Episode 148: Seven Dials in the interwar Years

 

Hazel Baker is an active Londoner, a keen theatre-goer and qualified  CIGA London tour guide.

She has won awards for tour guiding and is proud to be involved with some great organisations. She is a freeman of the Worshipful Company of Marketors and am an honorary member of The Leaders Council.

Channel 4: The Orient Express: A Golden Era of Travel (Episode 1). Channel 5’s Walking Wartime Britain(Episode 3) and Yesterday Channel’s The Architecture the Railways Built (Series 3, Episode 7). Het Rampjaar 1672, Afl. 2: Vijand Engeland and Arte.fr Invitation au Voyage, À Chelsea, une femme qui trompe énormément. Yesterday Channel / UKTV Play: The Architecture the Railways Built (Series 3, Episode 7). Yesterday Channel / UKTV Play: Secrets of the London Underground (Series 3, Episode 2) and Secrets of the London Underground (Series 4, Episode 10). NPO (Netherlands): Het Rampjaar 1672 – Afl. 2: Vijand Engeland. Arte France: Invitation au Voyage – À Chelsea, une femme qui trompe énormément

 

Guest: Professor Matt Houlbrook 

Professor Matt Houlbrook is a leading authority in cultural history and Professor of Cultural History at the University of Birmingham. His research focuses on the social and cultural life of modern Britain, with particular interest in the everyday experiences that shaped London in the early twentieth century.

In this episode, we explore his latest book, Songs of Seven Dials: An Intimate History of 1920s and 1930s London. Drawing on rich archival research, Matt uncovers the overlooked history of Seven Dials through the lives of its residents and the turbulent events that shaped the area. He examines questions of race, class, and identity, revealing how this distinctive corner of London contributed to the making of the modern city. When not researching and writing, Matt continues to explore the cultural histories that bring London’s past vividly to life.

Welcome to the London History Podcast. I am Hazel Baker from London Guided Walk co uk. Step back in time with us as we journey into the heart of London’s seven dials in the 1920s and 1930s, a neighborhood unlike any other, bursting with color, diversity and drama. In this episode, we uncover the untold stories and simmering tensions that define seven dials as it became a crossroads for migrant communities, working class families, and bohemian nightlife Here, vibrant cafes, rubbed shoulders with jazz clubs and market stalls while the specter of urban improvement , threatened to reshape everything familiar.

1920s map of Seven Dials

I am thrilled to be joined by Professor Matt Houlbrook, a leading authority in cultural history and professor at University of Birmingham. Today we’re here to dive into his latest work, songs of Seven Dials, an Intimate History of 1920s and 1930s London.

Drawing on vibrant archival research, the book explores the untold history of seven dials through the lens of remarkable residents and the turbulent events that shape their lives, professor Holbrook guides us through the struggles over race, class identity, and the contested making of modern London.

 

1920s flapper girl 

 

Matt Houlbrook’s book – Songs of Seven Dials