Deserted and Forlorn

This oil painting depicts the wartime view seen by the artist Gladys Pinks from the upper window of her studio at 2 Wynnstay Gardens in Kensington. Four bomb-damaged terraced houses stand empty in Allen Street, their front gardens overgrown and untended. Windows have been blasted out and two front doors have 'E' labels, indicating their residents have left leaving their homes, as Pinks, describes them, 'Deserted and Forlon'.

During World War II 100,000 London homes were destroyed and over one million suffered bomb damage. Those bombed out of their homes spent months and even years moving between temporary accomodation or lodging with friends and family. With few builders available to carry out repairs, abandoned houses were at risk from looters.