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Scavenging through the layers of London's delightfully peculiar history...
57 Episodes
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“Is it worth anything to you, guv’nor?”It’s boots on the street in city centre as we pinball through time … from the 1600s, to 1912, to current day. We’ll think and wonder about how unknown treasures might exist even in the heart of an urban area.Along the way we’ll …park ourselves in Cheapside, and learn of its history,shine a light on the work of a group of navvies, who excavated below the streets as railroads, underground trains, and construction projects transformed the cityscape,ex...
Providing up to 5 million passenger journeys a day, the London Underground is integral to the city's infrastructure. It's impossible to imagine how the city would function without it.But why would something built for purpose become a source of admiration and entertainment? A Transport for London style guide provides powerful evidence: "Every Underground station should include at least one moment of delight and surprise, to improve customers' journeys and the working environment fo...
At Yesterday’s London Times, we are all about inquiry, questions and stories, particularly stories that are new to us or that we just want to know on a deeper level. We seek out people, places, and facets of history that are lesser known, quirkier, or even downright strange. We also like to shine a spotlight on those who really do - or have done - amazing things, but perhaps have been forgotten over time, or lost in the shuffle of a typical news cycle or history text. We especially love disco...
A little romance?What began as a fluff piece about an eccentric romance novelist turned into a snapshot of a century through the eyes of someone who lived it to the fullest.Meet Barbara Cartland: extravagant, exaggerated, and … pink. As author of 723 books, she remains the most prolific romance novelist of all time. If you’ve ever seen her, you won’t likely forget her, dripping in jewels, layered in make up, clad in fuchsia, and riding in her classic white Rolls Royce. We’ll follow Barb...
Bears. Cute. Cuddly. But when we looked at them through the long lens of London history, it got complicated pretty quickly.Join us as we take the ursine plunge, and think about….the bears that roamed Britain 7000 years ago the Tower menagerie,blood sports such a bearbaiting, especially popular during the Elizabethan period,the invention of the stuffed bear and its significance in the Great War, Pooh and Paddington, two special bears with London ties, and share unexpected common...
It's a Yesterday's London Times tradition - the Boxing Day episode!Relax along with us as we look back at some of the people and places we met on the podcast this year. Half of our episodes sent us time traveling throughout the Sixties in different centuries of British history, and the other episodes were our regular mix of quirky yet thoughtful takes on the city we love.We present our annual YLT awards to some people who are unforgettable. And not always in a good way. The ...
WELCOME TO OUR 50th EPISODE!In the final stop of our ‘60s YLT Time Machine, we touch down in the 1560’s just in time for a Tudor Christmas. In a deeply divided nation in which religion is politicized, we’ll see how the young Queen Elizabeth finds her own path.The Tudor Christmas was a respite from work and from unrelenting poverty. It was a time of revelry and a loosening of societal roles.Our visit to the Tudor Christmas will ignite our senses. Along the way, we’ll …Share a dramatic mo...
In our 2021 episode, “Here is Vogue, In Spite of it All!”, we explored how the British edition of the iconic fashion magazine evolved into an outlet for groundbreakingVogue wartime journalism. As we studied the reasons behind that seemingly unlikely transformation, we met some strong, creative, and intellectually brilliant women, among them the complex and multitalented Lee Miller. In this episode, we examine her fascinating life of contrasts more deeply, and:- consider the impact of in...
It’s getting all wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey at YLT as we celebrate a huge milestone in British culture: the 60th anniversary of the iconic Doctor Who!In this episode, we : look at the unlikely-for-the-time trio who launched Doctor Who back in 1963discuss the basic premise of the showexamine its importance as a British cultural phenomenonreflect on the symbolism and deeper messages within the seriesconsider the discourse surrounding the show and how it contributes to progressive societyex...
Let's do the Time Warp... it's the Rocky Horror episode!Though many people have seen the cult classic film, few people know about its origins in a 63 seat London theatre. In this episode, we : delve into the creative team and cast responsible for its deviant mayhem, sharing their back stories and how they all converged in time and place in early '70s London,take a trip back in time to its first performance,follow the Rocky Horror road to Hollywood, pinpoint when this movie bec...
Hop in the YLT time machine, we are on the move once again, but brace yourself: 1666 awaits. How do everyday people survive constant war, devastating plague, and raging destruction all within the span of a very short window of time? In this episode, we examine the perseverance of Medieval Londoners, and explore many themes of life in the 17th century that surprisingly overlap with some of the lived experiences of many in contemporary society. We question if these somewhat hidden connections c...
In this 60’s time travel event, we explore deep! We’re in the 1060s, further, in history than we’ve ever gone on YLT.How can a simple craft help us to think about a complex, political and military event? We examine the Norman conquest, the battle of Hastings, through the Bayeux tapestry.You’ll meet the major players and dig deeper to discover some of the incongruous and enigmatic characters on the art piece.We’ll think about how the embroidery has survived a millennium while being threatened ...
We’re back to the Sixties again; this time, the 1360s!Before commercial travel, a pilgrimage provided tourism with a spiritual twist. A veneration vacation, so to speak.Today, people travel for spiritual reasons to Mecca, the Ganges. Jerusalem, Israel, Mount Fuji, El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, and other destinations. The medieval pilgrimage was deeply linked to religion, social structures, politics, health, and the economy.In this episode, we’ll think about…· &...
Are you ready for a break? Do you just need to get away? YLT understands, so let’s escape for a bit and go on holiday together! In this episode, we will:- examine the history of leisure in Britain and the evolution of paid leave from work- consider how public transportation increased mobility and accessibility to the seaside from Victorian era onward - take a look at the Victorian trend of “dark tourism”- study the legislation and cultural shifts that gave working class people opportunities f...
To celebrate London Pride 1st July, we share a tour through queer London history, anchoring at Gay’s the Word, a Bloomsbury book shop that has played a pivotal role in queer life and history.We’ll think about…the systems that have oppressed, how oppression can stoke the spirit of activism,unusual alliances in times of struggle,how a bookstore can serve as beacon and safe harbor, a specific story of mutual support that is nearly impossible to believe, andthe struggle for identity and...
It’s that time of the year in certain places around the world. The ending of a school year sometimes comes with yearbooks, collections of formal and informal photos that capture memories.Often, yearbooks have awards. Who will be Most Likely to Succeed? Who’s the Most Athletic? Who will be dubbed Class Clown?In this episode, Jen and Mares each nominate two Londoners from any time in history, for yearbook awards, and tell stories behind the nominees.We don’t want to spoil the surpri...
We're mere days away from the coronation of King Charles III, and it seems like a good time to explore the fact and legend of British coronations. We'll think about:* this unusual ritual that it is both a state occasion of the transfer of title and a religious rite, * what the ritual says about Britain and also about the incoming monarch, * some elements to watch for in the ceremony itself,After the break, all hell nearly breaks loose as we have fun, Horrible History style, with three of the ...
1The YLT time machine is cranked up and running and has once again dropped Jen and Mares in the 1960s, this time to examine two women deemed notorious by the media of the age: Margaret of Argyll and Shirley Pitts. One is remembered as an oversexed duchess and the other as a relentless thief, but upon deeper examination their lives are much more nuanced than those oversimplified descriptions would lead one to believe. In this episode we will:* examine the reasons for their notoriety and critiqu...
This episode begins in the 1660s, when a puppeteer named Signor Bologna performs with marionettes in Covent Garden. The star of the show is the Italian commedia dell’arte character, Pulcinella. British will audiences take to him and make him their own, as Pulcinella morphs into the iconic Punch.We’ll look at:The history of this character, How his attributes adapted to an English audience, The factors that changed his act from bawdy satire for gents into a family show,How Victo...
This episode takes us to the Spitalfields neighborhood of London.He will explore a most unusual house nearly 300 years old.Will think about…a young 18-year-old who shows up in London in the Swinging 60sand eccentric young man who dreamed big and made his dreams come truehow a place marks person, and how people mark the places they call homeWhile in Spitalfields, will meet the Huguenots, and put another piece of the London immigrant puzzle together.More than ever you’ll want to see the p...
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