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?

Memoirs of a Londoner: The Crafts and their Flight from Slavery

Over four days in 1848, William and Ellen Craft fled Georgia for freedom in Pennsylvania. A couple of years later they made their way to England, settling in London and also lecturing all over the UK, sharing and eventually publishing their incredible account. Here is just some of their story.

5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Parliament Square

Some hidden history of Parliament Square – from traffic lights to Tudor tourneys. We all know the grand Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey but here are five fascinating facts beyond the main sites.

Old, New, and Wonderful: Greenwich

Something old, something new, and something wonderful to enjoy next time you find yourself in Greenwich! An ancient cemetery, plaque hunting, and stunning Baroque paintings.

A Wander Down Ladbroke Grove

Last week I had my Covid-19 vaccine! Whoop! I’m always saying that you can uncover so much London history if you just scratch the surface a little bit, so I thought I’d put my money where my mouth is and tell you some of the stories I found on my journey to the hospital!

Sarah Remond and Claudia Jones: Black Women You Should Know About

The final part of this series! Two women of formidable energy and innovation, who dedicated their lives to achieving gender and racial equality and helping those less fortunate than themselves.

Kathleen Easmon and Florence Mills: Black Women You Should Know About

Two weeks after I promised but it’s here! This time we’re looking at two women who were contemporaries but likely never met. Both creative and inspirational women of the 1920s.

Mary Fillis and Dido Belle: Black Women You Should Know About

First of three blog posts featuring Black women who have lived in London over the centuries.
Part one looks at Mary Fillis, a sixteenth century servant, and Dido Elizabeth Belle, an aristocrat in the eighteenth century.

Memoirs of a Londoner: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Recounting the story of one Britain’s most famous composers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a Croydon local, who went on to study at the Royal College of Music, visited the White House, and conducted his pieces to huge audiences at the Royal Albert Hall.