Videos
I have produced a series of video documentaries on various topics about London's history. You can watch them by clicking on the links below. To receive notifications from YouTube when future videos become available click on this button to subscribe to my channel.
Pie and mash is the traditional food of working-class areas of London, around in its present form for about 150 years. And eels have been eaten in London for centuries. Here I tell the story of pie and mash, as well as eels.
Do you know there are several surviving windmills in London? Watch the video to learn about the history of windmills, and discover where you can still find them around London.
The Regent’s Canal is one of London’s gems. It is now an 8-mile (13km) linear park, enjoyed by thousands of people every day, but that wasn’t its original purpose. The canal was created over 200 years ago to transport coal and other products to and from the gas stations and factories that lined its banks. In this video we explain the history of the canal.
Join me in discovering London’s beautiful gas lamps. There are still well over 1,000 lighting London’s streets. Some are now 200 years old and still working. Many are preserved as historic structures.
London has many historical and characterful pubs. Pub tour guide Vic Norman takes us to several of his favourites.
It's not new and it's not a river but the New River has been supplying London with its fresh water for over 400 years.
The oldest livery companies of the City of London were first established in medieval times. Many of them, in existence for as much as 700 years, continue to have an effect on modern life. In this video we hear about why they came into existence, and about some of their current activities.
The River Thames police are the longest-serving police force in Britain and are still based in the same location at Wapping in East London where they began over 300 years ago. They were originally founded to protect ships arriving back from the slave plantations of Britain's West Indian colonies. Their role soon changed to a general protection of people and property on the river.
From busy port to modern Docklands. Learn the history of several of London’s docks, and also discover some of the interesting things you’ll find there today (39 minutes).
Let me show you around Stoke Newington in North London, an historic and diverse district of London that I know and love.