The Victorian Gaslamp Podcast

This episode I have a look into the life of author Wilkie Collins. You might not know his work, but what came from it will surprise you. Also, he has another one of those convoluted personal lives…

This episode I have a look at the struggle of life as an Orphan in Victorian England (It wasn’t all song and dance and working for Fagin, trust me!).  

This episode of the podcast looks at the life of Victoria before she became Queen. A difficult childhood with an ambitious mother who hoped to be Regent, I have a look at the young woman’s life and how she was trained to rule.

The first episode of 2023 takes a look at one of the most prominent landmarks in London. The beautiful Hyde Park!

Special Xmas mini-episode! In this podcast I have a look at how we got to many of the traditions we enjoy during the Yuletide season. Merry Christmas to you and your families!

This pre-Christmas episode was such a great opportunity! I got to speak with Dr Iwan Morus about his new Victorian Era book on the science and people of the Victorian era and how it has directly influenced us to this  day. His book “ How the Victorians took us to the moon ” is just out now and makes an excellent Christmas gift.

Ernest Augustus, 5th son of King George was a man who never thought he would see the throne. Then things changed, and both he and his son are in direct contest to rule the United Kingdom. In this massive episode we look at Ernest and his life.

This episode idea came from the @victorianparade and has a look at the incredible 1851 Great Exposition and the amazing work of Joseph Paxton in making the Crystal Palace

This episode, while slightly late (blame international travel issues) is all in threes. But of the Williams involved it is William Wilberforce that spent his life fighting for people being treated as people and not chattel. Oh and he helped create the RSPCA.

As this episode drops, I’m currently in the very top of the highlands of Scotland – in Tongue no less! And this episode I take a look at the well known concept of the Press Gang. Or as it was formally known, Impressment.

Finally I’m back and bringing you more amazing stories from Victorian England! Straight out of the gate we’re talking about Fight Club and the incredible men who boxed in these never ending bouts of bare knuckled violence!

This episode is a look at the fascinating life of Dr James Barry. Dr Barry was a person ahead of their time in their access to people of privilege but also their support of people less fortunate

Newgate Prison has been an institution since the 13th century, so it should come as no surprise that it has been a leading light in rehabilitation of criminals. No, just kidding, the place was a living nightmare. Listen to how it treated people and I look at some of the more famous 19th century inmates  

This episode has a look at one of the well known aspects of  of the Era. We’ve all seen the tragic hero or heroine suffering from the dreaded Consumption. How they saw this disease though, will really surprise you…

This episode takes a look at the man who was Prime Minister at the beginning of the 19th Century, William Pitt the Younger.

This episode takes a look at one of the fundamentals of Victorian society. Etiquette. Would you know what to do in some of the tense social situations you might find yourself in?

This episode is a light look at one of the era’s great innovations – the humble postage stamp. It helped change the world and open communications regardless of class and wealth.  

In an era that saw incredible achievements throughout the Kingdom, one part of the realm was desperate and dying in the hundreds of thousands. Welcome to mid 19th Century Ireland and the Great Famine.

This episode I’m having a look at some of the foods people ate and what their diet was like during the Victorian era!

This episode I take a look at the event of the year 1858 in London and what became known as ‘The Great Stink’

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was an incredible engineer that changed both his world and the one we live in today. Brilliant by any standard he not only saved lives, but made the world a smaller place.

This week I take a look at how you would get about in the biggest city in the world. Carriages, trains and ferries oh my!

This episode I have a look at the items known as Momento Mori – photographs of the recently deceased taken alone or sometimes with family members and why this happened.  

It’s 1861 and in Tooley Street, London a fire breaks out in the warehouses along the docks. This is one of the defining moments in the history of the London Fire Brigade.

I’m back! Time off for reading and research is over and episodes are returning fortnightly.  This week I have a look at19th century dentistry… It ain’t pretty…