London's ancient heart bombed

27th October 1940: Centuries of history are being wiped away along with thousands of lives as the Blitz continues unabated

On 15 Oct 1940 a bomb blasted a huge hole in the east wall of the 16th century Middle Temple Hall and shattered the intricately carved oak screen, its fragments left under the rubble. Frank E Beresford painted the scene.

The world was watching as Hitler’s bombers ripped into London every night. The Churchillian message of defiance continued to hold, but …