These are stretchers used in WW2 to carry injured civillians during the Blitz. They were made out of steel so they could be easily disinfected after a gas attack. During the war around 600,000 of them were made. Some of them were repurposed as railings in post-war London.
Now this genuinely is something very interesting
Sustainable and a nod to the nation’s history, reminding us of the cost of war. Overall very clever
A lot of the original railings had been cut down and taken away for the “war effort”. London was a bomb site in a lot of places post ww2 too.
Wow, this is a new information.
I have mixed feelings, but I think it is a very wise decision. On the street where I used to live, there was a fence made of cannons that had been used in real battles
My Great Grandfather survived mustard gas and pepper spray attacks in both World Wars, and came home to the family as a well-seasoned veteran..
Where can you see these today?
Genuinely interesting as fuck. Well done OP
I follow this really interesting man on instagram and he mentioned this, and the fact that some bollards are actually old cannons. I love all these not-so-secret-but-quite-secret facts
Pretty clever ngl
I mean it kinda came full circle as during the war so many things such as tram lines and train tracks were ripped up and smelted to be used for the war effort
A park near me used to have a pair of canons that were captured from the Russians on display smelted down because they needed all the metal they could get
Weren’t the fences removed, repurposed onto stretchers and then put back as fences?
600k ?!
Woaaaah 🤯
Ready to be used again if/when needed
Looks comfortable.
Camberwell?
I’ve seen this posted before: can someone explain why steel helped? Did the gas bind chemically with other metals?
Wow
They are true rail guards protecting life in all angles
I am properly whelmed.
Interesting
Nice up cycle.
Tom Scott would have made a video about this type of thing
It’s fascinating how these stretchers not only served a critical purpose during the war but also found a new life in everyday urban settings. It’s a poignant reminder of resilience and the unexpected ways history shapes our environment. Who knew such dark times could lead to something so practical in peace?
If you were a stretcher bearer and had used these to carry injured and dying people, this would kind of ruin your days out at the park for the rest of your life.
What OP didn’t say is that the reason they needed railings is that all the railings were [cut down during the war](https://www.iwantthatdoor.com/world-war-ii-the-story-behind-london-s-missing-railings/) in the name of providing much needed steel. Only, it’s doubtful whether the cut-down iron ever made it to factories as intended.
While this example is kind of cute, some very historic railings were destroyed across the country, many of which have never been replaced, and you’ll still see iron stumps in their place.