Layers of London

User Guide

• explore and use the collection of 100s of historic

map layers on www.layersoflondon.org
• browse the crowdsourced records and
collections covering all aspects of London’s
history
• add your own stories and research
What is Layers of London?
Layers of London is a free online Records
resource that uses maps and user In addition to the maps are ‘user
generated content to blend history, generated records’. These are pieces
geography and digital technology. of information that members of the
public have added to locations on
Maps the map and appear as ‘record pins’.
Central to Layers of London is These might be about historical
a ‘layer directory’. Here you can buildings, people’s memories of life
discover 100s of historical maps in the past, stories about places,
and datasets of London, which can or simply individual interests that
be uploaded and overlaid, letting people would like to share.
users track how areas have changed Records can include descriptive text,
throughout time. All our layers have images, sound recordings, and links
been ‘geo-referenced’, meaning the to YouTube videos.
same points on all the maps can
sit directly on top of each other.
The layers can be faded in and out,
helping users see how areas have
developed.
How to explore our collection of
historic maps and datasets
To access our collection of maps and To select a map/layer, click on its tile in
datasets select the Layers button on the the layer directory which will open a new
left hand menu. window with further information about the
map. Scroll down to the bottom and click
“Use this layer”. You can enable multiple
layers at the same time. When you are
done you can click “I’m Done” or “Close”
and view the maps you have selected.

Layers are categorised as:

London maps: these are historic maps
that cover multiple areas of London. The
Screenshot of Layers of Lon-
oldest London
don menu maps cover the City and The site allows you to compare and
Westminster, while more recent maps contrast the maps. Using the “Layer tools”
cover a wider area, as the city expanded. panel in the bottom left hand corner you
can fade the maps in and out using the
Borough maps: in this section you can find
sliders, temporarily disable a map by
the London maps and datasets that cover
clicking the eye button, and change the
a particular borough, as well as smaller
order of the maps by clicking and dragging
maps obtained from local archives.
on the names and bringing them up or
Datasets: these layers consist of vector down. You can also click “Hide records”
points that give location information to make the boxes representing records
on particular themes - for example the on the map disappear so you can get a
locations mentioned in Charles Dickens clearer view of the maps. To remove the
novels and the locations of London’s trees. map entirely, click the small cross across
Click on each point for more information. from its name.

To find a particular location you are

interested in you can use the “Find a place”
box in the top right hand corner. You can
search for streets, areas or postcodes.
How to explore crowdsourced records
and collections
Collections
Many records are part of collections -
groups of records on a similar theme. Some
examples of collections are “Alexander
Pope’s London”, “Feminist History in the
East End”, and “Old Postcards of Sutton”.

Finding records
The records on our site cover all areas
of London and contain information on
all kinds of topics. If you are interested
in finding out what people have added in
a particular area, simply navigate to that You can find collections the same way
part of London by clicking and dragging you find individual records, by exploring
the map or by using the “Find a place” the map (collections are marked by a
search box in the top right hand corner dark blue square with a brick pattern) or
of the map page. The records appear as by using the search function. To find out
black squares on the map which you can if a particular record is part of a collection
click on to open. you can scroll down to the bottom of the
record page where you will be able to click
through to the rest of the collection of
which it is a part. You can also view all the
collections we have on the site by clicking
the “Collections” button in the side menu.

If you are more interested in finding

records on a particular theme, use the
“Search records” button in the menu
on the left. There you can search for
keywords, explore by tag, or by era.
How to add your own records and
collections
Before you create a record, you will need Date You can pick an exact date or choose
to create an account and log in. You can a year. In some cases it isn’t obvious
do this using the button on the top right which year to choose, for example, a
hand corner of the Layers of London biography. Decide what year is best - their
homepage. You can then proceed to the birth/death/most important year. If a date
map page.To begin, click the add record is not certain - e.g. if you know a building
button on the left menu panel. dates from mid 19th c. but not sure what
year you can just put in 1850 and add an
explanation of why you chose that year in
the description.

Description Here is where you explain

what your record is all about. It can be as
Once you have done this your cursor long or as short as you like - if your record
should change into a crosshair and you is principally an image you can just have
will be able to choose the location of the a short caption here, or if you have done
record. You can find the place you are in depth research a few paragraphs might
looking for by navigating the map or using be necessary. Generally speaking, 500
the search box in the top right corner. words is a good upper limit.

Sources and Attribution Make sure to

credit where you got your information
Try to be accurate with the location if you
from - a book, a website, an interview.
can but if you cannot, it’s okay just to pick
Include a link if possible.
the street/area relating to the contents
of your record. After you have picked the
Add media and documents Here you can
location for your record, the edit record
upload images from your computer to
page will appear.
appear with your record or add a YouTube
video through entering the link.

Links A related webpage that the reader

might be interested in.

Add to collections If you would like your

record to be part of a collection you
Title The first thing to do is to pick a title can choose it from a dropdown menu
- this can be anything you feel represents here. Your record can be part of multiple
the contents of the record - try to keep to collections.
5 words or less.
Tag your record Choose a category or
categories that describes your record. At
least one tag is required before a record
can be published Working as a team
If you are working with other people
Who can edit? If you are working in a
creating a collection, you might want to
team (see below) you can set your record
consider creating a team. To do this, click
so that members of your team can edit it
“Your profile” in the left hand menu. Go
too.
to the Teams panel and you will have the
Saving and editing your record option to create a team. Members of your
Once you have filled in all the details team can then request to join on that
you can choose to publish your record same page. Once the team is all set up,
if you want it to be visible on the map you will be able to set your records and
for everyone. You can also save it as a collections to be editable by you and your
draft if you are not finished and want to team.
come back to it at a later date. Whether
you have published it or not, you can edit
your record. Click “Your records” in the
left hand menu and all the records you
have worked on will appear. To edit one,
click into it and scroll down to the bottom,
where you will find the yellow “Edit” button
in the bottom right hand corner.

Creating a collection
Some records are stand alone, but others Any style guide for records? We
are part of a collection of records on a recommend writing your records in an
similar theme. If you are adding multiple accessible, not too formal style. A good
related records, you should create a guideline for length is 500 words as
collection so that they can be easily found. an upper limit, but in some cases it is
To do this click the “Create collection” necessary to go above this and that is not
button on the menu in the left hand panel. a problem!
You will just need to give your collection a
title and description, and decide whether What about copyright? All material added
you want to keep it private (only you can to the Layers of London website will be
add a record to it), public (anyone can add licensed under a Creative Commons 4.0
a record to it), or for you and your team. International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license.
More information at www.layersoflondon.
org/user-agreement.
 www.layersoflondon.org
[email protected]

@LayersofLondon layersoflondonihr

Layers of London is part of the Centre for the History of People,

Place and Community (CHPPC) at the Institute for Historical
Research. The centre aims to foster engaged, innovative research
into placed histories across all regions and periods, from the rural
to the urban and the parish to the metropolis.

Layers of London has been made possible by the National Heritage

Lottery Fund, as well as funding from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation,
the Ford Britain Trust, and the IHR Trust.