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Layers of London: Mapping the City’s Heritage

Layers of London is a ground-breaking interactive online mapping project led by the Institute of Historical Research’s Centre for Metropolitan History, part of the School of Advanced Study, University of London.

Virtual visitors to London can peel back layers of the city’s history to discover information about the landmarks, events memories and stories of London’s diverse people and places, going as far back as Roman times. Contributions so far range from conscientious objector historical accounts from Haringey, to Windrush stories from Lewisham.

Using expertise honed through two previous mapping projects with the Institute of Historical Research - Locating London’s Past and Mapping London - our geomaticians have georectified and digitised a framework sequence of significant historic maps of London from the late 17th-century onwards, so that contributions can be placed in their context.

The process has involved pulling the maps around in a Geographic Information System (GIS), and anchoring them to hundreds of known calibration points like old churches and street junctions, so that they can be layered on top of an Ordnance Survey map. The team has also recorded historic roads, places, ward boundaries and parish boundaries in GIS datasets, and built complex ArcGIS models to allow huge volumes of data to be processed quickly.

The resulting maps and searchable, downloadable GIS datasets will be invaluable resources for historians and archaeologists wishing to explore London’s development for years to come.

Other contributors to the Layers of London project include a wide range of individuals and groups, ranging from members of the public engaged through social media, online tools, workshops and training events, to bodies such as The British Library, Historic England, London Metropolitan Archives, The National Archives, and Birkbeck, University of London. 

The project is generously supported by National Lottery players through the Heritage Lottery Fund, and by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the Ford Britain Trust, and the IHR Trust.

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The London Evolution Animation

A digital animation showing the development of London from its Roman beginnings, in 43AD, to the present day was created using MOLA data. The London Evolution Animation uses the latest technology to bring nearly 2000 years' of  development in London to life and featured within the English Heritage “Almost Lost” exhibition.

“The animation was designed to help inform discussions regarding plans for the future of London and its historic fabric.”

Polly Hudson, Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis

Osteoarchaeology STEM project

Warning: this page contains images and discussion of human remains

Students from Whitefield School in High Barnet, north London, welcomed MOLA osteologists to lead an all-day interactive workshop about life and death in Victorian London.

The school children were given an opportunity to gain hands-on experience of archaeology and the study of human remains from professionals.

The event was part of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) education initiative that aims to spark interest in new topics through hands-on learning activities with professionals, relating their everyday schooling to interesting real-world subjects.

Through a series of talks and practical sessions, involving the handling of the skeletons archaeologically excavated by MOLA, the students gained a basic knowledge of the methods and techniques used in the examination of human skeletal remains. This included how to estimate the age and sex of a skeleton and how the careful examination of the bones and teeth may reveal clues about the health of an individual and if they had suffered from disease, infection or trauma.

School workshops at Camberwell Library

Schoolchildren from Comber Grove Primary School, in Southwark, took part in a week of interactive lessons with archaeologists from MOLA. Our archaeologists shared their experience and knowledge of Roman and Victorian archaeology from the local area in hands-on workshops at Camberwell Library.

A teacher from Comber Grove Primary School said: “I loved that it was hands on…makes history more approachable for the children”

Students were asked to consider what archaeology is, encouraged to talk about and interpret the context of local historical events and using historical maps of the area, locate local landmarks. The children were also given an opportunity to excavate Roman and Victorian artefacts from dig boxes. Two special objects were then chosen by the schoolchildren, which they went on to date, record and draw. Other activities organised for the pupils at the library included glass window painting and Victorian hat making.

Temple of Mithras community archaeology oral history project

With Bloomberg, we undertook an oral history project to capture memories of the discovery of the Temple of Mithras. The greatest archaeological discovery of its time, the temple captivated public imagination with an estimated 400,000 people flocking to the site to catch a glimpse of the remains as they were excavated.

The project aimed to capture the personal experiences of this important event in London’s history, whilst it was still in living memory. The project began on the 22 September 2014, 60 years after the original discovery. As well as capturing oral histories we also collected copies of images, letters, newspaper clippings and other ephemera relating to the discovery of the temple.

The oral history participants were invited to view the reconstructed remains of the temple of Mithras at London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE in 2018. This moving film captures the project and their visit.

Time Truck

MOLA's mobile Time Truck brought archaeology to the community, showcasing the importance of archaeology to the public through education, interaction, and engagement.

Project partners: Brookfield, Oxford, Stanhope, TP Bennett, The Garfield Weston Foundation, Wates Giving and The Heritage Lottery Fund, Northamptonshire County Council, Keltbray Ltd, Thames Water, Galliard Homes

Date: 2016 - 2019

Bringing archaeological material and research to the heart of the community, the Time Truck was a vehicle for developing positive community relations through engagement and hands-on education.