DAY SOUND MAP | NIGHT SOUND MAP | GRID | WATERWAYS | ESTUARY

Recordings of background atmospheres and incidental noises from all over London. Many form part of a sound grid series recorded at evenly-spaced points across the city, each marking the centre of a square on the map below.

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Above: graphic based on a daytime satellite image courtesy of the Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center. Each red grid square is 2.5 miles or 4 kilometers across.

Filename: Ackroyd Drive E3 April

Duration: 2:00

Grid square: Mile End, Isle of Dogs, Rotherhithe

Recorded by: IM Rawes

Recording date: 21 April 2013

Time of day: 2.30pm

Location: Ackroyd Drive, Mile End, east London.

Description: Traffic, clattering sounds from skatepark a few hundred meters due west, a car passes, aircraft drone.

Technical guff: Headworn stereo. 2 x Shure WL-183 mics and Sony PCM-M10 recorder.

Additional notes: Part of a new statistically-based series of recordings investigating demographic influences on urban auditory scenes.

Filename: Celandine Close E14 April

Duration: 2:00

Grid square: Mile End, Isle of Dogs, Rotherhithe

Recorded by: IM Rawes

Recording date: 21 April 2013

Time of day: 2.45pm

Location: Celandine Close off Bow Common Lane, Mile End, east London.

Description: A car door is slammed, a jet passes overhead, whine of a power tool in use somewhere on the estate, music from one of the flats overlooking the close.

Technical guff: Headworn stereo. 2 x Shure WL-183 mics and Sony PCM-M10 recorder.

Additional notes: Part of a new statistically-based series of recordings investigating demographic influences on urban auditory scenes.

Filename: Grafton House E3 April

Duration: 2:00

Grid square: Mile End, Isle of Dogs, Rotherhithe

Recorded by: IM Rawes

Recording date: 21 April 2013

Time of day: 3.15pm

Location: Grafton House near junction of Merchant Street and Wellington Way, Mile End, east London.

Description: Generally quiet environment with aircraft drone, distant voices of children at play, a door slams somewhere on the estate, a car drives past.

Technical guff: Headworn stereo. 2 x Shure WL-183 mics and Sony PCM-M10 recorder.

Additional notes: Part of a new statistically-based series of recordings investigating demographic influences on urban auditory scenes.

Filename: Thomas Road E14 April

Duration: 2:00

Grid square: Mile End, Isle of Dogs, Rotherhithe

Recorded by: IM Rawes

Recording date: 21 April 2013

Time of day: 2pm

Location: Thomas Road, junction with Wallwood Road, Mile End, east London.

Description: Traffic close by and distant, voices of children playing in the courtyard of an estate, airplane drone, music from passing cars.

Technical guff: Headworn stereo. 2 x Shure WL-183 and Sony PCM-M10 recorder.

Additional notes: Part of a new statistically-based series of recordings investigating demographic influences on urban auditory scenes.

Filename: Wager Street E3 April

Duration: 2:00

Grid square: Mile End, Isle of Dogs, Rotherhithe

Recorded by: IM Rawes

Recording date: 21 April 2013

Time of day: 1.50pm

Location: Wager Street, Mile End, east London.

Description: Sounds in a residential street with children in a playground some distance away, airplane drone, from somewhere a recorded voice singing and speaking, a car drives past.

Technical guff: Headworn stereo. 2 x Shure WL-183 mics and Sony PCM-M10 recorder.

Additional notes: Part of a new cluster analysis series of geodemographic recordings.

Filename: Tower Hamlets Cemetery April

Duration: 2:00

Grid square: Mile End, Isle of Dogs, Rotherhithe

Recorded by: IM Rawes

Recording date: 21 April 2013

Time of day: 2.30pm

Location: Tower Hamlets Cemetery, Mile End, east London.

Description: Birdsong among the trees in the cemetery, faint aircraft drone growing louder, an ice cream van sounds its chime, a train passes along a viaduct a hundred yards or so to the south.

Technical guff: Headworn stereo. 2 x Shure WL-183 mics and Sony PCM-M10 recorder.

Additional notes: Part of a new cluster analysis series of geodemographic recordings.

Filename: Mile End Park April

Duration: 2:00

Grid square: Mile End, Isle of Dogs, Rotherhithe

Recorded by: IM Rawes

Recording date: 21 April 2013

Time of day: 1.20pm

Location: Mile End Park near Burdett Road, east London.

Description: Traffic on Burdett Road, a football is kicked around, voices of children and adults in the park, a basketball rattles against its basket.

Technical guff: Headworn stereo. 2 x Shure WL-183 mics and Sony PCM-M10 recorder.

Additional notes: Part of a new cluster analysis series of geodemographic recordings.

Filename: Shadwell voices

Duration: 1:00

Grid square: Mile End, Isle of Dogs, Rotherhithe

Recorded by: IM Rawes

Recording date: 4 August 2012

Time of day: 1.15pm

Location: Watney Street market, Shadwell, east London.

Description: Voices of adults and children recorded while walking through Watney Street market.

Technical guff: Headworn stereo. 2 x Shure WL-183 mics, Sony PCM-M10 recorder.

Additional notes: None.

Filename: St Annes Limehouse

Duration: 3:00

Grid square: Mile End, Isle of Dogs, Rotherhithe

Recorded by: Chris/dashanna

Recording date: April 2010

Time of day: Noon

Location: By St Anne's church, Limehouse, east London.

Description: Bell of St Anne's church, Limehouse, East London, chiming 12 noon, followed by ambient sound of traffic and birdsong in churchyard.

Technical guff: Olympus DS-50 recorder.

Additional notes: Many thanks to Chris/dashanna for sharing this via SoundCloud.

Filename: Limehouse Basin

Duration: 1:00

Grid square: Mile End, Isle of Dogs, Rotherhithe

Recorded by: IM Rawes

Recording date: 25 June 2011

Time of day: Noon.

Location: Limehouse Basin, east London.

Description: A strong wind makes the Thames choppy, waves slap against the main lock gates to Limehosue Basin.

Technical guff: Headworn stereo. 2 x DPA 2006C mics, Sound Devices MixPre-D preamp, Sony PCM M10 recorder.

Additional notes: None.

Filename: Regents Canal Mile End Park

Duration: 1:00

Grid square: Mile End, Isle of Dogs, Rotherhithe

Recorded by: IM Rawes

Recording date: 25 June 2011

Time of day: 12.50pm

Location: Regent's Canal by Mile End Park, east London.

Description: Honking of car horns from a main road, bird calls, a resident in flats opposite slams a door, airplane drone, a jogger runs past.

Technical guff: Headworn stereo. 2 x DPA 2006C mics, Sound Devices MixPre-D preamp, Sony PCM M10 recorder.

Additional notes: None.

Filename: Rooster Mudchute City Farm

Duration: 0:20

Grid square: Mile End, Isle of Dogs, Rotherhithe

Recorded by: Felicity Ford

Recording date: 26 August 2010

Time of day: Not known

Location: Mudchute City Farm, Isle of Dogs.

Description: A rooster crows twice at the Mudchute City Farm, birdsong and visitors' voices in background.

Technical guff: Stereo, Edirol R09-HR digital recorder, internal mics.

Additional notes: Many thanks to Felicity Ford for sharing this. Visit The Domestic Soundscape blog for more of her sound recordings and writings on sound art, field recording, and wool-related matters.

Filename: Grunting pigs Mudchute City Farm

Duration: 1:00

Grid square: Mile End, Isle of Dogs, Rotherhithe

Recorded by: Felicity Ford

Recording date: 26 august 2010

Time of day: Not known

Location: Mudchute City Farm, Isle of Dogs

Description: Close-up recording of Gloucester Old Spot pigs grunting and rooting around their sty. Birdsong and pigeons cooing in the background.

Technical guff: Stereo. Edirol R09-HR digital recorder, internal mics.

Additional notes: Many thanks to Felicity Ford for sharing this. Visit The Domestic Soundscape blog for more of her sound recordings and writings on sound art, field recording, and wool-related matters.

Filename: Chrisp Street market

Duration: 1:00

Grid square: Mile End, Isle of Dogs, Rotherhithe

Recorded by: IM Rawes

Recording date: 20 February 2010

Time of day: 2pm

Location: Walking through Chrisp Street market, Bow, east London.

Description: Echoes from the underpass at Vesey Walk, a youth plays tinny-sounding music from a mobile phone, voices of children and adults, reggae music plays from a market stall.

Technical guff: Head-worn stereo. 2 x Shure WL-183 mics and Edirol R09-HR digital recorder.

Additional notes: None.

Filename: 21st floor Balfron Tower

Duration: 1:00

Grid square: Mile End, Isle of Dogs, Rotherhithe

Recorded by: IM Rawes

Recording date: 21 January 2010

Time of day: 4pm

Location: 21st floor balcony, Balfron Tower, Poplar

Description: Constant traffic noise from the Isle of Dogs to the south, a police siren, faint aircraft noise, a dog barks several times.

Technical guff: Stereo. Audio Technica BP4029 mid-side mic and Fostex FR-2LE digital recorder.

Additional notes: None.

Filename: Whitechapel market

Duration: 2:56

Grid square: Mile End, Rotherhithe, Isle of Dogs

Recorded by: IM Rawes

Recording date: 2 October 2009

Time of day: 1.30pm

Location: Walking westwards through the market along Whitechapel Road, east London.

Description: Intermittent sounding of ambulance sirens, market traders' cries, recorded music from CD stalls, voices of passersby, a man sings outside a shop.

Technical guff: Head-worn stereo. Sonic Studios DSM-6S/EH mics and PA-3SX preamp, Edirol R09-HR digital recorder.

Additional notes: None.

Filename: TQ 3627 8067

Duration: 1:00

Grid square: Mile End, Isle of Dogs, Rotherhithe

Recorded by: IM Rawes

Recording date: 11 July 2009

Time of day: 1.30pm

Location: OS grid reference TQ 3627 8067. The grid point is in the Thames itself. The recording point was at the mouth of Limehouse Basin, overlooking Limehouse Reach.

Description: Aircraft drone and background traffic noise, a crow caws, waves slap against wooden pier struts, a nearby coot swims in the river and calls.

Technical guff: Stereo. Audio-Technica BP4025 mic and Fostex FR-2LE recorder.

Additional notes: None.

ABOUT SOUND MAP RECORDINGS

Sound map recordings fall into two kinds, shown by the filenames they're given.

A sound grid recording has a filename beginning with the letters 'TQ', followed by eight digits. These are the Ordnance Survey co-ordinates for where the recording ought to be made. Each is part of a regularly-spaced series of recordings covering London. More about them, including graphics showing the resulting city-wide patterns of sounds, can be found on this page.

Other recordings have more descriptive filenames and these are simply of curious or distinctive sounds heard in different places.