David Wilcox

🚀 It’s here.

Launching today: Learning from Big Local - a new website with 15 years of lessons from community-led change.

Explore research and stories from 150 hyper-local areas - this is your resource for community-led change.

Visit the website: https://bit.ly/4rbcuop

AI will be big in London. How can we make its growth good? The Mayor has warned of the potential dangers of this powerful technology, raising big questions about who stands to benefit from it most

AI looks likely to have a big impact in #london. Will that be for better or worse in the long run? And what could or should be done to ensure better? Great piece for OnLondon by @richardbrown.bsky.social - www.onlondon.co.uk/richard-brow.... @ldn-pressoffice.bsky.social @howarddawber.bsky.social

... as the City Corporation faces its own financial problems reclaimec1.wordpress.com/2026/01/14/c...

This week's newsletter of top stories and local listings is now out! Make sure to sign up so you stay in the know: bit.ly/EC1EchoNews

Here's a taste of what you're missing. Lots of local stories and loads of listings this week - bit.ly/EC1Echo21stNov

Oral Histories of the Environmental Movement: Making an Activist Archive Abstract. This article considers the making of an archive of environmental activism through the life histories of 100 campaigners involved in environmental

Delighted to share this recent publication, I was privileged to co-author with Felix Driver and Toby Butler, where we explore the issues and challenges involved in creating an activist archive to represent one of the most significant social movements of our times
academic.oup.com/hwj/article-...

Thanks Dave for an exceptional piece. As I think you know, the Corporation is expected to publish consultation proposals for redevelopment of the Smithfield market buildings within the next few months, so I look forward to your interest in those.

Impressive investigation into why the City decided to close its markets, pay off the traders, and then pull out of the deal to relocate them to Dagenham. Hope Dave stays on the case for what happens next to the market sites.

Information about all Bartholomew Fayre activities for September 19 and 20 2025 - drop-in or bookable - are on the Open House Festival website programme.openhouse.org.uk/neighbourhoo...

Promotion from Bartholomew Fayre 2025

Bartholomew Fair illustrated in 1808

Today's family-friendly Bartholomew Fayre offers lots of fun - though rather different from the original. Started in 1133 to fund Barts Hospital, it was closed in 1855 after years of concern about debauchery and public disorder. connections.commons.london/bartholomew-... @londonmuseum.bsky.social

Clerkenwell Community Photography Competition 2025 - Move Over Pigeons, Clerkenwell’s Cats Have Arrived In her second year covering the competition, Surya Anthony celebrates a record-breaking exhibition, a joyful awards night, and the rise of the cat as Clerkenwell’s muse.

Clerkenwell Community Photography Competition 2025 - Move Over Pigeons, Clerkenwell’s Cats Have Arrived

In her second year covering the competition, Surya Anthony celebrates a record-breaking exhibition, a joyful awards night, and the rise of the cat as
www.ec1echo.co.uk/clerkenwell-...

It used to be a pile of scrap covered in a dirty tarpaulin… 👀 at it now! beautiful City garden, on SW corner @stgilescg.bsky.social done by lovely volunteers in our wonderful community. #city #citygarden @gardenliveryco #thelittlecountrychurchinthecity … #church for #barbican #oldstreet #moorgate

Would Elizabeth I recognise Clerkenwell today? A drawing of Clerkenwell in 1560, two years into the reign of Elizabeth I, shows some features still visible today, sort of. Published in the 19th century, The Village of Clerkenwell in the Reign of Q...

Guide Jonathan Wober of London on the Ground has a highly informative blog post from 2024 about the map, what it shows, and what is recognisable today. Not much. www.londonontheground.com/post/would-e...

Clerkenwell: A History in Maps – From Maps to Documents Enjoy a short talk and view a selection of historic maps and original materials related to the local area.

Excellent workshop today on Clerkenwell maps by Tom Furber @thelondonarchives.bsky.social with Clare Paul of Islington Heritage. One showed the village in Queen Elizabeth's reign: St James's Church, the Clerks' Well, and Knights Templar house. Next workshop is on September 19 tinyurl.com/2xr4ablu

Not me, Adam

2/2 Here's the Morris Dancers

Wandering Bard in Postman's Park Midsummer Fayre

Birds of Prey in Postman's Park Midsummer Fayre

Morris Dancers in Postman's Park

Minstrel in Postman's park

Culture Mile Business Improvement District made the most of the City's Postman's Park for a Midsummer Fayre - Morris dancers, Minstels, Birds of Prey, Flower Crown Workshop plus tokens for free food and drink. The park is worth a visit any time tinyurl.com/ywch9ztr 1/2 @thecityofldn.bsky.social

Adam also lists achievements by the people of North Kensington - including securing land under Westway for the community. The Westway Trust now manages a wide variety of community and commercial uses, sports facilities and green spaces on the 23 acres. www.westway.org @westwaytrust.bsky.social

Where are they now poster

Wall of photos of children playing in the streets of North Kensington in the 1960s

Maxilla Gardens

Adam Ritchie

Where are they now? A photo wall beneath Westway shows local children playing in the streets of North Kensington nearly 60 years ago. Photographer Adam Ritchie is offering a print to anyone pictured, and a photo taken now. More about the exhibition, and Maxilla Gardens location tinyurl.com/2dcgxpdx

Garden at Great St Barts, Smithfield

Early visitors today to the very special hidden garden at Great St Barts, Smithfield (1123) - part of London Open Gardens tinyurl.com/28nn4ofr
Here's the backstory of how local resident Bernadette Skehan and other volunteers reclaimed the derelict garden tinyurl.com/23gh6huv #LondonOpenGardens

Benjamin Franklin's London Printing Career Benjamin Franklin's London printing career from 1724 to 1726 was a pivotal chapter in his life, marked by his work at Samuel Palmer's and John Watts' printing...

Here's an AI-generated article on Benjamin Franklin's time in London as a printer. tinyurl.com/2b4h87zr I'm finding the
@perplexity_ai
app impressive. Use it to carry out conversational research, convert to a Page, then add further sections and media.

Replica of press used by Benjamin Franklin

St Bartholomew the Great Lady Chapel

In 1725 young Benjamin Franklin worked as a printer in the Lady Chapel of Great St Barts, then commercial premises. 300th celebrations start today with lectures and demonstrations on a replica press. Preview here tinyurl.com/2atr3arz @StBartholomews

Discovering Clerkenwell map created by Mike Franks in 1977.

Credit also to The Peel Institute for supporting earlier work on heritage maps tinyurl.com/yma9p7cc - and to original inspiration from Mike Franks' 1977 Discovering Clerkenwell map. Today's is the first comprehensive Clerkenwell map for nearly 50 years.

Clerkenwell — Footways

The digital map is available online at www.footways.london/clerkenwell along with more information about the network and distribution locations for free maps.

Footways Clerkenwell map

Footways Clerkenwell map detailing attraction and history timeline

Charterhouse Square - photo credit Paul Cochrane.

Really excellent new map of Clerkenwell published today encouraging residents, workers and visitors to explore the area’s fascinating streets on foot. Details in EC1 Echo article from Footways London co-founder David Harrison tinyurl.com/224tg5qq

Festive drinks for residents at City Forum

Group discussion at City residents' forum

The City Corporation tried a new format for resident engagement yesterday, with a forum for group discussions, instead of a formal Question Time, followed by festive drinks. I think it was a useful experiment, if we could have a record of the key responses to questions. tinyurl.com/23pjbkka

Sign the Petition Save Smithfield Market

There's now an online petition to Save Smithfield Market urging the City Corporation to "Engage with the community, traders, and heritage organizations to explore viable options that safeguard the market’s operations while respecting its historical significance". tinyurl.com/2dxg86xy

Concept for future of Smithfield Grand Avenue

Concept for future use of Smithfield rotunda car park

Media coverage of the City Corporation's decision to close Smithfield Market hasn't offered much detail on possible reuse of the historic buildings - so here's links to concept designs published in 2020. Or will we have another Covent Garden? tinyurl.com/23q6acf4 #smithfieldmarket

Thanks Dave for insights on the markets closures. Here for reference are some links to the 2020 concept designs for the Smithfield Market buildings. Will the City hold to that vision ... or something more commercial? connections.commons.london/smithfield-m...

Thanks Chris for the welcome - these days mainly reporting around City and Clerkenwell, with big changes in prospect for Smithfield connections.commons.london