The Pepys Project began with the idea of creating a people’s history. After reading many diaries over the years, it became apparent that as a culture we have lost the art of diary-keeping. It now seems relegated to the sphere of the angsty teenager. But in the not-so-distant past people from all walks of life used to keep diaries, and those diaries provide an intriguing insight into the reality of day-to-day life then and a counterbalance to the official narratives of history.

The Pepys Project is named after the seventeenth-century diarist, Samuel Pepys (pronounced ‘peeps’). His diaries continue to fascinate and delight today because they depict the unchanging humanness of people throughout history, while also providing a window into what it was like to live in London during that time.  What better example of diarist-as-history-writer could we ask for.

The Pepys Project is a history written by the people, for the people. Tell your story. Write the history.