I recently went on a very interesting visit to the London Metropolitan Archives in Clerkenwell. They are a fantastic historical resource for London, totally free and accessible to visit and are packed with historical treasures.
The Archives
The London Metropolitan Archives are the official archives of the City of London. They have over 100km of documents, maps and records in their strong rooms, not just from the City but many other London and international institutions.
Their oldest item is William the Conqueror’s charter issued in 1067, acknowledging and confirming the privileges and semi-autonomous status of the City of London.
They have lots of records from church parishes, livery companies and many other sources.
For example, I was shown this amazing leather-bound 13th century visitation book from St Paul’s Cathedral.
Dating from the 1290s it includes inventories of the large array of property that the Dean and Chapter of St Pauls owned at the time as well as of plate, vestment, books and other items in the Cathedral itself.
Anyone can use the public room and go to the exhibitions here for free. To use the archive itself you just need to get yourself a free History Card. It is very popular for people to trace their family history for example.
Find out more about the card and how you can register here.
The Original Designs of Tower Bridge
I was also very excited to be shown some of the original designs for Tower Bridge!
When the City of London decided they wanted a new bridge in the East End of London in 1876, a competition was put out for architects to submit their designs.
Over 50 designs were submitted. The key of course was that it did not impede shipping traffic coming up the Thames.
This architect has gone for a relatively simple rotating roadway design.
This is a rather elaborate system involving hydraulic lifts…
I am not sure this quite predicted just how much traffic would eventually be going across the bridge. Can you imagine the congestion!
Finally, this one is not a design for a bridge but a very grand tunnel…
Other foot tunnels such as the Thames Tunnel between Rotherhithe and Wapping and the Tower Subway, had, whether fair or not, gained a reputation for being haunts for thieves and sex-workers. This design therefore was never selected.
In 1884, Horace Jones, the City architect, in collaboration with John Wolfe Barry, submitted the final design.
Horace Jones submitted a couple of versions, one of which you can see here with a dramatic arch between the towers.
You can find out more about the history of Tower Bridge here or look inside one of the cavernous bascule chambers here.
Unforgotten Lives
They also have regular free exhibitions and talks at the London Metropolitan Archives.
The one they have on at the moment is called Unforgotten Lives, all about past Londoners of African, Caribbean, Asian or Indigenous heritage.
They highlight some fascinating, lesser-known characters, using their archives, such as parish records.
This for example is Dean Mohamed.
He was born in India before travelling to Ireland in 1784 where he lived for 22 years, married and had children.
In 1806 the records show him in Marylebone. He has remarried and is working in a ‘vapour bath’. In 1810 he sets up his own business: the Hindostanee Coffeehouse in Marylebone, where he served Indian cuisine. It is thought it was possibly the first place to do so in London.
In 1838 he sets up two Indian bathhouses in Westminster. He is thought to have introduced the Indian massaging practice of ‘shampooing’ to Britain and probably the first Indian to write a book in English, when he wrote about his travels.
Another brilliant person highlighted is Ellen Craft, born in 1824 in Georgia, USA.
Ellen and her husband were both enslaved but escaped in 1848. Transgressing race, class and gender, she dressed up and managed to pass herself as a male, white plantation owner with her husband acting as her slave.
They ended up in London and became members of the London Emancipation Committee.
The exhibition is on until the 24th April and is totally free. Find out more here.
Open times:
Mon 10am – 4.30pm
Tue 10am – 4.30pm
Wed 10am – 7pm
Thu 10am – 4.30pm
Open some Saturdays: 10am – 4.30pm
See their Eventbrite page here for more events as well.
Thank you for reading, more of London’s history below!
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If I ever return to London the National Archives is on my ‘must see’ list
Thanks for sharing. I so much want to visit your country again. I did my dna and i am 98% Wales and Irish.
Thank you so much for that. The Unforgotten Lives exhibition is fascinating and well worth a visit. The Archive is also home to the London Picture Archive, holding over a quarter of a million photos of London, which you can browse online. I used to visit regularly for family research: now that all that material is held at Kew it is almost impossible to get to for me, but a visit to the LMA is still really interesting.
Stunning insight to a Stunning resource.
You are playing a vital role in keeping the truths of history alive in an age of wilful redefinition.
Can’t thank you enough
I visited the London Met Archives a couple of years ago, loved looking at the old maps especially. Must plan a visit again soon to see this exhibition. Thanks Jack!
I visited the London Met Archives a couple of years ago, loved looking at the old maps especially. Fascinating place, I must visit this exhibition soon. Thanks Jack!