Skeletons bring past back to life

London office workers are coming face to face with history hidden beneath their feet as 3,000 skeletons dating from the 16th century are dug up to make way for a new railway line.

Between the glass and steel towers of the City of London financial district lies the Bedlam burial ground, the final resting place for thousands who died between 1569 and 1738.

As archaeologists carefully brush soil off the bones, bankers, lawyers and other professionals take time out from meeting deadlines and sealing deals to wonder about the area's past residents, who had to contend with plague, civil war and the Great Fire of London.