Daily Schedule

10:30 - 11:30 | Histories of MI5

Professor Philip Murphy, IHR
Discover the secret histories of the security service MI5, in this talk from the IHR Director of the History & Policy network.

11:45 - 13:00 | IHR Library session

Introduction to IHR library resources and collections, with an interactive activity led by the IHR Wohl Library team.

13:00 - 14:00 | Lunch

14:00 - 18:00 | Secret Intelligence Tour or IHR Library supported research

• Spies, secrets and dead letter drops… Explore some of the sites associated with histories of London’s intelligence services, with this special tour from Professor Philip Murphy.
• These IHR Library sessions offer access to all our collections, with our expert librarians on hand for advice and guidance.
   

18:00-20:30 | London Pub Quiz

Join us in the IHR Common Room for drinks (provided) and a fun, informal and friendly pub quiz, themed around London and ‘secrets’ – with some surprises…

10:30 - 11:30 | Dark Earth. Hidden London, AD 400-600

Dr Simon Trafford, IHR
London’s post-Roman history is obscure and little-known, but in this session we shall draw together the fragments of evidence for the lives of Londoners amid the imperial ruins.

11:45 - 13:00 | Hands-on Mapping Session with Layers of London

Dr Justin Colson, IHR
Layers of London is a map-based history website developed by the IHR. As well as accessing free historic maps of London, users can contribute stories, memories and histories to create a social history resource about their area. In this session we will work together to shed more light on early medieval London by creating Layers of London records for archaeological excavations and reports. 

13:00 - 14:00 | Lunch

14:00 - 18:00 | Exhibiting a Secret Space: London’s Mithraeum or IHR Library supported research

• Roman London’s temple of Mithras was designed from the beginning to be secretive and mysterious, but since 2017 it has been displayed in one of London’s most innovative museum experiences. As well as exploring the temple and museum itself with a leading archaeologist of Roman London, we will consider the curatorial and design choices around its display. 
• These IHR Library sessions offer access to all our collections, with our expert librarians on hand for advice and guidance.

10:30 - 11:30 | Dear Diary? Secrets and disclosure in the Mass-Observation Archive

Professor Claire Langhamer, IHR
In this session we explore the varied ways in which Londoners have recorded their lives for Mass-Observation, both in the middle years of the twentieth century, and in the more recent past. What does it mean to confide in an archive and what are the limits of the archive as confessional?
 

11:45 - 13:00 | Secret Bloomsbury, Hidden Lives

Dr Michael Eades, Head of Civic Engagement, Goldsmiths, University of London
Bloomsbury is a place of stories and secrets. Mass-Observers, memoir writers, artists, poets and spies… The streets and squares of this corner of London have long been a place for clandestine meetings and secret encounters. In this session public engagement specialist and writer Dr Michael Eades will explore ‘secret Bloomsbury’ from the perspective of both the literary and the everyday. A short walk out to leafy Russell Square will give you a chance to become a chronicler of Bloomsbury secrets yourself!

13:00 - 14:00 | Lunch

14:00 - 18:00 | Secrets of Senate House or IHR Library supported research

• Discover the secrets of the University of London’s own magnificent Senate House – home of the IHR. From wartime Ministry of Information to present-day film set and more... A special access-all-areas tour.
• These IHR Library sessions offer access to all our collections, with our expert librarians on hand for advice and guidance.

18:00 - 19:30 | Derek Keene London Lecture | Collecting and celebrating LGBTQ+ History in London and Beyond: The Adventures of an Archivist
                        Stefan Dickers, Special Collections and Archives Manager, Bishopsgate Institute

10:30 - 11:30 | Photogrammetry workshop

Dr Gabriel Bodard, Institute of Classical Studies, School of Advanced Study
Digital techniques give us whole new ways to interact with historical objects. This session introduces the technique of photogrammetry, which captures 3D objects into digital models, from the smallest artefacts to whole buildings. Digitised objects can be explored and examined by anyone, and printed out to let anyone get a feel for the past. In this session you will do some hands-on 3D scanning of historical objects from the Institute of Classical Studies collection.

11:45 - 13:00 | London’s Secret Jewellery: The Cheapside Hoard

In Conversation with Hazel Forsyth, author and Senior Curator, Museum of London

For almost 300 years a buried treasure lay undisturbed below one of London's busiest streets. No one knew it was there until workmen started to demolish a timber-framed building in Cheapside near St Paul's Cathedral, in June 1912. In this session the person who knows this collection best, Hazel Forsyth, Museum of London Senior Curator (post-medieval), will discuss London's most famous buried treasure, and what we can learn from it today. 

13:00 - 14:00 | Lunch

14:00 - 18:00 | Bishopsgate Institute or IHR Library supported research

• A special visit to the archives of the Bishopsgate Institute, renowned for their collections documenting everyday people, and the extraordinary individuals and organisations who have strived for social, political, and cultural change. With special guidance from the Bishopsgate Bishopsgate Institute Special Collections and Archives team.
• These IHR Library sessions offer access to all our collections, with our expert librarians on hand for advice and guidance.

10:30 - 11:30 | Hidden Labour: the Trailblazing Women Historians of London (and beyond)

Dr Adam Chapman, IHR, in conversation with Professor Catherine Clarke, IHR
The archives of the Victoria County History of England (based at the IHR) and other national history projects and societies tell fascinating stories of the trailblazing women historians of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Learn about new research into their work, as we delve into the archive.

11:45 - 13:00 | Research Discovery Session or IHR Library supported research

This special session gives you an opportunity to share your own research – either a project you’ve developed across the Summer School week, or your wider personal or professional research interests. The session will take an informal ‘open mic’ format, with 5 minutes for each speaker. Come along and share your interests, discover others’ research, gain feedback, and make connections!

13:00 - 14:00 | Lunch

14:00 - 18:00 | Walking tour of City – hidden stories of slavery  or IHR Library supported research

Dr Juanita Cox and Professor Philip Murphy, IHR

• Where can we find hidden traces of slavery and the experiences of enslaved people in the City of London today? This tour will explore the area around Cheapside, revealing difficult and important histories in the urban landscape of London itself. 
• These IHR Library sessions offer access to all our collections, with our expert librarians on hand for advice and guidance.