Bishop's Square Time Capsule - Spitalfields, London, UK
N 51° 31.197 W 000° 04.662
30U E 702736 N 5711696
This time capsule is buried under some steps in the pedestrianised Bishop's Square in Spitalfields to the east of the City of London.
Waymark Code: WMJGPM
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 11/17/2013
Views: 5
A plaque made of stainless steel is etched:
This plaque records the burial of a Time Capsule by:
Alderman Robert Finch, The Rt. Hon. the Lord Mayor of London
To commemorate the Bishops Square Project,
a partnership between Hammerson plc,
Spitalfields Development Group
and the Corporation of London
22nd April 2004
During the development of this area the ruins of a charnel house was
discovered. This was integrated into the development so that the public could
see the ruins. A glass pavement allows the public to look down on to the ruin
and steps lead down to a below ground level where a further view of the ruin is
given behind glass panels. Information is located giving the history of the
area. The time capsule is located under the steps.
The
Foster and Partners website tells us about the placing of the capsule and
some of its contents:
Press Release 23.04.2004
Yesterday The Rt. Hon, Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman, Robert
Finch, set the seal on the Spitalfields development, Bishops Square,
designed by Foster and Partners, with the burial of a time capsule
containing contemporary items, to add to the rich history of the
Spitalfields area.
Bishops Square is being developed by the Spitalfields Development Group, a
subsidiary of Hammerson plc and its joint venture partners, The Corporation
of London. When completed, the scheme will consist of 70,000 m (760,000 ft)
of offices and 4,000 m (45,000 ft) of shops, restaurants, cafes and bars, as
well as extensive public spaces. The offices will be occupied by
international law firm, Allen & Overy.
Hammerson Development Director, Peter Cole, placed a set of coins of the
realm in the capsule to mark the next chapter in Spitalfields long and
varied history.
The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Robert Finch, added an original
Spitalfields Fruit and Vegetable market Porters Badge, a copy of The Times
newspaper and a copy of his monthly schedule.
Lord Foster attended the ceremony and added a small model of the Bishops
Square scheme to the capsule. He commented:
Today we are marking the contribution that this project and its public open
spaces will make towards the continuing renewal and regeneration of
Spitalfields, one of London's most historically important and vibrant
neighbourhoods.
No mention can be found as to a date when the capsule will be opened. Like so
much of London's historical past it may be unearthed one day by accident and
will give that generation an understanding of life at the start of the 21st
century.