Blogs-And-Stories

From our experts
From our experts

Grime music: From the corner to the mainstream

Grime is a Black-British music genre that gives the youth a sense of belonging and a global audience

From our experts
From our experts

East London & the popularity of gospel choirs

How have gospel choirs from east London contributed to the UK’s musical soundscape?

Projects
Projects

10 records that tell the story of Dub London

These 10 records reflect the strong crossovers between dub and London as a centre of music production

Exhibitions
Exhibitions

Dub reggae in London

What is dub? And what makes dub reggae an intrinsic part of London’s soundscape

Music & Subculture
Music & Subculture

Teddy boys: Britain’s first youth subculture

Sporting long jackets and quiffs, the Teds were born in London

Music & Subculture
Music & Subculture

Meet the mods, a sharply dressed London subculture

Photographs from a stylish, scooter-riding 1960s scene

Music & Subculture
Music & Subculture

Stormzy: A grime change-maker

This Croydon-born cultural titan has used his enormous success to challenge inequality

Music & Subculture
Music & Subculture

The glamorous life of opera singer Adelina Patti

One of the most successful sopranos of the 1800s, Patti gained fame, wealth and a castle in Wales

Lifestyle & Leisure
Lifestyle & Leisure

The great ballet dancer Anna Pavlova

A Russian-born star who took the world by storm in the early 1900s

Music & Subculture
Music & Subculture

Through the lens of Charlie Phillips

One of the most talented, but long overlooked, photographers of 20th-century Britain

Lifestyle & Leisure
Lifestyle & Leisure

Gertie Millar: An Edwardian musical comedy icon

A leading lady on the London stage in the early 1900s

From our experts
From our experts

Notting Hill Carnival: Memories, roots and rhythms

Growing up in the 1970s and 80s, Wendy Shearer shares her memories of the Notting Hill Carnival

Lifestyle & Leisure
Lifestyle & Leisure

Pleasure gardens: London’s first music venues

Handel at Vauxhall? Mozart at Ranelagh? For 18th-century music fans, these were the places to be

Music & Subculture
Music & Subculture

Sex Pistols: London’s resident punk rebels

The punk pioneers who defined a generation

Collections
Collections

Punk & personal: DIY badges, bondage shirts & scrapbooks

How do you represent something as multifaceted, vibrant and anarchic as the punk scene in a museum?

Fashion & Style
Fashion & Style

Vivienne Westwood & Malcolm McLaren: King’s Road royalty

Their boutique at 430 King’s Road brought creativity – and controversy – to 1970s fashion

From our experts
From our experts

Calling all ravers! Memories of London’s rave nights

Ready to relive the beat? Two Londoners take a nostalgic trip down 1990s rave culture

Music & Subculture
Music & Subculture

Heaven: London’s gay superclub

A pioneering LGBTQ+ ultradisco and a home of UK queer rave subculture