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Just over eighty years ago, on the night of May 10, 1941, Westminster Abbey suffered its worst bomb damage of the Second World War.
Clusters of incendiaries fell on the Abbey roof and in the church's precincts.
Most were quickly put out by fire watchers but one on the lantern roof, in the centre of the church, could not easily be reached and sent flames shooting 40 feet into the sky above London.
The Abbey - the site of the coronation of every British monarch since William the Conqueror in 1066 - could have burned to the ground.
Thankfully, the burning timbers and molten lead fell to the floor below - where monarchs are enthroned at a coronation - and the fire was more easily extinguished.
On the same night, the Deanery was gutted by fire and three clergy houses in the cloisters were destroyed.
In pictures released by the church to mark the 80th anniversary of the bombing, you can see the damage and how the Abbey was later restored.
Also seen are some of the fire watchers who heroically protected the Abbey and whose hard work and vigilance helped to ensure that even on the night of the worst bombing raid, the damage was limited.
The Abbey also benefited from precautions that had been taken at the outbreak of war in 1939.
Many of its treasures, including gilt bronze and oak tomb effigies, manuscripts and tapestries were evacuated for safety to country houses.
Some of the stained glass windows were boarded over but quite a lot of glass was blown out by the blast, especially in 1940.
Around 60,000 sand bags were used to protect immoveable royal and medieval tombs. The Coronation Chair was sent for safety to Gloucester Cathedral.
Areas of the Abbey were also set aside as APR (Air Raid Precautions) headquarters, a dressing station and dispensary.
An air raid shelter was available for the clergy in College Garden.
Services continued in the Abbey throughout the war, with the nave altar being used after the May raid.
More than 700 tonnes of high explosives and 86,000 incendiaries were dropped across London on the night of May 10.
As well as the damage inflicted on the Abbey, the nearby House of Commons was totally destroyed after being hit by a bomb.
The Medieval roof timbers of Westminster Hall were also set alight by incendiaries.
After the blaze at the Abbey, King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth visited to inspect the damage.
The lantern roof was built after the war and the Abbey has since undergone major restoration, between 1995 and 1998.
