A broad landscape of archaeology, history and heritage.
Edward Lloyd I was a guest on a podcast recently, where I was asked to talk about Edward Lloyd, owner of one of the world’s most famous coffee houses in the late 17th to early 18th century, and unbeknownst to him, a founder of a global marketplace that almost underwrites the world. Rather than celebrate […]
Read More Edward lloyd, the man.Coffee became fashinale in the late 17th century. What was it like?
Read More The Coffee Drink of the 17th CenturyWe all know about the Great Fire of London. But what about the other parts of the story that were unfolding before and after the Fire itself?
Read More The Great Fire of London: Hidden Perspectives and ImpactsI traversed this day, by Steamboat, the space between London and Hungerford bridges… the appearance and the smell of the water forced themselves at Once Upon my attention. The whole of the river was an opaque, pale brown fluid… the smell was very bad, and common to the whole of the water. Michael Faraday, in […]
Read More The ThamesI almost spat my coffee across the train carriage when I saw my name in a 15th century manuscript.
Read More The 15th Century Ancestor.J.T. Smith published the Ancient Topography of London in 1815. Within it, I discovered a “sunken building”.
Read More J.T. Smith’s Ancient Topography of LondonWhat is London Wall? It is many things including a main road. It is archaeology, history and mythology. But above all, it is a boundary, that, although no longer here, is still ever present.
Read More London WallThe Mode on Communication of Cholera is a scientific publication by John Snow, the doctor, physician, and, unbeknownst to him, early epidemiologist. It contains his findings on Cholera and how it was spread, or, communicated. Up to the late 1850s the theory of disease contamination was one of miasma. To ensure disease was not spread, […]
Read More The Hand of John SnowDark Earth is an amorphous, bland and unremarkable archaeological deposit. but it represents so much more.
Read More Dark EarthI don’t know exactly when the realisation dawned upon me, but for most of its history, London was really, just the “square mile”, the City of London. That City is a Roman creation, and still is very much Roman. The present boundary of it mirrors the Roman town, Londinium. But I am thinking of this […]
Read More London is a Roman CreationClaes Visscher’s panorama of London is one of the most famous images of the City for many reasons. We see the various landmarks across London, such as the churches, Leadenhall and the Exchange, all of them labelled. Architecturally the panorama is superb, with the buildings drawn in great quality, detail and precision. It shows us […]
Read More Visscher’s PeopleThe London Underground has given me high expectations. As soon as I set foot on the platform, I expect the train to arrive instantaneously. Once left the station, the train whisks me to my next destination, where I catch another to take me home. Everything is rushed. I can’t afford to miss that connection and […]
Read More A glimpse of the past London Underground through the means of Vertical Archaeology
An Historier's Miscellany 