SideStreets Podcast

Meet Elizabeth Montagu, doyenne of the Feather Room and hostess of the Chimneysweeps' Feast, who gently feminized London society for half a century.

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SideStreets is a Black Lab Media Production © 2025 - All rights reserved

Why would one of the most famous, successful, influential women of Victorian Britain, one of the greatest and most effective champions of progressive causes, spend twenty years campaigning to deny herself political power? I wish I knew . . .

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Two young men on the make decide that Christmas is a marketing opportunity disguised as a holiday. In London during the third week of September 1843, modern consumerism comes of age.

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In this episode, we head back to the 60's when Thames geese competed with Eric Clapton's guitar riffs and the wail of Rod Stewart's harmonica, and the hush of Richmond's middle-class respectability was delightfully disturbed by the birth of British rhythm and blues.

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In 1914 and 1915, thousands of Belgian refugees descended on East Twickenham, many to work in the great munitions factory by Richmond Bridge. They had their own shops, schools, choir, orchestra, theatre groups, even a brothel. By 1920 they were all gone. This episode tells the story of this brief, strange moment in the history of leafy Richmond.

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Marianne North was one of Victorian England’s greatest travelers, and wherever she went, she painted plants. Her greatest adventures were in the tropics, and her greatest achievement is the Gallery of her collected work in Kew Gardens. Come visit it with us!

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In this episode we meet Black Jack Needham, 2nd Earl of Kilmorey, one of Richmond-upon-Thames's most eccentric eccentrics. We also meet his baby elephant, his escaping snakes, his rat-fur shroud, and his migrating Mausoleum.

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In this episode, we look at some aspects of everyday life in Londinium in the hope of understanding the mindset of the people who lived there. Three subjects get special attention: food, bathing, and religion.

In today’s episode we’re going further back than we’ve ever done before… all the way to the founding of London. Many know that London was initially established by the Romans, but did you know that they actually founded London TWICE! Explore this intricate story with us on today's episode of SideStreets.

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This episode explores two post-World War II housing estates built by the pioneering Modernist architects: Chamberlin Powell and Bon. The first is their small gem at Golden Lane; the second is more difficult to love, but we try: the Barbican.

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