Social History
Penny toys, vintage vehicles, quirky packaging and more offer a delightfully nostalgic glimpse into the London’s everyday life.
Blogs-And-Stories
The 1918 election: When women first voted
The first general election after the First World War saw huge changes in who could vote
Ethel Smyth: Composer & Suffragette
Through love, music and activism, Smyth pushed back at the limits society placed on her
Occupy London: Looking back at the 2011 protests
In the wake of the global financial crisis, anti-capitalist protesters set up a camp outside St Paul’s Cathedral
The history of London’s mosques
Fascinating buildings that tell the stories of the capital’s Muslim communities
Morley’s: South London’s chicken shop
The pride of south London since 1985, courtesy of bossman
The sinking of the Princess Alice
Catastrophe struck on the River Thames in 1878 when a cargo ship collided with a tourist boat
The People’s Vote marches against Brexit
After the UK voted to exit the European Union in 2016, hundreds of thousands called for a second referendum
Stop the War 2003: London’s largest ever protest
In 2003, more than a million people marched through the capital to protest against the UK’s war in Iraq
Elizabeth Fry: Pioneering prison reformer
Fry’s injection of kindness transformed the prison experience for Victorian women
The punishing past of London’s prisons
A list of the most notorious and historic prisons in the city
When did London get electricity?
Between 1901 and 1910, London began to find its spark
The First World War air raids on London
Londoners looked anxiously at the sky as zeppelins and planes brought 20th-century warfare to their doorstep
What were ‘flag days’ in the First World War?
How badges and tiny flags contributed to Britain’s war effort
The Cato Street Conspiracy: A failed revolution
This 1820 plot to kill the cabinet ended at the Newgate Prison gallows
