Explore the History of London Online, from Roman Walls to Abbey Road

Historic England and Getty launch public access to the Greater London Historic Environment Record (GLHER)

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A man stands in front of a display of artifacts on the wall.

Historic objects on view at The City Wall at Vine Street. Image: Courtesy of Urbanest, ©Fernando Bonenfant

Sep 25, 2024

Getty and Historic England are making the rich history of London available to the public by opening a wealth of knowledge stored in the Greater London Historic Environment Record (GLHER).

With nearly 90,000 entries collected over 40 years, the GLHER database is a critical tool for the protection of the capital’s past and a first point of call for professionals in heritage and development. Now, anyone with an interest in London’s history can use the GLHER on a new and improved online platform to search and explore information on archaeological sites and discoveries, historic buildings, parks, landscapes and more.

“When it comes to managing London’s rich historic environment, knowledge is power,” says Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England. “Opening up this invaluable dataset means everyone interested in the heritage all around us can dig deeper into the facts and find out more. Historic England’s collaboration with Getty has reimagined the Greater London Historic Environment Record and set a new precedent, creating a remarkable and fit-for-purpose platform for enthusiasts and professionals alike.”

Visitors to the new GLHER platform can search for sites by borough (neighborhood), by date, and other filters, as well as discover relationships between sites through history. The thousands of entries include iconic places such as Abbey Road Studios—famously associated with The Beatles—and archaeological discoveries in the last decade, like the remains of The Curtain theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse used by Shakespeare.

  • Two people dressed in orange vests and wearing helmets excavate remains of an old brick building.

    Archaeologists uncover remains of The Curtain Playhouse theatre. ©MOLA

  • A portion of a wall on display in a bright studio.

    Roman City Wall at Vine Street. Image courtesy of Urbanest. ©Fernando Bonenfan

  • A high ceiling studio with pianos and musical equipment.

    Abbey Road Studios. © Historic England Archive

  • A red walled room with brown pillars and photos hanging on the walls.

    100 Club © Historic England Archive

    Photo: Chris Redgrave

For professionals in the cultural heritage sector, the GLHER plays an important part in the planning process. The GLHER is regularly consulted to inform new development on sites across London to ensure historic sites are recognized and given proper consideration. Developers must request specialist searches of the GLHER to fulfill their obligations as laid out in planning policy.

The GLHER is powered by Arches, a free, open-source platform developed by Getty for use by organizations around the world to manage data and help protect cultural heritage. To date, Arches is being used by more than one hundred organizations and projects around the world to identify and map millions of cultural sites.

“When we initiated development of Arches more than 10 years ago, our aim was to make a strategic investment to assist heritage organizations worldwide in modernizing their information infrastructure needed for the protection of heritage under their care,” says Tim Whalen, John E. and Louise Bryson director of the Getty Conservation Institute. “We are pleased that, with our partners at Historic England, Arches is being used to manage and share knowledge about the capital’s thousands of years of history and heritage. We are deeply grateful to Historic England for their expertise and our many years of productive collaboration that has led to this powerful and accessible tool for Greater London, as well as a tailored version of Arches for the rest of the UK. This builds on Arches global use by more than one hundred heritage organizations and projects around the world.”

In addition to the new GLHER online platform, Historic England and Getty have also launched availability of Arches for HERs, a software package tailored for the specific needs of UK heritage organizations, including England’s 80-plus Historic Environment Record (HER) offices. Arches for HERs has been developed through collaboration between Getty, Historic England, and the City of Lincoln, England.

Visit the GLHER website to explore more.

For more information on Arches, visit their website.

About Historic England

We are Historic England the public body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England’s spectacular historic environment, from beaches and battlefields to parks and pie shops. We protect, champion and save the places that define who we are and where we’ve come from as a nation. We care passionately about the stories they tell, the ideas they represent and the people who live, work and play among them. Working with communities and specialists we share our passion, knowledge and skills to inspire interest, care and conservation, so everyone can keep enjoying and looking after the history that surrounds us all. Follow us on social media @HistoricEngland

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