Humanities & Science
History: Art and About: Walking Anglo-Saxon London
Course overview
Part of the WEA Art and About Festival 2024!
This is a walk around the former site of Lundenwic, the Anglo-Saxon settlement of London of the 8th and 9th Century. Nothing remains in terms of building but there is much to learn from the archaeological and documentary record. Using the record and the existing street plan and a lot of imagination we can begin to reconstruct something of what the settlement was like. The site of the former settlement encompasses Charing Cross, Covent Garden and the Strand and that will be the area of this very gentle and easy stroll. We will take frequent pauses to consider the evidence and consider the nature and legacy of this ancient settlement.
We will meet at 10.30am at Eleanor Cross, Charing Cross Station, WC2N 5PH
Course description
On the walk we will consider six questions:
1. Was there an Anglo-Saxon London?
2. If so, where was it?
3. What was it?
4. Why there?
5. When was it?
6. Where did it go?
To answer the six questions we will consider six sources:
1. Received wisdom and its merits
2. The Written record
3. The Geographical setting
4. Our walk around five key archaeological sites
5. Language and place names
6. Collections of artefacts and manuscripts
The walk and our discussions will draw heavily on the wonderful work of the Museum of London Archaeology Unit (MOLA) and in particular Lyn Blackmore, Robert Whytehead, Robert Cowie, Dr, Gustav Milne, Rory Naismith. This walk and talk is largely the result of their scholarship over many years.
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