The London Society Podcast

Episode 3 of London Explained tells the story of Marble Arch, one of London’s loveliest historic monuments which has been marooned on a roundabout at the western end of Oxford Street, severed from the park it once formed an entrance to and disconnected from its regal past. But now big plans are afoot to restore the arch to its former glory, make it the focal point of a tranquil new public space an...

Episode 2 of London Explained takes a deep-dive into the Fleet Street Quarter, examining what makes this part of London so historically important and the huge impact that the pandemic has had on local businesses. The times they are a-changin’ and so Dave Hill has conducted a series of interviews that reveal some of the new projects that are underway to bring a bit of magic back to Fleet Street. Th...

Episode 1 of the London Society's new podcast, London Explained, will investigate ideas for regenerating Earls Court, a place of legend in inner west London. Little has been achieved beyond the flattening of the Earls Court Exhibition Centre, which gave the area much of its life and character. Now, a new development company with a new approach is putting a new plan together. It says it wants...

The live recording of Cllr Georgia Gould's Banister Fletcher Lecture, given to an audience of 300 at RIBA in Portland Place. The chair of London Councils and leader of Camden sets out a powerful agenda for change ranging from drawing on the strengths of communities to transforming relationships with national government. In her 50-minute address Cllr Gould sets out a range of imaginative, already-e...

London’s West End, so vital to the capital and the country, took a huge battering from Covid-19. But it is recovering slowly and also adapting to changes brought about and accelerated by the pandemic. Dave Hill, London Society trustee and editor of On London, went into town and spoke to three people about the new West End that is emerging: John McRae of architects Orms, designers of the radical ne...

Listen to the winners and runners-up entries from the first Love Letters to London writing competition organised by The London Society. There were nearly 500 entries from all ages and from all around the globe, writing on the theme of "recovery and resilience", a celebration of the capital as it emerged from lockdowns. We’re biased, but we believe London is the greatest city in the world. It is th...

A new powerhouse for innovation, creativity and learning on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, 'East Bank' is a unique collaboration between world-leading universities, arts and cultural institutions that will transform this part of east London. In this first podcast from The London Society, Dave Hill talks about the development and meets some of the people involved in the vision. Hosted on Acast. See...

Broadcaster Robert Elms gives The London Society's Banister Fletcher Lecture "The poor, the marginal, the young, the creative and the bohemian are the lifeblood of urban life, but they are being excluded, expelled, exiled from our great urban centres by the process of making everything luxury, exclusive, designed and desirable. We must desist from ‘developing' every area to within an inch of its l...