Mares and Jen have enjoyed playing a game of luck called “Underground Roulette.” The game is easy to play. Just select a tube stop at random, keep a curious mind, and hit the streets! It’s an engaging way to get a sense of place and all that the city offers. But, what if we could add the dimension of time, seeing not only the neighborhood as it is,…

Wildlife on the Tube: it’s not just on the Northern Line at night. It’s everywhere. Throughout the Underground, flora and fauna show up intentionally - and unintentionally - in the most surprising places. In this episode, we will: explore the gardens maintained voluntarily by TfL employees discuss the history of the London Underground In Bloom comp…

“Is it worth anything to you, guv’nor?” It’s boots on the street in city centre as we pinball through time … from the 1600s, to 1912, to current day. We’ll think and wonder about how unknown treasures might exist even in the heart of an urban area. Along the way we’ll … park ourselves in Cheapside, and learn of its history, shine a light on the wor…

Providing up to 5 million passenger journeys a day, the London Underground is integral to the city's infrastructure. It's impossible to imagine how the city would function without it. But why would something built for purpose become a source of admiration and entertainment? A Transport for London style guide provides powerful evidence: "Every Under…

At Yesterday’s London Times, we are all about inquiry, questions and stories, particularly stories that are new to us or that we just want to know on a deeper level. We seek out people, places, and facets of history that are lesser known, quirkier, or even downright strange. We also like to shine a spotlight on those who really do - or have done - …

A little romance? What began as a fluff piece about an eccentric romance novelist turned into a snapshot of a century through the eyes of someone who lived it to the fullest. Meet Barbara Cartland: extravagant, exaggerated, and … pink. As author of 723 books, she remains the most prolific romance novelist of all time. If you’ve ever seen her, you w…

Bears. Cute. Cuddly. But when we looked at them through the long lens of London history, it got complicated pretty quickly. Join us as we take the ursine plunge, and think about…. the bears that roamed Britain 7000 years ago the Tower menagerie, blood sports such a bearbaiting, especially popular during the Elizabethan period, the invention of the …

It's a Yesterday's London Times tradition - the Boxing Day episode! Relax along with us as we look back at some of the people and places we met on the podcast this year. Half of our episodes sent us time traveling throughout the Sixties in different centuries of British history, and the other episodes were our regular mix of quirky yet thoughtful t…

WELCOME TO OUR 50th EPISODE! In the final stop of our ‘60s YLT Time Machine, we touch down in the 1560’s just in time for a Tudor Christmas. In a deeply divided nation in which religion is politicized, we’ll see how the young Queen Elizabeth finds her own path. The Tudor Christmas was a respite from work and from unrelenting poverty. It was a time …

In our 2021 episode, “Here is Vogue, In Spite of it All!”, we explored how the British edition of the iconic fashion magazine evolved into an outlet for groundbreakingVogue wartime journalism. As we studied the reasons behind that seemingly unlikely transformation, we met some strong, creative, and intellectually brilliant women, among them the com…

It’s getting all wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey at YLT as we celebrate a huge milestone in British culture: the 60th anniversary of the iconic Doctor Who! In this episode, we : look at the unlikely-for-the-time trio who launched Doctor Who back in 1963 discuss the basic premise of the show examine its importance as a British cultural phenomenon reflect…

Let's do the Time Warp... it's the Rocky Horror episode! Though many people have seen the cult classic film, few people know about its origins in a 63 seat London theatre. In this episode, we : delve into the creative team and cast responsible for its deviant mayhem, sharing their back stories and how they all converged in time and place in early '…

Hop in the YLT time machine, we are on the move once again, but brace yourself: 1666 awaits. How do everyday people survive constant war, devastating plague, and raging destruction all within the span of a very short window of time? In this episode, we examine the perseverance of Medieval Londoners, and explore many themes of life in the 17th centu…

In this 60’s time travel event, we explore deep! We’re in the 1060s, further, in history than we’ve ever gone on YLT. How can a simple craft help us to think about a complex, political and military event? We examine the Norman conquest, the battle of Hastings, through the Bayeux tapestry. You’ll meet the major players and dig deeper to discover som…

We’re back to the Sixties again; this time, the 1360s! Before commercial travel, a pilgrimage provided tourism with a spiritual twist. A veneration vacation, so to speak. Today, people travel for spiritual reasons to Mecca, the Ganges. Jerusalem, Israel, Mount Fuji, El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, and other destinations. The medieval pilgrimag…

Are you ready for a break? Do you just need to get away? YLT understands, so let’s escape for a bit and go on holiday together! In this episode, we will: - examine the history of leisure in Britain and the evolution of paid leave from work - consider how public transportation increased mobility and accessibility to the seaside from Victorian era on…

To celebrate London Pride 1st July, we share a tour through queer London history, anchoring at Gay’s the Word, a Bloomsbury book shop that has played a pivotal role in queer life and history. We’ll think about… the systems that have oppressed, how oppression can stoke the spirit of activism, unusual alliances in times of struggle, how a bookstore c…

It’s that time of the year in certain places around the world. The ending of a school year sometimes comes with yearbooks, collections of formal and informal photos that capture memories. Often, yearbooks have awards. Who will be Most Likely to Succeed? Who’s the Most Athletic? Who will be dubbed Class Clown? In this episode, Jen and Mares each nom…

We're mere days away from the coronation of King Charles III, and it seems like a good time to explore the fact and legend of British coronations. We'll think about: * this unusual ritual that it is both a state occasion of the transfer of title and a religious rite, * what the ritual says about Britain and also about the incoming monarch, * some e…

The YLT time machine is cranked up and running and has once again dropped Jen and Mares in the 1960s, this time to examine two women deemed notorious by the media of the age: Margaret of Argyll and Shirley Pitts. One is remembered as an oversexed duchess and the other as a relentless thief, but upon deeper examination their lives are much more nuan…

This episode begins in the 1660s, when a puppeteer named Signor Bologna performs with marionettes in Covent Garden. The star of the show is the Italian commedia dell’arte character, Pulcinella. British will audiences take to him and make him their own, as Pulcinella morphs into the iconic Punch. We’ll look at: The history of this character, How his…

This episode takes us to the Spitalfields neighborhood of London. He will explore a most unusual house nearly 300 years old. Will think about… a young 18-year-old who shows up in London in the Swinging 60s and eccentric young man who dreamed big and made his dreams come true how a place marks person, and how people mark the places they call home Wh…

Kim Philby is often mentioned as the ringleader of the Cambridge Spy Ring, but an overwhelming amount of evidence points to the flamboyant and outlandish Guy Burgess as the most prolific and proficient of the group. What makes Burgess stand out, both personally and professionally? In this episode, we'll: Explore the what motivated Burgess to turn o…

Can a city be a muse? What about London inspires writers of detective mysteries? In this episode, we'll: delve into the Golden Age of the Detective Novel in interwar London. meet some of the top authors of the era in a secretive, ritualistic organization they founded. Enter the Detection Club. follow Agatha Christie's footsteps through London, wher…

In our last episode we questioned how, in a few short years, London transformed itself from a battered, austere, post-war city to the vibrant, swinging “Capital of Cool.” So, here we are, in 1960s London, and we’ll meet scene-makers and movers and shakers, fashion designer Mary Quant and hair stylist Vidal Sassoon. Jump in your Mini, and join us as…

London. The 1960s. The “Capital of Cool”. London was indeed swinging. But how? Why? Join us, as we inquire and explore: - how London emerged from war torn chaos, soot, deadly fog, and rations into a vibrant and vivacious style epicenter by the mid 1960s - the trends that dominated the era - how the baby boom and subsequent youth culture movement ro…

It’s one of our favorite days of the year - Boxing Day! Shake a cocktail, snuggle in, and join us as we look back as a community on 2022, and make some announcements about where we are headed as a podcast in 2023. In this episode, we will: - share some fantastically festive cocktail recipes - present our annual awards to the podcast friends we lear…

Seriously? An episode about... fog? The fog has become synonymous with the city, much like one of its characters; and a provocateur at that. But we're not talking about silvery, wispy, Dumbledore-type fog. The fog that permeated winters between the Victorian era and the 1950s was sulfuric, gamboge colored, gritty, and reeking of rotten eggs. In thi…

Our Victorian story arc is coming to a close, but not before we explore one of the most important topics of era: the lives of Black Victorians. The Victorians prided themselves on what they considered to be very socially progressive views. After the abolition of the slave trade at the end of the Georgian Era, an overwhelming number of Victorians jo…

As the leaves continue to crisp and the air becomes even brisker, our study of the Victorians takes another somewhat unsettling turn as we explore their obsession with spiritualism, superstition, and the supernatural. As industry, technology, and communication evolve exponentially, countless Victorians are searching for comfort and explanations; ma…

Some stories just feel like OCTOBER stories. We know that Victorian Londoners enjoy a good craze. But what will they make of a social panic? Today our story begins in 1837, the first year of the Victorian era. In this episode, someone - or something - is assaulting Londoners; springing out at them. Was it a ghost? A devil? Maybe bear, bull, or babo…

Wow, what a year it’s been! It’s our first podcast anniversary, and we are so grateful for YOU, our YLT community! In this episode, we will take a moment to remember our past, reflect on our present and dream about the future. Specifically, we will: * share our origin story, and talk about the fun and challenges we encountered along the way as we l…

Cheers! Did you know that cocktails as we know them today have their origins in the Victorian Era? It’s true! But the Victorian relationship with alcohol is complicated - it’s a lot more than just booze; it is also an examination of class, equality, opportunity, and values. In this episode, we will explore: what motivated the middle class temperanc…

The Great Exhibition of 1851, the brainchild of Prince Albert and Henry Cole, had the loftiest of goals: the unity of humanity moving forward together via a merge of science, technology, and the arts. We’ll think about… Prince Albert’s unexpected progressive views How to design an event as massive as the Exhibition with no guidebook from which to w…

In this episode, we remain in Victorian London and will examine the events of the summer of 1858, the moment in time that serves as the bridge from medieval to modern London. We will explore: how The Big Stink served as an impetus for change in regards to water quality the contributions of Sir Joseph Bazalgette and his gift to public health: modern…

This is a companion episode to last week’s Exotica Mania. In that episode, we considered the Victorian plant frenzy, especially for exotic plants from faraway lands. But how did the plants come to Britain? Enter the PLANT HUNTERS. The Indiana Joneses, and sometimes the Jack Sparrows, of their day. Plant hunters were sent off to explore in every dir…

How can something as mundane a plant tell us about a culture? We may start talking about plants, but soon we will be in mired in a reaction to the Industrial Revolution, colonialism, imperialism, exoticism, Darwinism, social order and class, surreptitious societal coding, a rising middle class, the concept of leisure time, and a culture caught up i…

In this episode, we will explore the emerging concept of mega cities and Victorian London’s biggest epidemiological catastrophe: cholera. We will learn: what it was like to suffer from cholera in Victorian London who was affected most by the pandemic and why about some of the heroes of the era and their contributions to science and humanity We will…

In this episode, we look behind the romanticized glow-up of the iconic Victorian child chimney sweep. We'll wonder: what can we learn about a culture by examining a mundane occupation? what were the structures that put this practice in place? what would a typical day in the life of a young sweep be like? And most importantly: how can a bad practice…

With this episode, we kick off a new story arc about Victorian London, an era as fascinating as it is repulsive. And it's with that push-pull blend that we approach this episode. We'll take a bird's eye view; well, a pigeon's eye view as an introduction to the time and place. Our friends, Zelli and Holly, help us by playing a game of Would You Rath…

In a departure from our regular show, we decide to test your knowledge of trivia on the life of the current monarch. The Liz Quiz? The Queen Quiz? You decide. Then, we'll look at the officially sanctioned Jubilee celebration plans as well as some unofficial and downright off-the-wall ways to celebrate. Photos and links can be found at our show note…

Persistence: Takin’ It to the Streets (Protein Man) And Underground (Charles Pearson) This episode has two stories on the theme of persistence. When is persistence helpful and when is it just annoying? When is persistence visionary and when is it obsession? Meet Stanley Green, who most people know as Protein Man, spent 23 years walking up and down …

In the previous episode in the series, Lilibet: a Queen's Beginnings, we met the young Princess Elizabeth and her early influencers. We left her on the edge of adolescence, which is where this story picks up. In 1939, Lilibet will turn thirteen and her country will enter World War II. These circumstances provide Lilibet with an extraordinary opport…

How was British classism was responsible for greatest leak ever known in British intelligence?What is the legacy of that treachery? In this episode, the final in a three-part arc exploring espionage in and around Great Britain, we meet the infamous Kim Philby, the British national and MI6 agent who spied for Moscow for decades while under the emplo…

What makes a Londoner, a Londoner? What constitutes identity? These are two of the many essential questions that we continue to explore in this harrowing conclusion to our story about Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB colonel turned MI6 agent, the second episode in a three-part arc exploring espionage in and around Great Britain. We’ll question what motivates…

What makes a Londoner, a Londoner? Is it exclusively by birth? Does one achieve the status after residing there a certain number of years? After working there for a period of time? After studying there or completing a course of study? It is hard to define; it is an identity, and it’s problematic to dictate parameters of identity to anyone else, or …

Lilibet: The Beginnings Just in time to celebrate the unprecedented Platinum Jubilee, we look at the very beginnings in the life of Queen Elizabeth II. In this episode, we’ll meet her parents, Prince Bertie and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and how they went about establishing a family uniquely their own. We’ll learn about the people in baby Lilibet’s life …

Ahhhh, Christmas. So many traditions, so many customs. And while we know some of our listeners were able to celebrate as usual, others have been affected by Covid, and have missed their beloved rituals and events. For all of those who are sick or are caring for or missing someone who is ill, we send our love and thoughts of peace and healing. One t…

Just when we thought that there was nothing more to say about Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, we uncover a compelling story-behind-the-story. We'll investigate the story as a moment of catharsis for Dickens, mixing in his past trauma and his adult crisis; also, the fascinations and frustrations of Victorian London that result in the classic. We…

Did you ever read a book and wish that you could direct the action and help a character make a good or interesting choice? The Choose Your Own Adventure books let us experiment with decision making. Depending on your choices, the outcomes could be very different. Join us as we take a whirlwind tour through London history and culture with our friend…