The London Society Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In our fourth podcast, we explore the five different neighbourhoods (and their blurred boundaries) contained within the Central District Alliance, stretching from Clerkenwell to Tottenham Court Road.

Presenter Dave Hill takes us on a journey through both the history and geography of the area which features a wealth of private and public spaces covering hundreds of years. 

Religious orders, markets, gin-making, legal practices, gardens, squares, universities, museums, churches, towers and the tech industry all show us how the past, present and future collide in the buildings and landscape of this unique part of London. Debbie Akehusrt and Alexander Jan of the Central District Alliance BID explain how they plan to rethink the area’s economy, consider the challenges of climate change, tackling air pollution and enhancing visitor experience. 

The podcast is researched, written and presented by Dave Hill, editor and publisher of the website OnLondon.co.uk, and produced by Andrew McGibbon for Curtains for Radio Ltd. It was supported financially by the Central District Alliance with The London Society retaining full editorial control.

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Episode 3 of London Explained tells the story of Marble Arch, one of London’s loveliest historic monuments which has been marooned on a roundabout at the western end of Oxford Street, severed from the park it once formed an entrance to and disconnected from its regal past. But now big plans are afoot to restore the arch to its former glory, make it the focal point of a tranquil new public space and tackle some of the traffic flow that blights it. 

Journalist Dave Hill tells the story of the area, once a grim location for public executions but later a famous meeting point for the expression of free speech. Drawing on interviews with key figures behind the plans – including Simon Loomes from the Portman Estate and Lucy Musgrave and Tess McCann of urban design firm Publica – and a wealth of archive material, the podcast illuminates the complex challenges the plans address and what is needed to put them into effect for the benefit of London as a whole.

The podcast is researched, written and presented by Dave Hill, editor and publisher of the website OnLondon.co.uk, and produced by Andrew McGibbon for Curtains for Radio Ltd. It was supported financially by The Portman Estate, with The London Society retaining full editorial control.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 2 of London Explained takes a deep-dive into the Fleet Street Quarter, examining what makes this part of London so historically important and the huge impact that the pandemic has had on local businesses. The times they are a-changin’ and so Dave Hill has conducted a series of interviews that reveal some of the new projects that are underway to bring a bit of magic back to Fleet Street. This work is vital to encourage people to return to the City, for work and leisure. He also speaks to the custodians who are ensuring that the built heritage of the area is preserved and actually made more accessible through a considered public realm strategy.

London Explained is a series which explores why and how areas of London have changed and what the future may look like.

The episode is written and presented by Dave Hill. The producer is Andrew McGibbon. It’s a Curtains For Radio Production for The London Society. It was supported financially by the Fleet Street Quarter with The London Society retaining full editorial control.

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Episode 1 of the London Society's new podcast, London Explained, will investigate ideas for regenerating Earls Court, a place of legend in inner west London. Little has been achieved beyond the flattening of the Earls Court Exhibition Centre, which gave the area much of its life and character. Now, a new development company with a new approach is putting a new plan together. It says it wants to create a sustainable, affordable, mixed-use scheme that has community support and will, in its own words “bring the wonder back” to the area. Dave Hill tells the story of a unique part of the capital, explores the latest vision for its renewal, and asks local people what they think.

London Explained is a series which explores why and how areas of London have changed and what the future may look like.

The episode is written and presented by Dave Hill. The producer is Andrew McGibbon. It’s a Curtains For Radio Production for The London Society.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The live recording of Cllr Georgia Gould's Banister Fletcher Lecture, given to an audience of 300 at RIBA in Portland Place.

The chair of London Councils and leader of Camden sets out a powerful agenda for change ranging from drawing on the strengths of communities to transforming relationships with national government.

In her 50-minute address Cllr Gould sets out a range of imaginative, already-emerging new approaches to working with London’s varied communities, together with proposals for building on those initiatives, for transforming relationships between London and other UK cities and national government, and for ensuring that the capital continues to be a magnet for international investment.

The event was chaired by Dave Hill of OnLondon.

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London’s West End, so vital to the capital and the country, took a huge battering from Covid-19. But it is recovering slowly and also adapting to changes brought about and accelerated by the pandemic. Dave Hill, London Society trustee and editor of On London, went into town and spoke to three people about the new West End that is emerging: John McRae of architects Orms, designers of the radical new entertainment venue The Outernet: Grosvenor’s Heather Topel, who talks about plans to transform the South Molton Triangle; and Geoff Barraclough, Westminster Council’s cabinet member for planning and economic development, who Dave met on Oxford Street. The West End’s latest reinvention is taking shape. The podcast tells you how.

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Listen to the winners and runners-up entries from the first Love Letters to London writing competition organised by The London Society.

There were nearly 500 entries from all ages and from all around the globe, writing on the theme of "recovery and resilience", a celebration of the capital as it emerged from lockdowns.

We’re biased, but we believe London is the greatest city in the world. It is the nation’s capital, but woven from hundreds of separate communities; the economic powerhouse of the UK with a richly diverse demographic. It has an amazing history, but is constantly evolving; it offers world class art, music, theatre and other live performances. It is ‘home’ to nine million people but attracts dozens of millions more each year as visitors. Love Letters to London was our way of trying to celebrate this wonderful, glorious, infuriating city.

The pieces are read by Laura Adams and Tim Barron

• Open Category and Overall First Place T C W Davies: The Lost City
• Poetry Vicky Hill: Low Tide
• International Jillian S Cadell: City of Forking Paths
• Under 18 (Primary schools) Arhaan Khan: Why I Adore London
• Under 18s Faith Cunningham: "how to warm up cold ears"

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A new powerhouse for innovation, creativity and learning on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, 'East Bank' is a unique collaboration between world-leading universities, arts and cultural institutions that will transform this part of east London.

In this first podcast from The London Society, Dave Hill talks about the development and meets some of the people involved in the vision.

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Broadcaster Robert Elms gives The London Society's Banister Fletcher Lecture

"The poor, the marginal, the young, the creative and the bohemian are the lifeblood of urban life, but they are being excluded, expelled, exiled from our great urban centres by the process of making everything luxury, exclusive, designed and desirable.

We must desist from ‘developing' every area to within an inch of its life; Kings Cross, once a dangerous wonderland is now a chic but sterile designer mall. Punk once happened on the Kings Road. Pushing people to the periphery, like in Paris, is disastrous for the health of a city which is hollowed out.

Cities need areas of arrival, they need slums, where people from all around the world and all classes can settle and start their journey. Notting Hill, Spitalfields, Camden Town, Brixton, these were all considered ‘slums' in living memory but are now gentrified and atrophied by affluence."

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In episode 2 of Talk About London, Dave Hill, editor and publisher of OnLondon.co.uk, and Leanne Tritton, chair of The London Society, discover what Jules Pipe CBE does all day (clue: it's a lot), the difference last year's change of national government has made (clue: it's a big one), why urban planning is very, very complicated and what the chances are of a lot more homes getting built in London in the near future.

Jules Pipe CBE Biography

Jules Pipe is working on key priorities for the Mayor, including: implementation of the London Plan, major and community-led regeneration projects across the capital, providing Mayoral oversight of London’s fire and rescue service (the London Fire Brigade), and ensuring London’s infrastructure supports good growth, meets the needs of London’s communities and makes London a cleaner, greener and smarter city.

Jules has unrivalled knowledge of London government, becoming the first directly elected mayor of Hackney in 2002 and serving as Chair of London Councils from 2010 until he joined the Mayor’s team in 2016.

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