Bishopsgate Institutemarketing@bishopsgate.org.uk Bishopsgate Institute en-gb No London,history,talks,Bishopsgate Bishopsgate Institute Podcast - talks, debates and readings from Bishopsgate Institute's cultural events programme. For more information about Bishopsgate Institute, our cultural events, courses and library, visit www.bishopsgate.org.uk. Bishopsgate Institute Podcast - talks, debates and literature from Bishopsgate Institute Bishopsgate Institute http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=10001 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Jitbit RSS Feed Creator Fri, 04 Dec 2015 16:22:52 +0000 http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspxhttp://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcast/bishopsgate_podcast_logo.png38922F99-06BB-486F-A0E8-06714A14E252Bishopsgate Institute, Butchers, events in central London, Gentle Author, Smithfield Market,cultural events near Liverpool Street StationThe Gentle Author of the popular blog Spitalfields Life has gained an extraordinary following in recent years, by writing hundreds of lively pen portraits of the infinite variety of people who live and work in the East End of London. As part of our Spitalfields Life Chit Chats, butchers, Joe Lawrence, Greg Lawrence and Peter Sargent present a lively look at Smithfields Market and life as a butcher from the 1960s up to the present day. If you enjoy listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up.Bishopsgate InstituteThe Gentle Author of the popular blog Spitalfields Life has gained an extraordinary following in recent years, by writing hundreds of lively pen portraits of the infinite variety of people who live and work in the East End of London. As part of our Spitalfields Life Chit Chats, butchers, Joe Lawrence, Greg Lawrence and Peter Sargent present a lively look at Smithfields Market and life as a butcher from the 1960s up to the present day. If you enjoy listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/10011.mp3Fri, 04 Dec 2015 16:22:52 +0000 71C6372A-FC0F-4ADF-A62A-7F9ECFCDF7F3Bishopsgate Institutecultural events near Liverpool Street Station., fishmonger,Billingsgate Market,Cultural events in central LondonThe Gentle Author of the popular blog Spitalfields Life has gained an extraordinary following in recent years, by writing hundreds of lively pen portraits of the infinite variety of people who live and work in the East End of London. As part of our Spitalfields Life Chit Chats, fishmonger Charlie Caisey talks about his life as a fishmonger and Billingsgate Market. If you enjoy listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up.Bishopsgate InstituteThe Gentle Author of the popular blog Spitalfields Life has gained an extraordinary following in recent years, by writing hundreds of lively pen portraits of the infinite variety of people who live and work in the East End of London. As part of our Spitalfields Life Chit Chats, fishmonger Charlie Caisey talks about his life as a fishmonger and Billingsgate Market. If you enjoy listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up. http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/10001.mp3Fri, 04 Dec 2015 16:10:09 +0000 A9DF0829-E4AE-4F12-A7AB-F7964C0EE676Bishopsgate InstituteCultural events in Central London, Cultural events near Liverpool Street Station , Jonathan Green,Cockney rhyming slang Rhyming slang can claim to be London’s one truly home-grown language. It may have started around 1830 among the canal-digging navvies, the villains of St Giles or, as is most likely, the costermongers of the East End, spreading over time to Australia and the United States. But it remains the most quintessentially ‘London’ of all slang’s vocabularies. It isn’t a vast lexis, something over 3,000 words in all, but it’s still going strong. Like black cabs and red telephone kiosks it’s not what it was, but like them it’s part of the world’s shorthand for ‘London’. Jonathon Green is the world's leading expert in slang lexicography. His latest work, the three-volume Green's Dictionary of Slang, appeared in 2010. He has continued to amend, improve and expand the database, and the ongoing work is scheduled to be launched online later this year. If you enjoy listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up. Bishopsgate InstituteRhyming slang can claim to be London's one truly home-grown language. It may have started around 1830 among the canal-digging navvies, the villains of St Giles or, as is most likely, the costermongers of the East End, spreading over time to Australia and the United States. But it remains the most quintessentially 'London' of all slang's vocabularies. It isn't a vast lexis, something over 3,000 words in all, but it's still going strong. Like black cabs and red telephone kiosks it's not what it was, but like them it's part of the world's shorthand for 'London'. Jonathon Green is the world's leading expert in slang lexicography. His latest work, the three-volume Green's Dictionary of Slang, appeared in 2010. He has continued to amend, improve and expand the database, and the ongoing work is scheduled to be launched online later this year. If you enjoy listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up. http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/9995.mp3Tue, 10 Nov 2015 12:49:32 +0000 In October 1912 Sylvia Pankhurst climbed onto a wooden platform outside an old baker's shop on Bow Road, and painted the words 'VOTES FOR WOMEN' in golden letters above the door. What began as a simple recruitment drive for the Women's Social and Political Union soon sparked a rebellion in the suffragette ranks, and launched a mass movement for equality with Roman Road market at its heart. Get to know these forgotten East End rebels, who always said that votes for women were just the beginning. Sarah Jackson is the author of Voices From History: East London Suffragettes with Rosemary Taylor, and organised the East London Suffragette Festival in 2014. If you enjoy listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/9991.mp3Tue, 10 Nov 2015 12:36:07 +0000 A9F53CDE-3FBC-4C4F-963B-985C238140BFBishopsgate InstituteFollowing the publication of London: A Travel Guide Through Time, historian and broadcaster join Dr Matthew Green on an historical journey through 800 years of London’s history, from the depths of the Middle Ages, through the time of Shakespeare, the Great Plague and Empire, to the pummelling of the city during the Blitz, and its resurrection in the gloomy 50s. If you enjoy listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up.Bishopsgate InstituteLondon History, Dr Matthew Green, Cultural events in London, cultural events near Liverpool StreetFollowing the publication of London: A Travel Guide Through Time, join historian and broadcaster Dr Matthew Green on an historical journey through 800 years of London's history, from the depths of the Middle Ages, through the time of Shakespeare, the Great Plague and Empire, to the pummelling of the city during the Blitz, and its resurrection in the gloomy 50s.If you enjoy listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/9990.mFri, 23 Oct 2015 11:31:48 +0100 Between 1981 and 1986, Ken Livingstone led the most experimental, controversial and influential city government in modern British history. In Promised You a Miracle, a new and revelatory book about Britain in the early 1980s, acclaimed historian and Guardian journalist Andy Beckett uncovers the forgotten triumphs and disasters of Livingstone's Greater London Council: from its doomed attempt to make the capital a citadel against Thatcherism to its far-sighted efforts to transform London for women and ethnic minorities. In conversation, Beckett and Livingstone discussed the GLC's brief and dramatic life under 'Red Ken', how it was linked to the other radical forces altering Britain in the tumultuous early 1980s, and how it helped create the London of today.If you enjoy listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/9989.mp3Wed, 21 Oct 2015 13:31:30 +0100 The success of the recent film Pride has sparked new interest in the history of LGBT activism in the 1980s. Colin Clews, author of the informative and popular blog 'Gay in the 80s' and prominent and outspoken campaigner for equalities Linda Bellos OBE reflect on life in the 80s for LGBT people. In partnership with the Lesbian and Gay Newsmedia Archive (LAGNA). If you enjoy listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/9737.mp3Tue, 05 May 2015 15:52:58 +0100 The East End Preservation Society and Bishopsgate Institute are delighted to present the Inaugural C R Ashbee Memorial Lecture. This lecture honours C R Ashbee (1863 – 1942) as founder of the Guild of Handicrafts in the East End, as a pioneer of the Conservation Movement, and a progressive architect and designer whose influence was seminal upon Frank Lloyd Wright among many others.If you enjoy listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/9722.mp3Thu, 23 Apr 2015 14:03:40 +0100 Poverty, slums and hungry children. Find out what sights met Doctor Barnardo in London's East End in 1866 with historians Sarah Wise and Ken Worpole. If you enjoy listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up at www.bishopsgate.org.uk. http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/9623.mp3Wed, 11 Mar 2015 12:12:15 +0000 Acclaimed writer and historian Jerry White takes a unique look at London during the First World War as seen through the eyes of the people who lived there.If you enjoyed listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up. Recorded live on Thursday 27 November at Bishopsgate Institute.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/9534.mp3Thu, 08 Jan 2015 11:39:22 +0000 A45457D6-59EE-4437-BBF8-2400CF204FA0Bishopsgate InstituteOwen Jones, talks at Bishopsgate Institute, talks near Liverpool Street, The Establishment,Talks in central LondonBehind our democracy lurks a powerful but unaccountable network of people who wield massive power and reap huge profits in the process. In exposing this shadowy and complex system that dominates our lives, Owen Jones sets out on a journey into the heart of our Establishment, from the lobbies of Westminster to the newsrooms, boardrooms and trading rooms of Fleet Street and the City. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on Thursday 6 November 2014. If you enjoyed listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up.Bishopsgate InstituteBehind our democracy lurks a powerful but unaccountable network of people who wield massive power and reap huge profits in the process. In exposing this shadowy and complex system that dominates our lives, Owen Jones sets out on a journey into the heart of our Establishment, from the lobbies of Westminster to the newsrooms, boardrooms and trading rooms of Fleet Street and the City. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on Thursday 6 November 2014. If you enjoyed listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/9501.mp3Fri, 14 Nov 2014 09:45:25 +0000 973DAB78-5A98-4710-9381-89817E675287Bishopsgate InstituteInspector Wexford, talks at Bishopsgate Institute, talks in central London, talks near Liverpool Street Station,Ruth RendellHighly acclaimed crime writer Ruth Rendell looks back over 50 years of Wexford. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on Thursday 30 October 2014. If you enjoyed listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up.Bishopsgate InstituteHighly acclaimed crime writer Ruth Rendell looks back over 50 years of Wexford. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on Thursday 30 October 2014. If you enjoyed listening to this event do take a look at the other events we have coming up.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/9493.mp3Mon, 10 Nov 2014 14:12:50 +0000 London,history,talks,Bishopsgate, Eleanor Marx, Marx, Rachel HolmesRachel Holmes introduces her new book on both the public and private lives of the exceptional Eleanor Marx (1855 - 98). This podcast was recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on Tuesday 21 October 2014. If you enjoyed listening to this event find out about more events at www.bishopsgate.org.ukBishopsgate InstituteF54E8FDB-08BA-4918-AD16-8873A1FAD7C5Bishopsgate InstituteRachel Holmes introduces her new book on both the public and the private lives of the exceptional Eleanor Marx (1855–98). This podcast was recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on Tuesday 21 October 2014. If you enjoy listening to this event find out more about events at Bishopsgate Institute www.bishopsgate.org.ukhttp://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/9478.mp3Tue, 04 Nov 2014 18:06:43 +0000 Lee Jackson explores the secret life of the Victorian metropolis, focusing in particular on the birth of public baths and the peculiar history of the public toilet. Recorded live on 16 October 2014BCA0E306-6C34-4EDF-9CA4-5FE9BD30E235Lee Jackson explores the secret life of the Victorian metropolis, focusing in particular on the birth of public baths and the peculiar history of the public toilet. Recorded live on 16 October 2014http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/9476.mp3Fri, 24 Oct 2014 11:47:58 +0100 3CDB9DE7-09A4-4706-AED3-2F64DEB49368Bishopsgate InstituteTristram Hunt MP, talks in central London, Talks near Liverpool Street, Empire, Boston, New Delhi, Liverpool, Dublin, Calcutta, Melbourne, Bridgetown, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Bishopsgate Institute eventsTristram Hunt, author of The Frock-Coated Communist and leading UK politician presents a new approach to Britain's imperial past through ten cities that epitomised it. The final embers of the British Empire are dying, but its legacy remains in the lives and structures of the cities which it shaped. Here Tristram Hunt examines the stories and defining ideas of ten of the most important: of 1700s Boston, Bridgetown, Dublin, Cape Town, Calcutta, Hong Kong, Bombay, Melbourne, New Delhi, and 20th century Liverpool. Rejecting binary views of the British Empire as 'very good' or 'very bad', Hunt describes the complex processes of exchange and adaptation that collectively shaped the colonial experience – and, in turn, transformed the culture, economy and identity of the British Isles. Tristram Hunt is one of Britain's best known historians. Since 2010 he has been the MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, and in October 2013 was made Shadow Secretary of State for Education. He is a Senior Lecturer in Modern British History at Queen Mary, University of London, and has written numerous series for radio and television. He is also a regular contributor to The Times, Guardian and Observer. His previous books include The English Civil War at First Hand, Building Jerusalem, and The Frock-Coated Communist: The Revolutionary Life of Friedrich Engels.Bishopsgate InstituteTristram Hunt, author of The Frock-Coated Communist and leading UK politician presents a new approach to Britain's imperial past through ten cities that epitomised it. The final embers of the British Empire are dying, but its legacy remains in the lives and structures of the cities which it shaped. Here Tristram Hunt examines the stories and defining ideas of ten of the most important: of 1700s Boston, Bridgetown, Dublin, Cape Town, Calcutta, Hong Kong, Bombay, Melbourne, New Delhi, and 20th century Liverpool. Rejecting binary views of the British Empire as 'very good' or 'very bad', Hunt describes the complex processes of exchange and adaptation that collectively shaped the colonial experience – and, in turn, transformed the culture, economy and identity of the British Isles. Tristram Hunt is one of Britain's best known historians. Since 2010 he has been the MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, and in October 2013 was made Shadow Secretary of State for Education. He is a Senior Lecturer in Modern British History at Queen Mary, University of London, and has written numerous series for radio and television. He is also a regular contributor to The Times, Guardian and Observer. His previous books include The English Civil War at First Hand, Building Jerusalem, and The Frock-Coated Communist: The Revolutionary Life of Friedrich Engels.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/9176.mp3Thu, 26 Jun 2014 13:00:59 +0100 75876ED5-08DD-445B-8A7B-77AFB2D335E5Bishopsgate InstituteFeminism, raunch culture, Rosamund Urwin, Playboy Bunny Girl, Barbara Haigh, Sarah Mathewson, OBJECT, talks in central London, Talks near Liverpool Street StationRosamund Urwin of the Evening Standard chairs a discussion about the raunch culture and its impact on modern feminism. Can you still be a feminist if you bare your body for a living? Or has feminism come so far that women now hold the power? Rosamund is joined by Sarah Mathewson from feminist campaign group OBJECT, Barbara Haigh, a former Playboy Bunny Girl and Catherine Stephens, an activist for the International Union of Sex Workers.Bishopsgate InstituteRosamund Urwin of the Evening Standard chairs a discussion about the raunch culture and its impact on modern feminism. Can you still be a feminist if you bare your body for a living? Or has feminism come so far that women now hold the power? Rosamund is joined by Sarah Mathewson from feminist campaign group OBJECT, Barbara Haigh, a former Playboy Bunny Girl and Catherine Stephens, an activist for the International Union of Sex Workers. http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/9165.mp3Wed, 14 May 2014 13:02:03 +0100 8C8C6C03-A1EF-4F4B-8C81-529C30CC214ABishopsgate InstituteMiners strike, Arthur Scargill, Seumas Milne, Ewa Jasiewicz, Owen Jones, Talks in central London, Talks near Liverpool Street, Enemy WithinThirty years ago, miners went on strike across Britain to resist the Tory government's plans for sweeping pit closures. The strike remains the longest mass industrial dispute in British history - a war between Margaret Thatcher and the labour movement, and the miners’ union she branded "the enemy within" in particular. The strike’s outcome signalled a profound change in Britain’s social and economic landscape and its aftershocks can still be felt throughout the country today. The Enemy Within, Seumas Milne’s classic account of the miners’ strike and its aftermath, reveals the astonishing lengths to which Thatcher’s government and its security machine were prepared to go to destroy the power of the trade unions. Recently declassified government papers have provided further revelations about the secret war against organised labour and political dissent, reflected in today's undercover police operations. Seumas Milne will be joined in discussion by Arthur Scargill, former president of the NUM from 1982-2002, union organiser Ewa Jasiewicz, Owen Jones, author of Chavs, for a special event looking at the legacy of the miners’ strike and its lessons for the future, chaired by journalist Dawn Foster.Bishopsgate InstituteThirty years ago, miners went on strike across Britain to resist the Tory government's plans for sweeping pit closures. The strike remains the longest mass industrial dispute in British history - a war between Margaret Thatcher and the labour movement, and the miners’ union she branded "the enemy within" in particular. The strike’s outcome signalled a profound change in Britain’s social and economic landscape and its aftershocks can still be felt throughout the country today. The Enemy Within, Seumas Milne’s classic account of the miners’ strike and its aftermath, reveals the astonishing lengths to which Thatcher’s government and its security machine were prepared to go to destroy the power of the trade unions. Recently declassified government papers have provided further revelations about the secret war against organised labour and political dissent, reflected in today's undercover police operations. Seumas Milne will be joined in discussion by Arthur Scargill, former president of the NUM from 1982-2002, union organiser Ewa Jasiewicz, Owen Jones, author of Chavs, for a special event looking at the legacy of the miners’ strike and its lessons for the future, chaired by journalist Dawn Foster. http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/9160.mp3Fri, 09 May 2014 16:57:51 +0100 DCD6D660-566B-4E3F-BE83-0B674F57A57ABishopsgate InstituteSarah Wise, talk in central London, Talks near Liverpool Street , The Old Nichol, Arthur Morrison, A Child of the JagoThe most notorious novel of the ‘slum fiction’ genre, Morrison’s A Child of the Jago, caused outrage, with its nihilistic depiction of a population of criminals and social outcasts. Morrison claimed that it was an eyewitness account of the real Old Nichol district of Shoreditch. Two years after publication, the rows the book engendered were ongoing in the periodical press. In this illustrated talk, author Sarah Wise (Inconvenient People, The Blackest Streets) explores the real slum that inspired his fantasy vision. Sarah Wise’s book The Blackest Streets: The Life and Death of a Victorian Slum was published by Vintage in June 2009 and was shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature’s Ondaatje award. Her debut, The Italian Boy: Murder and Grave Robbery in 1830s London, was published in 2004 and was shortlisted for the 2005 Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction and won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction. Sarah was a major contributor to Iain Sinclair’s compendium London, City of Disappearances (2006). Her latest book, Inconvenient People: Lunacy, Liberty and the Mad Doctors in Victorian England was published last autumn by Vintage.Bishopsgate InstituteThe most notorious novel of the ‘slum fiction’ genre, Morrison’s A Child of the Jago, caused outrage, with its nihilistic depiction of a population of criminals and social outcasts. Morrison claimed that it was an eyewitness account of the real Old Nichol district of Shoreditch. Two years after publication, the rows the book engendered were ongoing in the periodical press. In this illustrated talk, author Sarah Wise (Inconvenient People, The Blackest Streets) explores the real slum that inspired his fantasy vision. Sarah Wise’s book The Blackest Streets: The Life and Death of a Victorian Slum was published by Vintage in June 2009 and was shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature’s Ondaatje award. Her debut, The Italian Boy: Murder and Grave Robbery in 1830s London, was published in 2004 and was shortlisted for the 2005 Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction and won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction. Sarah was a major contributor to Iain Sinclair’s compendium London, City of Disappearances (2006). Her latest book, Inconvenient People: Lunacy, Liberty and the Mad Doctors in Victorian England was published last autumn by Vintage.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/9123.mp3Mon, 07 Apr 2014 18:07:33 +0100 5CC88061-393E-4C52-B2B8-9DB2563EA6E9Bishopsgate InstituteLinda Wilkinson, Columbia Rd, East End, Talks in central London, Talks near Liverpool StreetBorn on Columbia Road, award-winning author Linda Wilkinson traces the history of the fragrant home of East London’s famous flower market. From the earliest times when the land was pastureland for cows whose milk supplied the City of London, through the influx of the Huguenot weavers and up to the present day, this talk is part historical and part social memoir based on familial recollections. Linda Wilkinson spent the first 25 years of her working life as a Research Scientist with many publications to her name. In the late 1990’s she began writing for the theatre, where her first play garnered a major award. Her first history book won the Raymond Williams Prize. She has written plays for Radio 4 and her stage plays have been performed both in England and Europe. She was Chair of Amnesty International UK for 6 years and continues to be involved in Human Rights Activism. She still lives just around the corner from Columbia Road.Bishopsgate InstituteBorn on Columbia Road, award-winning author Linda Wilkinson traces the history of the fragrant home of East London’s famous flower market. From the earliest times when the land was pastureland for cows whose milk supplied the City of London, through the influx of the Huguenot weavers and up to the present day, this talk is part historical and part social memoir based on familial recollections. Linda Wilkinson spent the first 25 years of her working life as a Research Scientist with many publications to her name. In the late 1990’s she began writing for the theatre, where her first play garnered a major award. Her first history book won the Raymond Williams Prize. She has written plays for Radio 4 and her stage plays have been performed both in England and Europe. She was Chair of Amnesty International UK for 6 years and continues to be involved in Human Rights Activism. She still lives just around the corner from Columbia Road.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/9116.mp3Tue, 01 Apr 2014 14:23:33 +0100 A8732FBC-6E15-4E31-8EC2-8AC85F0D2091Bishopsgate InstituteDr Caroline Walters, LAGNA, Lesbian Fashion, talks at Bishopsgate Institute, talks in central London, Talks near Liverpool Street ,Campbell XLesbian fashion. A misnomer? Surely, lesbians don't do fashion. But contrary to perception, clothing and style have been a crucial part of establishing an identity for women who love women. But if what we wear says who we are, can we be sure we're all talking in the same dialect or could we be misread? And is it possible to be outside the language of fashion? Speakers were Campbell X (Film Director/writer) and Dr Caroline Walters (writer/researcher). Bishopsgate InstituteLesbian fashion. A misnomer? Surely, lesbians don't do fashion. But contrary to perception, clothing and style have been a crucial part of establishing an identity for women who love women. But if what we wear says who we are, can we be sure we're all talking in the same dialect or could we be misread? And is it possible to be outside the language of fashion? Speakers were Campbell X (Film Director/writer) and Dr Caroline Walters (writer/researcher). http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8927.mp3Fri, 13 Dec 2013 09:25:14 +0000 5ED86B0E-59E0-4A2D-9815-CB2A14B305C0Bishopsgate InstituteTalks in central London, talks near Liverpool street, Neil McKenna, Fanny and Stella, cross-dressing, Gay interestA tale of cross-dressing, cross-examinations and a scandal that shocked and titillated Victorian England in equal measure. The alluring Miss Fanny Park and Miss Stella Boulton were no ordinary young women, they were young men who liked to dress as women. As their show trial unfolded, Fanny and Stella’s extraordinary lives as wives and daughters, actresses and whores were revealed to an incredulous public. With a cast of peers, politicians and prostitutes, drag queens, doctors and detectives, Fanny & Stella is a Victorian peepshow, exposing the startling underbelly of 19th century London. Neil McKenna, author of Fanny & Stella, is an award-winning journalist who has written for the Independent, the Observer, the Guardian and the New Statesman. He has also worked extensively in the gay press and is the author of On the Margins, The Silent Epidemic and The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde.Bishopsgate InstituteA tale of cross-dressing, cross-examinations and a scandal that shocked and titillated Victorian England in equal measure. The alluring Miss Fanny Park and Miss Stella Boulton were no ordinary young women, they were young men who liked to dress as women. As their show trial unfolded, Fanny and Stella’s extraordinary lives as wives and daughters, actresses and whores were revealed to an incredulous public. With a cast of peers, politicians and prostitutes, drag queens, doctors and detectives, Fanny & Stella is a Victorian peepshow, exposing the startling underbelly of 19th century London. Neil McKenna, author of Fanny & Stella, is an award-winning journalist who has written for the Independent, the Observer, the Guardian and the New Statesman. He has also worked extensively in the gay press and is the author of On the Margins, The Silent Epidemic and The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8924.mp3Tue, 26 Nov 2013 14:35:35 +0000 28FA8C34-31B4-4263-9F4C-5C7161598586Bishopsgate InstituteA Blaze of Autumn Sunshine: The Last Diaries , Bishopsgate Institute, Newham Books, Owen Jones, talks in Central London,Tony Benn.To celebrate the publication of this final volume of his diaries, Tony Benn, in conversation with author, columnist and commentator Owen Jones, reflects on both the public and personal events of the last five years. Covering the fall of New Labour, tireless campaigning against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and passionate commitment to encouraging public debate and demonstrations, A Blaze of Autumn Sunshine also provides a highly personal insight into the challenges of old age, failing health and widowhood. Finally, we share in Tony Benn's hopes for the future based on his experiences, insight and his natural optimism. Tony Benn is the longest serving MP in the history of the Labour Party. He left Parliament in 2001, after more than half a century in the House of Commons, famously saying that leaving would give him more time to devote to politics. He is the author of many books including nine volumes of diaries and the childhood memoir Dare to be a Daniel. This event was organised in partnership with Newham Bookshop.Bishopsgate InstituteTo celebrate the publication of this final volume of his diaries, Tony Benn, in conversation with author, columnist and commentator Owen Jones, reflects on both the public and personal events of the last five years. Covering the fall of New Labour, tireless campaigning against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and passionate commitment to encouraging public debate and demonstrations, A Blaze of Autumn Sunshine also provides a highly personal insight into the challenges of old age, failing health and widowhood. Finally, we share in Tony Benn's hopes for the future based on his experiences, insight and his natural optimism. Tony Benn is the longest serving MP in the history of the Labour Party. He left Parliament in 2001, after more than half a century in the House of Commons, famously saying that leaving would give him more time to devote to politics. He is the author of many books including nine volumes of diaries and the childhood memoir Dare to be a Daniel. This event was organised in partnership with Newham Bookshop.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8907.mp3Thu, 14 Nov 2013 16:32:40 +0000 From the first truly feminist book in 1792 to women attaining the vote in 1928, Lucinda Hawksley highlights the women who relentlessly battled for social and political change. Hear accounts from the main protagonists from the women’s movement as well as lesser known suffragettes who pursued gender equality in Britain and marched to see justice for women brought to light. Lucinda Hawksley is a historian, author and lecturer. Her biographies of women include Lizzie Siddal: The Tragedy of a Pre-Raphaelite Supermodel, Katey: The Life and Loves of Dickens’s Artist Daughter and her upcoming biography of Princess Louise.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8903.mp3Mon, 11 Nov 2013 14:01:01 +0000 3E6FF4AB-D35D-45C6-9672-35DCDD67BC25Bishopsgate InstituteTalks in central London, LAGNA, all male domains, Bishopsgate Institute, talks near Liverpool Street Station, Girls & BoysAll boys together? Nudge nudge. The belief that all male institutions are breeding grounds for homosexuality, has been a constant one. But what does go on behind the doors of the executive boardroom or the communal changing room? Is homosexuality the elephant in the room? The serpent in the grass? Or is it all just homosexual wish fulfilment fantasy? Justin Bengry explores all male institutions and their links with homosociality and homosexuality. Speaker Justin Bengry is an Honorary Research Fellow at Birkbeck, University of London. His work has appeared in several journals and books including History Workshop Journal, The Queer 1950s: Rethinking Sexuality in the Postwar Years, and in the forthcoming Queer British History: New Approaches and Perspectives. He is currently working on a new book The Pink Pound: Queer Profits in Twentieth-Century Britain.Bishopsgate InstituteAll boys together? Nudge nudge. The belief that all male institutions are breeding grounds for homosexuality, has been a constant one. But what does go on behind the doors of the executive boardroom or the communal changing room? Is homosexuality the elephant in the room? The serpent in the grass? Or is it all just homosexual wish fulfilment fantasy? Justin Bengry explores all male institutions and their links with homosociality and homosexuality. Speaker Justin Bengry is an Honorary Research Fellow at Birkbeck, University of London. His work has appeared in several journals and books including History Workshop Journal, The Queer 1950s: Rethinking Sexuality in the Postwar Years, and in the forthcoming Queer British History: New Approaches and Perspectives. He is currently working on a new book The Pink Pound: Queer Profits in Twentieth-Century Britain.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8893.mp3Tue, 05 Nov 2013 19:11:23 +0000 47C87643-E95E-4881-83E4-800F18BE72D8Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute, talk in central London, Working Mens Clubs, Gender, Dr Ruth Cherrington,We open the doors on that bastion of the British entertainment scene, the working men’s clubs. Hear about their development in the mid-19th century to their current period of decline. Why were they set up? What went on in them? And how did women come to find their own place in them? Drawing on personal accounts and experiences of those attending the clubs, this talk highlights the major roles they played and what made them such a central part of working class leisure. Dr Ruth Cherrington attended working men’s clubs from a very young age. She is the author of Not Just Beer and Bingo! A Social History of Working Men’s Clubs and runs a website 'Club Historians' dedicated to the history and development of the working men’s club movement.Bishopsgate InstituteWe open the doors on that bastion of the British entertainment scene, the working men’s clubs. Hear about their development in the mid-19th century to their current period of decline. Why were they set up? What went on in them? And how did women come to find their own place in them? Drawing on personal accounts and experiences of those attending the clubs, this talk highlights the major roles they played and what made them such a central part of working class leisure. Dr Ruth Cherrington attended working men’s clubs from a very young age. She is the author of Not Just Beer and Bingo! A Social History of Working Men’s Clubs and runs a website 'Club Historians' dedicated to the history and development of the working men’s club movement.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8864.mp3Wed, 16 Oct 2013 10:58:43 +0100 551B298B-9AA2-4DDE-8E78-383827BE530EBishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute, talks and debates in central London, Trenton Oldfeild, 38 Degrees, This is Not a Gateway, Protest, challenge authorityThe world has always seen protest and dissent but in these difficult and changing times, how can the voices that challenge authority really be heard? How can a message reach the widest number of people? Which forms of resistance have the greatest impact? How can support be generated and who is really listening? From protests, rallies and direct action to worldwide digital petitions and 'armchair activism', our panel of experienced campaigners discuss methods of protest in today's modern world. Speakers included Madeline Carroll (Campaigns Director, 38 Degrees), Trenton Oldfield (This is Not A Gateway), Nadine El-Enany (Birkbeck, University of London and Defend the Right to Protest) and Gobi Sivanthan (Individual activist, Hunger Striker outside London Olympics). The event was chaired by Hugh Muir (Guardian).Bishopsgate InstituteThe world has always seen protest and dissent but in these difficult and changing times, how can the voices that challenge authority really be heard? How can a message reach the widest number of people? Which forms of resistance have the greatest impact? How can support be generated and who is really listening? From protests, rallies and direct action to worldwide digital petitions and 'armchair activism', our panel of experienced campaigners discuss methods of protest in today's modern world. Speakers included Madeline Carroll (Campaigns Director, 38 Degrees), Trenton Oldfield (This is Not A Gateway), Nadine El-Enany (Birkbeck, University of London and Defend the Right to Protest) and Gobi Sivanthan (Individual activist, Hunger Striker outside London Olympics). The event was chaired by Hugh Muir (Guardian).http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8702.mp3Thu, 25 Jul 2013 10:45:11 +0100 C551447F-1EDA-442B-9E52-9C25CF57283ABishopsgate InstituteTalks in central London, anti-apartheid, South Africa, Ronnie Kasrils, Ken Keable, Talks close to Liverpool Street station, Professor Barbara Taylor, Bishopsgate InstituteBy 1966, the Apartheid regime in South Africa had all but annihilated the African National Congress (ANC), imprisoning its leaders or driving them into exile. To help keep their message of struggle alive and maintain a strategy of resistance from within, young men and women in London smuggled ANC literature into South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. Sworn to secrecy, their work remained silent for forty years but in this unique event the London recruits tell their story and discuss the role of international solidarity and collaboration in today's world. Speakers included Ronnie Kasrils (founding member of Umkhonto we Sizwe and former Minister of Intelligence Services) and recruits Mary Chamberlain, Katherine Levine, Tom Bell and Ken Keable (also editor of London Recruits: The Secret War Against Apartheid). The event will be chaired by Professor Barbara Taylor (Queen Mary, University of London and Director, Raphael Samuel History Centre). In partnership with the Raphael Samuel History Centre. Bishopsgate InstituteBy 1966, the Apartheid regime in South Africa had all but annihilated the African National Congress (ANC), imprisoning its leaders or driving them into exile. To help keep their message of struggle alive and maintain a strategy of resistance from within, young men and women in London smuggled ANC literature into South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. Sworn to secrecy, their work remained silent for forty years but in this unique event the London recruits tell their story and discuss the role of international solidarity and collaboration in today's world. Speakers included Ronnie Kasrils (founding member of Umkhonto we Sizwe and former Minister of Intelligence Services) and recruits Mary Chamberlain, Katherine Levine, Tom Bell and Ken Keable (also editor of London Recruits: The Secret War Against Apartheid). The event will be chaired by Professor Barbara Taylor (Queen Mary, University of London and Director, Raphael Samuel History Centre). In partnership with the Raphael Samuel History Centre. http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8585.mp3Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:46:33 +0100 This is a sample item in a feed, created by Jitbit RSS Feed Creator. NOTE: this item description should be edited.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8552.mp3Mon, 03 Jun 2013 11:03:10 +0100 95857105-2953-4ED0-92CA-D9D9EA21EA3DBishopsgate InstituteTalks in London, Talks near Liveerpool Street, Bishopsgate Institute, Sylvia Pankhurst , Suffragette, Socialist Sylvia Pankhurst - Suffragette, Socialist and Scourge of Empire Uploaded 29/05/2013 Katherine Connelly examines Sylvia Pankhurst's life of activism from her teens as a member of the Independent Labour Party, to her time as a leading suffragette before the First World War, through to her socialist, anti-fascist and anti-imperialist campaigns in later years. She will also explore some of the contradictions in Pankhurst's career such as her role within the suffragette movement and why she ended her days under the patronage of the Emperor of Ethiopia. Katherine Connelly is the author of a new biography of Sylvia Pankhurst. She is completing her phD on 'Karl Marx and Parisian popular culture in the 1840s' at Queen Mary, University of London.Sylvia Pankhurst - Suffragette, Socialist and Scourge of EmpireBishopsgate InstituteKatherine Connelly examines Sylvia Pankhurst's life of activism from her teens as a member of the Independent Labour Party, to her time as a leading suffragette before the First World War, through to her socialist, anti-fascist and anti-imperialist campaigns in later years. She will also explore some of the contradictions in Pankhurst's career such as her role within the suffragette movement and why she ended her days under the patronage of the Emperor of Ethiopia. Katherine Connelly is the author of a new biography of Sylvia Pankhurst. She is completing her phD on 'Karl Marx and Parisian popular culture in the 1840s' at Queen Mary, University of London. http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8551.mp3Wed, 29 May 2013 18:31:51 +0100 F14B62FC-A180-445B-97EA-044F6B5EA05BBishopsgate InstituteTalks in London, John Harris, Barry Miles, Bishopsgate Institute, counterculture, subculture, London UndergroundIn conversation with John Harris, Barry Miles explores London’s counterculture – the creative, avant garde, permissive, anarchic – that sprang up in the city in the decades following the Second World War. Bishopsgate InstituteIn conversation with John Harris, Barry Miles explores London’s counterculture - the creative, avant garde, permissive, anarchic - that sprang up in the city in the decades following the Second World War. http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8491.mp3Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:16:51 +0000 30792253-D9FB-43A4-99D7-228B92EAD39DBishopsgate InstituteTalks in London, the Tube, Andrew Martin,Bishopsgate Institute, Nr Liverpool Street StationBishopsgate InstituteLove it or hate it there is more to the Tube than meets the eye.Why is the Victoria Line so hot? Is it really possible to go all the way round the circle line? The London Underground is the oldest, most sprawling and arguably illogical metropolitan transport system in the world. Yet it is iconic, relied upon by over a billion passengers a year and loved and despised in equal measure by Londoners. Find out everything you need to know in this witty and informative account of the social history of the Tube with journalist and novelist Andrew Martin.Why is the Victoria Line so hot? Is it really possible to go all the way round the circle line? The London Underground is the oldest, most sprawling and arguably illogical metropolitan transport system in the world. Yet it is iconic, relied upon by over a billion passengers a year and loved and despised in equal measure by Londoners. Find out everything you need to know in this witty and informative account of the social history of the Tube with journalist and novelist Andrew Martin. http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8490.mp3Tue, 05 Mar 2013 13:53:11 +0000 810A91CB-1B97-48AF-B0DF-8B146478728CBishopsgate InstituteCottaging and Cruising, LAGNA, Talks in LondonSex between men in public areas such as toilets and parks has been commonplace for at least a century, and continues today. Peter Kelley of LAGNA discusses this with writer and journalist Mark Simpson.Bishopsgate InstituteSex between men in public areas such as toilets and parks has been commonplace for at least a century, and continues today. Peter Kelley of LAGNA discusses this with writer and journalist Mark Simpson. http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8476.mp3Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:42:02 +0000 In the four decades that the Johnson family ran the Two Puddings in Stratford, it became one of London’s busiest and most fashionable pubs. A magnet for a colourful cast of disparate characters, including renowned actors, writers, musicians, infamous gangsters, and World Cup-winning footballers. Hear landlord and author of Tales from the Two Puddings Eddie Johnson in conversation with Robert Elms to look back upon a lost world of East End eccentrics, local villainy and punch-ups and discuss his recent book. http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8466.mp3Mon, 11 Feb 2013 18:19:51 +0000 1047AC2D-6C1B-4F6C-BF77-E74F0B5154F7Bishopsgate InstituteMargaret Thatcher, Owen Jones, Lord Parkinson, Clare Short, Mark Field MP, Iron Lady, ThatcherismThe first female prime minister who also won three consecutive elections. But Margaret Thatcher is arguably better known for the policies to which her name became attached and which significantly altered the social and economic face of Britain. Yet despite deeply divided opinion, has ‘Thatcherism’ actually been embraced and sustained by subsequent British political parties? Privatisation, free market approach, cuts to taxes as well as welfare spending, and tougher constraints on trade unions all appear to have featured in the policies of the main British political parties. Has there been a convergence of Thatcher’s policies from all sides of the political spectrum? This debate explored the impact and legacy of Thatcherism on Britain. Speakers were Owen Jones (author and journalist), Mark Field MP, Clare Short (former Labour MP) and Lord Parkinson. The event was chaired by Aditya Chakrabortty (The Guardian). The Legacy of the Iron Lady: Are we all Thatcher's Children?Bishopsgate InstituteThe first female prime minister who also won three consecutive elections. But Margaret Thatcher is arguably better known for the policies to which her name became attached and which significantly altered the social and economic face of Britain. Yet despite deeply divided opinion, has ‘Thatcherism’ actually been embraced and sustained by subsequent British political parties? Privatisation, free market approach, cuts to taxes as well as welfare spending, and tougher constraints on trade unions all appear to have featured in the policies of the main British political parties. Has there been a convergence of Thatcher’s policies from all sides of the political spectrum? This debate explored the impact and legacy of Thatcherism on Britain. Speakers were Owen Jones (author and journalist), Mark Field MP, Clare Short (former Labour MP) and Lord Parkinson. The event was chaired by Aditya Chakrabortty (The Guardian). http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8401.mp3Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:28:42 +0000 269CA292-6688-4CE3-A4CF-35C377C3DA06Bishopsgate InstitutePeter Tatchell, Terrence Higgins Trust, Lisa Power, Michael Cashman, Dr Matt Cook, LGBT, Clause 28A speaker at the 1985 Conservative Party Conference was cheered when he said, “If you want a queer for your neighbour, vote Labour!” Today, many leading Conservatives support gay marriage. A watershed in the long struggle for civil rights for LGBT citizens was resistance to Clause 28, which prohibited local authorities from presenting ‘homosexuality as a pretended family relationship’. How did such hostility and prejudice give way to tolerance and now, perhaps, the possibility, at last, of equality? Speakers included Peter Tatchell (Peter Tatchell Foundation), Lisa Power MBE (Terrence Higgins Trust) and Michael Cashman MEP (Labour politician, founder of Stonewall). The event will be chaired by Dr Matt Cook (Birkbeck, University of London). Bishopsgate InstituteA speaker at the 1985 Conservative Party Conference was cheered when he said, “If you want a queer for your neighbour, vote Labour!” Today, many leading Conservatives support gay marriage. A watershed in the long struggle for civil rights for LGBT citizens was resistance to Clause 28, which prohibited local authorities from presenting ‘homosexuality as a pretended family relationship’. How did such hostility and prejudice give way to tolerance and now, perhaps, the possibility, at last, of equality? Speakers included Peter Tatchell (Peter Tatchell Foundation), Lisa Power MBE (Terrence Higgins Trust) and Michael Cashman MEP (Labour politician, founder of Stonewall). The event will be chaired by Dr Matt Cook (Birkbeck, University of London). http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8369.mp3Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:29:04 +0000 F3E15D7E-9AED-4BB8-B089-DD2FC27AB858Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute, Sharon Grant, Devon Thomas, Hugh Muir, Prefoesor Tim Newburn, Sir Philip Mawer, urban riots, 1980s, community relations, urban riotsRiots on the Streets:What can we Learn? Urban riots broke out across England in 2011, the worst since those of the 1980s. Then, as now, political authorities initially saw them as pure criminality. But is it coincidental that both eras are characterised by deepening inequality and economic crisis? What can the 1980s tell us about keeping the peace in troubled times? Are there lessons to be learnt in community relations and how communities are listened to or policed? Speakers included Sharon Grant (Bernie Grant Trust), Sir Philip Mawer (Secretary to the Scarman Report), Professor Tim Newburn (LSE) and Devon Thomas (Community Activist). The event was chaired by Hugh Muir (The Guardian). Bishopsgate InstituteRiots on the Streets:What can we Learn? Urban riots broke out across England in 2011, the worst since those of the 1980s. Then, as now, political authorities initially saw them as pure criminality. But is it coincidental that both eras are characterised by deepening inequality and economic crisis? What can the 1980s tell us about keeping the peace in troubled times? Are there lessons to be learnt in community relations and how communities are listened to or policed? Speakers included Sharon Grant (Bernie Grant Trust), Sir Philip Mawer (Secretary to the Scarman Report), Professor Tim Newburn (LSE) and Devon Thomas (Community Activist). The event was chaired by Hugh Muir (The Guardian). http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8081.mp3Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:00:55 +0100 86D0F928-AA6D-48DA-A7B8-838FB2A72392Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute, The 80s, Gary Kemp, Pauline Black, Robert Elms, New Romantics, David Bowie, Two Tone, Ska, SpecialsRewind 30 years to the 1980s. Hairstyles may best be forgotten but the pop music of the time had more to recommend it. Punk was fading into softer, more electronic genres as music technology evolved. The ‘New Romantics’ emerged as a dominant force in music championing fantasy and the imagination with bands such as Spandau Ballet and Culture Club enjoying chart success. The early part of the decade saw a revival of Ska whilst the charts were later dominated by pop producers Stock Aitken Waterman. Take a trip down music memory lane and recall the significance of the 80s on the music scene. Speakers include Gary Kemp (musician, songwriter and actor) and Pauline Black (lead singer of The Selecter, song writer, broadcaster and author). The event will be chaired by Robert Elms (writer and broadcaster). Bishopsgate InstituteRewind 30 years to the 1980s. Hairstyles may best be forgotten but the pop music of the time had more to recommend it. Punk was fading into softer, more electronic genres as music technology evolved. The ‘New Romantics’ emerged as a dominant force in music championing fantasy and the imagination with bands such as Spandau Ballet and Culture Club enjoying chart success. The early part of the decade saw a revival of Ska whilst the charts were later dominated by pop producers Stock Aitken Waterman. Take a trip down music memory lane and recall the significance of the 80s on the music scene. Speakers include Gary Kemp (musician, songwriter and actor) and Pauline Black (lead singer of The Selecter, song writer, broadcaster and author). The event will be chaired by Robert Elms (writer and broadcaster). http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8034.mp3Tue, 02 Oct 2012 13:58:54 +0100 551FBD22-6B19-437F-B48D-8B750D394C46Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute, Philosophy, Julian Baggini, meaining of life, The Philosophers' Magazine, atheismBest-selling philosopher Julian Baggini explains the stories behind philosophy. Bringing together and interlinking its different areas, he creates an accessible and fascinating taste of philosophy and all that matters in it. Taking you to the very heart of the subject, Julian shows how abstract ideas feed into the most existential questions of all. Writer and journalist Julian Baggini was named on the Observer’s list of top public intellectuals. He is the editor of The Philosophers’ Magazine and his many books include Atheism: A Very Short Introduction and What’s It All About? Philosophy and the Meaning of Life. Best-selling philosopher Julian Baggini explains the stories behind philosophy. Bringing together and interlinking its different areas, he creates an accessible and fascinating taste of philosophy and all that matters in it. Taking you to the very heart of the subject, Julian shows how abstract ideas feed into the most existential questions of all. Writer and journalist Julian Baggini was named on the Observer’s list of top public intellectuals. He is the editor of The Philosophers’ Magazine and his many books include Atheism: A Very Short Introduction and What’s It All About? Philosophy and the Meaning of Life. http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/8031.mp3Thu, 27 Sep 2012 11:35:37 +0100 901BEC8D-0909-48F9-BDA3-91646922A422BishopsgateMonarchy, Republic, Bishopsgate InstituteShould Britain retain a symbolic Head of State who, it is argued, is politically impartial and provides stability, a focus for national unity and a centrepiece for national celebrations? Or does the hereditary system need to be replaced by a democratically elected Head of State who others believe can also provide these services as well as being publicly accountable? Speakers included Graham Smith (Republic), Joan Smith (journalist and author), Peter Conradi (Sunday Times journalist, co-author of The King's Speech and The Great Survivors: How Monarchy Made it into the Twenty-First Century) and Jacques Arnold (Constitutional Monarchy Association). The event was chaired by Randeep Ramesh (social affairs editor, The Guardian). BishopsgateShould Britain retain a symbolic Head of State who, it is argued, is politically impartial and provides stability, a focus for national unity and a centrepiece for national celebrations? Or does the hereditary system need to be replaced by a democratically elected Head of State who others believe can also provide these services as well as being publicly accountable? Speakers included Graham Smith (Republic), Joan Smith (journalist and author), Peter Conradi (Sunday Times journalist, co-author of The King's Speech and The Great Survivors: How Monarchy Made it into the Twenty-First Century) and Jacques Arnold (Constitutional Monarchy Association). The event was chaired by Randeep Ramesh (social affairs editor, The Guardian). http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7844Thu, 13 Sep 2012 12:43:44 +0100 8F3B8A02-02FE-4D37-89FC-DE055690588EBishopsgate InstitutePalace, Media, Monarchy, The Guardian, Daily Express, Bishopsgate InstituteThere was a time when the British public viewed their sovereigns from afar. The media is now filled with details of the Royal family’s private lives. Public demand, media profits and the need tokeep the monarchy in the public sphere have combined to bring the monarchy and royal family into close and constant focus. In this age of mass media and celebrity culture, this discussion explores the relationship between the palace and the press. Speakers include Professor Neil Blain (University of Stirling), Mark Borkowski (publicist and media commentator), Richard Palmer (Daily Express) and Ingrid Seward (Majesty Magazine). The event will be chaired by Stephen Bates (The Guardian). Bishopsgate InstituteThere was a time when the British public viewed their sovereigns from afar. The media is now filled with details of the Royal family’s private lives. Public demand, media profits and the need tokeep the monarchy in the public sphere have combined to bring the monarchy and royal family into close and constant focus. In this age of mass media and celebrity culture, this discussion explores the relationship between the palace and the press. Speakers include Professor Neil Blain (University of Stirling), Mark Borkowski (publicist and media commentator), Richard Palmer (Daily Express) and Ingrid Seward (Majesty Magazine). The event will be chaired by Stephen Bates (The Guardian). http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7801Fri, 04 May 2012 12:20:07 +0100 2A6A2D0C-118E-4C05-BAF3-87875E63FEB5Bishopsgate InstituteDavid Kynaston, Bishopsgate Institute, The City, Financial powerhouse, Square Mile, banksFrom its rise to prominence in the early 18th century through to its precarious global heights of today, David Kynaston gives a definitive history of the 'Square Mile', London's financial powerhouse.Bishopsgate InstituteFrom its rise to prominence in the early 18th century through to its precarious global heights of today, David Kynaston gives a definitive history of the 'Square Mile', London's financial powerhouse.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7780Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:48:04 +0100 E0BE2783-BE55-4EE6-8735-C9515F93BBB2Bishopsgate InstituteNew media, censorship, twitterInformation Dissemination in a New Media Age Curated with Little Atoms as part of Whose Mind is it Anyway? at Bishopsgate Institute With rapidly developing new media and modes of mass communication, we continuously absorb information as well as giving information about ourselves. From political leaks to twitter, mobile location finders to credit card use, information is collected and roams. The beneficiaries are clear, with possible political advantages, marketing opportunities, subliminal advertising and surveillance as well as greater access to information for all of us. Who controls what information is circulated and to whom? And to what extent does censorship conflict with freedom of information or overlap with data protection and privacy? Speakers included Heather Brooke (writer and journalist), Professor Brian Cathcart (Kingston University) and Peter Barron (Google). The event was chaired by Becky Hogge (Little Atoms). Bishopsgate InstituteInformation Dissemination in a New Media Age Curated with Little Atoms as part of Whose Mind is it Anyway? at Bishopsgate Institute With rapidly developing new media and modes of mass communication, we continuously absorb information as well as giving information about ourselves. From political leaks to twitter, mobile location finders to credit card use, information is collected and roams. The beneficiaries are clear, with possible political advantages, marketing opportunities, subliminal advertising and surveillance as well as greater access to information for all of us. Who controls what information is circulated and to whom? And to what extent does censorship conflict with freedom of information or overlap with data protection and privacy? Speakers included Heather Brooke (writer and journalist), Professor Brian Cathcart (Kingston University) and Peter Barron (Google). The event was chaired by Becky Hogge (Little Atoms).http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/uploads/audio/7530.mp3 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:18:54 +0000 Young People, National Curricilum, Education,The introduction of the National Curriculum in 1988 laid out clear directions for schools on how young people should be taught. However the teaching of the next generation remains as controversial as ever – the curriculum is widely debated and the very purpose of education often questioned. If, as some have argued, the role of the curriculum is to ensure that established knowledge is passed on or that good citizens are created and the problems of society addressed, then what are the implications for the decision-makers in government? Is education simply there to promote political values? Who else has a say in how schools are run?Bishopsgate Institute80F7659C-5FB9-43DC-915D-088E44D56638Bishopsgate InstituteThe introduction of the National Curriculum in 1988 laid out clear directions for schools on how young people should be taught. However the teaching of the next generation remains as controversial as ever the curriculum is widely debated and the very purpose of education often questioned. If, as some have argued, the role of the curriculum is to ensure that established knowledge is passed on or that good citizens are created and the problems of society addressed, then what are the implications for the decision-makers in government? Is education simply there to promote political values? Who else has a say in how schools are run? Professor John White (Institute of Education), Andy Thornton (Citizenship Foundation), Frank Furedi (Professor of Sociology, University of Kent) and Melissa Benn (writer and journalist) in a lively discussion about the school curriculum.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7500Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:29:00 +0000 The recent financial crisis has demonstrated how vulnerable the world is to the actions of its financial institutions. It has provoked questions about the power of, and lack of control exerted over those who influence our economy. Because economic power in London is centralised mainly within the square mile, this relatively small geographical area wields an overwhelming command over not only the rest of London, but far beyond. We have witnessed the fall-out from this economic clout recently, but there are also benefits to living in a world financial centre. Does the City threaten or contribute to the city that houses it? Nicholas Faith examines the City, its power and pitfalls. Nicholas Faith is a former senior editor of The Economist and the Sunday Times. His books include Safety in Numbers: The Mysterious World of Swiss Banking. This event was curated by Robert Elms as part of the London in Peril season.32D8099D-2139-4BCD-937E-61B8AC2A483FBishopsgate InstituteLondon, City, FinanceBishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: A City at Risk from the City with Nicholas Faith. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on 19 July 2011.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7509Wed, 17 Aug 2011 13:40:52 +0100 23F2F5AD-EE37-4849-8013-C6504ADFA116Bishopsgate InstituteLondon, fictionMany novels have portrayed London as a city beset by profound problems, often with memorable and disturbing accounts of a dystopian future. Cathi Unsworth unravels Derek Raymond's A State of Denmark and its dark satiric tale of a journalist in exile from a British dictatorship and a country living under government propaganda and spin, China Miéville introduces J.G. Ballard's The Drowned World in which the city is succumbing to global warming and rising water levels, and Iain Sinclair explores the energetic and insane sequences of London trajectories in Louis-Ferdinand Céline's London Bridge. The discussion was chaired by Andrew Whitehead. The London in Fiction series is organised in collaboration with London Fictions, a website exploring representations of the city in fiction.Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: Nightmare City with Cathi Unsworth, China Mieville, Iain Sinclair and Andrew Whitehead. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on 14 July 2011.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7510Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:45:05 +0100 36446075-7AF2-4005-A8C8-355324FB0B59Bishopsgate InstituteIslington, Docklands, Clapham and East London have all experienced huge changes in recent years through social and aesthetic 'makeovers' as areas have been regenerated and wealthier residents have moved in. Gentrification has its supporters as well as its opponents. It can bring wealth, social and environmental improvements, but it can also displace or exclude communities and bring small businesses to ruin. This discussion looks at the impact of gentrification on the demographics and shape of London, as well as the winners and losers. The speakers included Professor Chris Hamnett (King's College, London), Tom Hunter (photographer) and David Partridge (Joint Chief Executive, Argent). Event curated and chaired by Robert Elms (award-winning writer and broadcaster).The Gentrification of LondonBishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: The Gentrification of London with Professor Chris Hamnett, David Partridge, Tom Hunter, and Robert Elms. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on 13 July 2011.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7511Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:12:13 +0100 London, crime, fiction, historyFrom tales of notorious murderers to eccentric sleuths, crime infested slums to the shadows of Soho, London has been the setting and inspiration for many crime novels. Sarah Wise takes a fresh look at Arthur Morrison's A Child of the Jago and its portrayal of a supposedly notorious 1890s East End criminal slum and Paul Duncan explores Gerald Kersh's London noir classic of the 1930s, Night and the City, and its depictions of clubs, call girls and chancers. Andrew Lane revisits Arthur Conan Doyle's creation of the detective Sherlock Holmes and a city of hansom cabs, 'pea souper' fogs and endless mystery and Valentine Cunningham introduces the more recent evocation of London at its most hopeless amongst a semi-criminal milieu in The Hard Shoulder by Chris Petit. The event was chaired by Andrew Whitehead. This series is organised in collaboration with London Fictions, a website exploring representations of the city in fiction.Bishopsgate Institute2A941AEF-96DA-41F7-B9BC-D2453F1E8E9EBishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: Crime and the City with Sarah Wise, Paul Duncan, Andrew Lane, Valentine Cunningham and Andrew Whitehead. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on 2 June 2011.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7512Thu, 30 Jun 2011 16:29:25 +0100 census, historyThe 1911 census was the 12th national census of the United Kingdom, and in many ways it represented a watershed in the history of census taking in this country - it was the first to use electronic technology and was by far the most intrusive. The census captured a picture of society at the time when the ‘upstairs downstairs’ world was about to be turned upside down. It records Britain’s ‘lost generation’ - the 885,000 men who would lose their lives fighting in the war - and it adds a fascinating insight into one of the most important issues of the day, the campaign to give women the vote. In this talk, David Annal introduces the 1911 census and shows what it reveals about society at the time. David Annal was formerly the Principal Family History Specialist at The National Archives and is the author of Census: The Expert Guide.Bishopsgate Institute766189B7-B315-4209-B43C-6F2D46390532Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: 1911 - A Vision of England with David Annal. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on 24 February 2011.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7523Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:05:21 +0100 historyThirties Britain was a land of contrasts, at once a nation rendered hopeless by the global Depression, unemployment and international tensions, yet also a place of suburban home owners aspiring to have a baby Austin in the garage. In this talk, Juliet Gardiner examines this restless, uncertain, ambitious decade through the experiences she has found in newspapers, memoirs, letters and diaries. She will look at the British people of the 1930s, part-mesmerised by modernism, leisure, glamour and sensation yet, at the same time, imbued with a pervasive awareness of loss of Britain's influence in the world and of accepted political, social and cultural signposts. Juliet Gardiner is a former editor of History Today. She has been an academic and publisher and is now a full-time author and broadcaster. Her most recent books include Wartime: Britain 1939-1945, The Thirties: An Intimate History and The Blitz: The British Under Attack. This event was organised in partnership with Newham Bookshop.Bishopsgate InstituteE80DAD8A-A921-450D-9B51-5BF4384A4863Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: The Thirties - An Intimate History with Juliet Gardiner. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on 3 March 2011.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7513Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:32:00 +0100 census, politics, surveillanceCritics argue that the modern census and other forms of data collection are coercive and intrusive. The census asks you to reveal your ethnicity, religion and other matters many consider to be too intimate to disclose. Supporters, however, point to the need to gather information about populations to serve them better, arguing that citizens need to periodically submit information about themselves in the interest of government planning. Is it in all our interests to be counted in or should we be protesting against a growing surveillance state? Speakers are Jil Matheson (Office for National Statistics) and Phil Booth (NO2ID). The event will be Chaired by Tom Crook (Oxford Brookes University).Bishopsgate Institute6E14066D-4B1C-49DC-807A-1F513BFD2DC2Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: The Census - Survey or Surveillance with Jil Matheson (Office for National Statistics), Phil Booth (NO2ID) and Tom Crook (Oxford Brookes University) as Chair. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on 17 March 2011.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7515Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:29:51 +0100 history, London, literature, London writersBringing together four of London’s favourite contemporary writers, this panel discussion takes a closer look at some long-lost, but nonetheless captivating, novels from the capital’s past. All the books discussed are worth reading for what they tell us about the history of our city and maybe about our city right now - the buildings may have changed but are the people the same? Speakers include: Ken Worpole on Alexander Baron (King Dido, The Lowlife, Rosie Hogarth) Iain Sinclair on Roland Camberton (Scamp, Rain on the Pavements) Sarah Wise on John Henry Mackay (The Anarchists) Andrew Whitehead on Gissing (The Nether World) This event was organised in partnership with Newham Bookshop.Bishopsgate InstituteD185CED4-DF39-47D4-8954-4A32756F072FBishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: Out of the Shadows - Forgotten London Writers with Iain Sinclair, Andrew Whitehead, Sarah Wise and Ken Worpole. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on 21 October 2010.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7514Mon, 29 Nov 2010 10:16:04 +0000 London, history, economics, corruptionThe City liked to pride itself that it lived up to the Stock Exchange motto, ‘My word is my bond’, but this claim has no credibility with the public following the banking crisis. There is nostalgic talk of the need to return to old values but did the City’s culture, ethics and business practices ever meet the ideal? Is it possible to establish a credible ethical code in the modern financial world and do today’s bankers deserve their reputation for sleaze and greed? Philip Augar led NatWest’s global securities business, and was a Group Managing Director at Schroders before turning to writing in 2000. His fifth book, Reckless: The Rise and Fall of the City, has just been released in paperback and he has completed a trilogy highly critical of the modern financial services industry. Bishopsgate Institute87A390C4-4874-4456-A5D4-A5670554E51ABishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: 'My Word is my Bond' - But can we really trust the City of London? with Philip Augar. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on 12 October 2010.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7516Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:45:37 +0100 history, photographyThomas John Barnardo arrived in London in 1866 with little but evangelical zeal. Aged just twenty, his ambitions to become a missionary in China were soon put aside when he encountered the appalling conditions of the working poor of London’s East End. His main concern became the welfare and education of children, and two years after his arrival he created his own organisation, the East End Juvenile Mission. In his constant search for funds to support his expanding philanthropic enterprise Barnardo was quick to understand the power of photography in publicising his cause. This talk explores how Barnardo utilised photography for fundraising purposes, including controversial ‘before and after’ images of children who had been in Barnardo’s care. Erica Davies is Director of the Ragged School Museum and has worked in a variety of national, local authority and independent museums. As Director of the Freud Museum in Hampstead she organised many exhibitions in the UK and abroad.Bishopsgate Institute809C2C0B-B73D-4AF8-8546-571C8492C536Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: Barnardo's Philanthropy and Photography with Erica Davies. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on 13 July 2010.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7522Fri, 10 Sep 2010 10:00:19 +0100 historyIn this talk Jonathan Rose provides an intellectual history of the British working classes from the pre-industrial era to the 20th century. Drawing on workers’ memoirs, social surveys, library registers and more, Jonathan uncovers which books people read, how they educated themselves and what they knew. He will discuss the history of people who were not expected to think for themselves and explore the politics, ideology, popular culture, and social relationships across two centuries of the British working-class experience. Jonathan Rose is the founder and past president of the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing and co-editor of the journal Book History. He is Professor of History at Drew University (New Jersey), where he directs the graduate programme in book history. The event was organised in partnership with Newham Bookshop and chaired by Juliet Gardiner, an author, broadcaster and former editor of History Today.Bishopsgate Institute94A740ED-2C11-4EE2-88BA-16C745929349Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes with Jonathan Rose. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on 1 July 2010.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7517Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:55:03 +0100 London, photography, historyJoin Stefan Dickers for an introduction to the numerous photographic collections held by Bishopsgate Institute on the social and cultural history of London. Highlights will include a look in the boxes of glass slides created by the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society at the turn of the century, the eclectic London History Workshop collection and the huge London Co-operative Society photographic archive. Stefan will also talk about and show examples from some of the Library’s more recent additions, including the London Collection Digital Photographs Project and the Jackson/Davies Collection on Old Spitalfields Market. Stefan Dickers is Bishopsgate Institute’s Library Manager and looks after the Raphael Samuel Archive, along with its other numerous collections on the history of London, the labour movement, co-operation, freethought and humanism. He previously worked in the archives of the London School of Economics and Senate House Library. Bishopsgate Institute14ACDDBE-41BB-4904-B0FA-825BDE386043Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: London Recorded by Camera - A Look Through Bishopsgate Library's Photographic Archive with Bishopsgate Institute's Library Manager, Stefan Dickers. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on 6 July 2010.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7518Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:54:37 +0100 history, women, feminismFrom the 1880s to the 1920s, a profound social awakening among women extended the possibilities of change far beyond the struggle for the vote. Amid the growth of globalised trade, mass production, immigration and urban slums, American and British women broke with custom and prejudice. Taking off corsets, living communally and joining trade unions, these ‘dreamers of a new day’ conceived new ways of arranging daily life from childcare to industrial relations. In the process they challenged ideas about sexuality, mothering, housework, the economy and citizenship. In this talk Sheila Rowbotham uncovers how women created much of the fabric of modern life and how these innovative dreamers raised questions that remain at the forefront of our 21st century lives. Sheila Rowbotham‘s many books include Edward Carpenter: A Life of Liberty and Love which was shortlisted for The James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 2009. This event was organised in partnership with Newham Bookshop.Bishopsgate InstituteAFB17E03-B089-4F30-9008-64268B604400Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: Dreamers of a New Day with Sheila Rowbotham. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute on 8 June 2010.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7519Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:44:57 +0100 history, LondonNo city can lay claim to a more dramatic history than London. Engulfed in calamities that seemed to mark its end - fire, plague, riot, civil war, mass bombing - from each crisis it has emerged stronger than ever. Its cultural life, and the long heritage that underpins it, has made London one of the most visited and best-loved places on Earth. In this talk Jerry White encapsulates the extraordinary rise of this great city from a remote outpost of Rome's northern empire, through the roll-call of great Londoners over the centuries, the endurance of its people in the face of disaster and war, the dark side of crime and mayhem to its innovations in enterprise and pleasure. Jerry White is Visiting Professor in London History at Birbeck, University of London. Previous publications include London in the Twentieth Century: A City and Its People, which won the Wolfson History Prize in 2001, and the bestselling London in the Nineteenth Century: A Human Awful Wonder of God. This event was organised in partnership with Newham Bookshop. Bishopsgate Institute9984DECF-9506-401D-A7B0-E8A2FCBDA9CCBishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: London - The Story of a Great City with Jerry White. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, 3 June 2010.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7520Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:42:50 +0100 history, journalismInvestigative Journalism has been labelled 'the highest form of journalism'. It is a genre of reporting which goes beyond the press releases, the spin and the public relations and has been at the forefront of social change with campaigns to free the innocent and uncover uncomfortable realities in our midst. From W.T. Stead, who decided to go undercover to prove the existence of an underage sex industry in the 19th century capital, through the heyday of Granada TV's World in Action in the 1970s, until today's no-holds-barred online blogs, Eamonn O’Neill lifts the lid on centuries of investigative journalism. Drawing on his two decades of experience in international reporting, Eamonn takes us on a tour into the shadows of his profession revealing the secrets of spies, murders, financial crime and the dark arts of journalism itself. Eamonn O'Neill is an internationally award-winning journalist and Course Director of the University of Strathclyde's Masters Degree in Investigative Journalism.Bishopsgate InstituteEE32A67A-4927-410F-A84C-1E76CC21E15FBishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: Investigative Journalism with Eamonn O'Neill. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, 16 March 2010.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/audios.aspx?vid=7521Wed, 19 May 2010 09:55:00 +0100 history, London, industrial historyLondon's Lea Valley is a small area with a big history. Stretching from Luton in the north to the River Thames in the south, it is widely considered to be the birthplace of Britain’s post-industrial revolution and has been renowned as a centre of innovation for more than two hundred years. In this talk Jim Lewis looks at the technological revolution in Lea Valley and discusses how these developments continue to affect the architecture and landscape of the region. Dr Jim Lewis is a freelance writer, researcher and broadcaster for his specialist subject – London’s Lea Valley. Recent publications include a series of five individual books tracing the history of Lea Valley. Jim is currently a Consultant to Terry Farrell & Partners on the historical development of London’s Lea Valley and a Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) tutor teaching industrial history. This debate was part of the Building East London series and curated collaboration with historian Dan Cruickshank. The series explored the architectural development of East London and was part of the East festival's programme looking at architecture.Bishopsgate InstituteC602014E-BA45-4ED3-83D3-AAACFD0DB995Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: The Technological Revolution in London's Lea Valley with Jim Lewis. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, 8 March 2010.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcastsWed, 19 May 2010 09:21:43 +0100 history, architecture, urban planningEast London has been a place of change for centuries but is current development going too far? This debate considers whether the recent focus on new building is benefiting the architecture and communities of East London. Is the ever-encroaching City threatening East London’s identity or is it bringing positive change and growth to an area in need? If development is necessary, can or should it exist in harmony with its surroundings – could historic buildings be saved from demolition and adapted for modern use or is it preferable to replace these with new architecture built for purpose? This debate was part of the Building East London series and curated collaboration with historian Dan Cruickshank. The series explored the architectural development of East London and was part of the East festival's programme looking at architecture.Bishopsgate InstituteF202B1DB-E6DA-4971-A2AF-E54EDC536D47Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: Rebuild or Refurbish? This is part two of two podcasts covering the Rebuild or Refurbish? debate, which took place during the Building East London series curated in collaboration with Dan Cruikshank. The debate featured William Palin (Save Britain’s Heritage), Austin Williams (Future Cities), Paul Finch (CABE) and Giles Quarme (Giles Quarme Associates). The chair was Amanda Baillieu (Building Design). Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, Monday 9 March 2010.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcastsMon, 26 Apr 2010 10:44:52 +0100 history, architecture, urban planningEast London has been a place of change for centuries but is current development going too far? This debate considers whether the recent focus on new building is benefiting the architecture and communities of East London. Is the ever-encroaching City threatening East London’s identity or is it bringing positive change and growth to an area in need? If development is necessary, can or should it exist in harmony with its surroundings – could historic buildings be saved from demolition and adapted for modern use or is it preferable to replace these with new architecture built for purpose? This debate was part of the Building East London series and curated collaboration with historian Dan Cruickshank. The series explored the architectural development of East London and was part of the East festival's programme looking at architecture.Bishopsgate Institute419F4905-4052-4948-9CE0-0E33FF6FD236Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: Rebuild or Refurbish? This is part one of two podcasts covering the Rebuild or Refurbish? debate, which took place during the Building East London series curated in collaboration with Dan Cruikshank. The debate featured William Palin (Save Britain’s Heritage), Austin Williams (Future Cities), Paul Finch (CABE) and Giles Quarme (Giles Quarme Associates). The chair was Amanda Baillieu (Building Design). Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, Monday 9 March 2010.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcastsMon, 26 Apr 2010 10:31:40 +0100 Britons are increasingly aware of living in a society plagued by fear and unhappiness. Could our towns and cities be the cause? Anna Minton offers an in-depth and passionate exploration of the state of Britain today, revealing how private companies have taken control from local government and the electorate, creating spaces designed for profit and watched over by CCTV. Now, untested urban planning has transformed not only our cities, but the very nature of public space, of citizenship, and of trust. Anna Minton is the recipient of five national journalism awards, and is the author of numerous reports for The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the think tank Demos. She is also a member of the writers' panel for the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, and writes regularly for The Guardian and The New Statesman. Ground Control is her first book. Michael Rosen is a writer, broadcaster and longtime Dalston resident and campaigner. This event was organised in partnership with Newham Bookshop. Bishopsgate Institute195A9AAD-A646-4EC0-85F0-83C1119C0636Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: Ground Control - Fear and Happiness in the 21st Century City. Anna Minton in conversation with Michael Rosen. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, 11 February 2010.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcastsThu, 25 Mar 2010 13:18:08 +0000 Conspirator is the compelling story of Lenin’s 17 year exile during which he and his political collaborators plotted a revolution that would change 20th century history. In this talk, Helen Rappaport discusses her recent book which tells the story of Lenin in the years leading up to the Russian Revolution. Constantly on the move around Europe, with conflicts both personal and political, Conspirator situates Lenin’s struggle for change in Russia within the context of the revolutionary movement in exile as a whole. Helen also considers the wider network of Russian revolutionaries both at home and abroad who supported Lenin and the risks they took in support of his vision. Helen Rappaport is a historian with a specialism in the Victorians and revolutionary Russia. Her books include Ekaterinburg: The Last Days of Romanov and No Place for Ladies: The Untold Story of Women in the Crimean War.Bishopsgate Institute0709AA86-A25C-465B-AD47-82EE0682EF23Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: Conspirator - Lenin in Exile with Helen Rappaport. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, 18 February 2010.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcastsFri, 19 Mar 2010 16:12:11 +0000 history, London, literature, Booker prizeBased on real events that occurred in and around the High Beach Asylum, Epping Forest in 1840, The Quickening Maze centres on the life of the great nature poet John Clare. Historically accurate, but creatively imagined, the closed world of High Beach and its various inmates - the doctor, his lonely daughter in love with Alfred Tennyson, the brutish staff and John Clare himself are brought vividly to life in this compelling tale. In this talk Adam Foulds discusses his Man Booker prize short-listed book, The Quickening Maze, and explores John Clare’s hope of home, redemption and escape.Bishopsgate Institute1C335AA3-6178-4A8B-A196-DF5F883183CABishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: The Quickening Maze with Adam Foulds. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, 22 October 2009.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcastsWed, 27 Jan 2010 17:36:58 +0000 history, London, gothicIn this talk Roger Luckhurst discusses how the Gothic genre in the 19th century moved steadily from the wild and exotic margins into the streets of the metropolis. Starting with Dickens, this new urban Gothic culminates with Stevenson's Mr Hyde in his Soho lair and Count Dracula in Piccadilly, at the very heart of the empire. The talk also considers the recent London Gothic revival, looking at work by Kim Newman, Christopher Fowler, Conrad Williams and Iain Sinclair. Roger Luckhurst is Professor in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Birkbeck. As well as writing books on subjects such as J. G. Ballard, telepathy, and science fiction, he has edited Late Victorian Gothic Tales and Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde for Oxford World's Classics, and is currently researching late Victorian and Edwardian mummy curses in London.Bishopsgate Institute7691AF05-BCA6-48EB-B6BA-E9C8285CF8D5Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: Gothic London - City of the Deranged and Disorderly Dead with Roger Luckhurst. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, 8 December 2009.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcastsThu, 21 Jan 2010 10:16:26 +0000 London, history, Charles Dickens, English LiteratureFrom his earliest published stories to his last uncompleted novel, London is nearly always at the heart of Dickens's fiction. He needed the stimulus of walking the city's teeming streets ('that great magic lantern' he called them) to fire his imagination and to inspire him to create his unforgettable characters and invent his intricate plots. In this talk Professor Michael Slater, takes a fresh look at Dickens in London and London in Dickens. Professor Michael Slater is a leading authority on Charles Dickens. He has studied and written about Dickens extensively, was previous editor of The Dickensian and former President of the International Dickens Fellowship. He is currently Emeritus Professor of Victorian Literature at Birkbeck College and is the author of a major new biography of Dickens recently published by Yale University Press. Sarah Wise is an author and historian specialising in Victorian London.Bishopsgate Institute768B459D-B850-4129-B9EC-18CF523F6B2EBishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: Dickens's Tales of the City. Michael Slater in conversation with Sarah Wise. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, 1 December 2009.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcastsThu, 14 Jan 2010 14:28:01 +0000 history, LondonChallenging many of the values and conceits of western civilization, the gay socialist writer Edward Carpenter had an extraordinary impact on the cultural and political landscape of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. An advocate of, among other causes, free love, recycling, nudism, women’s suffrage and prison reform, Carpenter’s work anticipated the sexual revolution of the 1960’s and placed him at the epicenter of the literary culture of his day. In this talk, Sheila Rowbotham discusses Carpenter’s life and thought in relation to the contemporary social, aesthetic and intellectual movements of the time. Sheila Rowbotham is Professor of Gender and Labour History at the University of Manchester, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Her many books include A Century of Women and Promise of a Dream: Remembering the Sixties. Sheila’s critically acclaimed Edward Carpenter: A Life of Liberty and Love has recently been published in paperback. The evening was chaired by Dr Matt Cook, Senior Lecturer in History at Birkbeck College.Bishopsgate InstituteDB1C8090-846B-40DD-8788-F4D92FCAC65DBishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: Edward Carpenter - A Life of Liberty and Love with Sheila Rowbotham. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, 15 October 2009.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcastsFri, 04 Dec 2009 10:52:46 +0000 history, LondonBritish detective fiction has its origins in the heart of the capital. In the stories about Sherlock Holmes, Thorndike and Dorcas Dene, London is central to the narrative and geographically and culturally intrinsic to its development. With the advent of the ‘Golden Age’ however, and the stories of Sayers, Christie, Allingham and Marsh, the role of London changes and becomes a more nebulous, transient environment, a counter-space to the country houses and villages that are the characteristic milieu of the detective stories of this time. This talk explores the different ways that London is represented as British Detective fiction develops, through the era of Sherlock Holmes to that of Lord Peter Wimsey. Dr Esme Miskimmin is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Liverpool, where her main research interest is in crime fiction, specifically the work of Dorothy L. Sayers. She is the co-editor of two volumes in the Palgrave ‘Crime Files’ Series: 100 American Crime Writers and 100 British Crime Writers, due out in 2010.Bishopsgate InstituteC44ED4A2-927C-40FD-9695-D28851BBE2F0London, historyBishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: 'Investigating the City: London in Detective Fiction from the Victorian Era to the 'Golden Age' with Dr Esme Miskimmin. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, 10 November 2009.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcastsTue, 01 Dec 2009 16:22:00 +0000 history, LondonThe phrase ‘those lovely trans-Atlantic invaders’ from Edith Wharton’s novel The Buccaneers describes the many young American women who lived in the UK between 1870 and World War I and made places for themselves in English life. These included independent professional women such as journalist Elizabeth Banks, actress Mary Anderson and singer Antoinette Sterling. They knew everyone in London, from HM Queen Victoria to George Bernard Shaw and many other leading figures. This illustrated talk provides an overview of this group of determined and talented women who contributed to the literary, political, social and artistic life of their adopted country. Some stories are romantic, some tragic, but all are compelling. Dr Jane S. Gabin is an educator and writer living in New York City and North Carolina. Dr Gabin has published three books, most recently American Women in Gilded Age London, and has also contributed to several encyclopedias and volumes of essays.Bishopsgate Institute56EB32E4-8DF8-4E88-A184-F8CA1ABB8695Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: 'Those Lovely Trans-Atlantic Invaders' - American Women in Victorian London with Dr Jane S. Gabin. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, 1 October 2009.http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcastsFri, 27 Nov 2009 16:46:11 +0000 history, LondonEarly museums and picture galleries tended to be private and open to a very restricted public. It was only in the 19th century that they took on the character we would recognise today. Taste in pictures, gallery installations, educational initiatives, and the behaviour of the public all contributed to the special character of these places. This talk explores the growth of galleries and museums in the 19th century, particularly in London, with a special focus on philanthropic efforts by social reformers to make them places that would improve the morals and education of the socially deprived. Speaker Giles Waterfield is an independent curator and writer and currently Director of Royal Collection Studies and an Associate Lecturer at the Courtauld Institute of Art. He was previously Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery from 1979 to 1996. His publications include Palaces of Art, Art for the People and Soane and Death.Bishopsgate InstituteD5BCD5BB-5828-4C9A-A17D-2D8588A44CE3Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: The Museum and its Public in 19th Century Britain with Giles Waterfield. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, 23 June 2009http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcastsTue, 03 Nov 2009 13:02:24 +0000 history, Engels, politicsFriedrich Engels is one of the most attractive and contradictory figures of the 19th century. A co-founder of international communism and co-author of The Communist Manifesto, Engels was far more than Marx’s right-hand man. He was a profound thinker in his own right who predicted the social effects of today’s free-market fundamentalism and globalisation. In this talk, Tristram Hunt discusses his biography of Engels, The Frock-Coated Communist, and considers how one of the great bon viveurs of Victorian Britain reconciled his raucous personal life with his uncompromising political philosophy. Dr Tristram Hunt is one of Britain’s best known young historians. He is a lecturer in British history at Queen Mary, University of London and a former associate fellow at the Centre for History and Economics, King’s College, Cambridge. A leading historical broadcaster, he has authored numerous series for BBC Radio and Television and Channel 4 and is a regular contributor to The Times, The Guardian and The Observer. This event was organised in partnership with Newham Bookshop.Bishopsgate Institute208E281D-F0F6-4DCE-8184-14A05733E706Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: The Frock-Coated Communist with Tristram Hunt. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, 21 May 2009http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcastsFri, 09 Oct 2009 16:02:04 +0100 London, historyIn this talk author and consumer social historian Lindy Woodhead explores a topic that arguably touches everyone’s lives - shopping. She looks at both the meteoric rise of the great 19th century department stores such as Selfridges and their liberating impact on women, as well as the seismic changes in fashion from the pre-war Edwardian era of lush to the suited and booted female war worker. Speaker Lindy Woodhead set up her own Public Relations Agency in 1974, specialising in fashion and retail PR. Her latest book Shopping, Seduction & Mr Selfridge was chosen by Radio Four to be their 'Book of the Week'.Bishopsgate InstituteAC798D3E-BF5F-4489-9A67-2D5F04734F00Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: Shopping for All - The Development of the Department Store in Edwardian London with Lindy Woodhead. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, 16 June 2009http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcastsWed, 07 Oct 2009 13:22:08 +0100 London, politicsMike Berlin, history lecturer at Birkbeck College, University of London, discusses The Partisan Coffee House. The brainchild of Raphael Samuel, a young radical historian, the Partisan Coffee House was the spiritual home of the New Left. With a menu that included Borscht, Viennese coffee and 'Whitechapel cheesecake', the Partisan Coffee House was an attempt to recreate the culture of a left wing Mitteleuropa café in the centre of trendy Soho. It was known as 'London's first anti-espresso bar'. Closely linked with the radical journal, Universities and Left Review, the intellectual life of the Partisan embraced all the burning political and cultural issues of the day: from Khrushev's secret speech, the Hungarian Uprising and the Suez Invasion to the foundation of CND. In its short existence the Partisan staged debates, film screenings, art exhibitions and music nights which drew in some of the leading intellectuals and artists of the late 1950s including John Berger, Doris Lessing, Lindsey Anderson, and Karel Reisz. This talk, based on a series of interviews with surviving participants, recounts the fascinating story of this short lived but highly influential cultural institution. Mike Berlin teaches history at Birkbeck College, University of London. His specialism is the social history of London. This talk took place at Bishopsgate Institute on 11 June 2009.Bishopsgate InstituteA152AF3E-8838-4682-B7ED-CA1849115248Bishopsgate InstituteBishopsgate Institute Podcast: The Partisan Coffee House with Mike Berlin. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, 11 June 2009http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcastsFri, 11 Sep 2009 14:00:19 +0100 Bishopsgate Institute London, Hackney, Iain Sinclair, history Steven Berkoff discusses his memories of growing up in East London with Dr Michelle Johansen. This talk took place at Bishopsgate Institute on 26 March 2009. 1BD392BF-80DA-4AC3-9E3B-C88A3417C67E Bishopsgate Institute Bishopsgate Institute Podcast: Steven Berkoff in converation with Dr Michelle Johansen. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, 7 May 2009 http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcasts Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:10:47 +0100 history, London, Bishopsgate, Steven Berkoff Sheila Rowbotham, Rachel Lichtenstein, Patrick Wright and Michael Rosen join author Iain Sinclair to discuss his latest book, Hackney, That Rose-Red Empire, and a London borough that has been persistently revived, reinvented and betrayed. This event took place at Bishopsgate Institute on 7 May 2009 and was organised in partnership with Newham Bookshop. Bishopsgate Institute 28FAFF1B-FA8A-407A-A646-8A62791F00C3 Bishopsgate Institute Bishopsgate Institute Podcast: Hackney, That Rose-Red Empire with Iain Sinclair, Michael Rosen, Sheila Rowbotham, Rachel Lichtenstein and Patrick Wright. Recorded live at Bishopsgate Institute, 26 March 2009 http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/podcasts Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:09:09 +0100