The Story of London

The Story of London returns with England slipping into a huge war with Scotland (and Wales, oh and France) and the circumstances behind this. In London we see the circumstances behind the rising of Charing Cross (and its sister Cheapside Cross) and the city continue under the Wardens, but we also have Vikings (no, honestly, they still around), 4 year old Scottish queens, Gascony pirates, and why s...

London was without a mayor; a new regime of a City Warden ran the city, and the community tried to come to terms with what that meant. But while this was going on, while fairs were being held, and exotic animals were being shipped to the Tower of London and the stench from the rivers became bad… forces beyond everyones control were about to impact upon the city… and London’s Jewish community was a...

In 1280 London was carrying on, seemingly as it had always done; a thriving, bustling city by the banks of the Thames, with a Mayor who ran the city and a bridge across the river which was known across Europe. By 1285 BOTH these things were gone; the Story reaches five years where London’s fortunes took a dramatic turn, as terrible weather, a hostile King, and above all, a scandalous murder and a...

The story of London returns to the onward rush of events as we cover the years 1275-1280- the oligarchs choices of mayors run the city without serious political opposition; the day to day difficulties of the growing city always there; there is redevelopment of some prime real estate; a war in Wales and the hiring of mercenaries… and something else. In the shadows of hate and anger, London witnesse...

After all the excitement of the recent events, we slow things down a little, as we examine the bylaws, rules and regulations that governed daily life in London. What WAS it like to live in London in the early reign of Edward I. An episode filled with rules about prostitutes, street cleaners, bad haircuts, grim advertisements, and gutters. So much about the gutters!

A Chapter in two halves… firstly the story of the 8th Crusade, and how Edward I of England was to find himself in the Middle East; fighting off assassins, avoiding winter storms and furious at everyone seemingly all the damn time. But it’s also the story of one of THE biggest political arguments in London’s long history; two men claim to be mayor. One has the support of the people. The other? The...

As a special 100th episode, we cover the final years of Henry III’s reign; and witness an extraordinary few years for the city; in between deadly floods and churches collapsing, the City descends into a series of wars in the shadows- be it gangs of Londoner’s prowling the streets at night and murdering each other; secret inquisitions leading to mass purges of citizens; subtle campaigns of manipula...

So, London had just been part of a huge rebellion against the King. And they had lost. The clampdown by the victorious royal forces continued, and London was systematically stripped of its ancient rights, privileges and positions. So how should London respond to this? Well… apparently? Stage ANOTHER rebellion it seems. A Chapter filled with politics, violence, murder, hastily erected defences and...

After the battle of Lewes, the residents of London sang wild songs lampooning the supporters of the King and rejoicing in the victory of Simon De Montfort. But by the end of the next year… it was done. London had picked the wrong side and now, stripped of the position of mayor, and its sheriffs, and with the King ordering the most brutal clampdown ever seen in the city, the residents of London had...

A bumper episode as finally all the things that have been building during the long reign of Henry III come to a head… a massive bank robbery; a terrifying moment for the Queen; a genuine pogrom; vigilante gangs wandering the streets of the city and tearing down whole buildings; and the armed forces of London finding itself in a field in Sussex… facing down a wall of horsemen led by a furious princ...

England slowly but with relentless inevitability, slipped into civil war… and London was dragged along with it. But while the actions of the powers that be made what was to come unavoidable, the City carried on as best it could; it was sometimes funny, sometimes proud, and sometimes fearful. And then, for reasons that will become clear, it found itself armed to the teeth. And this… this was never...

A country teetering on the verge of becoming a failed state… famine kills thousands and disease kills more; the economy is shrinking in the face of the pandemic; the king is away following wild dreams of foreign glory that could bankrupt the nation; powerful landowners move to seize power; everyone becomes convinced that a rash of poisonings are taking out the powerful… and London was going to hav...

London faced relentless attack upon it by the regime of Henry III- city officials would find themselves dragged into the courts again and again, as the King seemed determined to find any excuse- no matter how stupid, to extract money from it. But take this, foreign policy misadventures, a devastating famine that killed thousands, and a terrible flood? Even the distractions caused by royal visits a...

London and King Henry III were NOT getting on; and while the 7th Crusade was gloriously sailing towards disaster in Egypt, and the affairs of the nation carried on regardless, the city and the king would repeatedly clash as he provoked the place endlessly. And then? There was a huge fight in the beloved St Barts church. Who caused it, and why it led to mobs of Londoners prowling the streets and sw...

In October 1247 King Henry III led a grand procession from London to Westminster, carrying a sacred and holy relic the like of which London had never seen before. Its importance is overlooked because in the great scale of things- it didn’t amount to much in the long history of the city. But at the time? It captured a pivotal moment, as the King and City continued to fall out, and the seeds were be...

We return to all things London with an in depth look at the events of the early part of the 1240’s; we have earthquakes, storms, prophecies, politics, factions, new buildings being built, old buildings being revamped, processions and a whale suddenly finds itself at London Bridge! It’s also an insight into one of confusing eras of London’s political history as two mayors, Mr Tovey and Mr Bat, begi...

The Story takes a brief break from the regular narrative of events, with a look at two things that were impacting upon the city. The first was the ongoing crusades, and we look at the stories of the 5th and 6th Crusades along with the ‘Barons Crusade’ as this will become increasingly important later on, and then examine the perilous economic situation London was facing. Economics drives politics a...

The story continues with an insight to six years in the cities history; we have a minor but important confrontation between the bishop of London and a bunch of French moneylenders; two royal weddings (both of which were scandalous for differing reasons), ongoing political tensions, wild street parties, drought, ambitious civil engineering and more. There are even some Vikings… in the distance but...

Crime has always been a feature of urban life; but during this era a series of criminal cases are reported… which highlight a growing conflict between the authorities of London and the crown. But arguments about jurisdiction and authority soon obscure deeper debates and passions in the city. An episode that brings to life the alien nature of justice in the 13th century.

We kick off Book 4 with the story of a man executed for supposedly having a fight over a wrestling match… but his death could well have been the result of the chaotic aftermath of the recent Civil War. An episode about why Westminster started growing, a massive expansion of the Tower of London, the arrival of new orders of monks to London, and how the symbol of one of the men mentioned in this epi...

The Story of London reaches Book 4 of the saga of the city… covering the years 1219 until 1348, and bringing to life the extraordinary tale of the city during the early Plantagenet Kings…

The wild, violent and crazy few years were coming to a close… London stood defiant; most of the country was within the regime of it’s French Prince, and their enemy was a 9 year old boy. And yet, somehow Henry III secured the English throne and London’s part in this great usurpation attempt is forgotten about. Why? Well, in this final episode of the Third Book of the Story of London, we explain ho...

The Magna Carta had left London virtually independent as a city, beholden only unto the Committee of 25 signatories of the document. But the game was not over yet, and the political skill of King John soon drove London into taking its boldest move ever… inviting a French Prince to cross the sea and come take the throne of England. As the nation descends into utter chaos, what motivated the city in...

May 17th, 1215: the day London was taken by an armed force for the first time. This being said, powerful forces within London helped them do this, and the city was to not just be under military occupation. The Mayor of the city was staging a putsch, and by his acts, not only was the city to see a score of arrests as political opponents were rounded up… by this act the regime of King John collapsed...

The story begins to examine the crucial role London was to play in the political saga that led to the Magna Carta, as King John goes from being on the verge of glory, to being cast down into the pits of weakened despair. Who was the new faction who seemed to be in charge of the city, and what was their relationship to the Barons? And how did London find itself starting a civil war…