Strolling Through 19th Century London Today

Augmented reality might be the future, but my favourite application so far transports you far into past. StreetMuseum – an iPhone app from the Museum of London – overlays 400 years of historic images on today’s city streets.

StreetMuseum makes creative use of Google Maps and geo-tagging to show users how London used to look. You can use it to check out pictures and info about nearby historic locations, which is has more of a straightforward walking tour feel. But the fun starts when you’re actually standing in front of a location in the database. That’s when the AR “3D view” kicks in:

Even better: it’s free. Well played, Museum of London. Now let’s get a New York version so I can reenact Gangs of New York on my way to work. [Museum of London via LikeCool]