London's streets are often viewed as just that – ordinary, unremarkable passageways to get from one place to another. But what if the very stones beneath our feet hold secrets of the past? For Dr Ruth Siddall, a renowned geologist and passionate advocate for urban geology, the answer is a resounding yes.
As we stroll through the bustling streets of Eastcheap, Ruth points out a 150-million-year-old ammonite embedded in a limestone wall. The fossil, once part of an ancient sea creature's shell, now sits silently amidst modern-day tapas restaurants and pavement cafes. "This is just one of the many stories hidden in plain sight," she explains.
Ruth's fascination with urban geology began over two decades ago when she catalogued a collection of rocks from Greek ruins in Athens. That project sparked her curiosity about the material history of cities like London, where seemingly ordinary buildings and streets have epic stories to tell.
"London is huge, but unlike some cities, it has no local building stones of its own," Ruth notes. "It's basically in a basin of clay, so all the stones you see around us have had to come from elsewhere." This lack of local materials means that every stone and brick in London has traveled far – and often across continents.
As we explore the city with Ruth, we visit sites where sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks tell their own tales. We admire serpentinite from Italy's Cretaceous period, larvikite from Norway's magma-filled mountains, and even ponder a pterosaur bone discovered near St Paul's Cathedral. Each stop is a tiny window into the Earth's ancient past.
Our tour culminates at a co-working space on Houndsditch, its exterior constructed from gneiss from a South African meteorite impact crater. This 6,000-mile journey began when the meteorite crashed to earth over 2 billion years ago. As we marvel at the black impact glass veins and extraterrestrial minerals, Ruth reminds us that even the most ordinary-seeming stones hold extraordinary stories.
Ruth's guided walks are a testament to her dedication to sharing these secrets with others. With London Pavement Geology and London Walks, she offers tours that blend geology, history, and architecture. For just £20 per person on a group tour, visitors can experience the thrill of uncovering hidden histories beneath their feet.
In an age where we're increasingly disconnected from our surroundings, Ruth's work encourages us to slow down, observe, and appreciate the intricate stories woven into the very fabric of our cities. As she says, "There's nothing commonplace about many of the stones we stop at."
As we stroll through the bustling streets of Eastcheap, Ruth points out a 150-million-year-old ammonite embedded in a limestone wall. The fossil, once part of an ancient sea creature's shell, now sits silently amidst modern-day tapas restaurants and pavement cafes. "This is just one of the many stories hidden in plain sight," she explains.
Ruth's fascination with urban geology began over two decades ago when she catalogued a collection of rocks from Greek ruins in Athens. That project sparked her curiosity about the material history of cities like London, where seemingly ordinary buildings and streets have epic stories to tell.
"London is huge, but unlike some cities, it has no local building stones of its own," Ruth notes. "It's basically in a basin of clay, so all the stones you see around us have had to come from elsewhere." This lack of local materials means that every stone and brick in London has traveled far – and often across continents.
As we explore the city with Ruth, we visit sites where sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks tell their own tales. We admire serpentinite from Italy's Cretaceous period, larvikite from Norway's magma-filled mountains, and even ponder a pterosaur bone discovered near St Paul's Cathedral. Each stop is a tiny window into the Earth's ancient past.
Our tour culminates at a co-working space on Houndsditch, its exterior constructed from gneiss from a South African meteorite impact crater. This 6,000-mile journey began when the meteorite crashed to earth over 2 billion years ago. As we marvel at the black impact glass veins and extraterrestrial minerals, Ruth reminds us that even the most ordinary-seeming stones hold extraordinary stories.
Ruth's guided walks are a testament to her dedication to sharing these secrets with others. With London Pavement Geology and London Walks, she offers tours that blend geology, history, and architecture. For just £20 per person on a group tour, visitors can experience the thrill of uncovering hidden histories beneath their feet.
In an age where we're increasingly disconnected from our surroundings, Ruth's work encourages us to slow down, observe, and appreciate the intricate stories woven into the very fabric of our cities. As she says, "There's nothing commonplace about many of the stones we stop at."
I mean, can you even imagine walking around London without noticing the cool stuff hidden in plain sight? Like, I was strolling along and saw this huge ol' ammonite fossil just chillin' on a wall. Next thing I know, I'm digging into geology and learning that this thing is 150 million years old! It's crazy how much history is there to uncover, right? 
And it makes you realize that even the most ordinary-looking buildings are actually stories of their own. I took one of these walks with my friend once and we were both like "whoa, did you see that rock?" We spent the whole tour geeking out over ancient rocks 
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i mean who knew that every stone in london had traveled like 6k miles or more from somewhere else? it's crazy thinking about all the stories those rocks have to tell 
and ruth siddall is literally a rockstar for making it fun and accessible for us to learn about it too 
i think it's amazing that dr ruth is sharing all these hidden stories beneath our feet... like, who knew those tapas restaurants were sitting on a 150-million-year-old ammonite shell? 
it makes me wanna slow down and appreciate the little things more, you know?
but trust me there's this whole other world goin on beneath our feet 
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it's wild. and ruth's tours are a great way to learn more about it all, even if it's just for £20 
. anyway, next time i'm in london, i'm def gonna check out one of her walks...
150 million years ago they were just swimming around and now their shells are stuck in the walls of eastcheap... it's crazy to think about how our city has been shaped by things from far away 
it's so refreshing to see someone care about the history of our cities in such a deep way 
