Britain’s first black mayor was elected as far back as 1913. This is a newspaper report of John Archer’s elevation to the office of mayor of Battersea. Continue reading Britain’s first black mayor – 1913
Tag Archives: london
Charlotte Bronte visits the Great Exhibition – 1851
Charlotte Bronte was one of millions who visited the Great Exhibition in the “Crystal Palace” at Hyde Park in 1851. This is her eyewitness account.
Continue reading Charlotte Bronte visits the Great Exhibition – 1851
Karl Marx on a London pub crawl – 1850s
Karl Marx appears an imposing and rather serious figure in his photographs. But that was not the full story as this eyewitness account of Marx on a London pub crawl reveals. Continue reading Karl Marx on a London pub crawl – 1850s
Police foil a Chartist rising – 1848
After all other avenues for reform had failed, some Chartists turned to armed uprising. But the Orange Tree conspiracy of 1848 ended badly, as this newspaper account of the arrest of the leaders shows. Continue reading Police foil a Chartist rising – 1848
Smog in Victorian London – 1839
London smogs became famous in the 19th and 20th centuries. This is an eyewitness account by Flora Tristan, a Frenchwoman who visited the capital in 1839. Continue reading Smog in Victorian London – 1839