London map exhibition

A major new exhibition has been opened at the British Library in London to display historical maps of the City. Called "London in Maps, the exhibition includes maps, panoramic views, letters, and ephemera from the British Library collectionand will bring to life the city's transformation from a Roman outpost to the huge, heaving metropolis of today. It will also look to the Olympic and post-Olympic future.

It will let you see how London has developed over nearly 2,000 years to become Europe's largest city - 300 languages, all major religions and 7,000,000 people of many nationalities, a city that never stops and perpetually reinvents itself.

Highlights include:

the earliest view of London, from a Roman medal of 296 AD
real history of the A-Z from 1652 onwards
original hand-drawn map for the reconstruction of London drawn within months of the Great Fire of 1666
surviving fragment of the most beautiful map of London, by Wenceslas Hollar
psychedelic panorama of Carnaby Street in 1970

If you are in London between now and late March, take some time out to visist this exhibition; if not, click here for a virtual tour: you can then click on map pins on Google Map, to be directed to maps and pictures, as well as podcasts and video clips.