20th century London (1900 – 1999)
Explore objects, stories and blogs shining a light on London during 100 years of enormous and rapid change.
Blogs-And-Stories

Silvertown 1917: London’s largest explosion
73 people died when an east London factory making TNT caught fire and exploded

Suffragette teddy bears: WWI & women’s rights
What’s your favourite object connected to women’s history? One of ours is a Bow Bear

Who are the Krios of Sierra Leone?
Explore the rich history of Sierra Leone's Krio community, their cultural fusion and notable contributions

Francis Golding: A life in clothes
The late fashion icon curated a distinctly London wardrobe over many decades of his life

An introduction to Christina Broom
The pioneering photographer who captured the Suffragettes in action

Savile Row: The heart of London tailoring
Two centuries of Britain’s best bespoke clothing has centred around this Mayfair street

London’s lost department stores
Circus animals? Couture workshops? Shopping used to look a bit different

Windrush style: Psychology, identity & resilience
The psychological impact and cultural significance of Black Caribbean fashion among the Windrush Generation

Barbara Lisicki: A disability rights pioneer
Lisicki led the charge to win civil rights for disabled people in the 1990s

Stanley Green: The protein man of Oxford Street
Protein was the problem for this solo campaigner – a regular London sight for 25 years

The New Cross fire
13 young Black people died in this 1981 tragedy, which led to the Brixton Uprising

From the PLA Archive: Men who served in WWI
How cataloguing the Port of London Authority Archive led to unearthing fascinating connections to WWI

Women’s toilets & the fight for the right to work
What can a toilet roll tell us about the history of women’s access to work and leisure?

Black & British: A fashionable Windrush story
Explore how fashion among the Windrush generation has become a form of cultural expression

Sophia Duleep Singh: The Suffragette princess
For this Punjabi royal, winning women’s vote was worth breaking the law

One 1930s wedding dress, five brides & two world events
This unassuming vintage wedding dress, made in the 1930s, holds a fascinating story

London’s Blitz: A city at war
The German bombing campaign which rained down death and destruction on London

Roger Mayne’s photographs of post-war London
A window into life in the capital from the 1950s