Hazel Baker introduces Smithfield (West Smithfield near St Bartholomew’s Hospital and Smithfield Meat Market) as a deceptively ordinary open space that for centuries served both as a major market/fairground and a prominent execution site used to project state and church power.

With tour guide Maria Alexe’s commentary, the episode traces Smithfield’s execution history from William Wallace’s hanging, drawing and quartering in 1305 to the last clearly documented burning in 1612, noting its particular association with heresy burnings and high-profile traitors, especially the Marian burnings under Mary I (about 48 at Smithfield, per Foxe). It highlights John Foxe’s shaping of Protestant martyr memory through accounts such as John Rogers and Anne Askew, describes execution methods including hanging, burning, quartering and boiling (Richard Rouse in 1531; Margaret Davy in 1547), and explains the crowd spectacle, commerce, and the risk of creating martyrs. It ends by identifying surviving local traces—St Bartholomew the Great, the gateway, street names like Cloth Fair, and modern contrasts—and invites listeners to related walking tours.

Hazel Baker hosts journalist and author Rachel Hartigan on the London History Podcast to explore Amelia Earhart’s lesser-known relationship with London in 1928 and 1932, from Toynbee Hall’s settlement-house ideals to Selfridges displaying her plane and outfitting her after transatlantic flights with no spare clothes. Hartigan recounts how Earhart, then a Boston social worker, was recruited to join the 1928 Friendship crossing backed by Amy Phipps Guest, landing in Wales before reaching Southampton, and how London’s receptions—Ascot, Wimbledon, and events with figures like Winston Churchill and Lady Astor—revealed the scale of her sudden celebrity.

The episode discusses media portrayals, her evolving public persona, sources including Earhart’s own dispatches and archives, and what her London visits show about gender, modern fame, and optimism around aviation.

Hazel Baker traces the story of White Conduit House in Barnsbury, Islington, from its origins as a 1431 Henry VI–licensed water conduit supplying Charterhouse to its later life as an affordable, working-class pleasure garden. She explains how Robert Bartholomew’s 1750s improvements and famed hot rolls and butter made it a London destination, noted by Oliver Goldsmith, and how resident organist James Hook began his career there.

In the 1780s the adjacent White Conduit Fields hosted the aristocratic White Conduit Club; disruptions from a public right of way helped prompt Thomas Lord to secure a private ground in Marylebone, leading to the MCC and cricket’s codified laws.

The venue later rebranded with spectacles but declined as urban building and nearby gasworks spoiled the air, and it was demolished in 1849, with fragments remembered in names, gardens, plaques, and a surviving façade.

Show Notes

Hazel Baker hosts a London History Podcast episode with author and Lambeth tour guide David Turnbull exploring the musical legacy of the 1951 Festival of Britain and how, 75 years on, music again anchors South Bank celebrations with Danny Boyle’s “You Are Here.” They discuss the Royal Festival Hall’s symbolic opening night and its British-focused programme, the festival’s nationwide reach through choral competitions, mass singalongs and the HMS Campania tour, and the Arts Council’s opera commissions and controversies, including Alan Bush’s Wat Tyler.

The conversation traces how the festival’s optimism and internationalism helped shape later British sounds, spotlighting calypso’s unofficial anthem by Lord Kitchener, the arrival of the Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra, and popular dance culture at Battersea Pleasure Gardens, alongside details of Turnbull’s limited-time walking tour.

Show Notes

Hazel Baker hosts a special bonus edition of the London History Podcast celebrating over 500,000 streams and downloads and continuing a “London’s firsts” theme with a slightly harder, play-along quiz.

Listeners get 12 questions with 15 seconds to think, then the show shares the answer and a short story behind each landmark “first,” spanning Norman and medieval London through the Georgian era and beyond.

The topics range across royal power, religion, law, theatre, newspapers and magazines, West End planning, docks and trade, botanic gardens, and public art exhibitions.

Hazel invites listeners to keep score, compare results with the first bonus quiz, share the podcast, and send in scores via Spotify Q&A or social media.

Hazel Baker of London Guided Walks welcomes you to the London History Podcast for the first of a two-part deep dive into the dramatic events of 1381—often known as the Peasants’ Revolt. Joining Hazel is City of London guide and lecturer Ian McDiarmid, as they unpack why “peasants” is far from an accurate label. Contemporary records and post-revolt indictments reveal that many participants were skilled workers or even minor landowners, challenging long-held assumptions about this uprising.

Together they trace the revolt’s roots in three powerful pressures: crushing and unfair taxation—especially the infamous poll taxes—England’s costly and faltering campaigns in the Hundred Years’ War, and deep economic tensions following the Black Death. With landowners trying to freeze wages and reassert labour controls, resentment brewed across the country.

The episode explores the political turmoil surrounding the teenage Richard II, corruption scandals involving figures like Alice Perrers, William Latimer, and Richard Lyons, and London’s bitter clashes with John of Gaunt over civic rights and Wyclif’s reformist ideas. As rebellion ignites in Essex and Kent, the movement gathers momentum under Wat Tyler, culminating in the rebels’ march to London and their tense first meeting with the king at Deptford.

The story closes with the rebels poised to enter London—setting the stage for part two, which follows the uprising as it engulfs the city. You can explore even more through Hazel’s related blog posts on the Marshalsea, London’s aldermen, John of Gaunt’s Savoy Palace, and Alice Perrers.

Show Notes

In episode 151 of the London History Podcast, host Hazel Baker is joined by Caroline Jane Knight, who is Jane Austen's fifth great-niece. Caroline discusses her unique perspective growing up at Chawton House, the family estate, and her deep connection to Austen's legacy.

She shares anecdotes about Jane Austen's life, her literary works, and her connection to London. Caroline also talks about her efforts to preserve Austen's heritage through her memoir 'Jane and Me,' her role in the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation, and her upcoming project to create a family archive.

The conversation covers Austen's experiences in London, including her theatre visits and her correspondence with the Prince Regent, as well as her modern cultural significance.

Show Notes

In this episode of the London History Podcast, host Hazel Baker, a qualified London tour guide, and founder of londonguidedwalks.co.uk, explores the financial history of London and the role of women in this narrative.

Joined by Jenny Funnell, a second-generation City of London tour guide, the episode delves into the story of Mary Harris Smith, the world's first female chartered accountant. The discussion covers Smith's origins, her career challenges, her efforts in promoting the employment of women, and her eventual recognition in the male-dominated field of accountancy.

The episode also touches on the limited representation of women in London's history as seen through plaques and statues in the city, and discusses the ongoing legacy of Smith's groundbreaking work. Jenny Funnell provides deep historical insights and personal anecdotes, making the episode both informative and engaging.

In this special bonus edition of the London History Podcast, the host celebrates reaching over 5,000 followers on Spotify by conducting a quiz themed 'London Firsts through the ages'.

The quiz covers significant historical landmarks and events from medieval to Georgian London, asking listeners to identify firsts such as the city's first continually operating hospital, the first long-lived stone bridge across the Thames, and the first systematic building regulations after the Great Fire.

The host, Hazel Baker, provides historical context and anecdotes for each of the 12 questions, offering listeners a deeper understanding of London's rich history. The episode encourages audience engagement by asking them to tally their scores and interact via social media.

This podcast is produced by Hazel Baker at London Guided Walks

This episode of the London History Podcast, hosted by Hazel Baker, explores the historical evolution of Milner Square in Islington, London. Initially developed in the 1840s to attract the middle class, the square transitioned into a slum by the 20th century, characterised by multi-occupancy and dilapidated conditions. 

In the 1970s, Islington Council cleared the slums and rehoused residents, leading to gentrification and rising property prices. The podcast features Susan Oudot, a writer and screenwriter who created the film 'Through the Hole in the Wall,' documenting her family's experiences in Milner Square from the 1930s to the 1970s. 

Oudot discusses the film's inception, driven by a desire to capture fading memories and address the misconceptions about Islington's history. Her film serves as a valuable oral history resource, highlighting themes of housing, work, class, and community bonds. Oudot shares personal anecdotes, reminiscing about the close-knit community, the daily struggles, and the enduring spirit of the residents.

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