USEFUL LINKS FOR LONDON FAMILY HISTORY
including London districts which used to be in the counties of Middlesex, Surrey and Kent
(don't forget to Bookmark this site - you'll want to refer back to these on-line resources again)
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Could you benefit from the assistance of an experienced London genealogist to trace your London family history further? Please see the London & Middlesex page, check the research service I provide and client reviews, then contact me with details of your enquiry for a free initial assessment. All enquiries welcome.
A superb website London Lives includes material from the following parishes: St
Martin in the Fields, Westminster; St Clement Danes, Westminster; St Luke, Chelsea; St Botolph, Adlgate and St Dionis,
Backchurch, as well as much, much more. Bookmark this page before you leave, then search London Lives by surname and given name (narrow by date range).
Search historic records relating to trials and prisoners at the Central Criminal Court of London at:
The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 1674-1913
The Dictionary of Victorian London includes interesting sections which shed light on "Death and Dying in Victorian London", "Children's Charities in Victorian London", "London Markets" and "London Trades and Professions".
Fascinating historic articles and descriptions relating to life in East London sourced from Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives:
Tower Hamlets History On-line:
http://www.mernick.org.uk/thhol/
For historic London weather conditions, month by month from 1900, see:
http://www.london-weather.eu/category.46.html
For earlier periods, Booty Weather has information about weather conditions in specific years or ranges of years - you can select a particular span of years . The website covers the whole of the UK, but entries for individual months and years refer to London's weather (in winter, look for mention of the River Thames freezing).
WAR-TIME LONDON
WW2 London Blitz 7 Oct 1940-6 Jun 1941 mapped.
WW2 V2 rocket attacks on London mapped.
Further material relating to WW2 air raids on London, bomb damage and the London Blitz is available and can be searched at London Metropolitan Archives and the National Archives, Kew.
The Stairway to Heaven memorial will commemorate 173 people crushed to death on 3 March 1943 while trying to enter the air raid shelter at Bethnal Green. More information, including individual stories and how to make a donation to the fund to install at Bethnal Green tube station a memorial to the worst civilian disaster of World War 2. Facebook updates https://www.facebook.com/bethnalgreenmemorial
Islington Book of Remembrance on-line, recording Islington men, women and children who died as a result of war between 1899-1950.
Illustrated London News First World War editions 1914-1918 now on-line.
HISTORIC LONDON MAPS
Go to http://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/map.php for an on-line 16th century map of the City of London. Based upon the Agas map, the
earliest surving printed map of London, it includes many City of London churches;
Go to http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/crace/p/007000000000005u00174000.html for
an interactive version of Richard Horwood's map c. 1795, showing individual properties in the City of London, Westminster and Southwark;
Go to http://www.londonancestor.com/leighs/str-menu.htm for an on-line index to London streets in 1819;
A useful, interactive version of Greenwood's Map of London 1827 is available on-line;
A copy of Cross's Map of London 1844 can be purchased from the British Library.
Go to http://mapco.net/whit1865/whit.htm for an on-line version of Whitbread's map of London of 1865;
Go to http://london1872.com/ for Stanford's highly detailed map of London c. 1872;
17th-19thC Southwark maps made available on-line with download option: http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200212/egovernment/1776/old_maps_of_southwark/1
Browse and search the 1898-99 poverty map of London created by Charles Booth - tip: search by parish, then zoom in to see streets in detail at http://booth.lse.ac.uk/ - see also the BBC series "Secret History of Our Streets" (inspired by Charles Booth's work) at http://www.bbc.co.uk/search/?q=secret%20history%20of%20our%20streets
An on-line map of the County of London and surrounding areas 1889-1965 can be found at http://middlesexcountypress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Map-of-County-of-London-Boroughs-1922.jpg (click on the map to zoom in)
Go to http://www.hipkiss.org/cgi-bin/maps.pl?cat=london for a Bartholomew's Pocket Atlas maps of London of 1922
including Metropolitan Boroughs http://www.hipkiss.org/data/maps/bartholomews-pocket_atlas-and-guide-to-london_1922_metropolitan-boroughs_2000_1486_600.jpg
Go to http://www.maps-of-london.com/ to view an interactive street map of London c. 1940 - in my opinion, this map could be earlier,
as buildings which were in existence in the mid-1930s are not shown. (Tip: use the locations printed in black on the map and/or the postal districts, e.g. S.E.5, to find the location of
interest - it's best to ignore the districts the mouse flags up). To see a list of districts arranged by postcode, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_postal_district .
Go to http://alangodfreymaps.co.uk to purchase good-value copies of old Ordnance Survey maps covering the whole of London.
A free historical map is available to UK applicants while stocks last from http://www.cassinimaps.co.uk/shop/freemap.asp (post and packing charge payable). Please read Cassini Maps' Terms & Conditions before ordering and please note that I have no connection with this company.
LONDON - LOST STREETS
Many London street names have changed over time. How to identify lost streets in London:
try searching Bruce Hunt's useful index to London street name changes:
http://maps.thehunthouse.com/Streets/Old_to_New_London_Street_Name_Changes.htm
LONDON STREETS & CHURCHES
Search for London streets and London churches at:
http://collage.cityoflondon.gov.uk/collage/app?service=external/Index&sp=9&sp=X&sp=cA
OLD PHOTOS OF LONDON
Some London photographic and print archives to 1980 can be searched on-line: these include streets, locations, churches, chapels, schools, London parks, theatres, music halls, pubs, markets,
railway stations, public transport, events; London print archive. Hopefully more archive photographs will eventually become available on-line:
Bookmark this page before you leave!
view 9,000 images of Lambeth, Waterloo, Brixton, Clapham, Streatham, Norwood from Lambeth Archives' collection at:
http://landmark.lambeth.gov.uk/default.asp
view the Francis Frith London collection at http://www.francisfrith.com/london/
you can contribute your own archive photos of Camden, St Pancras & Hampstead to Camden Local Studies & Archives Centre at http://camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/leisure/local-history/contribute-your-image-to-the-local-studies-and-archives-centre.en;jsessionid=61086FE0754289A2C3E24CA65E3DC310
Camden Local Studies & Archives Centre has made their collection of oil paintings of Camden and the local area accessible on-line at http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/search/quicksearch/?term=Camden&facets=artists%2Cpaintings%2Ctags&num=36
and has compiled Kings Cross Voices which records memories of those who lived and worked in Kings Cross
view photos of Spitalfields taken in 1912 at:
http://spitalfieldslife.com/2010/09/21/c-a-mathew-photographer/
view archive images of East End markets, including Bethnal Green, at http://www.mernick.org.uk/elhs/ELHS.htm (follow the link, then click on Picture Gallery, then East End Market Postcards)
You can contribute your own family photos to the Bethnal Green Photo Archive
view Jason Blackman's old photos of Putney and Roehampton and old photos of Wandsworth, Tooting and Balham
view detailed antique prints and engravings of Southwark (dealers' website - please note that I have no connection with this company) at http://www.heatons-of-tisbury.co.uk/londsouth.htm
the on-line Picture Library of the National Maritime Museum includes fascinating images:
http://www.nmmimages.com/?service=page&action=show_home_page
Archive photos taken by past members of Croydon Camera Club include some London scenes:
http://www.croydoncameraclub.org.uk/ClubArchiveHome/ClubArchiveMembersPhotographs/ClubArchiveMembersPhotographs.htm