Week 2 Process

As I started to observe ‘Maker’s Marks’ along my defined route through Somers Town, I became fascinated with the history of the site and the cause for the variation in it’s building typologies’. To gain a better understanding of how the area has developed over time, I began to research where urban regeneration had taken place.

Firstly, I used Google Earth Pro as a tool to delineate the buildings that had been demolished and subsequently redeveloped. I utilised the time-stamped aerial images of Somers Town in 1945 and 2025, to determine where had experienced urban regeneration (Google Maps, 1985, 2025).

Fig. 1. Google Earth Pro map of Somers Town (1945).

Fig. 2. Google Earth Pro map of Somers Town (2025).

Fig. 3. Overlaying the 1945 and 2025 maps.

Somers Town: A Record of Change by Malcolm J. Holmes (1985) also provided key historical context to the change experienced in the immediate area. Ordnance Survey Maps, dating from 1870, alongside photographs from the early 20th Century, revealed the extreme extent of change in the area (Holmes, 1985).

Fig. 4. Ordnance Survey map from 1870 (Holmes, 1985).

Fig. 5. Two images showing the development of Somers Town from Euston House. Left page shows 1935, right page shows 1985 (Holmes, 1985).

Fig. 6. Left page, left image shows Hill-Wood House in 1985. Left page, right image shows Hill-Wood House in 1904. This pair of images really interested me as it is a clear example of a lost ‘Maker’s Mark due to urban regeneration. the hand painted sign writing of ‘The Northwestern Boot’ has been eradicated, and a newer social housing typology stands in its place. This image guided my line of emquriy into considering the lost of ‘Maker’s Marks’ due to the architectural development in Somers Town. Right page shows Rising Sun public house (1927). (Holmes, 1985).

Fig. 7. Mapping the buildings in black that have been demolished between 1945 and 2025. The coloured lines show my defined route through Somers Town.

It is impossible to overlook the history associated with Somers Town, as it has affected all aspects of life, creating a melting pot of people and architectural typologies alike. This brief historical into area aided me in contextualise my research and informed my line of enquiry, which focused on the relationship between ‘Maker’s Marks’ and urban regeneration.

Reference List:

Google Earth Pro (1945) ‘Somers Town, London’. https://earth.google.com/web/@51.53157117,-0.1314429,19.85086413a,1537.82259227d,35y,359.9980991h,0t,0r/data=ChYqEAgBEgoxOTQ1LTEyLTMxGAFCAggBQgIIAEoNCP___________wEQAA?utm_source=earth7&utm_campaign=vine&hl=en (Accessed October 1 2025).

Google Earth Pro (2025) ‘Somers Town, London’. https://earth.google.com/web/@51.53157117,-0.1314429,19.85086413a,1537.82259227d,35y,359.9980991h,0t,0r/data=CgRCAggBQgIIAEoNCP___________wEQAA?utm_source=earth7&utm_campaign=vine&hl=en (Accessed October 1 2025).

Holmes, M. J. (1985) Somers Town: A Record of Change. London: London Borough of Camden Libraries and Arts Department.

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