The aim of this course is to provide students with an appreciation of contemporary London as a reflection of its immense history. The course is divided into two parts. Part One consists of a series of 6 weekly lectures that broadly follow the development of London from the Norman Conquest until the end of the Second World War. Part Two begins immediately after the midterm break, and involves students selecting one of a series of tutorials that will focus on a particular period of London’s history for more in-depth exploration. These tutorials include: Medieval London; Living and Dying in C17th and C18th Century London; Episodes of the First World War.
Prerequisites:
None
Learning outcomes:
This course will familiarise students with key social, political, economic and cultural issues that have influenced London between 1066 and the Second World War. Students will also explore, analyse and evaluate the ways in which London and Londoners’ lives changed during this period. Students will also demonstrate a critical appreciation of historical evidence, including archaeological remains, maps, written records and graphic representation. Students will develop a critical understanding of problems and concepts involved in historical explanation.
Method of presentation:
Lectures, discussions, seminars, site visits and digital resources
Required work and form of assessment:
Lectures (Weeks 1-6): Participation and Quiz 25%; Exam
75%; Seminars (Weeks 7-12): Participation 25%; Term paper (1,500+ words) 75%
Students are assessed on the extent to which they demonstrate a measured awareness of the topics under study, investigate secondary sources, and offer original contributions through analysis and argument.
content:
Week One: 43 AD – 1200: From Roman to Norman London
Introduction to the course; London: Location and Topography; Pre – Conquest London: Romans & Saxons; Conquest of England 1066; Norman London.
Week Two: 1200 – 1485: Medieval London
War – taxation – plague – unrest; London/Crown relationship; Trade and Commerce – guilds/livery companies; Black Death 1371 – causes – progress – effects; Peasants’ Revolt 1381 – causes – confrontation – suppression
– outcome; Froissart’s Chronicles; Ruling oligarchy – land – wealth – social structure – populace/everyday life; William Fitzstephen’s “Description of London” – what does it tell us about Medieval London?
Week Three: 1485 – 1670: Tudor and Stuart London
Wyngaerde’s Panorama of London (1550); Dissolution of the Monasteries; John Stow’s ‘Survey’ of London; Civil War and Restoration London – Hollar’s depiction of mid 17th Century London; The Great Plague of 1665; The Fire of London – cause – progress – effects; Samuel Pepys’ diaries; Rebuilding London – Sir Christopher Wren
& St Paul’s Cathedral.
Week Four: 1670 – 1815: Late Stuart and Georgian London
Views of London’s West End: John Kip’s View of London (circa 1710) and John Rocque’s map of London (1769); Prosperity and political radicalism; Quiz.
Week Five: 1815 – 1901: World Metropolis
Industrial Revolution – expansion of London; Building – Transport – Commerce – Finance; London – Imperial Capital: power/control – social class: Mayhew’s London; Housing & quality of life: Booth’s Survey; Urban crisis and the London County Council (1889).
Week Six: 1901 – 1945: Decline and Destruction
The First World War; Expansion: the suburbs; social and economic challenges; political confrontation; Preparing for war; Second World War – the London Blitz; The Future: The Abercrombie Plan.
Required readings:
The course lectures indicate the main themes in our summary history of London, but you will need to support classroom sessions with private study. You will find no shortage of titles to choose from, since many, many books have been written on London. This is because the subject is enormous and scholars are continually researching aspects of it, revising and changing their views. Archaeological sites are still being excavated and the findings published for the first time, which also produces new information and new insights. As a consequence, the definitive history of London has not yet been written, so this list is indicative – it should not be regarded as being wholly comprehensive. All the books, journals, articles and reference works listed below are readily accessible from the Senate House Library, London University, the Guildhall Library (Aldermanbury) or the London Metropolitan Archives (Finsbury). Should you need to purchase books, these may be obtained
most conveniently from the cluster of well-stocked retail outlets in Charing Cross Road, or the bookshops of the Museum of London (Barbican) or the Guildhall Library.
H. Clout, The Times London History Atlas (Times, London, 1991 or later) is much more than merely an atlas and it provides an invaluable general entry-level introduction to the subject but required weekly reading for Part One is as follows:
Stephen Inwood. A History of London (London, Papermac, 2000 edn.) Week 1: Inwood, chs. 1, 2, 3 [pp. 13-96]
Week 2: Inwood, ch. 4 [pp. 97-146]
Week 3: Inwood, chs. 5, 6, 7, 8 & part ch. 9 [pp. 149-245]
Week 4: Inwood, part ch. 9, chs.10, 11, part ch.12, part ch. 13, ch. 14 [pp. 245-341; 365-407] Week 5: Inwood, chs. 15,16,17,18,19,20,21 [pp. 407 - 693]
Week 6: Inwood, chs. 22-24 [pp. 697 - 813]
Recommended readings:
As outlined by professor on first day of class.
Brief Biography of Instructor:
In addition to his contributions to London’s City University’s MA in Non-fiction Writing, and the IES Abroad History of London course, Julian Putkowski specializes in teaching overseas students about UK media and politics. Julian’s post graduate teaching specialism is English & Communications, and he has worked in a range of non-academic contexts, including journalism, business development, and management of a not-for-profit youth education project. His established interest in linking British media, politics and history has most recently been reflected in “Tommyrot”, a critical essay he contributed to Sir Michael Howard’s (ed.) “A Part of History” (2008). He has two reference works about British military officers (forthcoming: Francis Boutle Publishers, 2010) and has recently completed a (co-authored) manuscript of a book about murderers.
The aim of this course is to provide students with an appreciation of contemporary London as a reflection of its immense history. The course is divided into two parts. Part One consists of a series of 6 weekly lectures that broadly follow the development of London from the Norman Conquest until the end of the Second World War. Part Two begins immediately after the midterm break, and involves students selecting one of a series of tutorials that will focus on a particular period of London’s history for more in-depth exploration. These tutorials include: Medieval London; Living and Dying in C17th and C18th Century London; Episodes of the First World War.
None
This course will familiarise students with key social, political, economic and cultural issues that have influenced London between 1066 and the Second World War. Students will also explore, analyse and evaluate the ways in which London and Londoners’ lives changed during this period. Students will also demonstrate a critical appreciation of historical evidence, including archaeological remains, maps, written records and graphic representation. Students will develop a critical understanding of problems and concepts involved in historical explanation.
Lectures, discussions, seminars, site visits and digital resources
Lectures (Weeks 1-6): Participation and Quiz 25%; Exam
75%; Seminars (Weeks 7-12): Participation 25%; Term paper (1,500+ words) 75%
Students are assessed on the extent to which they demonstrate a measured awareness of the topics under study, investigate secondary sources, and offer original contributions through analysis and argument.
Week One: 43 AD – 1200: From Roman to Norman London
Introduction to the course; London: Location and Topography; Pre – Conquest London: Romans & Saxons; Conquest of England 1066; Norman London.
Week Two: 1200 – 1485: Medieval London
War – taxation – plague – unrest; London/Crown relationship; Trade and Commerce – guilds/livery companies; Black Death 1371 – causes – progress – effects; Peasants’ Revolt 1381 – causes – confrontation – suppression
– outcome; Froissart’s Chronicles; Ruling oligarchy – land – wealth – social structure – populace/everyday life; William Fitzstephen’s “Description of London” – what does it tell us about Medieval London?
Week Three: 1485 – 1670: Tudor and Stuart London
Wyngaerde’s Panorama of London (1550); Dissolution of the Monasteries; John Stow’s ‘Survey’ of London; Civil War and Restoration London – Hollar’s depiction of mid 17th Century London; The Great Plague of 1665; The Fire of London – cause – progress – effects; Samuel Pepys’ diaries; Rebuilding London – Sir Christopher Wren
& St Paul’s Cathedral.
Week Four: 1670 – 1815: Late Stuart and Georgian London
Views of London’s West End: John Kip’s View of London (circa 1710) and John Rocque’s map of London (1769); Prosperity and political radicalism; Quiz.
Week Five: 1815 – 1901: World Metropolis
Industrial Revolution – expansion of London; Building – Transport – Commerce – Finance; London – Imperial Capital: power/control – social class: Mayhew’s London; Housing & quality of life: Booth’s Survey; Urban crisis and the London County Council (1889).
Week Six: 1901 – 1945: Decline and Destruction
The First World War; Expansion: the suburbs; social and economic challenges; political confrontation; Preparing for war; Second World War – the London Blitz; The Future: The Abercrombie Plan.
The course lectures indicate the main themes in our summary history of London, but you will need to support classroom sessions with private study. You will find no shortage of titles to choose from, since many, many books have been written on London. This is because the subject is enormous and scholars are continually researching aspects of it, revising and changing their views. Archaeological sites are still being excavated and the findings published for the first time, which also produces new information and new insights. As a consequence, the definitive history of London has not yet been written, so this list is indicative – it should not be regarded as being wholly comprehensive. All the books, journals, articles and reference works listed below are readily accessible from the Senate House Library, London University, the Guildhall Library (Aldermanbury) or the London Metropolitan Archives (Finsbury). Should you need to purchase books, these may be obtained
most conveniently from the cluster of well-stocked retail outlets in Charing Cross Road, or the bookshops of the Museum of London (Barbican) or the Guildhall Library.
H. Clout, The Times London History Atlas (Times, London, 1991 or later) is much more than merely an atlas and it provides an invaluable general entry-level introduction to the subject but required weekly reading for Part One is as follows:
Stephen Inwood. A History of London (London, Papermac, 2000 edn.) Week 1: Inwood, chs. 1, 2, 3 [pp. 13-96]
Week 2: Inwood, ch. 4 [pp. 97-146]
Week 3: Inwood, chs. 5, 6, 7, 8 & part ch. 9 [pp. 149-245]
Week 4: Inwood, part ch. 9, chs.10, 11, part ch.12, part ch. 13, ch. 14 [pp. 245-341; 365-407] Week 5: Inwood, chs. 15,16,17,18,19,20,21 [pp. 407 - 693]
Week 6: Inwood, chs. 22-24 [pp. 697 - 813]
As outlined by professor on first day of class.
In addition to his contributions to London’s City University’s MA in Non-fiction Writing, and the IES Abroad History of London course, Julian Putkowski specializes in teaching overseas students about UK media and politics. Julian’s post graduate teaching specialism is English & Communications, and he has worked in a range of non-academic contexts, including journalism, business development, and management of a not-for-profit youth education project. His established interest in linking British media, politics and history has most recently been reflected in “Tommyrot”, a critical essay he contributed to Sir Michael Howard’s (ed.) “A Part of History” (2008). He has two reference works about British military officers (forthcoming: Francis Boutle Publishers, 2010) and has recently completed a (co-authored) manuscript of a book about murderers.