London Revisited

About London Revisited

From its beginnings as a backwater of the Roman Empire to its heyday at the heart of the British Empire and up to the eve of the Great War, Rosemary Hill charts London’s history through waves of expansion and contraction with the help of historians, antiquaries and archaeologists. London's past is everywhere beneath its streets, in the geology and archeology of its deep and ancient history, and in its mythic lives, in William Blake's Albion and Cobbett's 'Great Wen', the home of Dick Whittington and King Lud. This will be the London described by Tacitus, Shakespeare and Virginia Woolf, a city shaped by Boudicca, Christopher Wren and Joseph Bazalgette, and a story of countless disasters, recoveries and triumphs unfolding over more than 2,000 years. Rosemary Hill is a writer, historian and contributor to the London Review of Books. Her books include ‘God's Architect', 'Stonehenge' and ‘Time’s Witness: History in the Age of Romanticism’. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up: Apple Podcasts: https://lrb.me/applesignuplr Other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/scsignuplr Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk What is Close Readings? Close Readings is a multi-series podcast from the London Review of Books that covers different periods and themes of literature, history and philosophy. Each year there are several series running simultaneously, with a new episode appearing every week. Subscribe to Close Readings for access to all past and current series (see links above).

Publisher

London Review of Books

Category

education · history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Jan 2026

Latest episode

8 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

2 of 11 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   8 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Monster

   Rosemary Hill interviews Professor Markman Ellis about 18th-century London's dual nature as a brutal city of consumption and a hub of cultural innovation.

2. 

   7 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Coffee, Satire and Bubbles

   Host Rosemary joins Professor Markman Ellis to explore 1690s London coffee houses, their role in finance and print culture, and the literature of politeness.

3. 

   10 Aug 2026

   Pepys, Plague and Fire

   Host Rosemary Stott interviews emerita professor Vanessa Harding about London's dramatic transformation through plague, fire, and rebuilding, exploring Pepys's insights and Wren's vision.

4. 

   6 Aug 2026

   The Road to Civil War

   Host Rosemary and historian Vanessa Harding explore how James I's reign and Charles I's rule led London to become a Parliamentarian stronghold during the Civil War.

5. 

   18 Jun 2026

   Shakespeare’s City

   Host Rosemary Ashton and historian Vanessa Harding explore Elizabethan London's cultural revolution and imperial beginnings in this interview.

6. 

   18 May 2026

   The Protestant Capital

   Rosemary Stott interviews Vanessa Harding, emerita professor of London history, exploring London's transformation into a Protestant capital under the Tudors.

7. 

   20 Apr 2026

   Plague, Rebellion and Guilds

   Rosemary and Professor Matthew Davies explore how medieval London navigated plague, rebellion, and the rise of powerful guilds.

8. 

   23 Mar 2026

   The Medieval Capital

   Rosemary interviews Professor Matthew Davies, tracing London's transformation from Roman ruins to a thriving medieval capital through invasions and power struggles.

9. 

   23 Feb 2026

   Mosaics, Archers and a Walled Garden

   Rosemary Hill and Dominic Perring, author of London in the Roman World, explore Roman London's decline through artifacts like a spell and a bronze archer, revealing the city's transformation.

10. 

    26 Jan 2026

    Roman Beginnings

    Rosemary Hill and archaeologist Dominic Perring explore the tumultuous first century of Roman Londinium, from its founding to its destruction and rebuilding.

11. 

    1 Jan 2026

    Introducing ‘London Revisited’

    Historian Rosemary Hill explores London's rich history from Roman times to the eve of World War I, revealing the city's enduring transformations and myths.

Inside a recent episode

The Monster

Published 8 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And when you've got six of those in a row, you've created quite an extensive narrative. And of course, you don't need to be able to read to understand that narrative. No, and it starts off, of course, as a satire on the Pilgrim's Progress, which is also an allegory. So the progresses are And Hogarth didn't start doing this until he had been very influential in getting the engraving Copyright Act through Parliament, which meant that it was a commercially viable thing to do. But also, and yes, in print shops, these things were in the window. So even if you couldn't afford to buy them, you could look at them. […]

Who has been a guest on London Revisited

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Markman Ellis
• Vanessa Harding
• Matthew Davies
• Dominic Perring

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

4.0 / 5

4 ratings

Contact London Revisited

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Shows with a similar audience

• 

  Close Readings

• 

  The LRB Podcast

• 

  London Review Bookshop Podcast

• 

  The TLS Podcast

• 

  Past Present Future

• 

  Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

Questions about London Revisited