Twenty seconds of earthquake cannot really be compared with months or years of war, but there is in our new City Plan a sense of being presented with a once in a generation chance to re-build something pretty special. And something like this mood was perhaps felt in London or Coventry or Dresden after 1945.

Whether to re-construct destroyed buildings or embrace an entirely new architectural look is now, as then, being keenly debated. From our collection, here are some etchings of buildings in Bristol by Charles Brooke Bird. Bristol lost 1299 of its citizens to the Blitz and over 80,000 houses were destroyed.

First, St Mary Redcliffe, almost untouched by the Luftwaffe, but already compromised by centuries of enthusiastic restoration.

Then the medieval St Peter's Hospital, completely destroyed in the night of 24/5 November 1940.

And finally the Old Dutch House, damaged by bombing and subsequently demolished.

You can view all our etchings by Charles Bird here and you can then find the exact location of each building using our View on Google Maps feature.

Then try the Street view to see what Bristol made of its opportunities...