Pre-sessional Lecture 18th June 2019

Granted spe­cial ac­cess to the se­cret work­ings of the Tube, and with the aid of the Lon­don Un­der­ground staff who know it best, en­gi­neer Rob Bell dis­cov­ers the fas­ci­nat­ing hid­den his­tory of how Lon­don’s iconic metro was built.

Granted special access to the secret workings of the Tube, and with the aid of the London Underground staff who know it best, engineer Rob Bell discovers the fascinating hidden history of how London’s iconic metro was built.

Rob Bell unearths the history of the Central Line.

Rob Bell discovers the history of the Metropolitan Line.

How the Piccadilly Line changed transport as we know it.

This series will chart the origins of London and its meteoric rise to power and take viewers through the frequently glorious and always compelling history of the British capital. The series examines how it grew from a small Roman trading post, to the capital of the British Empire, and ultimately to the thriving megacity we know today, despite facing dramatic invasions, fires and deadly plague.

Historians Dan Jones and Dr Suzannah Lipscomb and engineer Rob Bell explore how London faced daring invasions, catastrophic fires and deadly plague. Also, how it grew from a small Roman trading post, to the capital of the British Empire, and ultimately to the thriving megacity we know today.

Suzannah discovers what evidence Westminster Abbey holds about the contest between the Crown and the City, while Dan fills in the holes left by the nursery rhyme as he reveals the little-known true story of the businessman-cum-mayor Dick Whittington, who went on to control the fortunes of kings.

Dan Jones, Suzannah Lipscomb and Rob Bell examine the Great Fire of London, which swept through the city in September 1666, and the rebuilding process that took place in the years afterwards, accelerated by the Industrial Revolution.

The programme examines the impact of both World wars and a Spanish flu pandemic on the city, as well as the marketing campaign that tempted millions to relocate to London's vast suburbia.