History of London Course

Learn how London cracked out of its medieval shell, sprawled into the suburbs, and blossomed into the biggest metropolis on the face of the earth on this groundbreaking, six-part evening salon led by a world expert in a beautiful Gothic Revival church in Pimlico. 

Red and White wine provided!

• Historian and broadcaster Dr Matthew Green has a PhD from Oxford University in the history of London and is the author of the acclaimed London: A Travel Guide Through Time(Penguin), which the Londonist has described as ‘easily the most engaging social history of London for a decade’.
• Sessions will take place on six Wednesday evenings, from 29th April to 10th June, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm, in a state-of-the-art lecture theatre with brilliant projection facilities in the Church of St Saviour's, a one-minute walk from Pimlico underground. 
• Can't make all the sessions? Just pay for those you can: enquire here

Join me on an immersive whirlwind tour through 2,000 years of London’s history from the Middle Ages to the present day, visiting emblematic sites from Shakespearean bear pits to Georgian chocolate houses, Victorian music halls to Brutalist high-rise estates, and meeting an extraordinary cast of characters along the way, from Chaucer to the Elephant Man, Samuel Pepys to Mary Quant.

Unlike traditional lectures on London’s history, we will eschew dry lectures on civic administration and tired stories of Whitehall intrigues in favour of the theatre of everyday life, as explored through the places and spaces in which Londoners lived, worked, played, dreamed and died.

Using a carousel of maps, vivid antique projections, and contemporary photographs, each two-hour session will take the form of a tour through London at a key point in its historical development, giving you privileged insight into the social, cultural and economic history of the time. Accessible to both novices and those well-versed in London’s history, the course will bring the city’s history to life in an unforgettable way, furnish you with novel perspectives upon London today, and tell you exactly where to find its hidden treasures.

During the sessions, you are actively encouraged to interrupt me as much as you like and participate in lively group discussions.You’ll have the opportunity to meet and befriend fellow London enthusiasts.

Course Structure

• The six sessions will begin at 6.30pm and run until at 8.30pm, with a 20-minute break where we will drink wine.

Session 1, Wed. 14 May -- ROMAN and MEDIEVAL LONDON 

Session 2, Wed. 21 May – SHAKESPEARE’S LONDON

Session 3, Wed. 27 May – RESTORATION LONDON

Session 4. Wed 3 June – EARLY GEORGIAN LONDON

Session 5 Wed 10 June – LATE VICTORIAN LONDON

Session 6 Wed 17 June – LONDON IN THE 20th and 21st CENTURIES

More about your tutor…

Historian Dr Matthew Green is the author of the acclaimed book London: A Travel Guide Through Time, published by Penguin, which has been described by William Hague as ‘an excellent and vivid work of history‘ and Liza Picard as ‘a must for anyone interested in London’s history‘. He also wrote the critically acclaimed Times Top 10 bestseller, Shadowlands: A Journey through Lost Britain (Faber). Matthew also writes historical features for the Guardian, Telegraph and Financial Times among others, and has featured in many TV and Radio documentaries. He’s the founder of Unreal City Audio, which produces immersive, critically acclaimed tours of historic London.

– “Dr Matthew Green has a knack for revealing the most unexpected details of London’s multifaceted past in fascinating and accessible detail” – Daily Telegraph

– “Green’s vivacious delivery and trickling of trivia really quenches your thirst for knowledge” – The Londonist

Testimonials

– “Dr Green was an excellent guide: well-informed, well-presented, enthusiastic and current. He made the streets we walked come alive.” – Guardian

– “Dr Matthew Green has a knack for revealing the most unexpected details of London’s multifaceted past in fascinating and accessible detail” – Daily Telegraph

– “Green’s vivacious delivery and trickling of trivia really quenches your thirst for knowledge” – The Londonist

– “No-one makes history come to life more vividly than the erudite, acclaimed and all-round impressive Dr. Matthew Green”. Eleanor O’Keefe, co-founder, 5×15

– “Dr Matthew Green is hands down the best storyteller I have ever met” – George Lamb

Some testimonials from Matthew Green’s History of London course:

""I’m really enjoying the London lectures. I am spellbound. You speak with such fluency and knowledge and seem to know exactly how to pitch the material to the mixed crowd."

“I thought the course was absolutely fantastic – it was really thought provoking, insightful, and endlessly fascinating. I wish the lessons had been longer”

“I really enjoyed the structure, visiting a different ‘London’ each week and using the maps to provide some visual cues really brought each period to life.”

“I am beyond loving your course”

“so much really interesting tactile detail to embellish the facts”

I have thoroughly enjoyed your course! The aspect I have enjoyed in particular is the sense of place that you draw out from the different sources. I’ve tried (largely in vain) to imagine what London may have been like for the average chap centuries ago but your talks have definitely helped me imagine myself walking through the medieval and Elizabethan streets of London.”

“it was refreshing to ignore the great political intrigues and power plays in favour of exploring the lives of every day Londoners”.