diff --git a/pageserver/src/layered_repository.rs b/pageserver/src/layered_repository.rs
index e178ba5222..95df385cfe 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/layered_repository.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/layered_repository.rs
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ impl Repository for LayeredRepository {
             Arc::clone(&self.walredo_mgr),
             self.upload_layers,
         );
-        timeline.layers.lock().unwrap().next_open_layer_at = Some(initdb_lsn);
+        timeline.layers.write().unwrap().next_open_layer_at = Some(initdb_lsn);
 
         let timeline = Arc::new(timeline);
         let r = timelines.insert(
@@ -725,7 +725,7 @@ pub struct LayeredTimeline {
     tenantid: ZTenantId,
     timelineid: ZTimelineId,
 
-    layers: Mutex<LayerMap>,
+    layers: RwLock<LayerMap>,
 
     last_freeze_at: AtomicLsn,
 
@@ -997,7 +997,7 @@ impl LayeredTimeline {
             conf,
             timelineid,
             tenantid,
-            layers: Mutex::new(LayerMap::default()),
+            layers: RwLock::new(LayerMap::default()),
 
             walredo_mgr,
 
@@ -1040,7 +1040,7 @@ impl LayeredTimeline {
     /// Returns all timeline-related files that were found and loaded.
     ///
     fn load_layer_map(&self, disk_consistent_lsn: Lsn) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
-        let mut layers = self.layers.lock().unwrap();
+        let mut layers = self.layers.write().unwrap();
         let mut num_layers = 0;
 
         // Scan timeline directory and create ImageFileName and DeltaFilename
@@ -1194,7 +1194,7 @@ impl LayeredTimeline {
                 continue;
             }
 
-            let layers = timeline.layers.lock().unwrap();
+            let layers = timeline.layers.read().unwrap();
 
             // Check the open and frozen in-memory layers first
             if let Some(open_layer) = &layers.open_layer {
@@ -1276,7 +1276,7 @@ impl LayeredTimeline {
     /// Get a handle to the latest layer for appending.
     ///
     fn get_layer_for_write(&self, lsn: Lsn) -> anyhow::Result<Arc<InMemoryLayer>> {
-        let mut layers = self.layers.lock().unwrap();
+        let mut layers = self.layers.write().unwrap();
 
         ensure!(lsn.is_aligned());
 
@@ -1347,7 +1347,7 @@ impl LayeredTimeline {
         } else {
             Some(self.write_lock.lock().unwrap())
         };
-        let mut layers = self.layers.lock().unwrap();
+        let mut layers = self.layers.write().unwrap();
         if let Some(open_layer) = &layers.open_layer {
             let open_layer_rc = Arc::clone(open_layer);
             // Does this layer need freezing?
@@ -1412,7 +1412,7 @@ impl LayeredTimeline {
         let timer = self.flush_time_histo.start_timer();
 
         loop {
-            let layers = self.layers.lock().unwrap();
+            let layers = self.layers.read().unwrap();
             if let Some(frozen_layer) = layers.frozen_layers.front() {
                 let frozen_layer = Arc::clone(frozen_layer);
                 drop(layers); // to allow concurrent reads and writes
@@ -1456,7 +1456,7 @@ impl LayeredTimeline {
 
         // Finally, replace the frozen in-memory layer with the new on-disk layers
         {
-            let mut layers = self.layers.lock().unwrap();
+            let mut layers = self.layers.write().unwrap();
             let l = layers.frozen_layers.pop_front();
 
             // Only one thread may call this function at a time (for this
@@ -1612,7 +1612,7 @@ impl LayeredTimeline {
         lsn: Lsn,
         threshold: usize,
     ) -> Result<bool> {
-        let layers = self.layers.lock().unwrap();
+        let layers = self.layers.read().unwrap();
 
         for part_range in &partition.ranges {
             let image_coverage = layers.image_coverage(part_range, lsn)?;
@@ -1670,7 +1670,7 @@ impl LayeredTimeline {
 
         // FIXME: Do we need to do something to upload it to remote storage here?
 
-        let mut layers = self.layers.lock().unwrap();
+        let mut layers = self.layers.write().unwrap();
         layers.insert_historic(Arc::new(image_layer));
         drop(layers);
 
@@ -1678,7 +1678,7 @@ impl LayeredTimeline {
     }
 
     fn compact_level0(&self, target_file_size: u64) -> Result<()> {
-        let layers = self.layers.lock().unwrap();
+        let layers = self.layers.read().unwrap();
 
         let level0_deltas = layers.get_level0_deltas()?;
 
@@ -1768,7 +1768,7 @@ impl LayeredTimeline {
             layer_paths.pop().unwrap();
         }
 
-        let mut layers = self.layers.lock().unwrap();
+        let mut layers = self.layers.write().unwrap();
         for l in new_layers {
             layers.insert_historic(Arc::new(l));
         }
@@ -1850,7 +1850,7 @@ impl LayeredTimeline {
         // 2. it doesn't need to be retained for 'retain_lsns';
         // 3. newer on-disk image layers cover the layer's whole key range
         //
-        let mut layers = self.layers.lock().unwrap();
+        let mut layers = self.layers.write().unwrap();
         'outer: for l in layers.iter_historic_layers() {
             // This layer is in the process of being flushed to disk.
             // It will be swapped out of the layer map, replaced with