About the Historic Towns Trust
The Historic Towns Trust is a charity dedicated to making educational maps that chart the development of Britain’s towns and cities over time.
Born from the ruins of the Second World War, our mission is to help people understand how our urban centres were shaped, from Roman origins (and earlier) through to medieval streetscapes, industrial expansion and modern planning. We do this with rigorously researched, multi-layered maps and atlases that are both academically sound and visually accessible, designed to appeal to educators and enthusiasts alike.
So far, we have published 20 maps and seven atlas volumes, with several more in preparation and a plan to map all the county towns by 2050. We are interested in connecting with local groups to develop future map projects, extending our geographical coverage and the types of towns studied.
The Talk
Martin Wills, Development Manager of the Historic Towns Trust, will outline the Trust’s history and our current and future projects, including an extensive school outreach programme.
Professor Vanessa Harding, Chair of Trustees, will speak about the Trust’s most ambitious project yet, an atlas of London on the eve of the Great Fire, 1666.
Bios
Martin Wills began his career in Indonesia working with UNESCO and has since worked with several heritage organisations, including Historic England. He is now Development Manager at the Historic Towns Trust.
Professor Vanessa Harding, Chair of Trustees, is a distinguished historian of medieval and early modern London and contributed to the Trust’s maps of Tudor London c. 1520 (2018) and Medieval London c. 1300 (2019).
This event is for u3a members only.
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