Dirty Old London: 30 Days of Filth: Day 15
‘Remember, a filthy person indicates filthy habits; dirty in his apartments, he will be dirty in his mind; profligate in his amusements, unfit for…
London
Dirty Old London: 30 Days of Filth: Day 14
‘There was something of the fairground sideshow about this supposedly educational experience.’ Throughout this month, Lee Jackson reveals the background to Dirty Old London: The…
Dirty Old London: 30 Days of Filth: Day 12
‘The disease was much feared. There was no known treatment; no obvious cause; symptoms were hideous; visitations sudden and frequently fatal.’ Throughout this month,…
Dirty Old London: 30 Days of Filth: Day 11
‘Mud, I fear is immortal. Mud was, mud is, and mud will be. Dig what sewers we may, hollow what gutters we may, the…
Dirty Old London: 30 Days of Filth: Day 9
‘If one lives in dear, dirty old London, [washing] three times a day is none too often’ Throughout this month, Lee Jackson reveals the…
Dirty Old London: 30 Days of Filth: Day 7
‘In 1849, the notion of modest females requiring such public conveniences was almost inconceivable; or perhaps Bazalgette merely thought such matters too unseemly to discuss with…
Dirty Old London: 30 Days of Filth: Day 6
‘Few working men could afford the luxury of a bathing costume. Most (in)famously, the Serpentine was ‘obscene with bathers’ at dusk and dawn. Flustered…
Dirty Old London: 30 Days of Filth: Day 5
‘The stench from poorly-managed grounds was revolting, and some considered this to be a species of dangerous ‘miasma’, analogous to the stink from cesspools…
Dirty Old London: 30 Days of Filth: Day 4
‘Full of visionary enthusiasm, he also proposed to simultaneously beautify the city with various fountains, grottos and water features. There would also be a…
Dirty Old London: 30 Days of Filth: Day 2
‘Few know that sweepers worked on defined ‘paved crossings’ – indeed, that the Victorians possessed a precursor of the modern ‘pedestrian crossing’.’ Throughout this…
Dirty Old London: 30 days of filth: Day 1
Throughout this month, in the run-up to publication of his new book in October, Lee Jackson reveals the background to Dirty Old London: The Victorian…
If Mayors Ruled the World
In the face of the most perilous challenges of our time – climate change, terrorism, poverty, and trafficking of drugs, guns and people –…
Summer Art Selection
Is there a finer season than summer? The sun is presumably shining, work is in relatively short supply and there’s plenty of opportunity for…
The Pevsner Architectural Guides and an intriguing link to the History Today Trustee’s Award Prize Bowl
Yale University Press was delighted when the Pevsner Architectural Guides series recently won the Longman – History Today Trustees’ Award, which is given for ‘a major contribution to history’ and…