London

London is our current series. We will be uploading episodes regularly and the final episode will be uploaded in August 2021.

Let the 26 episodes in our London series give you the background you need to make the most of your trip. Find out who was crowned at Westminster, buried in St Paul’s or beheaded at the Tower and hear the stories behind these events. Discover the history of Shakespeare’s Globe and the London of Charles Dickens. Learn about the royals and their palaces and take informed trips to Hampton Court and Windsor. We’ll tell you what to look out for in London’s museums and galleries and help you discover the city’s parks, theatres, shops and markets. In short, the 26 episodes of our London series provide all the research you would do yourself if only you had the time!

London Episode 01 Introduction

Welcome to London

Red buses and royalty, St Paul’s and Piccadilly, London is one of the world’s most popular city break destinations. Here is an overview of the series, offering some geographical, historical and cultural details to whet your appetite for the remaining 25 episodes when we will tour all the main sites, telling you the stories behind them and introducing a wealth of colourful personalities who have influenced the city over the centuries.

Useful link:
https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london

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London Episode 02 St Paul’s Cathedral

A Symbol of the city

We begin our tour of London at St Paul’s Cathedral, which stands as a symbol of the city and which has so many links to its past. Hear a little of the history of the cathedral itself, listen to stories as varied as Catherine of Aragon’s (first!) wedding, Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and the funerals of Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Winston Churchill. Find out too what to look out for when you visit.

Useful links:
https://www.stpauls.co.uk
https://www.visitlondon.com

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London Episode 03 The City of London

Where it all began

This tour of the Square Mile, starts with some stories from its history: medieval days, the plague, the Great Fire and the subsequent rebuilding of the city which became a world centre of finance. We’ll hear from many Londoners, such as Dick Whittington, Samuel Pepys and Christopher Wren, and visit some of the places you might want to look round today, including a number of churches and such venerable institutions as the Guildhall, the Royal Exchange and Mansion House, not forgetting the Bank of England Museum.

Useful links:
http://www.guildhall.cityoflondon.gov.uk
http://www.theroyalexchange.co.uk
https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/museum
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-us/about-the-city-of-london-corporation/mansion-house
https://ststephenwalbrook.net
https://www.stlawrencejewry.org.uk
https://www.greatstbarts.com
https://www.stmarylebow.org.uk
https://www.visitlondon.com

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London Episode 04 The Tower of London

London’s Medieval Fortress

This episode will give you the background information you need to enjoy your visit to the Tower of London to the full. Find out the main facts such as why William the Conqueror built it in the first place and who was imprisoned, tortured and beheaded within its walls. Get the quirky details too: which animals have been kept there over the centuries and what became of them all in the 1820s, which ghosts are still said to roam the premises, what will happen if the last ravens ever fly away?

Useful links:
https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london
https://www.visitlondon.com

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London Episode 05 Westminster Abbey

A thousand years of history

A Christmas day coronation-and-riot in 1066, the weddings of Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Victoria’s coronation and Golden Jubilee, Westminster Abbey has seen them all. Hear the story of its beginning, and tales from across the centuries of just some of the most talked-about events which took place there. Find out too what you should look out for on a visit.

Useful links:
https://www.westminster-abbey.org
https://www.visitlondon.com

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London Episode 06 The Houses of Parliament

From Magna Carta to the 21st century

The building might be a stunning Victorian gothic pile, but the history of the Houses of Parliament goes much, much further back than that. Hear some of the highlights, together with snippets from the speeches which made the greatest impact, and find out too what to look out for on a visit. We’ll be popping next door to Westminster Hall too, the scene of some of the country’s most momentous occasions: coronation feasts, the trials of traitors and a king, and visits from a pope and an American president.

Useful links:
https://www.parliament.uk/visiting
https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/westminsterhall
https://www.visitlondon.com

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London Episode 07 Whitehall and Trafalgar Square

A stroll through central London

This episode takes you through the very heart of London from Parliament Square along Whitehall to Trafalgar Square. We pause at the Cabinet War Rooms, the underground maze from which Churchill directed operations in World War 2, then make three further visits: to the Banqueting House, scene of the only beheading of an English king, the National Gallery and the Portrait Gallery.

Useful links:
https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms
https://www.hrp.org.uk/banqueting-house
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk
https://www.npg.org.uk
https://www.visitlondon.com

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London Episode 08 Buckingham Palace

London’s best known royal residence

What visit to London could miss out Buckingham Palace? Hear a little history, some trivia and some tales from the balcony. Then find out what to look out for on a visit, before popping next door (twice) to the Royal Mews to meet the horses and to the Queen’s Gallery to hear about some of the royal treasures which won’t fit into any of the palaces.

Useful links:
https://www.rct.uk/visit/the-state-rooms-buckingham-palace
https://www.rct.uk/visit/the-queens-gallery-buckingham-palace
https://www.rct.uk/visit/the-royal-mews-buckingham-palace
https://www.visitlondon.com

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London Episode 09 The Inns of Court

The quietest spot in London?

A wander round the Inns of Court, that most peaceful haven just off some of London’s busiest streets. Explore the courtyards and gardens, learn about the ancient buildings where lawyers have been working for centuries and hear how trainee barristers let off steam in medieval times. Find out too what the young Charles Dickens thought about life as a solicitor’s clerk here.

Useful links:
https://www.walks.com
https://www.london-walking-tours.co.uk/inns-of-court-tour.htm
https://theroyalcourtsofjustice.com
https://www.visitlondon.com

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London Episode 10 Fleet Street

The Street of Ink

A visit to Fleet Street, a focal point for writers, publishers and journalists since the Middle Ages. Hear some of their stories, find out which of their favourite watering holes still exist today and discover two places of interest which you can visit: the home where Dr Johnson wrote his famous dictionary and St Bride’s Church, known as the spiritual home of the media.

Useful links:
http://www.drjohnsonshouse.org
http://www.stbrides.com
https://www.walks.com
https://www.visitlondon.com

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London Episode 11 The Strand and Piccadilly

Where to have fun in London

In this episode it’s all about London as a centre of entertainment. We’re going along the Strand, round Covent Garden, popping into the Royal Opera House and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and then on down to Piccadilly and London’s theatreland. Enjoy!

Useful links:
https://www.thesavoylondon.com
https://www.simpsonsinthestrand.co.uk
https://solt.co.uk (Society of London Theatre)
https://lwtheatres.co.uk/theatres/theatre-royal-drury-lane
https://www.walks.com
https://www.visitlondon.com

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London Episode 12 Victoria and Albert’s London

The area once known as Albertopolis

Surely no two people left a greater mark on ‘their’ corner of London, than Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Hear their story and discover the places most connected with them: Kensington Palace, the Royal Albert Hall and a trio of world-class museums, namely the V and A, The Science Museum and the Natural History Museum.

Useful links:
https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace
https://www.vam.ac.uk
https://www.nhm.ac.uk
https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
https://www.royalalberthall.com
https://www.visitlondon.com

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London

London

London Episode 01 Introduction

London Episode 02 St Paul’s Cathedral

London Episode 03 The City of London

London Episode 04 The Tower of London

London Episode 05 Westminster Abbey

London Episode 06 The Houses of Parliament

London Episode 07 Whitehall and Trafalgar Square

London Episode 08 Buckingham Palace

London Episode 09 The Inns of Court

London Episode 10 Fleet Street

London Episode 11 The Strand and Piccadilly

London Episode 12 Victoria and Albert’s London

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