CASE STUDY: MOLA – Community Archaeology

The ‘Liberty of Southwark’ is a development in Central London by regeneration specialists U+I and Transport for London.  The site is in an area with significant historical depth. The MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) is working with ‘Community Producers’, a group of local Southwark residents, to document and communicate the archaeological excavation on site. The Community Producer programme is a community-led heritage interpretation programme, developed and led by MOLA, and in partnership with Southwark Works, Thames Reach, and Transport for London.

As archaeologists excavate buildings and artefacts dating back as far as the Roman period, Community Producers interpret this information and create digital content that responds directly to the live archaeological site.  In the process, they are uncovering stories and making artwork about the diverse range of people who lived and worked in this area of London over the past 2000 years.

Through this, the development offers upskilling opportunities to local residents and the archaeologists can engage in greater depth with the community, gaining feedback about which aspects of the archaeological work are most meaningful for them.

Read why Community Producers have chosen to engage with the programme.

Community initiatives like this respond to the need for construction projects to bring value into local communities, and this can be achieved through a whole variety of activities using archaeology. In this case there have been opportunities for upskilling, for engaging with the site in creative ways, and for building new networks.  Each of these contributes to a positive legacy enabled through developer-led archaeology.

The archaeology has also brought international attention to the site. Recently, archaeologists uncovered a Roman mosaic floor, with the press release reaching an estimated potential audience of 857 million, and with MOLA’s own social media accounts generating over 120,000 impressions. The developer also features the site’s history on their site hoarding, with a changing display of historical information and new discoveries.