The working life of Museum of London

Should you have visited the Museum of London over the last few months, you may have noticed the scaffolding and tarpaulin covering a section of the Roman London Wall, known as ‘Bastion 14′, which sits directly underneath the museum’s Roman gallery.

This was to allow the Museum of London Archaeology’s Geomatics Team and Standing Buildings Team to work on the structure whilst Nimbus Conservation carried out conservation works.

The two teams of archaeologists worked together in order to produce detailed elevations of the structure showing the different types of building materials and the existing features. Documentary research into the Bastion’s history was also undertaken using the City of London’s records held at the London Metropolitan Archive.

The comparison between the archival information and the observation of the fabric will lead to the reconstruction of the history of the remains of the bastion and identification of a sequence of development phases.

There is a wealth of information on their work available on the Museum of London Archaeology website here.

Here, Jane Sidell, English Heritage’s (external link) Inspector of Ancient Monuments for London, helps us uncover what was happening underneath:

Bastion 14 has been gradually decaying since the last conservation works over a decade ago. Unfortunately, historic buildings when exposed to the elements tend to deteriorate and consequently require on-going light maintenance. Owing to its deterioration, through weathering, frost-shattering and vegetation growth, the bastion was identified as vulnerable and was placed on the English Heritage, Scheduled Monuments at Risk Register.

A plan and programme of conservation was devised following a condition survey and the work was undertaken by Nimbus Conservation.

The conservation works aimed to secure structural stability, re-point the masonry where needed, using traditional lime mortars, reversing some elements of unsympathetic repairs undertaken in the past.

The excellent work undertaken really shows much more clearly how the bastion would have functioned as a defensive feature before being gradually overwritten by later buildings such as the warehouses and workshops known in the vicinity.

The conservation programme was commissioned through the City Surveyors Department at the City of London Corporation who very generously funded the project.

Time is ticking away before the 20 images that will make up the Your 2012 free photography exhibition go on display dealing with the impact of the construction of the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London. Come along and see it when it starts at the Museum of London Docklands on the 22nd of July 2011.

It looks set to be a very exciting exhibition on a topic that is interesting for many people. Public and media interest is growing exponentially at the moment for the Olympics. Look at this post taken by the Viewtube during high Summer last year and compare it with the pictures taken earlier this month below at the same site.

Not only are large numbers of schools attending the site but also various senior citizens and tourist groups.

Even the media itself are regularly checking up on progress and reporting it nationwide.

If you would like to learn more about the Olympic site than I recommend that you come along to one of the our Olympic tours called ‘Walk the Olympic Way’ that we will be offering on Sunday 12th June 2011 from 2.30pm -4pm and Wednesday July 27th from 2.30pm – 4pm.

Come again next week and we will look at the progress taking place at the Crossrail site that is right in front of the Olympic Stadium.

Peter

Time is ticking away before the 20 images that will make up the Your 2012 free exhibition go on display dealing with the impact of the construction of the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London. Come along and see it when it starts at the Museum of London Docklands in July.

In continuation of the recent History of the Olympic Site blogs here is part 3 of the story.

Bryant and May Factory

Is just a stone’s throw away from the Olympic Stadium and has left an indelible mark on British socioeconomic and trade union history.  The saga that made it famous began in 1888 when the company tried to force its workers to say they were happy with working conditions following some bad publicity. The workers refused so the company reacted by sacking them and a huge strike by 1,200 women ensued.

 The women won their strike. It is significant because the Bryant & May dispute was the first strike by unorganized workers to gain national publicity. Also because of its success it was instrumental in inspiring the formation of unions all over the country.

 Bazlegette Sewage System

During the Victoria Era the population of London rapidly expanded and with the advent of flush toilets to replace cess pits the net result was that increasing amounts of  sewage went untreated into the River Thames. The situation with the quality of the river became worse and worse until finally Parliament decided to do something in 1858 and appointed Joseph Bazalgette to sort out the problem.

He was a highly distinguished engineer who went on to develop London’s first comprehensive sewage system. This meant constructing eighty five miles of new sewers to re-route the sewage away from directly flowing into the Thames up river. As part of this construction work he built the Abbey Mills Pumping Station that later was nicknamed ‘The Cathedral of Sewage’.

 It took 16 years to build in total. It used to have high chimneys but these were knocked off during World War Two to prevent them being used as a navigational aid by German Bombers.

As you can see from the photo below it is currently being cleaned up for the Olympics and this means lots of scaffolding is required. 

 The Greenway footpath

The Greenway is a footpath and cycleway that passes right through the Olympic Park in East London and contains the Northern Outfall Sewer beneath it.

Yardleys building

Is famous throughout the world for its quality fragrances and soaps. If you look carefully on the photo you can see the iconic image of the flower sellers that has helped make this such a famous building.

If you would like to learn more about the site I recommend that you come along to one of the following Olympic tours  called ‘Walk the Olympic Way’ that we will be doing on Sunday 12th June 2011 from 2.30pm -4pm and Wednesday July 27th from 2.30pm – 4pm.

And if you are interested in learning more about this recent series on the History of the Olympic Site are recommend you look here at the first part of the History of the Olympic Site 

Finally check here again next week and you can read about the mighty canal boats that are cleaning up the site ready for the Olympics.

Peter

Time is ticking away before the 20 images that will make up the Your 2012 free exhibition go on display dealing with the impact of the construction of the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London. Come along and see it when it starts at the Museum of London Docklands in July.

As promised here is part two covering the history of the Olympic site

Stratford Railway Works

The Docks Area and Railway Yards were some of the largest in the country. In fact it was the hub of the suburban railway system and the principle locomotive running depot of the Great Eastern Railway, the largest in the country. This is why the area became prime targets for German Zeppelins in World War One and German Bombers in World War Two.

In 1965 West Ham & East Ham were combined to form the Borough of Newham. Governments began to recognise their neglect of the area and plans began to redevelop the area. Things started to change and a new freight Terminal opened on the derelict area of the vast railway engineering yards.

Stratford Railway Works started in 1840 whilst Stratford Works was built in 1847 from 15 acres over the years building and repairing locomotives,carriages and vans. The whole site covered an area of 132 ½ acres. Stratford Works built 1682 locomotives 5,500 passenger vehicles and 33,000 Good wagons.

By the post war period it had become a major Freight Terminal but it has recently been redeveloped into the Stratford International and Regional Station plus the brand new Westfield shopping centre. 

 Archaeology

During the development of the Olympic Aquatics Centre site, four prehistoric skeletons were found buried in graves around an area of Iron Age settlement. One of the skeletons is thought to be 3000 years old. In the Iron Age this would have been a small area of dry land on the edge of the river valley, surrounded by lakes, rivers and marshes. The first Londoners lived by and fished in what is now the River Lea (which surrounds the Olympic Stadium) and parts of their cooking pots have also been found.

Here are the latest pictures of the Aquatic Centre and as you can see it is almost complete and looks absolutely fantastic!

Don’t forget to read the final installment of this series on the History of the Olympic Site next week and if you would like to learn more about the site I recommend that you come along to one of the following Olympic tours  called ‘Walk the Olympic Way’ that we do on Sunday 12th June 2011 from 2.30pm -4pm and Wednesday July 27th from 2.30pm – 4pm.

And if you are interested in the learning more about this series then come and check the first part of the History of the Olympic Site here.

Peter  

Time is ticking away before the 20 images that will make up the Your 2012 free exhibition go on display dealing with the impact of the construction of the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London. Come along and see it when it starts at the Museum of London Docklands on 22nd July 2011.

Anyway as promised here is some information all about the pre 2007 history of the Olympic site before redevelopment had begun.

Hackney Wick

 Hackney Wick was a highly industrialised area around the canal and the railway with its best known products including Clarico Mints (still available but made elsewhere). Petrol was first given its name here (a company called Carless Berger started making paints around here in 1780). The world’s first synthetic plastic parkesine was made here. There were chemical works and they were also pioneers of the synthetic dye industry. Dry cleaning in the country started here too. Other factories made pies and processed foods, jam and much more besides including Lesneys Matchbow Toys  from 1947-1983. Around 1900 Old Etonian Major Arthur Villiers, a Director of Barings Bank bought an area of land to be used in perpetuity as allotments, a bequest that was sadly ended in 2007 when the holders were evicted and had to make way for the London 2012 Olympics.

 Hackney stadium – on what was Waterdon Road in Hackney Wick (and is now within the Olympic Park) was opened in 1932 and used for Greyhound Racing and the Speedway. In 1994 a £12 stand and restaurant was built and the stadium was renamed the London Stadium, Hackney. In December 1997 the company that owned the stadium, London Stadium Hackney Ltd, went out of business. The stadium was left derelict for several years until it was bought by the London Development Agency and demolished in 2003.

Photograph of the Royal Corps of Signal Display Team courtesy of John Skinner, www.defunctspeedway.co.uk

is area will become the site for the new 2012 Olympic Media and Broadcast Centre and after the Games, will be turned over for commercial use.

Hackney Marshes

 Hackney Marsh covers 339 acres of flat meadowland to the East of Hackney and alongside the River Lea it has a long history of Munitions and Lead Manufacturing from the early days of Lead Paint and crude munitions through to First World War “Projectiles” and the Matchbox die cast model factory which closed in 1990.

 The Marshes were drained during medieval times and in the late 1700’s a Roman Causeway was discovered. However the low lying area was victim to several floods and eventually in the 19^th century a canal system was developed which revealed a land rich in wildlife – attracted hunting parties which targeted the birds and rabbits. The sporting theme continued with bear baiting until later when they were replaced with rabbit coursing.

The London County Council bought the marshes for £75,000 in 1893 and they became part of the Lea Valley Park in 1967. They now play host to cricket, Hockey and Rugby and hold the world record for the most number of full sized football pitches in one place.

The East Marsh will be tarmaced and turned into a temporary disabled coach Park for the Olympics in 2012.  This has proved controversial with residents but in return for the inconvenience they have been promised that following on from the games there will be considerable investment to improve facilities  for amateur sport on the marshes.

Photograph of Hackney Marshes taken from The Topical Times Football book 1963-64 © D.C.Thomson&Co.,Ltd

And that concludes the first part of my history of the Olympic site. Come and check on my blog next week when I will look at the Stratford Railways Terminal that used to be where the present day Olympic stadium is plus the archaeological finds discovered round the Olympic Park with a focus on the Aquatic Centre area.

Peter

Time is ticking away before the 20 images that will make up the Your 2012 free exhibition go on display dealing with the impact of the construction of the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London. Come along and see it when it starts at the Museum of London Docklands in July.

In the meantime to whet your appetite here are some photos of recent development work going on around the Olympic Park site. As you can see from the photo the Westfield development  is right in the middle of its construction process and on track to be ready for September 2011

    Also connecting the Hackney Marshes car park area with the Olympic Park is the new Ruckold Road bridge.

    With all this work going on we can’t blame some for having a well deserved break!

Come and check up on us again next week and we will have some more information and photos all about the history of the Olympic Park site prior to its recent regeneration.

Peter

Time is ticking away before the 20 images that will make up the Your 2012 free exhibition go on display dealing with the impact of the construction of the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London. Come along and see it when it starts at the Museum of London Docklands in July.

As you can see much of the work has now been completed on the Olympics stadium. Work is now moving on to the surrounding area where the red Mittel Orbit Tower and the adjoining 2012 Olympic Garden will be built.

                If you are curious as to what it looked like a whole year ago then check out below.

And if you enjoyed these pictures then please remember to look at this blog again and you will see how the Aquatic Centre has been changing over the last year in my next update.

 Peter

London Street Photography launched last night and I was there as one of the participating photographers. Its one thing looking at images and trying to understand their significance , but quite another to actually see the creators of these windows on society in the flesh. There was a definite electricity pulsing through the gallery last night and the thought that so many of the people in the room had actually contributed directly to what was on the wall, a fascinating and varied take on life in the city, was exciting. Photographers are often criticised for being an egotistical bunch, but many of the people I spoke to last night were modest about their achievements. I loved the contrast between Matt Stuarts often comic look at London and for example Sean McDonnells dramatic and slightly edgy work.

The exhibition was opened by Wolf Suschitzky, whose stirring tribute to the power and fascination of photography was a real call to arms for anyone with a camera. It rather harked back to my earlier words about nostalgia. Wolf made the point that times have changed and people’s perceptions of photography and its role in society are creating problems for dedicated exponents of the art of street photography. It must have been wonderful to have been able to wander the streets without people questioning ones intentions. Is that why the images of yesteryear are so captivating, because everyone looks so at ease with the camera?

One of the interesting things about photography is its ability to misrepresent its subject matter. In the early days of photography, the relative insensitivity of photographic emulsions to light meant that most photographs were taken in good weather. This perhaps creates the illusion that in the old days the weather was always nice. Wolf Suschitzky’s stunning image “A milkman- Charing Cross Road” shatters this illusion and is unusual in its depiction of the London of old . The wet road reflects light back and creates a frame around the milk cart. Wolf’s closing comment last night was to encourage everyone to continue taking photos, in good weather and bad. 

This exhibition, opening on the 18th February brings together over 200 street images to provide a feast of street photography from 1860 to the present day.

I should now declare a personal interest here as I have a photograph in the show which will stand shoulder to shoulder with the work of many other photographers, but one in particular has long fascinated me. I have often pondered the idea of nostalgia with regard to photography. At what point will we start to look back fondly or with interest on things that at present seem mundane and uninteresting. The Museum is fortunate to have a large bequest of images donated by Henry Grant covering topics as diverse as school milk and car crashes. Henry Grant was a photographer who in my opinion had a gift for recognising the significance of such subject matter.

As I have said in a previous post, one must try to divorce oneself from what looks aesthetically pleasing and instead concentrate on what is important. When Henry’s pictures were taken in the 50’s and 60’s, London was still recovering from the war, and much of the City of London was still a building site. Britain had only just started to become the colourful place it is now as rock and roll took a hold on popular culture. Although we are lucky enough to have images of such exciting events as the Festival of Britain, we also have the sack race from a school sports day or office workers reading in St Paul’s churchyard. Instead of focussing on what was new, Henry concentrated on what to him was important. As a photographer I realise that it is crucial that we steer ourselves away from the more immediately stimulating subject matter and it is for that reason that this exhibition will I hope, find public appeal. The photographer’s subjects are not people who put themselves up for public scrutiny, or events which guarantee a press following, but the dull realities of life, which are sometimes comic, often thought provoking and even life affirming. The early pictures provide a valuable insight into everyday life, the newer ones do too, but they have an added fascination because they were the product of someone looking at London NOW but in a different way, and thus capturing the real essence of city life.

In the photographic department we have had the task of printing all the images for the exhibition that aren’t already held as prints in the Museum’s photographic collection. We are lucky enough to have a large format printer which we use to produce everything from the posters you will see around the museum site right up to fine art prints.   Exhibition prints are printed on high quality baryta coated archival paper, which replaces the type of paper we used in the darkroom when printing traditional negatives.  These prints will then go straight into the collection. The smell of this paper is a very nostalgic one if you have ever had experience printing in an analogue darkroom and serves as a reminder of how digital printing has almost taken over as an alternative to the alchemy of the darkroom experience. The baryta coating helps to create deep blacks and nice tones in the print, often missing from prints made on cheaper paper.

London Street Photography runs 18 February – 4 September 2011 and entry is free.

Hello again,

We have had a bit of a break as we have had changes to the project team, so let me introduce you to the hosts who are taking this exhibition forward.

We now have photographs being taken by myself, Peter, Dave and Donald.

Other regular updates will be coming from Rachel and Matt as the exhibition develops.

We are picking up from where we left off on our blog with this photograph from High Summer:

This is part of the Greenway (a walking route through the Olympic site) looking calm and tranquil. Things are a lot different now. We will show you how in future updates as  interest in the site in general has grown massively in the last few months with organised group visits commonplace including I might add ones for visitors to our museum!

 Our next update will take you through from Autumn right into the heart of Winter.

After we have talked you through these changes we will then go onto discussing further the development of our free exhibition which opens in July this year (one year before the Olympics are due to begin).