English History Lovers, Have You Seen This?

I found this wonderful prize winning animation of the city of 17th century London on Susan Appleyard’s Facebook page (I am reviewing her latest book) and just had to share it!

Six students from De Montfort University have create a stellar 3D representation of 17th century London, as it existed before The Great Fire of 1666. The three-minute video provides a realistic animation of Tudor London, and particularly a section called Pudding Lane, where the fire started. As Londonist noted, “Although most of the buildings are conjectural, the students used a realistic street pattern [taken from historical maps] and even included the hanging signs of genuine inns and businesses” mentioned in diaries from the period.

For their efforts, the De Montfort team was awarded first prize in the Off the Map contest, a competition run by the British Library and video game developers GameCity and Crytek.

Prize-Winning Animation Lets You Fly Through 17th Century London