Episode 155 – Tea with Churchill: Amelia Earhart’s London Story

Discover Amelia Earhart’s surprising relationship with London, from settlement houses in the East End to the glamour of Selfridges, Wimbledon and Ascot.

In this episode of the London History Podcast, London tour guide and podcast host Hazel Baker talks with journalist and author Rachel Hartigan, whose new book Lost: Amelia Earhart’s Three Mysterious Deaths and One Extraordinary Life explores both Earhart’s remarkable aviation career and the mysteries surrounding her final flight.

We focus on Amelia Earhart’s time in London in the late 1920s and early 1930s – the visits that helped transform a relatively unknown Boston social worker into a global celebrity aviator.

Amelia Earhart and London: Why This Story Matters

Amelia Earhart is one of the best‑known names in aviation history, but her connections with London and the UK are much less familiar.

In this London‑centred episode, we explore:

• How Earhart’s work at Toynbee Hall in London’s East End inspired her social work in Boston.
• How Selfridges on Oxford Street put her plane on display and dressed her after she crossed the Atlantic with no spare clothes.
• How tea with the Prime Minister, appearances at Wimbledon and Royal Ascot, and sharing platforms with Winston Churchill and Lady Astor turned her London stays into a trial by fire in the crucible of fame.
• What Earhart’s London days reveal about celebrity, gender, aviation and the making of a modern icon between the wars.

About Our Guest: Rachel Hartigan

Rachel Hartigan is a journalist and author whose work has appeared in National Geographic and other major outlets. She is the author of:

Lost: Amelia Earhart’s Three Mysterious Deaths and One Extraordinary Life

Her book investigates three leading theories of Earhart’s disappearance while also telling the story of her extraordinary life, including her visits to London after record‑breaking transatlantic flights in 1928 and 1932.

Rachel first became involved with Earhart’s story almost by accident: an editor at National Geographic offered her a berth on a ship heading to a remote Pacific island where some believe Earhart may have died. That assignment led to a deep dive into Earhart’s life, legacy and the many investigations into her final flight.

Setting the Scene: London in 1928 and 1932

When Amelia Earhart first arrived in Britain in 1928, she had just crossed the Atlantic Ocean as a passenger on the Fokker F.VII aircraft Friendship.

A Transatlantic Flight Aimed at London

• In 1928, Earhart was working as a social worker in Boston and flying only occasionally due to the high cost of aviation.
• After Charles Lindbergh’s solo Atlantic flight in 1927, there was a race to make a woman the first to cross the Atlantic by air.p
• Amy Phipps Guest, an American heiress living between the US and Britain, wanted an American woman – “the right sort of girl” – to make the flight.
• When her family forbade her from flying herself, she sponsored another woman instead, and her lawyer eventually found Amelia Earhart in Boston.

Earhart joined the flight as a passenger rather than the pilot, but that did not dampen the public excitement. The aircraft was aiming for London, but navigation challenges and limited technology meant they ultimately landed at Burry Port in Wales, before continuing on to Southampton.

A City Primed for Aviation Heroes

By the late 1920s, London and Britain were already excited by aviation:

• British aviators like Lady Mary Heath had completed long‑distance flights, including routes from South Africa to London.
• Newspapers and the public were fascinated by daring flights and record‑breaking journeys.
• London’s elite and political circles were eager to be associated with cutting‑edge technology and bold new figures.

When Earhart stepped out of the plane in Southampton, the crowd and press focused almost entirely on her – largely ignoring the pilot and co‑pilot, despite their skill and the pilot’s struggle with a serious hangover during the flight. From that moment, Earhart’s relationship with London began.

Toynbee Hall, the East End and Social Work Roots

One of the most important London locations in Earhart’s story is Toynbee Hall in the East End.

Toynbee Hall as a Model for Boston

• Earhart had been working at Denison House, a settlement house in Boston inspired by Toynbee Hall.
• The settlement movement encouraged young, educated, “well‑meaning” people to live in poorer neighbourhoods, providing services and acting as role models.
• In Boston, Earhart worked with immigrant communities, including Chinese and Syrian families, organising girls’ basketball, plays, medical visits and more.

When she visited Toynbee Hall in London, she expected to return to Boston and continue social work, believing the transatlantic flight was a temporary adventure rather than a life‑changing event.

Earhart Taking Notes in the East End

At Toynbee Hall:

• Earhart was so inspired that she grabbed an envelope and took notes on programmes and ideas she wanted to adapt for Boston – such as music groups and baby day‑care.
• She also noticed the financial struggles of such institutions, noting how hard it was to fund these forward‑looking social services.

This visit shows Earhart not only as an adventurer and pilot, but as someone deeply engaged with social reform, community work and practical optimism, bridging Boston and East London.

Selfridges, Oxford Street and the Glamour of London Retail

On Earhart’s second major visit to London in 1932, after her solo transatlantic flight, Oxford Street’s famous department store Selfridges played a starring role.

A Plane on Display at Selfridges

• In 1932, Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic and landed in Ireland when she had originally intended to reach Paris.
• She arrived in Britain with almost no clothing, having carefully weighed every ounce on the flight to accommodate fuel.
• At Selfridges in London, her aircraft was placed on display on the first floor, drawing huge crowds and linking modern aviation directly with modern retail culture.

Clothes in Exchange for Publicity

Selfridges’ founder Harry Gordon Selfridge, a master of publicity, arranged a deal: display the plane and in return Earhart would receive a new wardrobe from the store.

• Earhart was initially hesitant to accept free clothes but was persuaded that she genuinely needed them.
• She had a keen sense of style and became known as a strikingly elegant dresser, which enhanced her public image.
• Her husband and publisher George Putnam, already adept at publicity thanks to Charles Lindbergh’s book, likely encouraged this arrangement as a way to build her global profile.

Selfridges thus became a key London site where aviation, fashion, celebrity and commerce intersected in Earhart’s story.

Wimbledon, Ascot and Tea with the Prime Minister

During her London visits, Earhart was rapidly absorbed into high society and political life.

She was invited to:

• Wimbledon – witnessing top‑flight tennis in SW19.
• Royal Ascot – joining one of Britain’s most prestigious race meetings, rich with royal and aristocratic connections.
• Tea with the Prime Minister – a sign of how quickly she had become a matter of national and international interest.

London’s elite cleared their schedules to welcome her, taking her to the highlights of England and showcasing her as a symbol of modernity, courage and the future of flight.

Winston Churchill, Lady Astor and the London Political Elite

Earhart’s London visits brought her into contact with some of the most influential figures of the day.

Winston Churchill and the Women’s Aviation Committee

• Earhart spoke at a women’s committee for aviation alongside Winston Churchill, who at that time was well‑connected with Amy Phipps Guest and her circle.
• This placed Earhart at the heart of discussions about the future of aviation in Britain, not just as a guest of honour but as an articulate advocate.

Lady Astor and Anglo‑American Connections

Earhart also mixed with Lady Nancy Astor, the first woman to take a seat in the House of Commons and another American‑born figure who became central to British politics.

Her presence alongside figures like Churchill and Astor underscored:

• Her role as a bridge between American and British societies.
• The willingness of London’s political elite to associate themselves with female pioneers in aviation.

Raised in a prominent family in Kansas, Earhart had later attended a finishing school near Philadelphia, giving her the social polish to move comfortably in such circles, even if she had never expected to do so. Rather than being intimidated, she appears to have met these encounters with curiosity and composure.

Media, Celebrity and the “Crucible of Fame” in London

Rachel describes Earhart’s London trips as a “trial by fire in the crucible of fame”.

From Boston Social Worker to Global Icon

When Earhart first arrived in Britain in 1928:

• She had previously only appeared in American newspapers as a local or niche aviation figure.
• In London, she was suddenly front‑page news, day after day, across the British and international press.

She quickly realised:

• How intensely the press could focus on her appearance, including comments on an ill‑fitting borrowed brown dress as she arrived.
• How journalists sometimes invented dialogue, presenting her as a stereotypical “ignorant Yankee” in conversation with the Prince of Wales, language she insisted she never used.

Creating the “Aw‑Shucks” Public Persona

Over time, Earhart:

• Developed a public persona that was modest, self‑effacing and slightly aw‑shucks in tone – talking about flying “for fun” and downplaying her ambition.
• Privately worked very deliberately, with George Putnam, to manage her image, secure sponsorships and keep aviation in the public eye.

The British press could be more snarky and ironic than the early American coverage, particularly about her clothes and manner, while US outlets tended initially toward hero worship. By the time of her later flights, including Hawaii–California, both British and American journalists began to ask:

• Was there still a scientific or practical purpose to these flights?
• Or were they largely about fame, records and publicity, especially given the number of pilots who had died chasing similar goals?

London’s media therefore played a crucial role in shaping and questioning Earhart’s global image, helping to turn her into both an icon and a subject of scrutiny.

Letters, Diaries and the Paper Trail: Researching Earhart in London

To piece together Earhart’s London story, Rachel draws on a wide range of sources:

• Earhart’s own writing – including a book written soon after her Atlantic crossing, and dispatches she wrote daily for the New York Times whilst in Britain.
• Contemporary newspapers – British and American coverage which document her visits to Toynbee Hall, Wimbledon, Ascot, Selfridges and political events.podscan+1
• Archival collections – notably the Earhart papers held at Harvard University and Purdue University.researchhub+1
• Letters to her family, especially her mother, which reveal shifts in tone as she goes from struggling professional to financial provider and sometimes controlling adviser.

One striking detail is that Earhart’s family did not know she was taking part in the 1928 flight; she left letters and a will to be opened if she did not return. Later, as she became more famous and financially successful, she took a more directive role in how her family lived and spent money, reflecting the complexities of sudden celebrity and responsibility.

London, Women’s Rights and a Changing World

Earhart’s London story is deeply entwined with changing roles for women in Britain and beyond.

• 1928 – the year of her first Atlantic crossing – was also the year when British women first won the right to vote on equal terms with men, after the Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act.
• Fashion and culture reflected this change: shorter skirts, bobbed hair and more public, independent lives for women.

Earhart became a powerful symbol of:

• A woman taking part in technologies previously seen as a male preserve.podscan+1
• The belief that women should be free to do whatever men did, not limited to domestic roles.

London, ready to celebrate this modern femininity, welcomed her as living proof that women could cross oceans, shape public life and embody the future of flight.

How Should We Remember Amelia Earhart’s London Connection?

Rachel argues that Amelia Earhart still resonates today because she refused to be confined by traditional female roles and because she embodied a forward‑looking, optimistic vision of what technology and courage could achieve.

London played a key role in that story:

• It was the city that greeted her after both of her most famous transatlantic feats, in 1928 and 1932.
• It offered platforms – from Toynbee Hall to Selfridges, Wimbledon, Ascot and Westminster – that helped to broadcast her image to the world.
• It became a stage on which aviation, gender politics and mass media collided, forging the modern concept of celebrity.

If Amelia Earhart Visited London Today…

Rachel imagines that if Earhart were dropped into modern London, she would adapt instantly.

• She might head straight for the London Eye, echoing the thrill she felt on a Ferris wheel at the 1904 St Louis World’s Fair, her first taste of height.
• She would likely explore the Tate and London’s cultural institutions, fascinated by modern art and the city’s diversity.
• She would probably be more curious than shocked by smartphones, fast traffic and multicultural crowds, eager to understand each new development.

Rachel suggests that Earhart’s curiosity and modern outlook were so strong that she might not seem out of place in 21st‑century London at all.

Where to Find Rachel Hartigan’s Book

You can find Lost: Amelia Earhart’s Three Mysterious Deaths and One Extraordinary Life:

• Through major booksellers online and in‑store, including Amazon.
• Via links on Rachel’s official website: rachelhartiganauthor.com (as given in the episode).

There you’ll also find:

• More about her research into Earhart.
• Links to her social media channels.
• Information about other projects.

Listen to “Tea with Churchill: Amelia Earhart’s London Story”

This episode is part of the London History Podcast, produced by London Guided Walks.

• Episode title: 155: Tea with Churchill – Amelia Earhart’s London Story
• Host: Hazel Baker, London tour guide and podcast host
• Guest: Rachel Hartigan, journalist and author

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