On Wednesday 31 May 2017 Historic England launches the first ever London History Day, celebrating the capital’s extraordinary history and heritage. London Metropolitan Archives will mark the day as part of a series of celebratory events this year in connection with the 950th anniversary of the City of London Corporation’s extensive archives.
On 31 May LMA will suspend its usual activities and young people will ‘take over’ to welcome guests to an all-day history fair, an exciting day of activities, crafts and archive discoveries. A 22-metre long, early 19th century, hand-coloured copy of the Bayeux Tapestry – the longest item in the archives’ collections – will form the centrepiece of the event. Meet the Normans, write your own document, make a seal, sew a book, create a portrait, have a photograph taken of yourself and your family in Victorian London, put yourself on the London map and watch some films. See some of our most curious documents, not only the longest, but also the heaviest and the smallest, the most burnt, the smelliest, the “danciest” and many more. Talk to experts who will answer your questions and tell you about our amazing archives and the work we do.
LMA’s London History Day takes place between 10am and 3.30pm and is free. You can just drop in, but please register your interest on Eventbrite.
As part of London History Day, there will be a curator’s talk on one of LMA’s iconic documents, the Great Parchment Book of the Honourable the Irish Society which is on display in the Heritage Gallery at Guildhall Art Gallery. The talk is at 10.30am on 31 May in the Gallery and is free, but please book on Eventbrite to secure your place.