The London Walker

When you’re walking around London, you are seldom aware that you are sharing the busy streets with ancient creatures who lived on this planet between 200 and 150 million years ago. But it’s the truth.

Look out for any building made from pale white-grey Portland stone. There are many across the city, especially those constructed after the Great Fire, as Sir Christopher Wren was a keen proponent of using this material. Portland stone is a limestone that comes from the Jurassic Coast of Dorset. It’s called “Jurassic” because the rock is famous for being rich in fossils, mainly shells and fragments, including the distinctive cone-shaped gastropod known as the “Portland Screw.” The best places to see this peculiar phenomenon are Green Park and the BBC’s Broadcasting House.

As you walk around the city, keep an eye out for the telltale signs, those little shapes and squiggles in the stonework, and you can run your hand across 100 million years of natural history.