Ladies Who London

Oooh, it's an epic one this week, gang. Get comfy, go on a longer walk than usual, hydrate - we are going to get through it together! We are barrelling towards the coronation, so Fiona and Alex are taking the opportunity to demystify it for you. What do all the robes and bits and pieces mean? Who is doing what and why? Take a listen, and then use it to impress your friends and family on the day! V...

Let's prise open the lid on the royal treasure chest for the first of our coronation specials, with guest Viv Haxby, making her bling predictions! Viv is our resident royal watcher, and she avidly follows the private jewels, their meaning and when they are worn and by whom. This week she will talk us through her predictions on who will wear what and why, ahead of the coronation in about 10 days ti...

It's up, up and away this week with one of aviation's most famous pioneers, the record breaking Amy Johnson. Her death is shrouded in mystery but her legacy is impressive and enduring. Travel with us from Hull to Cricklewood, then on to Australia, Moscow and the south coast of England as we trace the footsteps of Amy Johnson. Along the way we will meet her great love, Jason, as well as her husband...

It's the 17thC, and rogues and thieves are rife in London. None as famed or as intriguing as Moll Cutpurse, a legend among women for her law-breaking ways, scandalous pursuits, and unique character.  From a young life of crime, Moll quickly became the stuff of legends. It is almost as though she herself could never live up to the many and varied stories about her - from dressing in men's clothes a...

Art galore today as Fiona ( going solo, eek!) chats to Liz Scott, curator of the Big City Exhibition at the Guildhall Art Gallery, and, featured artist, David Hepher. The good folk at the gallery have had a rummage and put some of their biggest works on display in this fabulous exhibition devoted to large depictions of London and Londoners. Be they the grand guests of Queen Elizabeth's coronation...

Alex and Fiona go outdoors to bring you all the action from the City of London's Shrove Tuesday event - The Inter Livery Pancake race. We mingle with the crowds and the participants at the annual contest, in which teams from Livery Companies race up and down the Guildhall yard clutching frying pans and hats, tossing pancakes as they go. And then have lunch. Some folks were taking it all very serio...

In the heart of Covent Garden was a WW1 endeavour by some formidable women who wouldn't take no for an answer. Meet Flora Murray and Louisa Garrett Anderson, pioneers of opportunities for female doctors at the start of the 1900s. During WW1 they took the initiative to create a war hospital staffed almost exclusively by women, which was eye opening for the men being treated there as they came back...

It's new co-host time! Come and welcome our new Lady Who Londons into out little podcasting family! Join me - Alex - and for her first time in an official capacity, Fiona Lukas! We still miss Emily, and Fiona has big boots to fill, but we are starting out strongly with a look at the curious and bonkers world of theatre licensing, or 'when they banned the boob' (and other less obvious stuff!) How d...

Come check out Dick - was he everything we were led to believe?! Thrice Lord Mayor of London? Surely not... We talk about Dick Whittington in pantomimes and stories, and we think we know him. How much of it is true? Join me and my guest Simon Whitehouse to find out if any of it is accurate! Find Simon - on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bluebadgesimon Although good luck ever getting him to...

What do the east Londoners do when bombs are falling? Well, they read, of course. We welcome author Kate Thompson to the podcast to talk all about the secret library made by enterprising Londoners. We find out who they were (bring on Minxie, Pat and Mrs Chumbley!) and how the library came to be. Kate interviewed some of the people who were involved in the library and Bethnal Green tube station, an...

Let's talk about the London we don't see - Saxon London. Why? It's all gone! Or has it? What did the Saxons ever do for us? Except city planning, roads, governance, knightly endeavours, urbexing and so on...  there's a riot of stuff happening in sexy* Saxon London, and we're here to figure out what that was. Find out more with this week's guest, fellow Blue Badge Guide Fiona Lukas *cannot prove it...

Joined by Beverley Cook of the Museum of London, we delve into the long, murky, often intriguing history of executions in London. Enter at your peril! As ever, we look at the people, places and events that surround the executions, and see how they became a public fixture in London's calendar. Brits are an enterprising bunch, and that is no different here, with people making money from the spectacl...

It's been a while since we looked at A MAN on the podcast, so let's take a look at the ugliest man in England, member of one of the (supposedly) raunchiest clubs, and revolutionary reformer. John Wilkes was both a champion of liberty and a much hated politician - usually from within his own government! But what brought him there, and what was this mysterious Hellfire club that he belonged to? Hold...

Journey with me back to the stews and brothels of medieval Southwark, where the church rules the roost, and the geese enjoy their protection. But what happens when the geese are no longer needed? You guessed it - the bishops turn their backs. It's the first episode since Emily left, so Alex is at the helm all on her own, taking you to one of her favourite stomping grounds to discover exactly who t...

It's time. None of us are ready, but it's happening. Emily is heading away, so join us for a one-off episode to say farewell to our favourite Lady Who Londons. NB - if this is your first time of joining us, maybe don't start with this episode!! Visit https://www.ladieswholondon.com for the show notes to each episode. Also come and join Emily at www.instagram.com/artspoken.uk Get in touch! Instagra...

Emily takes a look at her favourite Turbine Hall installations in her penultimate episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A rare royal for us, we are taking a look at the exciting, unusual, sexy Queen Caroline - how she broke the mould and shaped her own future. Left in a pretty sorry state by her parents, Caroline needed to think smart to escape. Fiercely intelligent, savvy and ambitious, her life reads like a soap opera, with family feuds, peacekeeping and very exciting friendships with some of the most interesting...

Octavia Hill is one of the heroes of Victorian philanthropy, with a legacy that is huge even today. Find out why you will have heard of her achievements in the modern day, and explore her history with us. Plus there is big news on the podcast, with changes ahead. What's happening? Find out more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get your Dickens out, it's time to get Christmassy! Welcome to our little grotto, curl up by the fire and welcome this week's guest, Simon Whitehouse. Find out more about The Man That Made Christmas, and why we associate him so heavily with the festive period. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can you imagine London being underwater? Well that's pretty much what happened in the shocking flood of 1928. After a freezing December, London was overwhelmed with water, flooding huge swathes of the city and famous landmarks like the Tower of London, and forcing the government to think of ways to protect London from high tides. How did London deal with this flood? What was the legacy of the floo...

Move aside MayFair, there's a better fair in town, with blindfolded pigs, wife selling, and glass wigs, oh my! Enjoy 700 years of history of one of the greatest fairs in London's history, which started with a cloth market and grew over centuries. Which famous execution fits into the fair's history? How does a ghostly monk feature? And what exactly is a Pie-powder? Find out on this week's episode!...

Welcome to the Wellcome! The medicine man will see you now, and will probably show you something interesting too… Grab your tabloids (eh?!) and buckle up for some weird and wonderful medical stuff. Where did Henry Wellcome come from? What is his lasting and very famous legacy? Find out on this week’s podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Travel with us to 19thC Old Nichol slum, to meet the inhabitants, and find out who Dicky Perrott is, and why he helped bring about huge changes in the area. Emily and Alex are off to visit one of the most dangerous places in East London in the 19thC, and find out what it was like and how changes came about through the publication of a crucial book. What will happen to poor Dicky Perrott?! Visit ht...

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When history gets weird - what exactly did a whipping boy do? Was a tosher really a job? And what was a necessary woman? This week as Emily is indisposed, Alex is joined by Fiona Lukas again, who brings her own lovely brand of random information to our pod. Visit https://www.ladieswholondon.com Get in touch! Instagram; @ladieswholondonpodcast Email; ladieswholondon@gmail.com Websites; www.ladieswh...