These two videos are nothing short of amazing.
They were created in 2013 by two teams of six students from De Montfort University. The task was to create a gritty representation of 17th century London.
Both videos ‘recreate’ 17th century London as it existed before The Great Fire of 1666. The amount of research is clear, not to mention artistic and animation skills. They researched street layouts using historical maps, contemporary building construction, and diaries from the period. The hanging signs record genuine inns and businesses from contemporary records.
Watching these videos really helps me to imagine myself back in the period. One of the things I notice is the number of church spires. London had 126 parishes, and although most of them have not survived, the scenes remind me very much of central Norwich today, with a church and little churchyard at almost every corner. I realise that London must have looked very similar. I literally lose myself every time I watch these.
The videos were created for ‘Off the Map’, a competition run by The British Library and video game developers GameCity and Crytek. ‘Pudding Lane Productions’ (above) won first prize.
The first video lasts 3 minutes 29 seconds; Triumphant Goat’s, below, is 7 minutes 59 seconds.
English Ancestors 
Looking back through your blog today, (because I can always find something interesting and usually learn something from you), I came across these. You are right, they are amazing.
Most of my ancestors were stuck firmly in the West Midlands but my 6xg-grandfather obviously left the village because he was married in a Fleet marriage in 1730 before returning to Rowley Regis with his bride and raising a large family there. I know that is slightly later than this period but not that much and I can’t think things would have changed completely, despite the fire. Absolutely fascinating, thank you!
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Thank you – they are lovely aren’t they. I can lose myself in these streets.
I’ve been researching Fleet marriages over the last couple of weeks. Do you know why your ancestors eloped? Very interesting period, but the law on marriage really did need to change!
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I don’t actually know why my ancestor left the village but I have developed a theory! I discuss this at some length in a piece I did on my Lost Hamlets blog about this Fleet marriage (A ‘Fleet Marriage’ for a Rowley lad) but essentially I think that he may have been acting as a courier or guard on supplies of nails being sent regularly to London, probably by cart. There was a Crowley family in the his home parish and one of their sons set up in business as an ironmonger in London and won the contract to supply ironmongery to the Navy and became Sir Ambrose Crowley – big business!
I speculate that my ancestor was tempted by the adventure of leaving the small village where he grew up to see the streets of London, paved with gold, like Dick Whittington (or possibly my ancestor went to London with or for the Crowleys, married and raised a son of the same name there and it was his son, born in London, who was in the Fleet marriage – the dates fit better for that theory. ) Whichever it was would have met Diannah Land in London -she was certainly not from Staffordshire, possibly from the Norfolk area as there are Lands there who use the name Diana – so they married and then moved back to Rowley after they were married. I suspect that it was not so much an elopement as perhaps a quick and easy method – many many Black Country people were instinctive nonconformists and certainly the Crowleys were quakers, their households may have welcomed the irregular nature of the Fleet marriage. The National Archives says that these marriages mainly catered, amongst others, for artisans so Edward’s nail maker occupation would fit with that. Or perhaps Diannah’s family did not approve, although she is one of my long-standing brick walls as I know nothing else about her.
TNA also say that in the 1740s, over half of all London weddings were held at the Fleet (over 6500 per year) with a further thousand conducted at the May Fair Chapel – that’s a lot of marriages! So yes, some reform was very much needed!
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