While playing around with Google Earth this evening I spotted the '1945' button, not knowing what it did I clicked it and it turned London into its state in 1945. Amazed, I headed straight for Canons Farm & Banstead Woods, expecting unrecognisable fields and entirely different wooded areas. I was very wrong; it is almost identical to the current day. The most noticeable difference is the modern presence of Legal & General and how Broad Field (formerly Big Field) was once two fields. Far more striking is the difference between Beddington in 1945 and current day, it is entirely unrecognisable.
Google states that you can use its material freely for illustrative purposes so I think I'm within my rights to reproduce the images here - just imagine all the Wrynecks, Cirl Buntings, Grey Partridges, Red-backed Shrikes and Willow Tits flying around, they probably in those pixels! The dotted white lines indicate patch boundaries (I think I'm right with Beddington but will happily be corrected).
Canons Farm & Banstead Woods 1945
Canons Farm & Banstead Woods modern day
Beddington Farmlands 1945
Beddington Farmlands modern day
Canons Farm & Banstead Woods 1945
Canons Farm & Banstead Woods modern day
Beddington Farmlands 1945
Beddington Farmlands modern day