Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 18hPrehistoric Londoner 1: "I just fired an arrow into the mouth of the River Lea" Prehistoric Londoner 2: "Bow Creek?" Prehistoric Londoner 1: "No, it's made from the finest yew wood, and never makes a sound." 080
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 02/10/2026This post is the last surviving 'archery mark', some 200 of which once stood north of Old Street. For centuries they were used as targets, like an archery golf-course. Full story here -> londonist.substack.com/p/the-last-p...londonist.substack.comThe Last Post: London’s Lost Archery MarksWhen north London was like a giant golf course, for archers. 182
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 30/09/2026Where was the first crewed flight in England? Surprisingly, it started about a kilometre from St Paul's, and the 'airfield' still exists londonist.substack.com/p/the-first-...londonist.substack.comThe First Flight in EnglandFrom an ‘airfield’ in central London that still exists. 062
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 28/09/2026Two lovely old mosaic roundels... but can you name the stations? 2100
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 27/09/2026Curious fact: in the olden days, these unusual openings in Tube station walls were known as 'ticket offices', and you actually had to get a rectangle of card called a 'ticket' if you wanted to travel. 3311
Reposted by Londonist: Time MachineM@ @mattfromlondon.bsky.social · 26/09/2026The Northern Line, if it were proper Northern. (Made this a few years back, but thought I’d whippet out again.) 35418
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 26/09/2026It was 57 years ago today... that the Beatles released Abbey Road. And it's 15 years since TfL opened Abbey Road DLR station near West Ham. Ever since, the station has displayed 'you are at the wrong Abbey Road' signs to help lost Beatles fans get back to St John's Wood 03913
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 25/09/2026Phyllis Pearsall, creator of the A-Z, was born 120 years ago today. Her sort-of-statue stands in Greenland Dock, Rotherhithe, in the company of fellow local, Michael Caine (and a cormorant representing cycling campaigner Barry Mason). Very odd. 0193
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 23/09/2026We've coloured in another section of the 1746 Rocque map (much bigger than the section shown in preview). See how Rotherhithe and Greenland Dock looked in Georgian times, now in colour londonist.substack.com/p/1746-in-co...londonist.substack.com1746 in Colour: Rotherhithe DocksContinuing my project to colour in the John Rocque map of London. 062
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 22/09/2026We chanced across this lovely mosaic celebration of Sir Tim Berners-Lee near Mortlake station. The man who invented the world wide web, HTML and URLs grew up in the area. Curiously, Ada Lovelace, often regarded as the world’s first programmer, also lived here as a teenager 0192
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 18/09/2026From Ealhswith to Ealdgyth... I've rejigged the Anglo-Saxon royal family tree to put the (largely) forgotten queens at centre stage londonist.substack.com/p/the-family...londonist.substack.comThe Family Tree of Anglo-Saxon QueensA who’s who of medieval women. 050
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 16/09/2026Thank you! I hope it gives you many ideas for places to explore. 010
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 16/09/2026Gardenlarking... a bit like mudlarking but in the garden. This writer dug up loads of glass and pottery and then went to the archives to learn about where they came from londonist.substack.com/p/mudlarking...londonist.substack.comMudlarking at Home: Digging the Minor Treasures of a South London GardenGardenlarking? 1358
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 11/09/2026Rediscovering the Euston mammoth, and the other hirsute trunksters buried beneath London londonist.substack.com/p/the-mammot...londonist.substack.comThe Mammoths of LondonIn search of the hirsute trunksters. 031
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 10/09/2026Ever wondered how the streets of Soho got their names? I've popped the etymologies onto a street map... londonist.substack.com/p/mapped-the...londonist.substack.comMapped: The Origins of Soho’s Street NamesFun with etymology. 0151
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 06/09/2026These two fragments of old London are lurking in a tiny play area in Belsize Park londonist.com/london/secre...londonist.comFragments Of Old London In Belsize ParkSee part of Old Waterloo Bridge and the House of Commons. 070
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 05/09/2026Nutter Lane in Wanstead. If I were Mayor, it'd lead to Tosser Road and Plonker Avenue. 072
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 04/09/2026Who's old enough to remember (a) Mansun, and (b) when they scattered a fortune in banknotes inside Liverpool Street Station? londonist.com/london/music...londonist.comThat Time An Indie Band Scattered £25,000 In Liverpool Street StationThe Taxloss video was a memorable one. 180
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 04/09/2026Ever visited the City of London Cemetery over towards Ilford? It's packed with London history... and foxes londonist.substack.com/p/a-visit-to...londonist.substack.comA Visit to the City of London CemeteryFamous burials and a howl of foxes. 080
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 02/09/2026100 years before the London Eye, Earl's Court had the biggest wheel in the world... londonist.substack.com/p/earls-cour...londonist.substack.comEarl’s Court: The First London EyeWelcome to Londonist: Time Machine, the newsletter of London history. 083
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 29/08/2026Thanks. I've slightly reworded it to say 'probably' over-embellished. Most of the press accounts of the time describe it in those words; only sketchy records of the original were available to Barry, so he had to be a bit creative with details. 010
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 28/08/2026In London, a plot of land the size of a parking space can have a deep, deep history londonist.substack.com/p/some-notes...londonist.substack.comSome Notes From the Centre of LondonThe ultimate historical hotspot. 181
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 26/08/2026How many of London's 'working-class sculptures' have you seen? I've found 16... but they're all of men londonist.substack.com/p/london-has...londonist.substack.comLondon has at Least 16 ‘Working-Class Sculptures’... But Where Are The Women?The city is very good at commemorating labouring men. 094
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 23/08/2026Nothing to do with London history, but this just blew my mind 061
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 21/08/2026Blue Plaques are just the tip of the iceberg... dozens of other plaque schemes operate across London, and here are the most important and unusual -> londonist.substack.com/p/track-the-...londonist.substack.comTrack the Plaque: A Colourful Guide to London’s MemorialsBlue Plaques are only the start. 091
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 19/08/2026Recognise this central London street scene from 1737? It's changed a fair bit...londonist.substack.comAnatomy of a Painting: View of the Stocks Market London, by Joseph NickollsSome delicious secrets hiding in this one... 080
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 16/08/2026Quick reminder about the 1st annual Londonist: Time Machine history writing competition. £350 top prize. But enter soon, as the deadline is Wednesday londonist.substack.com/p/the-1st-an...londonist.substack.comThe 1st Annual Writing Competition From Londonist: Time MachineWith prizes for London's next great history writers. 071
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 15/08/2026It's so sad to visit St Pancras churchyard and see where the Hardy Tree once stood (it died of disease a few years back). That said, its engirdlement of gravestones looks all the more surreal in the tree's absence 0211
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 14/08/2026A map and guide to Tudor buildings in London (outside the centre, which was covered in a previous article) londonist.substack.com/p/the-comple...londonist.substack.comThe Complete Tudor Part 2: Tudor Buildings Beyond Central LondonHampton Court, obviously... but where else? 0219
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 13/08/2026Lacking special glasses, I thought it'd be possible to watch the eclipse through a pint of light ale. Alas, it didn't work. The Sun just appeared as a bright glow. I did get some good stock photos of beer in the sunshine though. Lesson learned: try cider next time 1261
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 12/08/2026One week to go, to enter our London history-writing competition. Prizes to be won londonist.substack.com/p/the-1st-an...londonist.substack.comThe 1st Annual Writing Competition From Londonist: Time MachineWith prizes for London's next great history writers. 050
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 12/08/2026A guide to every Tudor building in central London londonist.substack.com/p/the-comple...londonist.substack.comThe Complete Tudor. Part 1: Central LondonA map and guide to every Tudor building. 04015
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 29/07/2026Here's the high-res version, as well as discussion about some of the main features, which include the UK's oldest Jewish cemetery and a place called World's End londonist.substack.com/p/1746-in-co...londonist.substack.com1746 in Colour: To the Edge of the East EndStepney, Mile End and the limits of London. 0110
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 29/07/2026Another panel done! I've coloured up to the very edge of London, as it was in 1746. This latest panel shows Mile End and Stepney Church surrounded by fields. (High-res and article in comments.) 2174
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 24/07/2026Ever fancied a paddle through London's sewers? Here's what it's like -> londonist.substack.com/p/whats-it-l...londonist.substack.comWhat's it Like to go into London's Sewers? A feculent photo-essayYou might want to postpone your breakfast for a bit... 060
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 22/07/2026I see that Pret is 40 years old today (according to their own plaque). True story… when I first moved to London in the 90s, I was so introverted and provincial that I didn’t dare set foot inside Pret a Manger, in case I had to order in French. 2231
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 22/07/2026Our first annual history-writing competition... with cash prizes londonist.substack.com/p/the-1st-an...londonist.substack.comThe 1st Annual Writing Competition From Londonist: Time MachineWith prizes for London's next great history writers. 040
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 21/07/2026He may have been the smallest man from the smallest county, but Jeffery Hudson led a big life... much of it in London londonist.substack.com/p/how-the-sm...londonist.substack.comHow 'the Smallest Man From the Smallest County' Came to London... and led the biggest life. 030
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 15/07/2026Previously unseen aerial photos of London in 1983 show the city on the cusp of change. And we've recreated each one in Google Earth, so we can do the 'Now vs Then' thing londonist.substack.com/p/london-in-...londonist.substack.comLondon in 1983 From Above (and Recreated)Then and Now photos from the air. 14010
Reposted by Londonist: Time MachineM@ @mattfromlondon.bsky.social · 10/07/2026I stumbled across Count Binface with his visor up, and this is the shocking truth 851095
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 09/07/2026It wasn't properly air-conned, but we were encouraged to open the windows... which doesn't happen on an aeroplane. 020
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 08/07/2026That was the fourth best morning of my life... flying over London in the Goodyear Blimp. London is so, so beautiful from up here. I want to go round again! About 4,000 photos to go through, but here are a few highlights (including the toilet). 6422
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 08/07/2026The City's first proper skyscraper is now half a century old. The NatWest Tower once dominated the skyline, but is now lost among other towers. Here's its history -> londonist.substack.com/p/50-years-o...londonist.substack.com50 Years of the City's First SkyscraperThe NatWest Tower's half-century on the skyline. 0133
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 06/07/2026A road sign in Farringdon that speaks for half the nation this morning... 🏴 ⚽️ 091
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 03/07/2026The forgotten story of the first aeroplane flight over London, and why the pilot got a bit of a b*ll*cking londonist.substack.com/p/the-first-...londonist.substack.comThe First Aeroplane Flight Over LondonLater than you might think. 030
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 01/07/2026Ancient maps and demented entanglograms... these are the biggest 10 stories from the first three years of our history newsletter, Londonist: Time Machine londonist.substack.com/p/top-10-the...londonist.substack.comTop 10: The Biggest Articles From Londonist: Time Machine's First 3 YearsQuite a few maps... 031
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 30/06/2026In case you missed it... I just finished colouring in the 1746 map of Mile End, Stepney and Bethnal Green. In took about 25 hours, but it really makes the different types of land and building stand out londonist.substack.com/p/1746-in-co...londonist.substack.com1746 in Colour: Bethnal Green, Mile End and Stepney GreenColouring in the old East End... 0101
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 29/06/2026Add this to the list of London streets that sound like they're actually a rotating space-station colony, in orbit around Alpha Centauri. 0142
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 26/06/2026250 years ago, it was Whitechapel's most prominent landmark...now, very few people have heard about it. londonist.substack.com/p/the-myster...londonist.substack.comThe Mystery of the Whitechapel MountWhat was this forgotten East End landmark? 050
Londonist: Time Machine @londonist.com · 24/06/2026In colour for the first time! Know someone in Bethnal Green, Whitechapel or Stepney? They might like this highly detailed map from 1746, which we just finished colouring in -> londonist.substack.com/p/1746-in-co...londonist.substack.com1746 in Colour: Bethnal Green, Mile End and Stepney GreenColouring in the old East End... 0110