We have links to all our projects here for you to browse, and have included a subject filter above in case there are areas of particular interest to you. By following the links you can read more about each project, watch films, listen to podcasts and full unedited interviews.
We hope you enjoy working your way through these. If they inspire you and you have a subject you think should be explored, please do get in touch.
Take a modernist piece architecture and a London borough’s commitment to its’ libraries and you get an iconic landmark. This project tells the story of 60 years of Swiss Cottage Library from the perspective of librarians, library users, an architect and a historian. It's so much more than books!
More info here.
Explore 100 years of the highs and lows of Katherine Lowe Settlement, a wonderful community centre in Battersea, which has been woven into the lives of generations of Battersea residents as well as campaigning on local and national issues, it has become a lifeline for all ages.
More info here.
Railway workers at Kings Cross Station tell stories from their working lives from the age of steam to the super fast trains of today. Drivers, guards, cooks, firemen, station announcers and more talk about their work, the skills, the joys and pain and the camaraderie working at ‘the cross’.
More info here.
Birthplace of Eadweard Muybridge, known for his pioneering work in motion pictures, this project explores and celebrates the history of cinema in Kingston with a short film about Muybridge and then a cast of locals who worked in or went to the many cinemas in Kingston.
More info here.
Stories from London’s dock workers recall their working lives on the huge bustling ports that made up ‘the pool of London’. How the docks provided a living not only to the dock workers but for whole communities before their decline and closure.
More info here.
Throughout the 1950s and 60s Asians arrived in the UK to work in it’s factories. The IWA was established to help them to fight for their rights both with but sometimes against existing trade unions. Hear stories from these early campaigners.
More info here.
Hear stories from the early pioneering Panjabis who migrated to Southall in the 1950s and 60s, bringing with them fascinating traditions, culture and music but also working and fighting hard to establish rights in the face of racial inequality and injustice.
More info here.
London’s covered and street markets have been the scene of countless stories played out to the soundtrack of stall holders calling out their wares. In five projects we explore the history of stall holders and customers at some of London's most famous markets.
More info here.
Dive into the history of this ancient Indian sport, brought to the UK by immigrants from the Panjab and established in the community. Interviews with wrestlers, young and old are woven in with archive as well as modern footage of wrestlers in the Panjab and the UK.
More info here.
Two generations meet to discuss play, teaching eachother the street and playground games from the North Kensington’s past and present and the challenges of living in one of the most densely populated parts of London. This vibrant project will leave you smiling!
More info here.
We explore the dreadful conditions around various battles of the First World War including Ypres and Passchedaele with a focus on issues around the nursing care of the soldiers and new medical procedures to counteract mustard gas injuries.
More info here.
A series of podcasts with owners, chefs, waiting staff and customers of different restaurants in West London to help understand how food culture from around the world has affected London's food outlets and Londoner's eating habits.
More info here.
Residents of Islington ad Shoreditch talk to their neighbours about living in a variety of their housing association properties. Interviews with architects and housing association staff deliver a wider view of housing issues and how they are dealt with.
More info here.
The tragic story of Blake's munitions factory in Shepherd's Bush where just days before the end of the First World War an explosion killed eleven women and two men. This film tells their story and the restoration of the memorial on its 100th anniversary.
More info here.
What happens when you take an anonymous character out of a small archive street photograph and blow it up considerably larger than life? This fascinating exhibition by photographer and artist Steve Mepsted was installed under the Westway.
More info here.
An everyday object such as a teapot is easy to take for granted but its making is an art that has been going for centuries. Here is an opportunity to see this craft in action from potter's wheel to dining table including a steam-bent wooden handle.
More info here.
From Charlie Phillips to Joe Rush, North Kensington has always been known for its artistic community and this film introduces the work of some of its best musicians, graffiti and fine artists, promotors, sculptors, dancers, photographers and poets.
More info here.
The First Blitz looks at the extraordinary tale of the life of Wilfred Salmon, an Australian pilot whose demise came at the end of a deadly raid over central London, that prompted the formation of the Royal Air Force and seek revenge for what Londoners came to call the First Blitz.
More info here.
Artists studios are an important part of any community's lifeblood and Kindered Studios provides that service in North Kensington, providing space to ceramicists and potters, leather artisans and jewellery makers and many others.
More info here.
From your doorstep waste takes many routes. Some to recycling centres but this story shows the journey general waste takes down river to the Energy from Waste facility in Belevedere and the fascianting process it goes through before powering your home.
More info here.
Sift through the mud and silt on the River Thames at low tide and you could find a piece of Roman pottery, a Victorian leather shoe, the thigh bone of a Georgian cow. Three mudlarks share fascinating stories of their finds and the history they reveal.
More info here.
This project explores the working lives of London’s musicians going back to the 1940s, playing the function scene, at the clubs and pubs, Ronnie Scotts, The Marquee and more. Running from one gig to the next, the joys and tips and tricks and remarkable musical skills they needed.
More info here.
Throughout much of the 20th century greyhound racing was one of the most popular sports in London. Wimbledon Stadium hosted races with tens of thousands of spectators including an array of workers, trainers, bookies, owners, celebrities and punters. Listen to their stories here.
More info here.
We put London’s hidden projectionists in the interviewee seat to explore their working lives in cinemas across the capital operating film projectors in the Odeons, the BFI, The Rio, The Scala, The Prince Charles and more, highlighting the skills, romance and changes in the job.
More info here.
Postal workers talk about their lives as telegram boys, of delivering mail, driving those iconic red vans, and sorting millions of letters during the Christmas rush, and even the little known postal underground train that ran beneath the streets of the capital.
More info here.
The Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate is a prime example of the idealism of 1960s Camden and of the ‘brutalist’ architecture that characterised it. Hear from architect Neave Brown and residents about the history of the construction of the estate and of people’s experiences living there.
More info here.
Playing on the streets, the industry, changing housing, with several generations of families living in the area while also seeing shifting populations. There are wonderful tales here of the warmth and challenges of this South London neighbourhood.
More info here.
Golborne Ward in London's North Kensington, an area of poverty, creativity, visionary political activism and music, from reggae to punk and Carnival. We explore this wonderful neighbourhood through the eyes, ears and experiences of its residents.
More info here.
The squats, playing on the streets, swimming in the canals. The poor housing and campaigns for better conditions, the riots and shifting populations, and even a declaration of independence from the rest of the UK. Find out more from the people who were (and are) there!
More info here.
Young people in West London explore the roots and experiences of the ‘Southall Youth Movement’ in the 1970s and 80s, a radical group that responded to racism and violence with direct action and campaigning. We interview many of those who fought for change.
More info here.
In this podcast series residents from Notting Hill Genesis Housing Association meet and interview each other about their lives using their love of music as the catalyst for moving and often hilarious stories charting the ups and downs and their lives.
More info here.
For this podcast series, the younger generation interview their elders about their experiences coming to West London from Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia. These wonderful meetings between the generations generated moving and amazing stories.
More info here.
We explore what happened during the English Civil Wars when, in 1644, parliament passed laws that, to some, amounted to a banning of Christmas. We look at the ‘Plum Pudding Riots’ of 1647 and the execution of Kings Charles I and what occurred subsequently.
More info here.
Everyone has heard of Guy Fawkes and The Gunpowder Plot but few know about the Cato Street Conspiracy of 1820 and the plan to kill the British Cabinet and Prime Minister. Find out more about this fascinating part of Britain’s history here.
More info here.
Before the invasion of 1066, and after the Roman invasion, there came the Anglo-Saxons led by Hengest and Horsa. According to English legends these two Germanic brothers led the invasion of Great Britain in the 5th Century. A major event in Britain's history.
More info here.
To commemorate 70 years of the National Health Service we interview historians, academics and health workers to build a picture of the forces that led to the establishment of this pivotal institution in Britain and how it developed over the following years.
More info here.
We explore the famous Scilly navel disaster of 1707 when almost 2000 English sailors lost their lives that led to the search for accurate measurements of longitude which saw clockmaker John Harrison design and build a clock that could tell the time at sea.
More info here.
We explore skills and history of textile printing in Crayford which go back beyond the Great Exhibition. In the process we explore the incredible process of block printing and the move towards silk screen printing with interviews with historians and skilled workers.
More info here.
Working closely with artist and author Michael Forman we explore the history of football and WW1 including the Christmas Truce. This unofficial ceasefire saw German and British soldiers play a game of football in No Mans Land. We also explore Walter Tull and many others.
More info here.
Through the eyes of Australian PM, Billy Hughes, we investigate the history of the ANZAC forces who were stationed in Westminster during World War One looking at private letters and press cutting to reveal the stories of the soldiers and their impact on the community.
More info here.
How has London has dealt with it’s rubbish over the centuries? Look no further than this project which explore the history going back to Roman times right up to the present with interviews with today’s ‘bin men’ (and women). Oral history, music, animation and more!
More info here.
With the “Holiday with Pay Act” of 1938 began a whole new leisure industry as Londoners began taking vacations at holiday camps such as Butlins, Pontins and Warners as well as the trade union run camps. With gorgeous archive footage listen to stories of family holidays, romance and more!
More info here.
London is home to some of the most skilled session musicians in the world. Listen to their stories of working in recording studios, running from an advertising jingle in Soho at 8am to record a film score at 10am and then a jazz album in the afternoon and how technology has changed this work.
More info here.
The incredible and very moving story of the rise and fall and rise of Wimbledon Football Club is the focus of this project which explores the history from the perspective of lifelong fans, fanzine producers, a stadium announcer and other workers at the club.
More info here.
Supporters, workers, players and a manager talk about their history of the club. Legendary players who would have a pie, a pint and a cigarette at half time before scoring a phenomenal goal, but also the emotion of supporting a team and the connections to others.
More info here.
Sitting on the River Thames in West London is Eel Pie Island, home to incredible music history from the Rolling Stones to The Who, an assortment of eccentrics, boatyards and a rowing club. Hear stories from music fans and an eclectic mix of residents.
More info here.
The busy River Thames needed skilled workers to build and maintain the boats and ships that plowed up and down this wonderful waterway. We interviewed boatyard workers about their skills, the boats they worked on and the challenges facing boatyards today.
More info here.
Recalling a time when the East End ports were the ‘larder of London’, the Thames Lightermen (and women), talk about their incredible skills navigating this busy river with barges laden with goods from all over the world. Includes evocative archive 8mm film footage of the working river.
More info here.
We explore the lives of people living on boats on the River Thames which increased rapidly after the war. An assortment of people found themselves living on all sorts of boats, attracted by cheaper prices and a pioneering spirit, often in the face of floods and sinking!
More info here.
This iconic area of London was once scheduled to be completely flattened by developers. Hear the stories of the people who resisted, the council tenants, architects and Tory grandees who formed an unlikely alliance to save the area from destruction.
More info here.
Two generations meet to share their history of playing in London, its streets, parks, playgrounds and the neary River Thames, bringing games from around the UK and overseas to the Worlds End area of Chelsea. Which of these games did you play?
More info here.
How do the drivers of London’s iconic black taxis learn and remember all of those streets and how to get from A to B? Cabbies talk about getting ‘the knowledge’, their working lives going back to the 1950s, the ups and downs of the jobs, bizarre journeys, and Uber!
More info here.
It doesn’t run on electricity, it runs on tea! In another of our ‘transport’ series we explore the history of the tube through the working lives of the workers who make it run, the drivers, engineers and guards as well as some of the passengers stories.
More info here.
Is there anything more London than the red Routemaster bus? The story of the bus is the story of London, of a bustling city, immigration, changing technology, traffic jams! Hear stories from the workers, the drivers and conductors, the inspectors and mechanics.
More info here.
Have you ever wandered along Savile Row gazing into the beautiful shop windows of the bespoke tailors? Here we enter the world of the workers who make the clothes in the showrooms and workshops, hearing about the skills and challenges of this celebrated London district.
More info here.
Hatton Garden is home to London’s jewellery quarter. We go behind the scenes to explore the history, into the dusty attic and basement workshops, to interview the incredibly skilled people behind some of the most beautiful items made in the capital.
More info here.
Brewing Stories
Explore the history of the Youngs, Fullers and Mortlake breweries from the perspective of the head brewers, the draymen, bottling line workers and office workers. Hilarious tales of mishaps and humour and the working conditions behind the pints that you drink.
More info here.
Fleet Street was once lined with factories producing newspapers, employing thousands of printers who worked into the night. We hear from these printers about this bustling time, their skills as well as the bitter ‘Wapping Dispute’ that saw it’s demise.
More info here.
When war broke out in 1939 millions of London’s children were evacuated to the country. Hear them talk about the heartbreak and pain of separation, but also the excitement as they ventured into the unknown, many experiencing the countryside for the first time.
More info here
London has always been an international city. Hear the moving and fascinating stories from some of the people who came to live here from The Commonwealth, bringing with them their skills, their hopes and dreams, and their stories of making a go of it in the capital.
More info here.