) REGIONAL ESSEX
Level: Sub-Series
Copy plans of bomb damage in West Ham
Scope and Content:
The plans show houses demolished - in some cases also those damaged - by enemy action. They were drawn on an Ordnance Survey map base at a scale (except as noted below) of 1:1250. These copies were made by an unidentified process and hand-coloured; many bear the original signature of the Deputy Borough Engineer. They are listed below in the order of creation of the original plans. The presumed dates of copying are taken from copyright stamps applied to the copies. Titles are as shown on the plans; they are not a comprehensive list of the streets covered.

Sidney, Charlotte and Catherine Streets
Scale of 1 inch to 88 feet [5 feet to 1 mile, or 1:1056]; original plan includes corners of grid squares 9R, 10R, 9S and 10S.
Drawn 18 November 1940 (plan 15472); date of copy unknown, but carries stamp of Essex County Council Architect's Department 26 November 1940.
Distinguishes properties to be demolished from those 'doubtful'.

Chaplin Road
Drawn 20 November 1940 (plan number 15473); date of copy unknown, but carries stamps of Essex County Council Architect's Department 20 November 1940 and 4 March 1941.
Includes notes 'further properties to be surveyed' and 'pending completion of survey demolish properties coloured red'.

Chaplin Road etc.
Drawn 20 November 1940 (plan number 15473); date of copy unknown, but carries stamp of Essex County Council Architect's Department 4 March 1941.
Includes some properties coloured blue [apparently indicating 'doubtful']. Shows more extensive destruction than [presumably] earlier version of this plan above.

Meeson Road
Scale of 1 inch to 88 feet [5 feet to 1 mile, or 1:1056]
Drawn 21 November 1940 (plan 15471); date of copy unknown, but carries stamps of Essex County Council Architect's Department 26 November 1940 and 4 March 1941.
Distinguishes properties 'damaged beyond repair' from those 'doubtful'.

Dundee Road and Greengate Street
Drawn 27 November 1940 (plan 15474); date of copy unknown, but carries stamp of Essex County Council Architect's Department 4 March 1941.
Rubric distinguishes properties to be demolished from those 'doubtful', but only the first group marked on the plan.

Ravenscroft Road and Douglas Road
Drawn 28 November 1940 (plan 15475); copied 28 November 1940.
Distinguishes properties to be demolished from those 'doubtful'.

High Street E.15, New Barn Street, and Plaistow Road A.M.P.C. [Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps] Sites
Drawn 10 December 1940 (plan 15482); date of copy unknown, but carries stamp of Essex County Council Architect's Department 4 March 1941.
Rubric distinguishes properties cleared, condemned and 'doubtful', but only the first group marked on the plan.

Carson, Tinto and Cambus Roads and Outram Street and Beeby Road (Adj. Messrs J. Russell) A.M.P.C. [Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps] Sites
Drawn 19 December 1940 (plan 15484); date of copy unknown, but carries stamp of Essex County Council Architect's Department 4 March 1941.
Rubric distinguishes properties cleared, condemned and 'doubtful', but only the first two groups marked.

Upper Road, London Road etc. ('sites for clearance by Works Dept.')
Drawn 30 December 1940 (plan 15485); copied 30 December 1940 [written in error as '41']; carries stamp [on back] of Essex County Council Architect's Department 4 March 1941.
Distinguishes properties demolished from those to be demolished.

High Street Plaistow, Clegg Street etc.
Drawn 10 January 1941 (plan 15486); copied 10 January 1941; stamp of Essex County Council Architect's Department 4 March 1941.

Park, Maud, Stratford and Greenwood Roads
Drawn 22 January 1941 (plan 15476); copied 24 January 1941; stamp of Essex County Council Architect's Department 4 March 1941.

Durban Road, Holland, Springfield and Chesterton Roads ('sites cleared by West Ham Corporation Works Department')
Drawn 22 January 1941 (plan 15505); copied 24 January 1941; stamp of Essex County Council Architect's Department 4 March 1941.

Station, Frederick and Broad Streets
Drawn 30 January 1941 (plan 15490); copied 31 January 1941.

The Green, Water Lane, Deanery and Romford Roads
Drawn 6 February 1941 (plan 15488); copied 6 February 1941.

Leyton, Henniker, Chobham Roads etc.
Drawn 12 February 1941 (plan 15512); copied 20 February 1941.

North Woolwich Road, Gem, Charles, Arthur, Amelia Streets etc.
Drawn 12 February 1941 (plan 15516); copied 12 February 1941.

Rokeby, Barnby, Hotham Streets etc. Stratford
Drawn 17 February 1941 (plan 15513); copied 21 February 1941
Note on original plan: [demolition] 'works by Chas. W. Griffiths contractor under London Regional Scheme'.
Dates of Creation:
1940-1941
Extent:
17
Creator Name:
County Borough of West Ham
Admin History:
The original plans were produced by the Borough Engineer's Department of the County Borough of West Ham. The reason for the copies' presence among these records is unknown, although some bear stamps of the Essex County Council Architect's Department. Neither is it known what proportion of the original plans is represented here.
Physical Characteristics:
Various sizes up to 450 x 340 mm.
Related Unit of Description:
Bomb damage maps for the then counties of London - adjoining West Ham to the west - and Middlesex are held by the London Metropolitan Archives. For the former see Ann Saunders (ed.), The London County Council bomb damage maps 1939-1945 (London 2005). No such maps are known for the administrative county of Essex.