This week’s Time Out cover story concerns the past, present and future of the Londoner’s body. Research on bones from the Museum of London shows that our physiques have changed considerably over the centuries, and not always in ways you might expect.

Rather than a steady increase in height thanks to improving nutrition and healthcare, the average frame has fluctuated. The typical Victorian male, for example, was shorter than his Roman, Saxon and even Tudor counterpart, and only just taller than his neolithic ancestor. This is attributed to harsh living conditions for the majority during the industrial revolution, and the prevalence of rickets.

Jaw sizes have also changed markedly since Claudius founded Londinium. Our Italian friends had more rugged features, thanks to coarser foods that required more chewing than today’s refined and processed fare. For all their ingenuity, the Roman’s never invented the pot noodle.

The average Londoner today is taller than ever and generally healthier. But increasing immigration, a widening gap between rich and poor and the possibility of technologies to engineer our bodies make future trends difficult to predict. Time Out has a go anyway, depicting a gangly, jawless, 6’ 6’’ male with bionic legs. In other words, Peter Crouch is the future shape of London.