History is all around you — especially in London. Beyond kings and battles, the city holds stories of forgotten communities, radical thinkers, hidden rivers, everyday lives and unexpected turning points. Our history courses focus mainly on London’s past, exploring fascinating topics that often sit outside traditional history programmes and revealing new ways to see the streets you walk every day.
These short, bite-sized courses are designed to spark curiosity without long commitments. You’ll uncover surprising stories, question familiar narratives, and discover fresh perspectives on the city’s social, cultural and political history. Each course offers space for discussion and shared insight, making learning both engaging and thought-provoking.
Whether you’re a lifelong Londoner or simply intrigued by the city, our history classes help you look again — and see London from an entirely new angle.
Develop a deeper understanding of transformative period in the history of medicine. Learn about the changes and continuities in early modern medical theory and practice in Britain.
In this course we will explore the afterlives of empire in Britain, using a postcolonial and antiracist lens to learn how race, migration and empire have shaped modern and contemporary Britain. The course is interdisciplinary, spanning across History and Literature to give us a fuller picture of modern, postcolonial Britain.
Examine political, social, religious, cultural, and demographic aspects of seventeenth-century London, locating the metropolis at the heart of Stuart history.
Explore the turmoil that characterised English politics and religion during our timeframe, especially the ways in which royal authority was contested; plots and conspiracies; rebellions; and the circulation of news and false news.
Explore the social, cultural, political, and urban history of Georgian London (1714–1830) in this 8-week course, tracing the capital’s transformation during a period of rapid growth, refinement, and inequality.
Now that the Mary Ward Centre has moved to Stratford, are you curious about the history of the area?
Using images, maps and extracts, we will explore the world of the London anatomy schools and the ‘resurrection men’ who supplied the corpses they required as teaching material.
Because of the ‘Jack the Ripper’ killings, the late Victorian East End can be read as a cityscape of poverty and fear. But there is another Whitechapel – a magnet for a variety of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds who sought to grapple with the problems of the modern city and to create a better life.
On this 90-minute walk, we will stop off at several historic locations to think about two very dark periods of London’s medical history.
Now that the Mary Ward Centre has moved to Stratford, are you curious about the history of the area?
Parks and gardens are cooling spaces within the urban heat of summer in Stratford.