A Historical Tour of London

by Robert O. Bucholz

A guided walk through what is, by far, the largest city in the realm, as well as its capital, greatest port, and center of culture and fashion.

https://www.audible.com/pd/A-Historic...

Genres: History

Audiobook

Published January 1, 2003

About the author

Robert O. Bucholz (D. Phil., University of Oxford, 1988; A.B. Cornell University, 1980) is a professor of history at Loyola University Chicago, where he teaches courses on the history of early modern Great Britain, the city of London and Western Civilization.

Reviews

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 30 minute lecture from the Great Courses Series, "A History of England". This is taken from the point of view of 1603 and later. He points out what seems to be ancient about England is rather recent "fake" as he says because it was an attempt to make England look more Gothic long after the Gothic period. I suppose people can build any way they wish but I wondered why the English felt compelled to make some London buildings look older than they really are.

I was happy to learn why the opposing benches in Parliament are 2 swords widths wide (to prevent drawing blood with swords). Also, the nobility tended to move to west London because the smoke and smell traveled east with the prevailing winds. Things like that. It was all very helpful in knowing what London was like in the 1600s.

I'll listen to this lecture again.

[Lily P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Audible)
Great Courses Lecture

Why is it that London's architecture looks so Gothic when the Great Fire of London in the 17th century destroyed most of the existing architecture? Turns out Londoners wanted their signature city to look old and so built it purposefully to have a more ancient presence.

Really interesting lecture that explores how the city was established and grew based on geography, wind and water currents.

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