About the London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre (LAARC) On-line Catalogue
Redesign of the LAARC Catalogue site
The updated version of the site was launched in 2008 to coincide with the launch of the Museum of London Archaeology site. We will be adding mapping facilities soon. We are interested in any questions, comments, feedback or errors you might have about the updated site. Please contact the LAARC at the address or numbers listed below or by email to laarc@museumoflondon.org.uk.
Catalogue of London Archaeological Sites
This primary resource is continuously maintained by the LAARC's archivists. It is a comprehensive register of fieldwork projects in Greater London, and is not restricted to sites whose archives have already been deposited with the Museum. Consequently, while the high-level address or administrative data is consistent and accurate, the lower-level descriptive information varies considerably: in many instances, post-excavation analysis - or even fieldwork - is still in progress.
Deposited Archives: Catalogue of Finds (artefacts or objects)
The LAARC holds well over 3000 full site or project archives. Many relate to sites dug by departments of the Museum of London before 1991; whilst other more recent sites are steadily being deposited Museum of London Archeology and by other fieldwork contractors
The pre-1991 archives exist mainly in paper or microfiche form, but many also have digital reports and post-excavation data. Legacy data for other sites is currently being processed and will systematically be made available for downloading via the catalogue. Electronic data from more recent projects is also being prepared for dissemination as part of this programme. Also available on-line is a catalogue of finds from around 350 sites, mostly in the City, containing over 250,000 entries.
Publications
This comprehensive bibliography incorporates records about the main publications concerning the archaeology of greater London, both journal articles and books.
In the case of journal articles, the literature from 1733 to 1989 is covered comprehensively and in depth, with records about individual articles and specific sections within articles. From 1989 to the present, the focus is on articles in the major journals dealing with London archaeology, but work is continuing to extend the recent coverage.
In the case of books and reports, the main publications cited in The archaeology of Greater London (Museum of London Archaeology Service, 2000) and in the three volumes of Archaeological Gazetteers are currently being added to the database.