Alex is flying solo this week, as we take on the story of Dido Belle, the young mixed race woman, born to am enslaved woman, and brought up in British high society. Born to a British ship's captain, and an enslaved woman being transported to Jamaica, Dido was brought back to the UK and entrusted to one of the highest Judges in the land. Her story was hidden until the 1990s, and we are taking a look at her story, her glorious portrait, and also her uncle, Lord Mansfield, in this week's episode. J...
May 22, 2024•38 min•Ep 173•Transcript available on Metacast We don't half love an Operation here at the Ladies Who London podcast! This, however, is no military operation, although it is no less audacious or finnickity. How do you build huge infrastructure when the place you need to build is one of the busiest spots in London? Well, that is the question. Operation Umbrella was the answer to this exact question. While needing to use the space but also redevelop the space, an ingenious plan took over Oxford Circus, which would require planning engineering ...
May 14, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep 172•Transcript available on Metacast Heave ho me'hearties, this week we are setting sail aboard the good ship Hamilton, as we take a look at one of history's most famous mistresses, Emma Hamilton. But does she deserve such a reductive title? Surely there is more to her than we think we know? Boy are you in for a treat! We careen from the Temple of Health and the Celestial Bed (remember that?!) to the glamorous streets of Naples, the top deck of a warship and a Queen's court, as we tell the bits of Emma Hamilton's story that you may...
May 07, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep 171•Transcript available on Metacast Well this is an episode, kids. Fiona has seen a squirrel and gone on a mad goose chase through the annals of history, chasing down the elusive Montagus. Where will we end up?! Heaven only knows...Alex certainly doesn't! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 02, 2024•44 min•Ep 170•Transcript available on Metacast This sounds like one of Sherlock's great cases - the mysterious disappearance of Elizabeth Canning, but it is a true story. What you may not know is that she comes back - after about a month, and in a pretty dire situation. So far, so horrible but straightforward. But then, once her kidnappers are tried, convicted, and thrown in prison, something really odd happens. The whole case turns on its head, and Elizabeth is the one thrown into the spotlight. What on earth has happened? What is she accus...
Apr 24, 2024•48 min•Ep 169•Transcript available on Metacast We've been threatening this one for a while, gang! Here is the unedited history of Titus Oates, and who exactly is he? Is he a brave, whistleblowing legend, or a deluded fantasist who is about to put his foot in it? Come with us to find out more And podcast pedestal returns! After overwhelming support, the pedestal makes a comeback, and you get to tell us what you think is the most important part of the story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 17, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep 168•Transcript available on Metacast A week late to Trans Visibility Day, but that is on brand for us! This week's episode is all about the Chevalier d'Eon, spy to King Louis XV, and all round enigma! Were they trans? They lived as both man and woman in both France and England over many years. What weird stipulation did the King make in a deal with the Chevalier and why? We delve into this story, surrounded by myth and mystery to try and figure out what is what from the story of this fascinating person. Learn more about your ad cho...
Apr 10, 2024•51 min•Ep 167•Transcript available on Metacast It is time. We've been threatening it for a year, so let's get down and dirty with the City of London livery companies! I know, I know, it's hard to contain your excitement. Fiona gets into an A-Z of livery companies, everything you never knew you wanted to know, and we find out why the loving cup is a thing, whether the Upholders really make bras, and why oh why is a demi-virgin so named. All the chat with all* the stats *some of the stats, most of it inaccurate. WELCOME! Learn more about your ...
Apr 02, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Ep 165•Transcript available on Metacast It's us, but different! We come to you LIVE, recorded last week at the Wanstead tap in east London. There are few audio teething issues at the start, but bear with, as it does come together! We had the great pleasure of talking to the lovely Leo Hollis, author of Inheritance - the tragedy of Mary Davies, and what a story it is! A little-discussed but very influential woman, Mary inherited swathes of London which would later become Mayfair, and then nearly lost it all after an event that took pla...
Mar 27, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep 165•Transcript available on Metacast TRIGGER WARNING - contains themes of murder and violence against women. It's the return of Katie from Look Up London! Twice in one month, aren't we lucky?! Katie joins us to talk about some of the women involved in the famous case of the 19thC serial killer known as Jack the Ripper. But we are not focusing on him and his action. We are focusing on the women - who were they? What are their stories? Is everything we think we know about them entirely accurate? Katie is here to dispel some myths and...
Mar 20, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep 164•Transcript available on Metacast We're on site this week at the new, fantastic exhibition of Women of the RNLI at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the RNLI. We talk to former Tower lifeboat station manager Janet, archivist Hayley Whiting, and photographer Jack Lowe about his amazing project to photograph every single lifeboat station in the UK. Join us as we find out more about this wonderful institution and Jack's fascinating project. The exhibition was curated by Royal Museums Gr...
Mar 13, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep 163•Transcript available on Metacast It's International Women's Day! So we have invited back one of our regular guests, Katie Wignall, to help us talk about 3 fabulous London women. Bella Burge - boxing impresario Mary Somerville - the first scientist Ada Coleman - one of the best bartenders who ever lived. And it wouldn't be us without having a competition about who is the best! Take a look at our socials to have your say. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 06, 2024•1 hr•Ep 162•Transcript available on Metacast It's the first of your podcast picks, and the winner was Elizabeth Fry, the angel of Newgate. Shocked by the abject conditions she found in the most notorious of prisons, Newgate, she put her whole life on hold to try and improve the situation for the women imprisoned there. If she could make even one person's experience better, then it would be worth it. She achieved that, and so much more. Come with us as we delve into this woman's fascinating life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podc...
Feb 28, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep 161•Transcript available on Metacast Londoners will tell you that London Bridge was once sold to a man who thought he was buying Tower Bridge. That man was Robert Paxton McCulloch, who in 1964 bought London Bridge and had it shipped to Arizona. But did he really think he was buying Tower Bridge, or is that just a fantastical myth spun for a bit of a laugh? This week we delve into the story of how one of London's most famous landmarks ended up across the sea in the United States, what record it set when it went there, and why - WHY ...
Feb 21, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep 160•Transcript available on Metacast Well gang, we've been threatening this one for a while. And you know what happens when we threaten a topic? Yes, we get round to it after about 3 years. Don't say we never treat you. This week we are FINALLY getting round to chatting all things Great Exhibition. From Tempest Prognosticators to naked statues in tents, huge chunks of gold and coal, and a glass atrium that welcomed 6 million people over the course of 6 months, there's a lot of stuff to chat about. Plus we find out how it impacted L...
Feb 14, 2024•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast LONDON IS BEING INVADED BY DRAGONS! Well, they mostly have been here for a while, and almost all of them are made of stone, but let's not let that get in the way of a good headline. Fiona's off on the hunt of some of London's most fearsome dragons this week, with a sprinkling of St George, a dash of Chinese New Year, and a boundary marker or two for good measure. How many can you spot around London? Dedicated to Fraggle, the bestest dragon there ever was. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ...
Feb 07, 2024•59 min•Ep 158•Transcript available on Metacast Inspired by Emily's episode from last week, Alex is going back to an old favourite, the story of Dorothy Lawrence, the woman who, in WW1, set off to war-torn France armed with nothing but a notebook and a bicycle. Her aim? To get to the front and be the only female war correspondent, and jump start her journalism career. Will she make it? Come and find out! TRIGGER WARNING - some discussion of sexual abuse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 31, 2024•46 min•Ep 157•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest this week is the lovely Emily Laurence Baker, fellow Blue Badge Tourist Guide and champion of women's history. So it is only right that we get her to talk about one of her favourite women, Kit Cavanagh. Kit was one of those women we love - fearless and determined, who decides to go incognito into a man's world! When her husband disappears, she decides to enlist in the army - disguised as a man of course - to go off and find him. Will she find him? And if she does, what then? Will she b...
Jan 24, 2024•57 min•Ep 156•Transcript available on Metacast WARNING - discussion of the Georgian sex trade in this episode The marvellous Moll King is the subject of this week's episode - a wonderful businesswoman in the 1700s, who skirted the line of the law with loopholes and cunning. From growing up in Covent Garden and learning the lay of the land, Moll met her husband Tom King, and together they established one of the most famous - and infamous - watering holes on Covent Garden piazza. We find out how this enterprising woman skirted around the edge ...
Jan 17, 2024•51 min•Ep 155•Transcript available on Metacast Password london20 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 11, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast London calling! Have you even visited London if you haven't stood in a queue to have your photo taken in a classic red heritage phone box? This week we chat all things phones - from the first phone call made, to where you can find little cherubs on the phone on some London buildings! Why are phone boxes red? What exactly IS a K2? And how can you spot them and tell them apart from other types? We answer all your London-based phone questions on this week's episode. Enjoy! Get in touch! - ladieswho...
Jan 10, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep 154•Transcript available on Metacast Happy New Year! We are starting the year off strong with the tale of a London eccentric, William Reginald Bray. Known as the 'postal prankster', Bray took it upon himself to test the (then) newly formed postal service by sending ever wackier things through the post, culminating in having himself delivered by the postman! It is a story almost too mad to be true, but we have the photos and the postcards to prove it! Over his lifetime he sent thousands of items, and requested somewhere in the regio...
Jan 03, 2024•51 min•Ep 153•Transcript available on Metacast Happy Christmas, folks! It's time to open up the grotto again for this year and welcome back one of the friends of the pod, Mr Lee Ingleby. We take a look at some festive traditions, and where they all come from. Dead birds and hares on bicycles, anyone?! See you in 2024! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 20, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep 152•Transcript available on Metacast Picture this - you are dug into the trenches in France during WW1, and suddenly a red double decker with a Tetley's tea advert trundles past. OK, we are being dramatic, but a large number of Transport for London's buses and drivers were shipped over to the continent during WW1. What happened to them? Did they come home?! And what happened in London in the absence of all these essential parts of London's infrastructure? Who will step into this role? Fiona takes on the mantle this week talking all...
Dec 06, 2023•59 min•Ep 151•Transcript available on Metacast We are joined by a friend of the pod this week, our tame black cab driver, Ollie, for a deep dive into the iconic mode of London transport. We're going to rewind further than you might think to get to the origins of the hackney carriage, the little black cabs with their orange light punctuating the dark nights. Hop in, let's get going! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 22, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep 150•Transcript available on Metacast Fleming?! Pah! Behind every famous man is a team who made it work - this is the amazing story of how that team took Fleming's discovery of penicillin to the people. While Fleming discovered it, the development and production of what was hailed as a miracle drug is a much more interesting story than you would think. It's wartime England, and in a lab in Oxford university a team of scientists have made an amazing development of how to isolate and use the penicillin that Fleming discovered. But how...
Nov 09, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep 149•Transcript available on Metacast It's spooky season, so we have to give you a good ghost story, don't we? And it's a right royal rumpus, this one, as we head to St James' Palace. Enter the troublesome Duke of Cumberland, who - despite getting himself embroiled into many a scandal - was haunted his whole life by what happened to his valet, Joseph Sellis. As the Duke returned at night to the safety of St James' palace, an attacker lay in wait for him, and set off a chain of events that would end is a truly gruesome way. Find us o...
Oct 30, 2023•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tart Hall - a cheeky little spot on a map opens the key to a very interesting person... Fiona has gone off at a tangent this week after checking some blog images for the last episode - and oh my goodness, she has unearthed a whole family chest of exciting characters and more skulduggery. First stop on a multiepisode tour of one famous family, perhaps? Keep your eyes peeled... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 13, 2023•50 min•Ep 147•Transcript available on Metacast Ever dreamed about stealing the Queen's underwear?! No, us neither, but we know someone who did just that. Come and enjoy the story of a plucky urchin known as the Boy Jones, who around the age of 14-16 broke into Buckingham Palace on several occasions and spent days...DAYS!...exploring and spying on Queen Victoria! Who was he, why did he do this, and how did it all end up?! Find out on this week's episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 27, 2023•51 min•Ep 146•Transcript available on Metacast We're back! Hello team, we've missed you! We're starting back with a bang, and we are off to Piccadilly. Central London, the hustle and bustle, a tourist's playground. Beneath the shiny shops and West End's twinkling lights, there's a lot more going on, and history lurks around every corner. Fiona chats to Midge Gillies, who is the author of a new book all about Piccadilly. Who better than to unearth some of the West End's secrets and dig beneath the busy meeting spot that you think you know. We...
Sep 13, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep 145•Transcript available on Metacast 
