London History

Hazel Baker traces the story of White Conduit House in Barnsbury, Islington, from its origins as a 1431 Henry VI–licensed water conduit supplying Charterhouse to its later life as an affordable, working-class pleasure garden. She explains how Robert Bartholomew’s 1750s improvements and famed hot rolls and butter made it a London destination, noted by Oliver Goldsmith, and how resident organist James Hook began his career there.
In the 1780s the adjacent White Conduit Fields hosted the aristocratic White Conduit Club; disruptions from a public right of way helped prompt Thomas Lord to secure a private ground in Marylebone, leading to the MCC and cricket’s codified laws.
The venue later rebranded with spectacles but declined as urban building and nearby gasworks spoiled the air, and it was demolished in 1849, with fragments remembered in names, gardens, plaques, and a surviving façade.

Hazel Baker hosts a London History Podcast episode with author and Lambeth tour guide David Turnbull exploring the musical legacy of the 1951 Festival of Britain and how, 75 years on, music again anchors South Bank celebrations with Danny Boyle’s “You Are Here.” They discuss the Royal Festival Hall’s symbolic opening night and its British-focused programme, the festival’s nationwide reach through choral competitions, mass singalongs and the HMS Campania tour, and the Arts Council’s opera commissions and controversies, including Alan Bush’s Wat Tyler.
The conversation traces how the festival’s optimism and internationalism helped shape later British sounds, spotlighting calypso’s unofficial anthem by Lord Kitchener, the arrival of the Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra, and popular dance culture at Battersea Pleasure Gardens, alongside details of Turnbull’s limited-time walking tour.

Hazel Baker hosts a special bonus edition of the London History Podcast celebrating over 500,000 streams and downloads and continuing a “London’s firsts” theme with a slightly harder, play-along quiz.

Listeners get 12 questions with 15 seconds to think, then the show shares the answer and a short story behind each landmark “first,” spanning Norman and medieval London through the Georgian era and beyond.
The topics range across royal power, religion, law, theatre, newspapers and magazines, West End planning, docks and trade, botanic gardens, and public art exhibitions.
Hazel invites listeners to keep score, compare results with the first bonus quiz, share the podcast, and send in scores via Spotify Q&A or social media.

Hazel Baker of London Guided Walks welcomes you to the London History Podcast for the first of a two-part deep dive into the dramatic events of 1381—often known as the Peasants’ Revolt. Joining Hazel is City of London guide and lecturer Ian McDiarmid, as they unpack why “peasants” is far from an accurate label. Contemporary records and post-revolt indictments reveal that many participants were skilled workers or even minor landowners, challenging long-held assumptions about this uprising.
Together they trace the revolt’s roots in three powerful pressures: crushing and unfair taxation—especially the infamous poll taxes—England’s costly and faltering campaigns in the Hundred Years’ War, and deep economic tensions following the Black Death. With landowners trying to freeze wages and reassert labour controls, resentment brewed across the country.
The episode explores the political turmoil surrounding the teenage Richard II, corruption scandals involving figures like Alice Perrers, William Latimer, and Richard Lyons, and London’s bitter clashes with John of Gaunt over civic rights and Wyclif’s reformist ideas. As rebellion ignites in Essex and Kent, the movement gathers momentum under Wat Tyler, culminating in the rebels’ march to London and their tense first meeting with the king at Deptford.
The story closes with the rebels poised to enter London—setting the stage for part two, which follows the uprising as it engulfs the city. You can explore even more through Hazel’s related blog posts on the Marshalsea, London’s aldermen, John of Gaunt’s Savoy Palace, and Alice Perrers.

In episode 151 of the London History Podcast, host Hazel Baker is joined by Caroline Jane Knight, who is Jane Austen's fifth great-niece. Caroline discusses her unique perspective growing up at Chawton House, the family estate, and her deep connection to Austen's legacy.
She shares anecdotes about Jane Austen's life, her literary works, and her connection to London. Caroline also talks about her efforts to preserve Austen's heritage through her memoir 'Jane and Me,' her role in the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation, and her upcoming project to create a family archive.
The conversation covers Austen's experiences in London, including her theatre visits and her correspondence with the Prince Regent, as well as her modern cultural significance.