Adventures Online: London, the Story of a City

1:00 p.m. Welcome. With our Instructor Ruth Polling, we will review the program schedule and answer any questions you have. We’ll also have a brief review of Zoom protocols. 1:15 p.m. Lecture (60 minutes). Ruth Polling will chart the development of London from a port on the fringes of the Roman Empire, through its rapid 19th century expansion to today’s cultural and financial center. Ruth will navigate the geography of the city to set the scene for our story. 2:15 p.m. Break (15 minutes). 2:30 p.m. Introductions (30 minutes). We will greet one another and hear what brings each of us “virtually” to London. 3:00 p.m. Virtual field trip (45 minutes). With Ruth Polling, we’ll take a virtual walk through London’s Roman, Saxon, and medieval remains. On the surface, the City of London is a 21st century financial center. We will encounter the 2,000 years of history hidden among the modern skyscrapers. Among the highlights, we will learn the story of the Roman Temple of Mithras, lost for 1,600 years before its rediscovery on a bombsite in 1954; the Saxon church of All Hallows; and the most powerful symbol of medieval kingship, the Tower of London. 3:45 p.m. Wrap-up (15 minutes). We will have an opportunity to ask any remaining questions and plan for tomorrow. 4:00 p.m. Today’s online session will end.

1:00 p.m. Virtual field trip (70 minutes). We will set out on a virtual field trip to understand the impact of the Reformation on London. King Henry VIII’s desire for a divorce plunged London into 30 years of turmoil: changing the religious, social, political, and economic life of the city forever. From violent religious debates outside St. Paul’s Cathedral, to Smithfield where Protestants were burnt at the stake for their faith, to a Tudor mansion in a former monastery, we will explore places at the very center of England’s religious transformation. 2:10 p.m. Lecture (20 minutes). The Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed 52 major halls, 87 churches, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and 13,200 dwellings, leaving around 100,000 Londoners homeless. Ruth will trace the course of the four days in September that destroyed London. 2:30 p.m. Break (15 minutes). 2:45 p.m. Lecture (30 minutes). Antony Robbins — broadcaster, former Communications Director at the Museum of London, and our guest lecturer — will discuss the impact of the Great Fire of London. What lessons were learned? How did the capital rebuild? And why is this 17th century event so deeply burnished into the consciousness of Londoners to this very day? Antony will present his unique perspective on this tumultuous event that occurred during an already turbulent period in British history. 3:15 p.m. Interactive discussion with Q&A (30 minutes). Antony will engage in a discussion focusing on the long-term impact of the Great Fire, how it shaped the city, and its enduring folklore legacy. 3:45 p.m. Wrap-up (15 minutes). We will have an opportunity to ask any remaining questions and plan for tomorrow. 4:00 p.m. Today’s online session will end.

1:00 p.m. Lecture (30 minutes). London has always been a port city but in the 18th century, the volume of trade through the port exploded. Between 1700 and 1770, the commerce of the Port was nearly doubled and from 1770 to 1795, it doubled again. Ruth will explain how London became the center of world trade and the impact this had on the London and the rest of the world. 1:30 p.m. Virtual field trip on video (30 minutes). Our exploration will take us along the river at the heart of London’s story: the River Thames. We will set off from the borough of Westminster — the center of “royal” London and home of Westminster Abbey, and the Palace of Westminster where Parliament sits. Heading past the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, we will reach London’s docklands and learn the story of how the river made London the largest port in the world. 2:00 p.m. Break (15 minutes). 2:15 p.m. Lecture (60 minutes). Victorian London was the wealthiest city on earth, yet many of its people lived in terrible poverty. Ruth will examine the “other” London of the 19th century: one of misery, slums, and child labor. We will hear how the work of figures as diverse as Charles Dickens and Florence Nightingale shone a spotlight on these social problems and provided a catalyst for change. 3:15 p.m. Interactive discussion with Q&A (30 minutes). We will focus on London’s rapid 19th century growth and the impact on both rich and poor Londoners. 3:45 p.m. Wrap-up (15 minutes). We will have an opportunity to ask any remaining questions and plan for tomorrow. 4:00 p.m. Today’s online session will end.

1:00 p.m. Virtual field trip (45 minutes). As we “walk” through Kensington, we will discover how the wealth and confidence of London in the 19th century turned it into a major cultural capital. Making our way from Kensington Palace via the Royal Albert Hall, Imperial College, and the Natural History Museum, we will get an up-close look at the amazing institutions and beautiful buildings of Victorian London. 1:45 p.m. Lecture (30 minutes). With guest lecturer Anna Warrillow, former Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum, we will learn about the V&A. Anna will address the foundation of the Museum, what it tells us about Victorian attitudes to culture and education, and the artists who contributed to this magnificent building. 2:15 p.m. Interactive discussion with Q&A (30 minutes). Anna will stay with us for a discussion focusing on the Victorians and their contributions to making London a cultural and educational capital. 2:45 p.m. Break (15 minutes). 3:00 p.m. Virtual field trip (45 minutes). On this virtual “walk” we will explore the streets of Westminster to learn about London during the Second World War. We will go from the center of decision-making at the Churchill War Rooms to discover the role of the Royal family and the experiences of ordinary Londoners during the Blitz. We will see that reminders of World War II are still visible today. 3:45 p.m. Wrap-up (15 minutes). Ruth will introduce the 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony we will view independently this evening and explain the schedule for our final day. 4:00 p.m. Today’s online session will end.

The Complete London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony is available free for independent viewing this evening. Go to this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4As0e4de-rI

1:00 p.m. Interactive discussion with Q&A (30 minutes). We will focus on the 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony and the image of modern London it projected to the world. How accurate was it? What was included and what was missing from the story of London it presented? 1:30 p.m. Virtual field trip (60 minutes). We will head out to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford East London to see how the area has developed since 2012. The Olympic Games provided an opportunity to re-develop one of the poorest areas of London with new housing, transport, community, cultural, and sporting facilities all set within the beautifully landscaped Olympic Park. We’ll learn how the Victoria and Albert Museum, University College London, and Sadler’s Wells Theatre are opening up new sites in the Park to create London’s newest cultural district. 2:30 p.m. Break (15 minutes). 2:45 p.m. Lecture (45 minutes). Immigrants have been settling in London for centuries. Today, more than a third of Londoners were born outside the UK, making this one of the most ethnically diverse cities on earth. Ruth will examine the history of immigration and the contributions immigrants have made to London from French Huguenots in the 16th century to east London’s Bangladeshi community today. 3:30 p.m. Wrap-up (30 minutes). Ruth will conduct our final session as we enjoy the libations of our choice and say our farewells. 4:00 p.m. This concludes our program.