The Anti-Slavery Protest at the Great Exhibition That You Never Knew Happened
Most of us learn about the marvellous Great Exhibition at school. Over 100,000 exhibits under the vast roof of the Crystal Palace in South Kensington! But have you ever heard about the protest that took place there on 21st June 1851?
‘All-Night Gaiety’ at The Caravan Club
Decades before the 1967 Sexual Offences Act partially decriminalised sex between men, some freedom and community could be found in the numerous illegal drinking dens and makeshift private members’ clubs which popped up in and around Soho. One of these was the Caravan Club, which dazzled the streets of Soho in the 1930s, but was…
The Bells of London Town
On this day (11th July) in 1859, Big Ben rang for the first time because (spoiler alert!) Big Ben is a bell not a tower. I used this anniversary moment to shine a light on some of London’s most exciting bells.
Memoirs of a Londoner: Olive Morris
It was only today that I learned of the existence of Olive Morris. A campaigner and activist, a radical Black feminist, an inspiring young woman, who fought for racial and social equality in South London in the 1960s and ’70s. Today would have been her 68th birthday.
When England went Bananas
On 10th April 1633, the earliest recorded bananas went on sale in England, in an apothecary on Snow Hill in London. I’ve read more about bananas in the last 24 hours than I have in my entire life, but it was completely worth it – a bit of creative writing, a bit of fascinating history!
Rambling London Tours 