[This is the text, slightly edited, of a talk given at the Historic Towns Trust’s reception on 1 September 2026, commemorating the 360th anniversary of the eve of the Great Fire and updating guests - donors and other interested parties - on methods and progress]I hope that we’re all here because we are interested in the history of London and its institutions, and open to the idea that historical maps are a good way of visualising and making sense of that history. I’m here to argue that London’s