Museum of London Archaeology - Background

Background

MOLA was formed in 1991 through the amalgamation of the Department of Urban Archaeology (DUA) and the Department of Greater London Archaeology (DGLA), both departments within the Museum of London. The DUA, whose jurisdiction covered the City of London, had been created in the early 1970s in reaction to the increasing destruction of buried archaeological remains during deep-basement office redevelopment. Prior to this there was no professional archaeological unit responsible for recording remains prior to destruction, though several individuals and volunteers did carry out important work.

The creation of the DUA was one of the benefits resulting from the Rescue archaeology movement, which would today be described as a pressure or lobby group. The establishment of the DUA with a small number of government-funded staff was greatly helped by public reaction to an important publication called The Future of London's Past by archaeologist Martin Biddle. The DUA was led by Brian Hobley and revolutionised the detailed understanding of London's archaeology and early history.

The DGLA was formed from several local archaeological societies in the 1980s to address similar concerns in other historic areas of the capital, particularly in Southwark and Inner North London. The DGLA was led by Harvey Sheldon.

The pace of development within the City of London grew throughout the 1980s and particularly after deregulation of the London Stock Exchange in 1986, resulting in a great increase in archaeological work. From 1979 onwards this work was increasingly funded on a voluntary basis by the developers of the sites themselves, largely as a result of the remarkable efforts of Brian Hobley and John Maloney of the DUA, who convinced developers to contribute time and money to excavation work as good corporate citizens. As a result the DUA and DGLA grew rapidly, with each organisation employing over 100 staff by the late 1980s. At the height of the construction boom in 1989 over 300 paid archaeologists were working on London sites. A sudden and severe downturn in the property cycle in 1990 put both the DUA and DGLA under great strain, with about half of the staff made redundant and many post-excavation projects frozen.

Changes in the legislation surrounding archaeological work were taking place at the same time. Up until 1990, archaeological units throughout England provided both curatorial advice and contractual services. This dual role was increasingly seen as carrying a potential conflict of interest, and after the controversial redevelopment of Shakespeare's Rose Theatre site in Southwark changes were made to the planning guidance (PPG16). MoLAS was set up as an archaeological contractor and provider of services, with curatorial advice moved to the local authorities in the cases of the City of London and LB Southwark, and to English Heritage GLAAS in the case of the other Greater London boroughs. During the 1990s, MoLAS rebuilt its staff structure and expanded its capabilities within the newly competitive market.