Clik here to view.
The King's Physician, the Theatre Royal and London's first STD clinic-
Time for the 'human interest' story of the week: venereal disease. For the past twenty five years the world has been obsessed with HIV: a nasty disease, and a very clever one that gives you a decade...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Touching for the King's Evil-
Scrofula, or the King's Evil is a nasty and disfiguring disease caused by the rod-shaped bacteria you can see in the gallery. It can be a complication of tuberculosis, but in small children is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
'Crowly, who is now grown a great lion and very tame': The Tower Menagerie
It has long been traditional for foreign dignitaries to make gifts of the exotic creatures of their kingdoms to the countries they visit. In this way Britain acquired a polar bear from Norway in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Notes on the Restoration of King Charles and the Flashing Whores of St...
It is easy to look at history as a set of dates with events chalked up next to them, but in a city as vibrant and organic as London, nothing happens out of the blue, as a commonplace book of the 1660s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tottenham: Never do anything when you are in a temper, for you...
Tottenham: Never do anything when you are in a temper, for you will do everything wrong.Tottenham developed rapidly from a small village during the Georgian period, into a place of cheap housing for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
‘An eccentrical lady’: Mrs Griggs of...
‘An eccentrical lady’: Mrs Griggs of Bloomsbury‘Died, 16th January 1792, at her house, Southampton Row, Bloomsbury, Mrs. Griggs. Her executors found in her house eighty-six living and twenty-eight dead...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An Epitaph, by a FriendTomorrow I’m giving a walkie-talkie...
An Epitaph, by a FriendTomorrow I’m giving a walkie-talkie at Sir John Soane’s Pitzhanger Manor-House for Open House Weekend 2011. I have lots of thoughts about Soane and his ruthless pursuit of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
For Ada Lovelace Day: Eleanor Coade
In 1769, Eleanor (sometimes Elinor) Coade arrived in Lambeth from Lyme Regis, bringing with her one of Georgian London’s forgotten wonders: Coade stone, or as she called it Lithodipyra. She had been...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Book Review: The Music Trade in Georgian England I have been...
Book Review: The Music Trade in Georgian EnglandI have been lucky enough to receive a review copy of The Music Trade in Georgian England, edited by Michael Kassler and published by Ashgate. Well, where...
View ArticleNominate your Favourite Historian and Favourite History Book Poll
On November the 11th, History Today magazine released an online poll for the most influential historian, and most influential history book of the last 60 years. Those nominated for the most...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Art: Why I’m Proud to be a Shuffler ‘Every major art...
Art: Why I’m Proud to be a Shuffler‘Every major art exhibition is always the same. The ticket holders go in with their expensive tickets, and with their guide-books and ear-phone sets, and they look...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Homeopathy: A Most Extravagant Conceit The following is from...
Homeopathy: A Most Extravagant ConceitThe following is from medical doctor John Hogg’s book, London As It Is, published in 1837:One of the most extravagant conceits ever promulgated in connexion with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Guest Post: The Gin Lane Gazette That mischievous cartoonist...
Guest Post: The Gin Lane Gazette That mischievous cartoonist and scribe Ade Teal is featured on pioneering publishing project Unbound at the moment with his most excellent Georgian miscellany The Gin...
View ArticleClik here to view.
At the Harp and Hoboy: John Walsh, Music Publisher Where has...
At the Harp and Hoboy: John Walsh, Music Publisher Where has the time gone? First there was Christmas, then these book thingys which seem to keep you very busy indeed. Then, as some of you know I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: A Grim Almanac of Georgian London The History Press were...
Review: A Grim Almanac of Georgian LondonThe History Press were kind enough to send me A Grim Almanac of Georgian London by Graham Jackson and Cate Ludlow. Cate’s obsession with the darker side of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Event: A Coffeehouse Tour Dr Matthew Green is rather passionate...
Event: A Coffeehouse TourDr Matthew Green is rather passionate about coffeehouses, and coffee history. So passionate, in fact he wrote his PhD on the subject. On Saturday, he’ll be leading a very...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Saartjie Baartman, The Hottentot Venus Throughout Georgian...
Saartjie Baartman, The Hottentot VenusThroughout Georgian London there are many ‘freaks’, whose main source of income was displaying themselves: tall or strong women, tiny people, the prematurely aged...
View ArticleClik here to view.
William Freeman: A West Indian Englishman At the turn of the...
William Freeman: A West Indian EnglishmanAt the turn of the eighteenth century, London was becoming increasingly diverse. International trade meant that foreigners were a common sight on the streets,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and the Destroying Angel Lady Mary...
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and the Destroying AngelLady Mary Wortley Montagu would not only introduce London to innoculation against smallpox, but also her series of ‘Turkish Embassy Letters’ make up...
View Article
