The Second World War had a profound effect on Lewisham.

Thousands of local men and women served in all branches of the armed forces and in all the major theatres of war throughout the world.Many thousands more were directed into munitions and armaments factories, farming and coal mining. Civilians at home were required to serve in the Home Guard, The Fire Service, Civil Defence or Women’s Volunteer Service – in addition to their own jobs.Nearly 2,000 local civilians were killed by enemy attacks during the war, with an additional 8,000 injured. Over 68,000 people were made homeless at some point  during the war and 4,600 homes were destroyed by enemy bombing.The blitz entirely altered the landscape of Lewisham, as every single school, shop, church and public building was either destroyed or seriously damaged.

The post-war developments led to the juxtaposition of so many architectural styles that is such a feature of the borough today