People are only just realising why there are metal stumps on concrete walls
PEOPLE are only just realising why there are metal stumps on concrete walls – and it’s blowing their minds.
Historian Alex Loxton has taken to Twitter to explain the reason and it’s significant link to Word War II.
Loxton explained that once upon a time, these stumps used to be railings with distinctive curved indents in them.
The kinks in the metal were used in an astonishing way during the war as a resource to help the wounded.
The author and TV host said: “[The railings] are the emergency stretchers used by Air Raid officers to carry wounded civilians during the Blitz”.
“Thousands of stretchers were produced for the war effort”.
The iconic railings were cheaply produced, and made up of two poles flanking a stretch of wire mesh which made them easy to clean in the case of a gas attack.
And the indents in the poles allowed them to be picked up and carried easily too.
So why have London’s concrete walls been left with little stumps in them?
Loxton explained: “During the war many of London’s railings were removed so that the metal, it was claimed, could be used for the war effort.
“So many of London’s streets suddenly have no railings at all, with short metal stumps left behind”.
Loxton then highlighted that these stumps, which you may walk past without paying any notice to, once held a piece of equipment that saved hundreds of lives.
This incredible piece of history has left social media users in awe as they discovered the story behind the seemingly uninteresting artefacts.
The explainer tweet racked up a mega 101k views and Loxton’s followers were quick to flood the comment section with their astonishment at the history.
One user wrote: “You’d never have thought it, recycling at it’s best”.
Another said: “Didn’t know that. Fascinating”.
A third commented: “That is very interesting, thank you Alice”.
One more user was so mind-blown at the explanation, they even suggested Loxton hosting a TV series: “I absolutely love the wide and varied historical items that you post on here, and you have a real skill in conveying even the most mundane subjects into something interesting. Surely a TV series beckons?!”
The metal stumps can be spotted all over London, but today, the original fencing can be found at Kennington Park Estate, the Glebe Estate in Camberwell and on estates in Deptford and Dulwich.