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The London Journal
@thelondonjournal.bsky.social
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A journal embracing all aspects of metropolitan society past & present | Published by Taylor & Francis for London Journal Trust | Articles & Special Issue proposals welcome | thelondonjournal.org
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The London Journal @thelondonjournal.bsky.social · Aug 10
Our latest issue of the journal, 51.2, is now out! Here's what goodies are available inside (or, if you prefer, via the relevant webpage)... 🧵 www.tandfonline.com/toc/yldn20/c...
The London Journal
Volume 51, Issue 2 of The London Journal
www.tandfonline.com
Reposted by The London Journal
aidannorrie.bsky.social
New LJ article!

And to w(h)et your appetite, Caroline has written a blog post on the plans to bring water back to the moat of the Tower of London.

(see what I did there? And who says academics aren't fun?!)

thelondonjournal.org/blog.html#Wi...
September 4, 2026 at 1:51 PM
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
New research article: 'The Tower of London’s Forgotten Architects: Lewis Alexander Hall and the Royal Engineers, 1840–1847', by Caroline Wilhelmson: www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/...
Abstract This article introduces the life and work of Lewis Alexander Hall, who was Commanding Royal Engineer for the London District from 1841 to 1847. Together with his team of engineers and draughtsmen, he oversaw major changes at the Tower of London and led the construction of some of its most iconic buildings—including the Waterloo Barracks, which now house the Jewel House. Yet, Hall is very little known and hardly ever cited in scholarship, despite the deep and tangible impact he had on the Tower’s architectural and military development in the mid-nineteenth century. As with most military men, his role has been overlooked by scholars who have usually focused on the works of architects Anthony Salvin and John Taylor. Meanwhile, Hall’s ingenious solutions and undertakings have typically been credited to the Duke of Wellington, who was then Constable of the Tower. This article thus seeks to address this injustice, showing how Hall’s achievements at the Tower continue to be relevant today.
September 4, 2026 at 11:42 AM
Reposted by The London Journal
rhiggitt.bsky.social
Article and thread on history of London, mapping and digital humanities #dighum 🗃️
Locating London's History and Layers of London were both indispensable for my Metropolitan Science project and histories of the scientific instrument trade
thelondonjournal.bsky.social The London Journal @thelondonjournal.bsky.social · Aug 21
It's time for another 🧵 on one of the articles from our 50th anniversary special issue, 'London's Past Today'.

Today, we come onto the penultimate article of the issue: 'Layering London’s History: Digital Mapping and
Spatial Technologies in Historical Research', by @justincolson.bsky.social.
Layering London’s History: Digital Mapping and Spatial Technologies in Historical Research*
The opening decades of the twenty-first century have seen an explosion of spatial approaches to urban history, which have allowed historians to combine analyses to gain new cultural and experientia...
www.tandfonline.com
August 21, 2026 at 1:14 PM
Reposted by The London Journal
americanstudier.bsky.social
The new school year is almost upon us, but summer isn’t quite done, & neither are the summer #ScholarSunday threads! Here’s my 290th of public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, share widely, & enjoy, all! 🗃️ +
#ScholarSunday Thread 290 (8/23/26) – Black and White and Read All Over
The new school year is almost upon us, but summer isn’t quite done, & neither are the summer #ScholarSunday threads! Here’s my 290th of public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthco...
blackwhiteandread.com
August 23, 2026 at 11:55 AM
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
It's time for another 🧵 on one of the articles from our 50th anniversary special issue, 'London's Past Today'.

Today, we come onto the penultimate article of the issue: 'Layering London’s History: Digital Mapping and
Spatial Technologies in Historical Research', by @justincolson.bsky.social.
Layering London’s History: Digital Mapping and Spatial Technologies in Historical Research*
The opening decades of the twenty-first century have seen an explosion of spatial approaches to urban history, which have allowed historians to combine analyses to gain new cultural and experientia...
www.tandfonline.com
August 21, 2026 at 11:43 AM
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
Call for chapters: Made Municipal: the LCC through its everyday objects.

All reposts much appreciated. x
Made Municipal: the LCC through its everyday objects Background Following on from the Sixty Years on from the London County Council: Legacy, Impact, Learning film screening and conference in spring 2025, we are keen to capture and build on some of the histories and research that were represented, which highlighted the need for further and increasingly diverse scholarship about the London County Council. The Council is often held in a certain degree of reverence regarding the achievements delivered across - and beyond - the boundaries of London from the time of its conception in 1889, and as being emblematic of a type of governance which may no longer be possible in a contemporary context. Since the publication of Andrew Saint’s edited book, Politics and People of London: London County Council, 1889-1965 in 1989, more research has emerged on the LCC, with the increasing availability of unofficial archives and the release of previously closed records revealing more nuanced narratives that have the potential to open up more diverse, representative histories. We appreciate that talking comprehensively about the Council’s broad and interconnected operations is a monumental task, and thus we’re keen to find innovative ways to throw light on the panorama of its work, rather than focus on discrete, dislocated entities. To do so, we were inspired by Professor Andrew Saint, whose unusual contribution to the film screening night at The London Archives was a foot-long bar of LCC-branded soap. This sparked a wide-ranging discussion spanning issues of care, industry, and education in parentis, as undertaken by the LCC, and prompted us to consider that the operation of the LCC could perhaps be best understood through its material culture and its presence in residents’ day-to-day lives. Using a lens of material culture to explore the work of the LCC allows us to break out from the thematic silos which might otherwise be imposed upon its history, crossing between departments and people - whether LCC employees or those that used its services - that will result in some fascinating and revelatory perspectives. We are particularly interested in how this might better contextualise some of the under-represented histories of the Council, to reveal their importance within the wider spectrum of its work. Unlike histories that focus on particular departments or typologies, this enables us to shift towards traversing siloed narratives to provide a richer, more rounded perspective on the LCC, which we feel is more authentic to its operation, whilst also challenging how objects are often documented in museums and archives. Call for chapters Using a material culture approach, the collected volume will present a history of the LCC through a significant physical manifestation of objects that denote its municipal authority across the County of London. Each chapter will start with an image of the everyday LCC object, setting the scene for a more diverse re-telling of its history. It will be edited by the organisers of the Sixty Years on from the London County Council: Legacy, Impact, Learning film screening and conference held in March 2025, Dr Ruth Lang, Dr Dawn Pereira and Dr Rosamund Lily West. We invite 4,000-5,000-word chapters which use an everyday LCC object as a starting point. We encourage a range of methodologies for approaching how the objects will be used as catalysts for storytelling. We are particularly interested in including those covering the early LCC period (1889-1914) and the interwar period, which is often underrepresented in LCC histories. Suggestions of types of objects include: Objects; heraldry, uniforms, school awards, furniture, cutlery Ephemera; pamphlets, tickets, brochures, phonebooks Documents; official publications, maps, memoranda and minutes, We see this approach as offering a more accessible way to delve into complex discussions on topics that may, at first glance, seem less engaging, such as regulation, commissioning, deindustrialisation plans, procurement, etc. We’re also keen to identify controversial objects that open untold/silenced stories and to consider whether there are global implications for the different themes and subjects discussed. This publication would build upon Andrew Saint’s 1989 edited book, Politics and People of London: the London County Council, 1889-1965, which was the last book on the LCC to offer a broad history, so this would be a timely and much-needed re-examination of the LCC and its legacy. The book will be academic and rigorous and will include good-quality images to complement the visual, object-based approach. The aim of this book is to be an academic/trade crossover, with an audience of both specialist academics and an interested public. Please email LCC60yearson@gmail.com with your name, a 50-word bio and a 250-word abstract by 31st October 2026. Please include a clear indication of the object your chapter intends to focus upon (including images and potential sources/locations of the object itself where possible), along with a summary of its purpose and relevance, and the outline of your intended scope of investigation.
August 11, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Reposted by The London Journal
aidannorrie.bsky.social
Such a wide array of London-y goodness… if I do say so myself 😉
thelondonjournal.bsky.social The London Journal @thelondonjournal.bsky.social · Aug 10
Our latest issue of the journal, 51.2, is now out! Here's what goodies are available inside (or, if you prefer, via the relevant webpage)... 🧵 www.tandfonline.com/toc/yldn20/c...
The London Journal
Volume 51, Issue 2 of The London Journal
www.tandfonline.com
August 10, 2026 at 6:15 PM
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
Our latest issue of the journal, 51.2, is now out! Here's what goodies are available inside (or, if you prefer, via the relevant webpage)... 🧵 www.tandfonline.com/toc/yldn20/c...
The London Journal
Volume 51, Issue 2 of The London Journal
www.tandfonline.com
August 10, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Reposted by The London Journal
beckyguest.bsky.social
A fittingly glorious day and apt location to meet up with @thelondonjournal.bsky.social at @tandfresearch.bsky.social London offices today ☀️ The team are thoughtful, thorough and timely so if you have relevant research, or a book or exhibit you’d like reviewed, this is your journal!
July 27, 2026 at 6:03 PM
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
Time for another 🧵about one of the articles from our 50th anniversary special issue, 'London's Past Today'. This week we'll be taking a deeper dive into 'Modalities of London’s Past in Film and Television', by Charlotte Brunsdon.
Modalities of London’s Past in Film and Television
London is an old city, a pre-cinematic city, and its oldness, and particularly its Victorian-ness, has formed a persistent strand in its cinematic and televisual embodiments. There are some long hi...
www.tandfonline.com
July 23, 2026 at 2:12 PM
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
New research article: 'Intertextuality, Intermediality, and Intervention: Re-Negotiating Early Literary Depictions of London’s Chinese Community Through The Murder of Mr Ma (2024)', by Calvin Goh: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Abstract This article examines how intertextual and intermedial approaches facilitate revisionary practices in the representation of Chinese people living in London. I argue that the protagonists in John Shen Yen Nee and S. J. Rozan’s novel The Murder of Mr Ma (2024) grant the Chinese community a (semi-)representative voice that challenges earlier depictions of Chinese characters in literary fiction. My interest in the topic is inspired by how Chinese diaspora groups are represented in literature and what their treatment and experience may reflect of the cities in which they reside. I argue that the novel’s representations of the Chinese community subvert offensive stereotypes by highlighting the reality and impact of structural racism.
July 23, 2026 at 11:08 AM
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
New exhibition review, by @shoebob.bsky.social, of @thelondonarchives.bsky.social's 'Londoners on Trial: Crime, Courts and the Public, 1244–1924' exhibition.
Londoners on Trial: Crime, Courts and the Public, 1244–1924
Published in The London Journal: A Review of Metropolitan Society Past and Present (Ahead of Print, 2026)
www.tandfonline.com
July 17, 2026 at 3:54 PM
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
New exhibition review: Lawrence Jackson on 'Underground (and Surface)', a collaboration between artist Jock McFadyen and musician Jem Finer, at London’s Guildhall Art Gallery.
Underground (and Surface)
Published in The London Journal: A Review of Metropolitan Society Past and Present (Ahead of Print, 2026)
www.tandfonline.com
July 13, 2026 at 2:12 PM
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
Time for another 🧵 about one of the articles from our 50th anniversary special issue, 'London's Past Today'. Today's will focus on the article, 'Displaying London’s Past to Contemporary Visitors', by Clare Tonks.
Displaying London’s Past to Contemporary Visitors
This article contributes to our understanding of the development of curatorial practices from the nineteenth century to the present day through the analysis of museum collections that were displaye...
www.tandfonline.com
July 2, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Reposted by The London Journal
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
It's time for another 🧵 on one of the articles that made up our 50th anniversary special, 'London's Past Today'. This time, it is the turn of 'ReOrientalism: Representing London’s Muslim History Through its Adapted Mosques', by Nur Sobers-Khan & Shahed Saleem.
ReOrientalism: Representing London’s Muslim History Through its Adapted Mosques
‘Three British Mosques’ was co-curated by Shahed Saleem, Christopher Turner, and Ella Kilgallon and exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Pavilion of Applied Arts at the Venice Biennale 202...
doi.org
June 18, 2026 at 4:14 PM
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
It's time for another 🧵 on one of the articles that made up our 50th anniversary special, 'London's Past Today'. This time, it is the turn of 'ReOrientalism: Representing London’s Muslim History Through its Adapted Mosques', by Nur Sobers-Khan & Shahed Saleem.
ReOrientalism: Representing London’s Muslim History Through its Adapted Mosques
‘Three British Mosques’ was co-curated by Shahed Saleem, Christopher Turner, and Ella Kilgallon and exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Pavilion of Applied Arts at the Venice Biennale 202...
doi.org
June 18, 2026 at 4:14 PM
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
New blog post by Ian Stone: 'With Due Acknowledgement: From Bermondsey’s Tanneries to The London Journal', reflecting on his research on the Leathersellers’ College in Bermondsey and its archival presence, and its place in his wider research and teaching: thelondonjournal.org/blog.html#St....
THE LONDON JOURNAL headmast Home  |  Submissions  |  Subscriptions & Permissions Editorial Board  |  The London Journal Trust  |  Prizes  |  Blog The London Journal Blog In these posts, our authors explore topics related to their published articles, including methodological or theoretical issues, matters of contemporary relevance, and questions raised by their research that need further investigation. We hope that reading these short pieces will enhance your understanding of the linked published articles and encourage new research on London. With Due Acknowledgement: From Bermondsey’s Tanneries to The London Journal By Ian Stone  |  Posted 15 June 2026 The acknowledgements of an academic article are a funny thing. They are probably passed over by most readers, whereas they might be the first—and indeed only—part of the article to attract the attention of others eagerly seeking evidence that their contribution to the published endeavour has been rightfully recognised. As a historian, I have always enjoyed reading the acknowledgements because they tell a story, albeit truncated, of how history came to be written. I thought I would expand upon the acknowledgements in my recent article on Leathersellers’ College in Bermondsey to set out the fuller story of how this article went from genesis to publication.
June 15, 2026 at 3:55 PM
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
New post on our blog from Stephen Ridgwell: ‘Fugitive Material: The Case of the Nineteenth-Century Playbill’: thelondonjournal.org/blog.html#Ri...
A playbill sticker at work. John Orlando Parry, London Street Scene (1836). Wikimedia Commons.
June 1, 2026 at 4:28 PM
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
New research article: 'Villadom, Burglary, and the Criminal Suburbanscape of London in the 1880s and 1890s', by Shu-chuan Yang: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Abstract By addressing a specific intersection of suburban villadom and home security, this article interrogates how the offence of burglary carried deep implications for understanding the evolving concept of London’s criminal suburbanscape in the 1880s and 1890s. It argues that the popular representations of burglary in London-based periodicals not only reflect the social realities of criminality but also the history of crime and policing, weaving together the lived experience of London’s suburbanites. The expansion of villa suburbs typically carries connotations of fear and anxiety to involve thinking about the creation and dissemination of ‘the gentle art of burgling’, the growth of the private security industry, and the shifting significance of policing and crime prevention alongside the verbal and nonverbal representations of crime and criminals. At the heart of the article, therefore, are press depictions of how suburban burglary becomes an indicator for shaping visions of real-life exploits of criminals in the context of the New Journalism.
May 28, 2026 at 2:45 PM
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
New research article: 'The Leathersellers’ College, Bermondsey: A National Centre for Technical Education in Leather Manufacturing', by Ian W. Stone: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Abstract The Worshipful Company of Leathersellers worked with educational establishments, charities, and institutions of local government at the end of the nineteenth century to provide instruction in leather manufacturing in Bermondsey. Subsequently, firms (through their trade federations) and central government came to play a greater, even a dominant, role in supporting that education, although both its form and purpose were always contested. As manufacturing in Britain began to decline, and as government policy changed in the 1960s to support an expansion of further and higher education through broader institutions—colleges of technology, polytechnics, and universities—there was little place for specialist colleges like the Leathersellers’, and it eventually closed in 1978. Its history, then, affords us a valuable case study of the vicissitudes of vocational education in Britain and London.
May 28, 2026 at 2:42 PM
Reposted by The London Journal
jackhanlon.bsky.social
www.thelondonjournal.org/blog.html#Ha...

A new piece up on the @thelondonjournal.bsky.social blog including some unpublished bits from my PhD; a few of my photos; and some reflections on Smithfield's long life/slow death prompted by Justinien Tribillon's @vittles.bsky.social article about Rungis
May 19, 2026 at 7:16 AM
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
New post for our new blog! 'Smithfield is Dead, Long Live Smithfield' by @jackhanlon.bsky.social, in which he reflects both on his historical research on Smithfield Market, and the market's uncertain future.

All reads and reposts much appreciated.
Blog | The London Journal
www.thelondonjournal.org
May 18, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Reposted by The London Journal
tomsojka.bsky.social
Happy to report I’ve joined the Editorial Board of @thelondonjournal.bsky.social and will be serving as the Book Reviews Editor (post-1800), so please reach out with pitches!
April 23, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Reposted by The London Journal
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
Time for another 🧵 about one of the articles from our landmark 50th anniversary special issue, 'London's Past Today'. On this occasion, we're taking a deeper dive into @helenjuliapaul.bsky.social's 'The Grit in the Oyster: Deptford, Enslavement, and the Challenges of Memorialisation' (available OA).
The Grit in the Oyster: Deptford, Enslavement, and the Challenges of Memorialisation
London was the first slaving port in Britain, although it was subsequently overshadowed by Bristol and Liverpool. It still lags behind the western ports in its attempts to memorialise Britain’s rol...
www.tandfonline.com
April 9, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Reposted by The London Journal
thelondonjournal.bsky.social
Our first new issue of 2026 has been published! A 🧵 on its contents...
The London Journal
Volume 51, Issue 1 of The London Journal
www.tandfonline.com
March 27, 2026 at 12:52 PM