Professional archaeologists have been working in the city of London, and revealing its secrets, since the early 1970s. This book celebrates more than three decades of discovery and draws on research and excavations carried out by the Museum of London Archaeology Service. With hundreds of photographs, maps and plans, this volume presents a thematic overview of London's history covering a number of important sites and finds. Chapters explore the landscape and topography of the city, London's rivers and especially riverfront, its infrastructure of streets, bridges, sewers, railways and the underground, trade and industry in the city, domestic housing and everyday life, entertainment, religion and the disasters that befell the city including fire and disease. A fascinating insight into London's hidden history.

Contains its Proceedings, Reports, List of members, etc.

London's archaeology is as complex and varied as the city is today. These seventeen papers survey twenty-five years of London archaeology in the city and its environs from prehistory to 1800. Contents: Introduction ( H Sheldon and I Haynes ); Towards the development of a settled landscape in London c.4000-1200 BC ( J Cotton ); Changing approaches to the first milolennium ( N Merriman ); The Roman city ( M Hassall ); Art in Roman London ( M Henig ); Religion ( I Haynes ); Evidence from Roman London's cemeteries ( B Barber and J Hall ); Roman Southwark ( H Sheldon ); Roads, roadside settlements and their countryside ( D G Bird ); Early and middle Saxon archaeology ( R Cowie ); Late Saxon and Norman London ( J Clark ); Buildings and defences 1200-1600 ( J Schofield ); Medieval pottery ( A Vince ); Tudor and Stuart playhouses ( S Blatherwick ); Morturay archaeology to 1800 ( V Harding ); Environmental archaeology ( J Sidell ); Archaeology of London, 1973-1997 ( R Cowie and R Densem ).

Excavations at 1 Poultry, in advance of building development, `tells the story of London - from Roman frontier town to provincial capital; ruin then revival as medieval Europe's largest city; recovery from fire and plague to become the world's richest metropolis; the Blitz, and the famously disputed demolition of 16 Victorian buildings'. The story of the excavation and the information it revealed about the history of London are told through a montage of text and a large number of illustrations.

Winner of the London Archaeological Prize for outstanding publication of 2010-11 Since the early 1970s the increasingly effective conduct of archaeological work in the City of London and surrounding parts of the conurbation have revolutionised our view of the development and European importance of London between 1100 and 1600. There have been hundreds of archaeological excavations of every type of site, from the cathedral to chapels, palaces to outhouses, bridges, wharves, streams, fields, kilns, roads and lanes. The study of the material culture of Londoners over these five centuries has begun in earnest, based on thousands of accurately dated artefacts, especially found along the waterfront. Work by documentary historians has complemented and filled out the new picture. This book, written by an archaeologist who has been at the centre of this study since 1974, will summarise the main findings and new suggestions about the development of the City, its ups and downs through the Black Death and the Dissolution of the Monasteries; its place in Europe as a capital city with great architecture and relations with many other parts of Europe, from the Baltic to the Mediterranean. London has been the most intensively studied medieval city in Europe by archaeologists, due to the pace of development especially since the 1970s. Thus although this will be a study of a single medieval city, it will be a major contribution to the Archaeology of Europe, 1100-1600. Praise for this Volume: '..an expert account the book is well designed, expertly illustrated and manages to bridge the gap between an accessible and popular account, with a scholarly framework with full references and an extensive bibliography. This is a book that readers can turn to again and again in order to refresh their knowledge of the archaeology of this medieval metropolis.' Terry Barry, Medieval Archaeology 56, 2012 'This is an important and useful book. And, crucially it's a good read.' British Archaeology, May-June 2012 'John Schofield snythesises a huge volume of archaeology to produce this coherent account packed with detail and fascinating visual evidence, and much enlivened by the author's own observations -- for example, on exotic imported food and whether Londoners had different diets from other parts of England, or on the impact of communities of 'aliens' on the city, including Jewish financiers, and Italian, French and Spanish merchants, or on the effect of London on its hinterland.' SALON number 267, December 2011 'His detailed knowledge of projects both famous and unsung paints a potent picture of London between 1100 and 1600.' Current Archaeology, June 2012 'This is a stimulating book, opening one's eyes to many facets of the past. It can be highly recommended to anyone who wants to find out what archaeology has to offer about London's history, and where future research might lead.' Bridget Cherry, London Topographical Society Newsletter, May 2012 'Schofield draws useful parallels between London and other comparable cities in Europe.. there are some wonderful kernels of information that connect the buildings of London to others throughout the country. This volume is likely to appeal both to those with a general interest as well as to those with more defined archaeological leanings...Schofield's lucid writing style is concise, informative and engaging.' Sara Crofts, SPAB, Cornerstone, Autumn 2012

Describes archaeological finds in the London area and their importance in reconstructing the history of the area from the first appearance of man to the seventh century A.D.