Blog
Explore the stories of the world's greatest city and uncover the hidden treasures of our collections.
Objects of love & loss: Mourning jewellery
How do mourning objects change over time? And what can they tell us about changing beliefs and practices?
J Smythe: The WWII navigator & his Windrush story
By any measure, Johnny Smythe led an extraordinary life
The religious history of Smithfield
Smithfield boasts of a rich monastic history dating back over a millennium
Are the Suffragettes still relevant today?
Hammers, banners and prison medals: How Suffragettes continue to inspire and provoke
Suffragette Christabel Pankhurst & her ‘militant’ strategy
Interview: Often maligned by historians, feminist and Suffragette Christabel Pankhurst’s story needs much exploration
From prison to parliament: Suffragettes & Holloway
Delve into the history of Holloway prison, and the stories of the Suffragettes imprisoned there
Mapping the legacy of slavery in London’s Docklands
Traces of the transatlantic slave trade continue to exist in the Docklands landscape
The forgotten Suffragettes & tales of militancy
These four forgotten champions who fought bravely for female suffrage
What after the Smithfield Poultry Market Fire of 1958
Curator Kate Sumnall dives into one of the most dramatic episodes in the rich history of Smithfield Market
A history of muffs: A forgotten fashion accessory
From status symbol to winter essential, muffs have had a fascinating journey
March of the women: Photographing the Suffragettes
The fight for women’s right to vote as captured by pioneering photographer Christina Broom
Pleasurable relief: Toilets in 18th-century London
Curator Danielle Thom reveals the dark underside of the Georgian and Victorian Pleasure Gardens
Blitz bombings & the discovery of the Temple of Mithras
‘Not much good came out of the London Blitz, but Mithras did’
Blitz Underground: How war artists saw tube shelters
Bill Brandt and Henry Moore’s war art during the Blitz offer a poignant view of human resilience amid chaos
My East End stories: Boxing belts to empire maps
Three Londoners share personal stories linked to East End artefacts
William Sessarakoo: the Royal African
One man’s journey from African prince through slavery into London high society
From fish market to red carpet: London's changing docks
London’s Docklands have gone through huge change in the last 70 years
