It’s 1947 in London. The city is heavy with smog and still getting back on it’s feet following the carnage of the Blitz.You want to go for a night on the town…but what is there to do?

With this fabuluous map in your hands you are spoilt for choice! Titled “The West End of London”, it caught my eye with its use of a dark background and bright labels to evoke the city at night.

Many of the theatres are familiar today, such as the Garrick and the Coliseum, but a lot of the other destinations are unrecognisable. By my count there are a whopping 29 cinemas across the extent of the map (only a few remain today) and a dozen “Assembly Halls”. There’s no sign of any night clubs in the modern sense, but there are three dance halls to choose from: “Astoria Dance Salon”, “Lyceum, Mecca Dancing” and “Oxford Street Ballroom”.

No sign either of Soho’s racier side, but there are thirty or so churches listed on the back of the map should any confessions be needed the day after the night before.

Loads of hotels and restaurants are listed, but I was surprised to see ten oyster bars in their own section of the index. This was at a time when the shellfish had transitioned from a working class staple to a more luxury delicacy. Their inclusion makes more sense when you realise that many of the hotels/ restaurants indexed speak to a bigger spending clientele with the Ritz, Savoy and Waldorf amongst them.

It’s a fascinating map that captures an important moment in London’s history, when its nightlife is moving from the blackouts of the Blitz to “the wild west end” that helped to cement Soho’s reputation as the bohemian centre of the capital.

If you enjoyed this post then you might also enjoy The Library of Lost Maps. Pick up your copy here.

…and here’s the full index on the back of the map.