Destroyed Collection

Hogarth, Gin Lane. A political print supporting a ministerial measure against the unlimited sale of gin (which later became the Gin Act)

The Redoutable at Trafalgar, 21st October 1805 (oil on canvas)
XIR162105 The Redoutable at Trafalgar, 21st October 1805 (oil on canvas) by Mayer, Auguste Etienne Francois (1805-90); Musee de la Marine, Paris

The Sinking of the Bismarck
The sinking of the German Battleship Bismarck. In response to sinking the HMS Hood, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill issued the order to " Sink the Bismarck"

Newcastle Bridge - Old
The bridge over the Tyne at Newcastle, with buildings on it, destroyed by flood in 1771

Tinsley cooling towers, Sheffield
Tinsley cooling towers being demolished. These towers were built in 1938 as part of the Blackburn Meadows power station and stood over 75 metres tall

The War of the Worlds
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS A Martian fighting-machine is destroyed by a hit from a shell

Alexandria Library
Scholars examine the scrolls of the library of Alexandria, the greatest collection of the ancient world, burnt in 47 and finally destroyed by Moslem general Amrou 22 December 640

Tinsley cooling towers demolition
Tinsley cooling towers being prepared for demolition. These towers were built in 1938 as part of the Blackburn Meadows power station and stood over 75 metres tall

Damage to Canterbury Cathedral Library, WW2 - Baedeker Blitz
" Canterbury under fire" - Damage sustained to the Cathedal LIbrary examined by Dr. Hewlett Johnson, Dean of Canterbury, by bombing on the city by German planes of the luftwaffe during WW2

The King of Ashantis Palace at Kumasi, 1874
The King of Ashantis palace at Kumasi, the Ashanti capital, viewed from the east in 1874 towards the end of the second Ashanti War (1873-74)

The Eddystone Lighthouse of 1698
Engraving of the Eddystone lighthouse, built by Henry Winstanley in 1698, which was destroyed in a storm in 1703. Winstanley, a London merchant

Your Britain - Fight for it NOW - World War 2 public information Poster designed by Abram Games for the War Office - first published in 1942. Date: 1942

Scene near Mametz Wood, Western Front, WW1
German ammunition wagons destroyed by British artillery fire near Mametz Wood on the Western Front in France during World War One. Date: circa 1916

LFB at 25 pump fire, warehouse in Fulham
LFB firefighters in action at a fire in Fulham, where 100 tons of paraffin wax ignited in a riverside warehouse. The major blaze required 25 pumps

Tinsley cooling towers demolition
Tinsley cooling towers being demolished. These towers were built in 1938 as part of the Blackburn Meadows power station and stood over 75 metres tall

Captain Charles Upham
Portrait of double VC winner, Captain Charles Upham (). Born in New Zealand, Upham was a sheep farmer who distinguished himself during World War Two on two occasions

Fante Soldiers serving with the British against the Ashanti
Soldiers from the Fante tribe who served under the British in their war against the Ashanti empire on the Gold Coast. In 1873

The High Altar of St. Pauls Cathedral; Second World War, 19
Photograph showing the High Altar of St. Pauls Cathedral, London, after a German bomb had exploded on the choir roof and destroyed a large section of roof, 1940

CUTTY SARK CLIPPER
China clipper, though she only made 8 voyages to China before steamships destroyed the clipper business : she then became a wool carrier, then a training ship

Indian Ocean Mauritius
Bird s-eye view of the harbour of Port Louis before a third of the town was destroyed this year by a hurricane

Lytham Lighthouse, Lancashire, 1863
Engraving of the Lytham lighthouse, Lancashire, which was built circa. 1848 and was destroyed by heavy gales in 1863

Cardigan Castle / Wales
Cardigan Castle, in the town of Cardigan, Ceredigion. The castle was finally destroyed (in part) by Cromwell in the Civil War

Punic War, Cato & Senate
PUNIC WARS Cato insists to the Senate that Carthage is a threat to Rome and must be destroyed

Horstead Watermill, on the River Bure, Norfolk, was one of the most beautiful weatherboarded wooden mills in England. Tragically destroyed by fire on 23 January 1963

Battle of Cluys / Froissar
At the battle of SLUYS, the English fleet of 200 totally defeats the French fleet of 70, capturing or destroying virtually every vessel

Nuthall Temple, from England's Lost Houses by Giles Worsley (1961-2006) published 2002 (b/w photo)
CLF311816 Nuthall Temple, from England's Lost Houses by Giles Worsley (1961-2006) published 2002 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); (add.info.: built 1754-57)

Gen Wheelers entrenchment at Cawnpore, March 1858 (b / w photo)
NAM310697 Gen Wheelers entrenchment at Cawnpore, March 1858 (b/w photo) by Beato, Felice (Felix) (1825-c.1908); National Army Museum

Beagle A. 61 Terrier 2 G-ASAC
Beagle A.61 Terrier 2 G-ASAC (msn B.606, ex WE587), of the Airways Aero Club. Auster converted a number of ex- Army aircraft which became the Auster 6B

WW1 - White Chateau, Hollebeke in ruins
circa 1910s

York North locomotive depot, London & North Eastern Railway, 29 April 1942
York North locomotive depot, London & North Eastern Railway. A4 locomotive 4-6-2 no. 4469 Sir Ralph Wedgwood damaged beyond repair as a result of a German air raid during the Second World War

Italian World War II poster. Here are the liberators. Shows the Statue of Liberty as an angel of death, with Italian cities destroyed after US bombing

The Fall of the German airship L-21 by Fortunino Matania, WW1
The destruction of the German Zeppelin L-21 over Cuffley, Hertfordshire after being shot down by Lieut. William Leefe Robinson on the night of 2nd/3rd September 1916

Boeing SM-80 Minuteman ICBM is launched on a test flight from Cape Canaveral on 19 May 1961. The rocket had to be destroyed after it veered off course following second stage ignition

LCC-LFB Aftermath of a major school fire, Hackney
A major fire destroyed over 50% of the school roof and a quarter of the first floor classrooms at the Hackney Downs School in East London

Old Coventry Cathedral
The altar and east end of the cathedral of Saint Michael. Building began in 1373, on the site of an earlier cathedral. Mostly destroyed during the Blitz on 14 November 1940

USA - Holyrood, Conception Bay (Newfoundland) - Holyrood, Conception Bay (Newfoundland). Holyrood is a town on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is in Division No

Fire damage at Alexandra Palace, London. On 10 July 1980 fire destroyed the Alexandra Palace in North London. This photograph is dated 19 July 1980

Clerkenwell Prison explosion
Effects of the explosion at the house of detention, Clerkenwell, seen from within the prison yard: police officers and firemen searching the ruins

Herculaneum Ruins
The ruins of the town of Herculaneum, Italy, less famous than Pompeii, but destroyed in the same series of eruptions of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Date: 1930s

Collapsed building. Gas from a leaking pipe was accidentally ignited and exploded, ruining the London Tavern in Coltishall, Norfolk, England

Ragdale Old Hall, from England's Lost Houses by Giles Worsley (1961-2006) published 2002 (b/w photo)
CLF311799 Ragdale Old Hall, from England's Lost Houses by Giles Worsley (1961-2006) published 2002 (b/w photo) by English Photographer

Battle of Bapaume, Franco-Prussian war, 3 January 1870 (chromolitho)
3621654 Battle of Bapaume, Franco-Prussian war, 3 January 1870 (chromolitho) by German School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Battle of Bapaume, Franco-Prussian war, 3 January 1870)

Casualties from the front pass destroyed tanks, Villers-Bretonneux, France, World War I, 1918. Villers-Bretonneux was the scene of the first tank battle in history, on 24th April 1918

Charles V
RUBENS, Peter Paul (1577-1640). The Emperor Charles V and the Empress Isabella. 1628. Copy of the original portrait by Titian destroyed in the fire at the Alcạ r of Madrid in 1734

Fire damage at St Lawrence Jewry, City of London, WW2
Fire damage at the church of St Lawrence Jewry, City of London, during the Blitz, Second World War, 29 December 1940

Equipment left at Dunkirk WWII
Equipment left at Dunkirk including this destroyed British flak gun during World War II

THE ACROPOLIS, MYCENAE
A general view of the Acropolis at Mycenae. The primary remains at the site are the walls and tombs. The Palace has been almost totally destroyed over time

Monitor / Merrimac / Card
The Battle of Hampton Roads. The Confederates armoured frigate Merrimac destroyed many Federal vessels, but retreated following action with Monitor, a turret ship

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From Hogarth's Gin Lane to the demolished Tinsley cooling towers, destruction has left its mark throughout history. The haunting image of Newcastle Bridge in ruins takes us back to a time long gone, while The Redoutable at Trafalgar reminds us of the fierce battles fought on treacherous seas. As we gaze upon The Sinking of the Bismarck, we witness the power and devastation that war brings. But not all destruction is intentional; sometimes it is necessary for progress. The demolition of the iconic Tinsley cooling towers in Sheffield symbolizes a changing landscape and evolving times. Similarly, when flames engulfed Alexandria Library, centuries worth of knowledge turned into ashes. In contrast, destruction can also be an act of conquest or revenge. The King of Ashantis Palace at Kumasi met its demise in 1874 as colonial powers sought dominance over African territories. Likewise, Canterbury Cathedral Library suffered damage during WW2's Baedeker Blitz—a tragic loss for literature enthusiasts. Yet amidst chaos and ruin, resilience emerges. Just like the rebuilt Eddystone Lighthouse after its collapse in 1698 stood tall once again, humanity finds ways to rise from ashes and rebuild what was lost. And finally, there are those who bear witness to fictional destruction—The War of the Worlds transports us into a world where alien invasion threatens our very existence. Meanwhile, aboard Cutty Sark Clipper shipwrecked dreams lie shattered but serve as a reminder that even broken pieces hold stories within them. Whether caused by nature or human hands, destroyed landmarks carry tales untold—reminders that nothing lasts forever.