Layers of London
Megan O’Donnell reports on the Society’s contribution to this ambitious and fascinating project
London, the UK’s most populous city and home to the Society’s Piccadilly premises, has many rich layers of history and heritage. The Institute of Historical Research is working with the British Library, the London Metropolitan Archives, Historic England, The National Archives, and the Museum of London Archaeology, as well as national and local archives and volunteers all across the country to bring together and digitise locally held records. Such records include maps, photographs, films, letters and stories from people who have lived and worked in London over the centuries.
The Society has published a number of records relating to the history of its establishment and tracking the varying premises occupied in London over the years. You can view these records on the Layers of London webpage (www.layersoflondon.org) by searching for ‘Geological Society of London’. We hope that by contributing to this project, the Society’s history and geographical ties to its many central London premises are recorded as part of London’s heritage, preserved and made easily accessible to many.
Anyone can explore the available map layers and records, by searching by area, building, person, street, or organisation. The Layers of London team also invite individuals and organisations to contribute to the project’s efforts by offering to add their very own records and collections of information, images, plans, maps and more.
We are delighted to be part of Layers of London, and look forward to seeing how the project develops into the future.