London: A Life in Maps Blog

Welcome to the London: A Life in Maps Blog, launched as a forum for discussing the exhibition of the same name currently on at the British Library. Peter Barber, Head of British Library Map Collections and curator of the exhibition will discuss various issues raised by his selection of maps and drawings, which chart the history of London through the ages - from Roman occupation to the 2012 Olympics. Read the posts, make a comment, visit the exhibition - enjoy!

Comments

[Londoner]

I look forward to the debate.

[Frankie Roberto]

Hello from the web team at the Science Museum...

[Odette Nelson]

why did you pick on such BORING people to be the "voice" of London? Where are the foremost archaeologists, the historians, the voices who 'know' the place better than these illiterate journalists and 'trendy' folk and MPs? Really, you ought to do a bit more research. And please, no so-called 'celebs'!

[Paul Youlten]

I can't find any mention of OpenSteetMaps.org in the exhibition.

Maybe you should invite one of the founders to do a workshop/debate the future of mapping in London?

[Peter Barber]

We did approach a broad range of people for the My London video interviews -people that we thought might both be identifiably 'Londonders' & who also might have something interesting to say. The selection of people shown (Ken Livingstone, Janet Street-Porter, etc) simply reflects the people that we approached who agreed, or were available, to take part. Others, some with perhaps more specific or 'relevant' credentials, agreed to participate in different ways - for example, Peter Whitfield's excellent accompanying book, and Peter Ackroyd's recent article for the New Statesman. I'm also hoping to add more related talks & discussions to the events programme in the new year, & will post any details here, as well as on the website.
PB.

[Robbert van Mesdag]

Dear Mr. Barber,
I notice so-called ""eelships"" on various maps (excellent show, by the way, well done!). Some I see upstream of London Bridge, I think under St. Paul's. Others I see below stream, opposite Billingsgate.
My question is can you tell me the origin of these ships, their nationality, where the eel came from.
We Dutch are proud of the fact that eelships have laid moored opposite Billingsgate since about 1660 till before WW II, free of moorage charges and eel handling fees. In Dutch circles rumour has it that these priviliges were granted by Royal Charter.
Thanking you, Robbert v.M.

[Peter Barber]

This is a very interesting question – but one which I’m afraid I cannot answer, as I'm not that familiar with eelships! But it does demonstrate again how maps and views go far beyond the geographical to illustrate all sorts of otherwise little or completely unrecorded facets of life. In this particular case it also suggests that the London trade in (and Londoners’ taste for) eels was so large that it could not be omitted from any ‘truthful’ depiction of London. Alternatively (I’d have to take a close look!), if there are no eelships shown on the Hollar view it may be a form of advertising on the part of Visscher – a Dutchman who is never known to have visited London himself (i.e. ‘the Dutch and their eels are so appreciated in London that eelships are an inescapable part of the London townscape’!). Perhaps somebody out there could provide the answer that I’m unable to give!

[Daniel]

Excellent exhibition. I went yesterday and it was hard to tear myself away. I did have an ulterior motive in going though and that was to help out my partner, who is a painter. She has painted various parts of Battersea. Her subject matter tends to be concrete walls and tunnels and roads, but she wanted to name her paintings after what used to be on the site. Whilst Battersea appears from the earlier maps in the exhibition to be split into small farms, there were no names on the farms. I understood that they probably would have been named. Is there any where that those names could be found?

[Martin Shaw]

Hi there,
That was a great combination of old and new as seen in your advertising for the A LIFE IN MAPS. Old etchings combined with London as it is now. This is really worth a whole book or exhibition! Old St. Olafe south bank faced with the Gurkin. That was classic!
Best regards
Martin Shaw