Ladies Who London

It wasn't wartime bombing which devastated the Silvertown area of London, it was the preparation for war. So what was it that caused a huge explosion in one of the densely populated areas of London? We take a look at one of the most impactful events in the Royal Docks area, and find out more about how a humble policeman became a hero. Check out the show notes here -https://www.ladieswholondon.com/...

London is home to the unique, no more so than some of the most historic and quirky bookshops. We take a little tour of some of the most interesting and historic places for buying your books, including the royal bookshop Hatchards, the stunning Daunt books, a bookshop on a barge, the first LGBT bookshop in the country, and some quirky, charming shops on the lovely Cecil Court. Which bookshop has a...

Is Dick Turpin all glamorous swashbuckling and mysterious gentleman, or is there a darker truth to his legendary status? Today we head to Covent Garden's Drury Lane to visit the last London watering hole for the infamous Dick Turpin as we take a look at the history behind one of the UK's most characterful villains. Is there any truth in the stories that he was a gentlemanly thief, or is the real s...

Fancy a cuppa? We're heading to the most historic of all the tea houses in London to see why Twinings is the last word in your morning cup of the good stuff. Twinings has been in the same spot on Fleet Street for a couple of centuries, and we want to know why. What makes that cup of tea such a classic British thing, and why are Twinings the most famous house? Plus we spin the Wheel of Destiny to f...

It's Halloween, so it's Goth Guide Emily's favourite time of year! And this year is no exception, she is back in full gory form with a tale of some properly grisly murders in Shadwell, East London. Alex tells us of the mythical fire breathing demon Spring Heeled Jack, who terrorised London's streets for over 60 years with his fiery red eyes and blue flames which he breathed on people. Plus Alex ge...

We unearth the story of Queen Victoria's black goddaughter, Omoba Aina, and how she came to be under the Queen's protection. How did this orphaned Yoruban child make her way to London and into the court of the Queen, and how did her relationship with the Queen impact her life and that of her children as well. Will it all end happily? Find out in this week's episode. Show notes and pictures of ever...

Emily has kept it close to home this week with the story of Prince Lee Boo, who lies buried in Rotherhithe, and Omai, the second only Pacific Islander to visit Europe. Two different men from far flung lands chose to travel to London - what will their fates be? Will they return home, or will they stay in the vastly different metropolis of Georgian London? We take a look at these two men, and find o...

How do 3 women, all different ages, and from different walks of life, contribute so heavily to the success and development of the Spitfire? We take a look at Lady Lucy Houston, 13 year old Hazel Hill, and Mary Ellis, all of whom did very different but very important things to make the iconic British WW2 plane the success it became. Spoiler - they are not all as straight forward as you might imagin...

Come and meet the Floating City, the SS Great Eastern, the largest ship in its day, 6 times larger than any other ship afloat at the time. We revisit the legend that is Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and take a little trip to the Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe to meet Katherine, who has a little offer for our listeners! We also tell you where you can go and visit the launch ramp of the ship itself, which...

Welcome to the Windmill! Where all the excitement took place during WW2. Faced with a flop of a theatre, Laura Henderson and Vivien Van Damm created the most titillating of theatre, using *gasp* naked women on stage. This was not, however, welcomed, and VD had to be sneaky to get the licence to carry on with the show. We find out what happened to the Windmill theatre, and how their tagline was che...

We're celebrating one year! So we have a special guest, friend of the pod Lee Ingleby, to come in for a wine-augmented chat about all things pod, and test our London knowledge! We have a little chat about how the podcast started and how Emily and Alex met, and then Lee has written us a tricky little quiz to see how much we know about London. It is going to get competitive! Podcast pedestal will be...

All hands to the deck today, as we take a listener request for a location, the Russell Hotel, now known as the Kempton Fitzroy. Why is this hotel so interesting? Well there is more than one massive link to the ill fated Titanic, and we are going to find out what those links are. We also check out the local area of Russell Square, investigate another sister hotel to the Russell, as well as finding...

Hey fashion police, this one's for you! On this week's episode we take a look at one of the oddest laws around, the Elizabethan sumptuary laws which governed who could where what and when. Literally making it illegal for you to look good. The cheek! Why on earth was it illegal for people other than the royal family to wear purple silk, how was the length of your sword policed, and what happened to...

On this week's episode, we have two guests, Lottie and Fiona, as Alex is not public appropriate right now. With Emily, our guests attack the topic of the Beefsteak club with gusto, getting stuck in to one of the weirdest clubs in London's history...although we touch on a couple of other strange ones en route. Plus we find out who won the Podcast Pedestal, and we spin the Wheel of Destiny to find o...

We've had a slight change of topic this week, so we are taking a look at one of Alex's icons, Margot Fonteyn. Now if the thought of ballet puts you off, never fear - this is a story that will certainly give you something to think about. Who would have thought a dainty, sweet girl from Surrey would end up involved in a coup in central America?! We take a look at one of the most famous women ever to...

How do you make a tunnel interesting? Well luckily, this week's subject, the Thames tunnel needs no help at all. We take a look at how the first tunnel under a river anywhere in the world is so much more than just a tunnel, how we nearly lost one of Britain's greatest ever engineers, and how you can still travel through this tunnel today. Plus we find out who won the Podcast Pedestal, and we spin...

Oooh, Kitty Fisher, you scandalous thing! This week we take a look at one of London's most celebrated Georgian women, the courtesan, harlot, and most talked about women of 18thC London. Part of the booming Georgian sex trade, Kitty Fisher was a master of self publicity and charm, making her one of the most famous women of the age. We take a look at some of the most fascinating parts of her life -...

The star of the show this week is the utterly fantastic Jack Sheppard - small time crook and petty villain, who got a huge following and famous reputation as a regular jailbreaker from some of London's most famous prisons! How did he do it? Did he really goad the guards who had him locked up? Find out more about him here Plus we find out who won the Podcast Pedestal, and we spin the Wheel of Desti...

This week we are on the trail of a spy princess, the incredible Noor Inayat Khan. She came to England in 1944 and joined the war effort as a spy, heading behind enemy lines and risking her life to broadcast information back to the UK. Will she make it out alive? Why was a pacifist Muslim woman prepared to go and risk everything during WW2? Find out all the fascinating information here.  Plus we fi...

It's party time! We've left behind the gruesome stories of last week and headed nearby to the South Bank area to find out about the Festival of Britain. Was there really an alien spaceship hovering over London? Why were people so amazed by the cinema there? And for us Blue Badge Guides, is this where it all started? Find out all about it here. Plus we find out who won the Podcast Pedestal and Emil...

One of London's most curious bits of history this week, as we talk about London's necrotrain - a train designed to transport London's dead, plus their mourners, out to a green leafy cemetery about 25 miles out of London. Was there really an option for coffins to travel in different classes? Emily is very worries about catering - were there sandwiches?! Find out all about it here. Plus we find out...

The goth guide lives up to her reputation today by picking a devastating explosion and jail break in Clerkenwell on this week's podcast. How do a white ball, a barrel full of dynamite, and a serial jail breaker all come together? Find out all the exciting details behind the 1867 Clerkenwell prison explosion! Plus we find out who won the Podcast Pedestal and Emily gets her sweaty hands on the wheel...

We're going underground! Not to the famous London underground, oh no. We are going for one of London's secret tunnels which used to house the almost mythical postal rail system which transported mail across London under the busy streets. Did they really use to shoot people down through tunnels using a vacuum system? How long did this secret railway last? And what happens to old, unusable trains (s...

Welcome to the animal special! Emily delves in to one of Alex's favourite childhood authors, Beatrix Potter, and tries not to ruin Peter Rabbit for everyone! We take a look at her life and loves, and try not to freak out about the demise of the family rabbit...   Plus we find out who won the Podcast Pedestal and Emily gets her sweaty hands on the wheel again for another chance to see where we will...

We're trotting off around the world this week with another phenomenal woman, Isabella Lucy Bird, who Alex kinda loves. We find out how a spinal tumour led her to become a best selling travel writer, and what she got up to well into her 70s. Plus we find out who won the Podcast Pedestal and Emily gets her sweaty hands on the wheel again for another chance to see where we will get to chat about next...