x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Ladies Who London

Ladies Who London Podcast

Join us, Alex and Fiona, as we take a light look at London"s history in a relaxed and entertaining way. As qualified Blue Badge Tourist Guides, we share our passion for the city with you in a chatty and fun podcast, looking at the weird, wonderful and unknown in this huge, ancient place we call home.

history places & travel

All Episodes

48:28

Ep 208 Havering;* the end?

Ladies Who London ·

2025/04/08

Well gang, here we are. It might not be the end of the road. It might just be a great big semicolon blocking our way for the moment. If you want to find out what happens next, and if we get past it, subscribe now. Then, when, if we do anything in the future, you'll definitely get to know. In the meantime, we had fun at Crossness. Fiona found connections and call backs in Hounslow. But mostly it's William Derham of Havering. The astronomer Vicar who borrowed a massive telescope and propped it up on

en

46:57

Ep 207 Hillingdon - a hotbed of international intrique

Ladies Who London ·

2025/04/01

Quite leafy Ruislip, a typical London suburb, was home to Helen and Peter. He was a 2nd hand book dealer and....... well, what else? And why did Helen end up commemorated on a stamp? I'm not going to tell you now, you'll have to listen to find out. Can you work it out before Alex does? Hillingdon has jumped the queue, Havering will be next week. Plus random cat news, and dappled shade in the street. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

en

44:21

Ep 206 - Clowning around

Ladies Who London ·

2025/03/26

We're often called clowns. I'm sure it is meant nicely. In any case, this week we take a look at one of London's most unusual events, the Clown Service every year in East London. We also trace back the history of clowning, and find where the traditions that we know and love (or are scared of!) originateLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

en

39:00

Ep 205 Harrow: Gilbert and Paul at Grim's Dyke

Ladies Who London ·

2025/03/19

Alex takes us to the North London borough of Harrow. Eschewing the school and it's many celebrity alumni, we are retiring to the country instead. When Sir William Gilbert bought a house in Harrow, it came with a resident animal, who quickly became a family favourite. So much so, when he died, they acquired a new pair. What were they? There were also cats and dogs and donkeys. But it's Nancy's pet that provokes the most questions. We are talking of WS Gilbert, creator of plays and comic operas,

en

58:30

Ep 204 Ceremonial City life, in all it's bonkers glory.

Ladies Who London ·

2025/03/12

Never has paying rent been quite so elaborate. Even when it's rent you're not paying, for a piece of land you don't use anymore. It's confusing. The City of London goes to town with the pomp and processions, and we are here to explain all. In fact this year (unlike all the others) we are determined to make it to some of these events. Get your diaries at the ready if you'd like to join us. There's the Boar's Head procession, by the Butchers. The Carmen do the cart marking. City Freemen with their

en

37:50

Ep 203: Haringey - A magic movie moment, all done...

Ladies Who London ·

2025/03/05

Hello Haringey. From Highgate to Tottenham, and the cemetery to Bruce Castle, we flit West to East and back again. Fiona's long been fascinated by a film clip, and turns out both the filmmaker and the subject have Haringey connections. So this week we are talking about the magician David Devant and the cinema pioneer Robert Paul. Roll up, roll up, roll up, for the Kinetescope, the Animatograph and the Filoscope. And cheer loudly for the Prince of Wales. (In fact there's two mentions for the

en

43:21

Ep 202 The bells, the bells - Big Town Tinnitus

Ladies Who London ·

2025/02/26

Fiona hits the streets in search of the sound of London. Or at least the sound of the bells of London. From the Westminster the the City and beyond, listening as the hours pass by and the years drop away. Listening to the echoes of sounds that Londoners heard 300 years ago. What's a carillon? How long does it take to ring a peal? How heavy? And can we start making them here again please. Of course there's Big Ben, and Great Tom, and Dick gets a mention, can anyone find a Harry? Learn more about

en

48:38

Ep 201 Hammersmith & Fulham: Imre Kiralfy Rescues the...

Ladies Who London ·

2025/02/19

In which Alex tells us why a Hungarian dancer was instrumental in fixing the distance for the marathon. It's a journey that takes us all the way from Pest to Chicago and from Hammersmith, through the Court of Honour, via some more dodgy colonial model villages and out to Windsor. Theatrical and event impresario Imre Kiralfy created the area we now know as White City*, to host events and exhibitions. Including the Franco-British Exhibition of 1908. What else happened in 1908? Well Rome was due to

en

55:12

Ep 200: Celebrating 200 with a crazy quiz and a...

Ladies Who London ·

2025/02/12

Get your pencils and paper ready to join in with us. Alex has prepared a quiz, Fiona has fun facts to share and special guest and friend of the pod Lee Ingleby is putting on a brave face for all of it. Which tube station is the opposite of Squander? What weighs the same as 200 ping pong balls? We're not just testing your London knowledge this week, we're testing your mathematics and spelling too. What links a rocking horse, a 14 ft boat and some breast implants? Settle in for a rollercoaster of

en

57:18

Ep 199 Hackney: More Light, More Power, More Aerial...

Ladies Who London ·

2025/02/05

This week it's the rose red empire of Hackney famous residents from the 1500s. We discover why Alex didn't watch Wolf Hall. She's a sensitive gal you know. And we go way back to 600bc, before returning, via the world's first coal powered electricity generating station, where? Really!? How Extraordinary! To the bright lights and power hungry pubs of Shoreditch in the late 1800s. Time for some civic minded Victorian engineering, to produce: More Light, More Power. The unassuming brick building on

en

51:11

Ep 198: Walking and talking - Refugee Tales with Anna...

Ladies Who London ·

2025/01/29

Today we are ringing London, joined by special guest, author and walker, Anna Sayburn Lane. Refugee Tales is a modern recreation of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. A five day walk with stories along the way. Each evening there's entertainments (and snoring, especially from the men's dorm!) The walkers are a mix of interested supporters and people who have been through the process of arriving in this country as a refugee. Sharing a path, breaking bread, and chatting along the way. This year, for their

en

62:34

Ep 197 Glorious Greenwich: a tale of two shipies

Ladies Who London ·

2025/01/22

Climb aboard and come away with us on the high seas. Take a trip to France on Henry Grace a Deau. The pride of Henry VIII's fleet. Or overtake her whilst laden with tea, wool or pianos, on board The Cutty Sark. How many woolly jumpers can you fit on the only extreme tea clipper left in the world? Henry's ship was built nearby, and maybe ended it's life nearby as well. A war ship that broke the rules, bedecked with guns in all directions. The Cutty Sark you can still visit in Greenwich. Climb her

en

46:39

Ep 196 Hip hip hooray for National Hat Day!

Ladies Who London ·

2025/01/15

This week we are talking hats. What's Fiona's favourite London hat? Celebrating National Hat day, and giving you time to prepare for London Hat Week. We've got a bit of a beaver update to start us off, and sadly their ancestors make an appearance in one of London's notable hats - The Beaverskin or Muscovy Hat of the Swordbearer of the City of London. The hat pocket plays an important part in one of the solemn and important (or, bonkers, depending on your point of view) City ceremonies. We can't

en

50:14

Ep 195 Enfield - Dedication. Norris McWhirter, small...

Ladies Who London ·

2025/01/08

Ooh it's a mixed bag this week. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. Farming. Industry. Royal Enfield - which might not be from Enfield. What is an Enfield anyway? A heraldic beast with a bit of Fox, a touch of Eagle, maybe some wolf, that's what. And this week's main topic might be a wolf in sheep's clothing. He was a figure of fun in our house when I was growing up. Norris McWhirter - the man who checked the Guiness world records. Turns out there's a whole other story of his life I knew

en

59:19

Ep 194 Merry Christmas live at the Tap

Ladies Who London ·

2024/12/25

Well here it is, the second half of our live record evening. We set out to discover the most important/ best/ typically London/ Londitudinal building. Can the champions of Regent St sway the room, to win against The Barbican? Will rock, paper, scissors, finally settle the age old question, is Roman stuff more important than Greenwich? And, critically, is St Pancras railway station better than the Wanstead Tap? Joined once again by Leo Hollis, plus lovely listeners, Dan from the Tap and friend

en

44:30

Ep 193 Industrious Ealing: Beavers gotta beave

Ladies Who London ·

2024/12/18

Our story this week is of a hardworking immigrant family, beavering away to improve the quality of life for Ealing. But first there’s hills made of rubble, classic comedy capers (we find out which world leader was their biggest fan) and the first incline lift in a tube station. An experiment is underway at Paradise Fields, to see if Beavers can live in an urban setting. Since moving in last year the family have been coppicing trees, damming lakes, and filtering the water. We chat about why beavers

en

40:10

Ep 192: Lilian Bader and women of colour in World War...

Ladies Who London ·

2024/12/11

We're still on an airfield this week. But it's all about the woman wielding the tools, keeping the planes aloft. It's 1941 and Lilian Bader is one of the first women to qualify as an instrument repairer. Her Barbadian father had served in the Navy, her husband drove tanks, her son flew helicopters. Across the generations her family served across the forces, and gave back more than they received. Lilian not only broke barriers as a woman of colour, she campaigned to remember the contribution made

en

40:24

Ep 191: Classic crime in Croydon

Ladies Who London ·

2024/12/04

Mayday, M'aidez! I'm worried that Alex is turning to a life of crime! Croydon: The international airport of London in the golden age of glamorous travel. Even the cargo was golden, and enticing. And this week we're learning why you should organise your own getaway car. Plus a superstar kidnapping caper. It's all go. Just as well Alex has had a relaxing holiday. No, I'm not jealous at all, I've been living it up in London with Bert. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

en

76:38

Ep 190 Life lessons from Historical Women with very...

Ladies Who London ·

2024/11/27

We are slightly overexcited this week, as we're chatting with comedian and writer Eleanor Morton. Her fabulous book of lessons from historical women features many of our favourite women. And a host of, maybe, less familiar ones. From mountaineering and marathons to creating familiar music and much loved characters, we're casting the net wide this week. Who slapped who, and why? Who found adventure in the most dangerous of journeys? How does hiding in a cupboard help anyone? Plus ghosts, tour

en

53:56

Ep 189 Camden cures all featuring Elizabeth Garett...

Ladies Who London ·

2024/11/20

We're taking a stroll through the medical powerhouse that is south Camden and focussing on Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. She's been on the fringes of many an episode - her sister and her daughter have already featured, now she gets the limelight. And boy does she deserve it. She overcame hurdles and jumped through loopholes, even learning another language in her fight to become the first female Dr to practise (while presenting as a woman) in the UK. Her co-founders of the London School of Medicine

en

212 results

Similar Podcasts

The Old Front Line

Paul Reed

Today In History with The Retrospectors

The Retrospectors

جنود خلدهم التاريخ

ALSUMOOD PODCAST

Film History - Daily

Inception Point Ai

Madonna - Audio Biography

Inception Point Ai