CoLAT’s changing and widening purposes
The Trust Deed of 1974 which set up the City of London Archaeological Trust (CoLAT) says that CoLAT will support excavation, publication, and exhibition of strata and finds from the City ‘and its environs.’ We have taken ‘publication’ to include the necessary prerequisite of preparation and curation of the archaeological archive, as well as digitisation of records and publications.
Over recent years the Committee of CoLAT has broadened this scope into concern for the conservation of the archaeological resource and the presentation of sites (Billingsgate bath house; plaques and information panels).
Our concern for the conservation of the resource has naturally led to being involved as a consultee in City planning documents which deal with all aspects of the environment, but especially Conservation Areas and the presentation of historic monuments and strata (eg historic churchyards).
This in turn leads to a further concern or interest, how historic buildings, monuments and blocks of archaeological strata can be conserved within new developments. We will advise the Corporation and developers on individual sites. Some recent developments have been insensitive.
The City of London strives to be a global city, a major player in the global economy like New York or Tokyo. All global cities now recognise that they should protect, enhance and celebrate their local and national culture: so the city has festivals, museums, exhibitions, the Olympic Games. Larger events such as the Olympic Games have great archaeological consequences.
There is thus a cultural economy; art and culture are integral parts of urban planning and indeed urban economic development. London has become a cultural ensemble, a place of cultural pilgrimage. CoLAT can contribute to this cultural and economic development, by advising on the management and presentation of the historic environment in the City and its environs.
Our approach can be summed up as: knowledge leads to appreciation, which leads to a concern for conservation of the past within the present townscape. These three areas are CoLAT’s main business, and we wish to support and extend all three to the widest audience.
This positive side having been stated, it may be useful to say what CoLAT does not support:
- acquisition of buildings or major pieces of equipment such as vehicles
- any kind of event or conference, except for archaeological poster or other short-term display at conferences
- publication costs for books which have a clear commercial motive
- vocational or educational courses, post-graduate and doctoral research
- any kind of archaeological work, research or publication which in the Trust’s view should be financed by a developer, secular or religious
- archaeological work which in the Trust’s view should be financed by a statutory undertaker or local authority.
Details of our current committee members can be found below, along with our most recent Accounts and the Trustees and Auditors' Reports.
CoLAT Management Committee
Appointed by the Court of Common Council of the Corporation of London
- Ann Holmes
- Jamie Ingham Clark
- Paul Martinelli
- Jeremy Simons
Appointed by the Trust Deed
- Gabriel Moshenska (representing UCL Institute of Archaeology)
- John Lewis (representing the Society of Antiquaries of London)
- Andrew Dismore (representing the Council for British Archaeology)
- Sharon Ament, Director, Museum of London (ex officio)
- Janet Miller, Chief Executive, Museum of London Archaeology (ex officio)
Appointed by the Committee
- John White (Chairman)
- Professor Caroline Barron (Deputy Chairman)
- Professor Clive Orton
- Leanne O'Boyle
- Jane Sidell
- Kathryn Stubbs
- Roy Stephenson
- Finbarr Whooley, Museum of London
Trustees
The Trustees are the official trustees of the Corporation of London and are appointed in accordance with orders made by the Corporation of London.
- John Barradell, Town Clerk
- Peter Kane, Chamberlain
- Michael Cogher, Comptroller and City Solicitor
Secretary
John Schofield
2 Carthew Villas
London
W6 0BS
Telephone: 0208 741 3573
Email: john@jschd.demon.co.uk
The Secretary's Report for each financial year, describing the work of the Trust, is contained within each set of Accounts, as in the next section.
Accounts and Trustees and Auditors' reports for the Trust
- 31 March 2019 Annual Report and Accounts 2018-19 (PDF, 648KB)
- 31 March 2018 Annual Report and Accounts 2017-18 (PDF, 533KB)
- 31 March 2017 Accounts 2016-17 (PDF, 580KB)
- 31 March 2016 Accounts 2015-16 (PDF, 587KB)
- 31 March 2015 Accounts 2014-15 (PDF, 930KB)
- 31 March 2014 Accounts 2013-14 (PDF, 501KB)
- 31 March 2013 Accounts 2012-13 (PDF, 82KB)
- 31 March 2012 Accounts 2011-12 (PDF, 291KB)
- 31 March 2011 Accounts 2010-11 (PDF, 878KB)
- 31 March 2010 Accounts 2009-10 (PDF, 4.3MB)
- 31 March 2009 Accounts 2008-9 (PDF, 324KB)
- 31 March 2008 Accounts 2007-8 (PDF, 55KB)
- 31 March 2007 Accounts 2006-7 (PDF, 56KB)
- 31 March 2006 Accounts 2005-6 (PDF, 52KB)
Our Committee members
John White, Chairman, has been an Army Officer and a City lawyer. He has been Master of two City Livery Companies and Alderman for the Ward of Billingsgate. He currently runs a farm and property management business, is Commandant of Surrey ACF, a magistrate and is a keen amateur historian.
Caroline Barron, Deputy Chair, is Emeritus Professor of the History of London at Royal Holloway, University of London. She has published on many aspects of the history of medieval London, including esays on women, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Guildhall and merchant culture. Her book London in the Later Middle Ages: Government and People was published in 2004.
Ann Holmes is Chair of the City Corporation’s Standards Committee and Deputy Chair of its Education Board. She has a background in teaching, research and management.
Andrew Dismore AM is Chairman of Council of British Archaeology (London), a solicitor, former Member of Parliament, and London Assembly Member.
Jamie Ingham Clark was educated at the City of London Polytechnic and served in the Honourable Artillery Company for 16 years. After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, he spent a career in the London insurance market, firstly as a finance director and then as a compliance and corporate governance expert. Jamie now concentrates on his role as an elected member of the Court of Common Council, where he represents the Ward of Billingsgate. He serves on a number of senior committees, including Policy and Resources and Finance (of which he is currently deputy Chairman).
John Lewis is a professional field archaeologist. From 2000 to 2010 he was head of the Framework Archaeology joint venture between Wessex Archaeology and Oxford Archaeology, providing cultural heritage services to BAA Ltd (formerly British Airports Authority); and since 2010 he has been General Secretary (Chief Executive) of the Society of Antiquaries of London.
Paul Martinelli is an elected member of the Court of Common Council and sits on the Finance, Planning, and Audit & Risk Committees as well as serving on the City Bridge Trust, one the UK’s largest charities. He is Managing Director of one of the largest businesses at Smithfield Market, where he serves as Treasurer of the Traders’ Association.
Janet Miller is CEO of Museum of London Archaeology.
Leanne O’Boyle is the Cultural and Visitor Development Manager for the City of London Corporation with strategic oversight for Billingsgate Roman House & Baths. Her portfolio incorporates strategic partnership management and development, programming, digital communications and marketing. She holds a BA in the Ancient World and a Masters in Cultural Heritage from the Institute of Archaeology, UCL.
Clive Orton is Professor Emeritus of Quantitative Archaeology at UCL Institute of Archaeology and Editor Emeritus of London Archaeologist magazine. Since retiring in 2008 he has set up a small not-for-profit service to publish books of an archaeological or historical nature.
Jane Sidell is a professional archaeologist who has worked in London since 1991, initially at the Museum of London and then at English Heritage (now Historic England). She is currently Inspector of Ancient Monuments for London, protecting London’s heritage.
Jeremy Simons worked for a major telecommunications company until 2002, including time representing the UK and Ireland on Intergovernmental Organisations providing satellite communications. Since 2004 he has been a Member of the Court of Common Council of the City of London and a trustee of several charities.
Roy Stephenson is Historic Environment Lead at the Museum of London and has been in the heritage sector since 1984. He works to inspire communities to use their historic assets and museum collections in a positive and fulfilling fashion. He has a interest in the material culture of the 17th century, particularly London delftware.
Kathryn Stubbs is a Town Planner and archaeologist who has worked in the City of London for over 30 years. She is Head of Archaeology and the Historic Environment at the City of London Corporation.
Finbarr Whooley is Director of Content at the Museum of London.
John Schofield, Secretary of CoLAT, was an archaeologist at the Museum of London from 1974 to 2008. He is Cathedral Archaeologist at St Paul’s Cathedral, and the author of several books on the archaeology of London and medieval towns. Many of his archaeological articles and papers are accessible here: https://independent.academia.edu/JohnSchofield.
About the photographs on this website
Thanks to MOLA for supplying the photographs used on the CoLAT website. The MOLA Photo Library is a unique resource of archaeological images from over 40 years of excavation in and around London. It is used by publishers, researchers, academics and authors worldwide. To visit the MOLA Photo Library or for further information, please contact Andy Chopping on achopping@mola.org.uk or 020 7410 2200.