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 r…

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 …

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…

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,…

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 b…

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 …

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 …

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…

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 wo…

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 …

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, a…

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 fo…

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 …

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…

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 establ…

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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 sp…

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 ma…

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…

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…

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 a…

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 la…

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 nig…

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, perha…

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, …

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 …

A little bit of news from the pod - a short hiatus Alex and Fiona are taking a couple of weeks to regroup, but we will be back in August! See you soon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesद्वारा Ladies Who London Podcast

It's the 1700s, and theatre is all the rage, kids. One of the biggest stars of the era was the phenomenally successful Sarah Siddons. How did Hollywood bring her back to prominence in the 20th century in a really strange way? Fiona takes a look at one of the hugest name in London's theatre, and also tracks down her statue hidden in 2 rather intrigu…

We rise at dawn! It's the showdown of the two big names in recipe book development - one well known and celebrated, and one overlooked and forgotten. How did that happen? Get your oven mitts at the ready, rolling pins in hand, let's go. This week's episode is a listener request (thanks Despa!) and we take a look at the two women who were instrument…

A cheeky little mid-week bonus for you, gang - we revisit the match girls with a descendent of one of the major players in the match girls strike! Find out more on the website - https://www.matchgirls1888.org/home Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesद्वारा Ladies Who London Podcast

In the middle of a Victorian artistic revolution comes Evelyn de Morgan, breaking rules and expectations as she goes. A pre-raphaelite artist, Evelyn took the rules of the movement and bent them to her own unique style. Evelyn was a woman who trod her own path, and really went where others hadn't yet gone. She's the subject of a stunning exhibition…

What do you do if you first and second treasonous plots are foiled? No matter - go for a third, but this time, make it a doozy. We're back on a treasonous footing this week - it's a theme! We are heading to the Tower of London to find out about one of the most audacious plots in English history - Colonel Blood's attempt to steal the crown jewels fr…

In a small hayloft in Marylebone, a daring plot was formed. This plot was so audacious and terrifying that it could never really happen. Could it? Against a backdrop of feverish political unrest and suppression of radical thought in 1820, a group of men intent on reform decide to take matters into their own hands. What they are planning to do is un…

It's Fiona's week to chat about one of her guide crushes, the polymath Robert Hooke. Is he everything he is cracked up to be? Or is there trouble afoot? We delve into one of the lesser known contemporaries of Christopher Wren, and find out why he is overlooked more often than not. Why does he not get the headlines that Wren does? And why do we need…

Mid-may sees the anniversary of the downfall one of the most famous queens of England - Anne Boleyn. 2nd wife to Henry VIII, the story of her fall from grace is as shocking now as then. Accompanied by our guest Phillippa from British History Tours, we take a look at the details of this tragic execution - the speed at which it happened, the machinat…

We're joined this week by the lovely Adam Scott-Goulding, otherwise known as the Music Man for a romp around London's musical legacies. From the rock n roll of Soho to the classical Kensington, Adam joins us to talk a bit about why London is such a hub for music. Visit https://www.ladieswholondon.com/ for more information on this week’s episode. Fi…

Oooh, it's an epic one this week, gang. Get comfy, go on a longer walk than usual, hydrate - we are going to get through it together! We are barrelling towards the coronation, so Fiona and Alex are taking the opportunity to demystify it for you. What do all the robes and bits and pieces mean? Who is doing what and why? Take a listen, and then use i…

Let's prise open the lid on the royal treasure chest for the first of our coronation specials, with guest Viv Haxby, making her bling predictions! Viv is our resident royal watcher, and she avidly follows the private jewels, their meaning and when they are worn and by whom. This week she will talk us through her predictions on who will wear what an…

It's up, up and away this week with one of aviation's most famous pioneers, the record breaking Amy Johnson. Her death is shrouded in mystery but her legacy is impressive and enduring. Travel with us from Hull to Cricklewood, then on to Australia, Moscow and the south coast of England as we trace the footsteps of Amy Johnson. Along the way we will …

It's the 17thC, and rogues and thieves are rife in London. None as famed or as intriguing as Moll Cutpurse, a legend among women for her law-breaking ways, scandalous pursuits, and unique character. From a young life of crime, Moll quickly became the stuff of legends. It is almost as though she herself could never live up to the many and varied sto…

Art galore today as Fiona ( going solo, eek!) chats to Liz Scott, curator of the Big City Exhibition at the Guildhall Art Gallery, and, featured artist, David Hepher. The good folk at the gallery have had a rummage and put some of their biggest works on display in this fabulous exhibition devoted to large depictions of London and Londoners. Be they…

Alex and Fiona go outdoors to bring you all the action from the City of London's Shrove Tuesday event - The Inter Livery Pancake race. We mingle with the crowds and the participants at the annual contest, in which teams from Livery Companies race up and down the Guildhall yard clutching frying pans and hats, tossing pancakes as they go. And then ha…

In the heart of Covent Garden was a WW1 endeavour by some formidable women who wouldn't take no for an answer. Meet Flora Murray and Louisa Garrett Anderson, pioneers of opportunities for female doctors at the start of the 1900s. During WW1 they took the initiative to create a war hospital staffed almost exclusively by women, which was eye opening …

It's new co-host time! Come and welcome our new Lady Who Londons into out little podcasting family! Join me - Alex - and for her first time in an official capacity, Fiona Lukas! We still miss Emily, and Fiona has big boots to fill, but we are starting out strongly with a look at the curious and bonkers world of theatre licensing, or 'when they bann…

Come check out Dick - was he everything we were led to believe?! Thrice Lord Mayor of London? Surely not... We talk about Dick Whittington in pantomimes and stories, and we think we know him. How much of it is true? Join me and my guest Simon Whitehouse to find out if any of it is accurate! Find Simon - on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/blue…

What do the east Londoners do when bombs are falling? Well, they read, of course. We welcome author Kate Thompson to the podcast to talk all about the secret library made by enterprising Londoners. We find out who they were (bring on Minxie, Pat and Mrs Chumbley!) and how the library came to be. Kate interviewed some of the people who were involved…

Let's talk about the London we don't see - Saxon London. Why? It's all gone! Or has it? What did the Saxons ever do for us? Except city planning, roads, governance, knightly endeavours, urbexing and so on... there's a riot of stuff happening in sexy* Saxon London, and we're here to figure out what that was. Find out more with this week's guest, fel…

Joined by Beverley Cook of the Museum of London, we delve into the long, murky, often intriguing history of executions in London. Enter at your peril! As ever, we look at the people, places and events that surround the executions, and see how they became a public fixture in London's calendar. Brits are an enterprising bunch, and that is no differen…

It's been a while since we looked at A MAN on the podcast, so let's take a look at the ugliest man in England, member of one of the (supposedly) raunchiest clubs, and revolutionary reformer. John Wilkes was both a champion of liberty and a much hated politician - usually from within his own government! But what brought him there, and what was this …

Journey with me back to the stews and brothels of medieval Southwark, where the church rules the roost, and the geese enjoy their protection. But what happens when the geese are no longer needed? You guessed it - the bishops turn their backs. It's the first episode since Emily left, so Alex is at the helm all on her own, taking you to one of her fa…