Collapse Gallery

LFB and the Blitz - Queen Victoria Street

The moment that an unsupported front wall of a building, severely damaged by fire, dramatically collapsed into the street. The picture is credited to the Metropolitan Police photographic service although it was widely used in London Fire Brigade coverage of the Blitz in London. The fire was the result of a heavy bombing raid the night before

© London Fire Brigade / Mary Evans Picture Library

The Best of Luck, by Hamilton, Raleigh and Collins

The Best of Luck by Henry Hamilton, Cecil Raleigh and Arthur Collins. First produced at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, September 1916. The heroine on her motorcycle, right, has escaped the collapse of the bridge, unlike the villain, seen falling from his car as a train approaches (Act III). A typical sensation scene in a Drury Lane melodrama. Date: 1916

© The Michael Diamond Collection / Mary Evans Picture Library

Japan - Bandai-san volcano

Lantern slide of In the Crater of Bandai-San'. Bandai-san is a volcano in the central area of Fukushima Prefecture, southern Tohoku. The 1888 eruption led to the large collapse of the northern part of volcanic body. This eruption is well-known because there were records of the course of eruption and detailed post-eruption surveys, often introduced in some volcanological books outside Japan. The large collapse largely changed the landforms of and around Bandai-san and formed many lakes and swamps. At present, the devastated area became luxuriant forests with a diversity of living things and a famous tourist resort due to the beautiful landscapes and impressive colored lakes and swamps including the Goshikinuma lakes. (http:/glgarcs.net/topics/bandai/bandai_1.html). Part of Box 157 Japan, Boswell Collection, slide no. 56 Date: circa 1890s

© The Boswell Collection, Bexley Heritage Trust / Mary Evans