Surprisingly Modern Tudor Shoes Discovered Beneath London By Crossrail Diggers

– We have seen on previous occasions that ancient shoes can look quite modern. These Tudor shoes were discovered beneath London by Crossrail diggers and the artifacts revealed fascinating insights into the daily lives of people living in the area during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Tudors are famous for its beautiful and ornate clothing and their shoes were equally impressive.

As many as 22 individual shoes made made of thick cattle leather range from unisex slip-on shoes, similar to modern-day shoes, to styles fastening with a strap over the instep.

These flat shoes would have belonged to ordinary Londoners and reflect a time towards the end of the 16th Century when shoes with low heels for both sexes became fashionable at the Elizabethan court.

The average size of a man was 5ft 6in and a women 5ft 3in then – so the shoes were a bit smaller than the ones we wear today.

The shoes date from 1550 to 1580 and it is one of the largest collections of Elizabethan shoes of its kind ever discovered Since Crossrail began construction in 2009 more than 200 archaeologists have unearthed over 10,000 objects from 40 locations.