Museum Of London Archaeology

What Museum Of London Archaeology does

MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) is a UK-based commercial archaeology consultancy and educational charity, established circa 1970 and operating as a company limited by guarantee (company number 07751831, charity number 1143574). Headquartered in London with regional offices in Northampton, Stansted, and Basingstoke, MOLA delivers professional heritage advice and archaeological services to the infrastructure and construction sector, with a client base spanning residential developers (Barratt and David Wilson Homes, Berkeley Homes), commercial real estate (Bloomberg, AXA Real Estate), and public sector clients (HS2 Ltd, Barts Health NHS Trust).

The service portfolio covers the full archaeological workflow: Guidance and Pre-Planning (risk appraisal, heritage statements, consents, heritage management, marine/coastal planning), Assessments and Survey (desk-based assessment, environmental impact assessment, geomatics, geophysical and aerial survey, geoarchaeology), Excavation and Recording (fieldwork, historic building recording, watching brief), and Analysis and Archiving (environmental archaeology, finds analysis, osteoarchaeology, conservation, archives, photography and graphics). Technical differentiation rests on in-house specialist teams, geomatics and GIS-based spatial data management, environmental archaeology techniques (terrier rig drilling, core sampling), and citizen-science tools such as the CITiZAN mobile app. Supporting digital products include the Archaeology of Greater London interactive map, the London Evolution Animation, and the Layers of London mapping project.

MOLA's business model is primarily fee-for-service professional services, with commercial archaeology contracts secured through direct appointment by developers, construction firms, and heritage consultants. Revenue is supplemented by grant funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Heritage Lottery Fund, and the Arts and Humanities Research Council, alongside modest retail income from the Shopify-based MOLA e-commerce shop selling publications. A joint venture with Headland Archaeology—MOLA Headland Infrastructure—targets large-scale infrastructure programmes, while wholly-owned sub-brands CITiZAN and the Thames Discovery Programme extend the organisation's public engagement and community archaeology footprint.

Name

Museum Of London Archaeology

Legal name

MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology)

Website

https://mola.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) is a UK-based commercial archaeology consultancy and educational charity providing heritage advisory, excavation, and analysis services to infrastructure developers, property firms, and public sector clients across the United Kingdom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Archaeological and Heritage Consulting Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning (BPAHAKAH)

Keywords

• Archaeological consultancy
• Heritage advisory services
• Commercial archaeology
• Excavation and recording
• Geoarchaeological survey

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Commercial archaeology services: Fee-for-service archaeological consultancy and excavation work commissioned by developers, construction firms, and heritage consultants for planning compliance and heritage management on development and infrastructure projects.
2. Publications and books: Sale of archaeological publications, books, and educational materials through the MOLA e-commerce shop, with tiered pricing based on order value and international delivery zones.
3. Grant funding: Funding from heritage organisations including The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts and Humanities Research Council for community programmes, research projects, and training initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MOLA provides professional archaeological and heritage services to the infrastructure and construction sector, delivering pre-planning advice, desk-based assessments, surveys, excavation, post-excavation analysis, archiving, and public engagement programmes. The organization also operates community archaeology initiatives (Thames Discovery Programme, CITiZAN), runs accredited training through MOLA Academy (MAAST), and sells archaeological publications through an e-commerce shop.

Product overview

MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) operates as a professional archaeology organization offering a comprehensive suite of heritage and archaeological services. The portfolio consists of core service lines—Guidance and Pre-Planning, Assessments and Survey, Excavation and Recording, Analysis and Archiving, and Public Impact and Social Value—alongside public-facing programs including the Thames Discovery Programme and CITiZAN (Coastal and Intertidal Zone Archaeological Network). Supporting these are educational offerings through MOLA Academy (MAAST), digital tools including the Archaeology of Greater London interactive map, London Evolution Animation, The Streets They Left Behind mapping project, and Layers of London. The organization also conducts Commercial Archaeological Projects for developers and Research Projects in partnership with academic institutions. MOLA is structured as a charity (company number 07751831, charity number 1143574) and holds registration with the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CITiZAN: Coastal and Intertidal Zone Archaeological Network - a community project focused on recording and monitoring coastal and intertidal archaeology.
• Thames Discovery Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• Excavated 13 hectares and discovered nearly 3000 Anglo-Saxon artefacts including 154 burials with grave goods at Overstone site
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Headland ArchaeologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partnership MOLA Headland Infrastructure combining MOLA's expertise with Headland Archaeology for large-scale infrastructure projects including HS2. Projects managed by this partnership share personal data as necessary for project administration.
• RPS GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHeritage consultants who appointed and supported MOLA in archaeological works at Overstone development site, providing project management oversight.
• BloombergcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with MOLA on Temple of Mithras reconstruction project including oral history programme, London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE exhibition, and archaeological excavation at Bloomberg London site.
• Institute of Historical Research, University of LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Layers of London interactive mapping project led by the Centre for Metropolitan History, using MOLA geomatics expertise.
• Historic EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on multiple projects including London Evolution Animation, archaeological data provision, and maintenance of Greater London Historic Environment Record (GLHER).
• Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, UCLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated London Evolution Animation using MOLA archaeological data, with direction by Polly Hudson Design for Historic England.
• CITiZAN (Coastal and Intertidal Zone Archaeological Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOLA-operated subsidiary project and mobile app for citizen science recording of coastal archaeology, funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund.
• Thames Discovery ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOLA-operated community archaeology programme focused on the Thames foreshore, including research, learning activities, and public engagement.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Oxford Archaeology: One of the UK's largest independent archaeological organisations, providing fieldwork, post-excavation, and heritage consultancy to developers, infrastructure bodies, and government. Directly comparable in scale, service breadth, and not-for-profit heritage orientation.
• Wessex Archaeology: UK-based commercial archaeology organisation offering field excavation, historic environment consultancy, and post-excavation analysis to developers, infrastructure clients, and public bodies. Directly comparable service portfolio and client base, and is already collaborating with MOLA on the East Anglia TWO offshore wind project.
• Wardell Armstrong: UK-based multidisciplinary consultancy providing archaeological, geo-environmental, and planning services to developers and infrastructure clients. Comparable regional footprint and overlap with housebuilder and infrastructure briefs.
• Cotswold Archaeology: Charitable UK archaeology consultancy delivering pre-planning advice, fieldwork, and post-excavation services to developers, local authorities, and infrastructure clients. Closely comparable in mission, service mix, and charity status.
• Archaeology South-East (UCL): Part of UCL, delivering commercial archaeological services across London and the south-east to developers, planners, and infrastructure clients. Comparable service portfolio with an academic-affiliation flavour similar to MOLA's heritage standing.
• Pre-Construct Archaeology (PCA): London-headquartered commercial archaeology practice with substantial UK fieldwork capacity for developers, housebuilders, and infrastructure clients. Closely overlapping London-centric client base and project types.
• Headland Archaeology: UK-wide commercial archaeology consultancy providing survey, excavation, and post-excavation services. MOLA's joint venture partner in MOLA Headland Infrastructure, with substantially overlapping service lines and infrastructure client base including HS2.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure consultancy with a heritage and archaeology team that bids on major UK development and infrastructure programmes. Larger balance sheet and broader service portfolio position it as a competitive incumbent on integrated tenders.
• RPS Group: Multinational environmental, planning, and engineering consultancy with a heritage and archaeology practice. Acts both as a competitor and as a heritage consultant that engages MOLA as a specialist subcontractor on integrated bids such as Overstone.
• WSP: International professional services consultancy with environmental and heritage capability. Increasingly bundling heritage services into transport, property, and infrastructure bids alongside engineering and planning work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/molarchaeology
• Facebookfacebook.com/MOLArchaeology
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/museum-of-london-archaeology
• Instagraminstagram.com/molarchaeology

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Museum Of London Archaeology