How did the pub become so central to British culture?

Ben Henderson and Alice Loxton reveal how women ran medieval alehouses, how the Reformation led to a golden age of boozers, and how competition from gin produced the iconic Victorian pub.

Key Sources:

Dr Paul Jennings - The Local: A History of the English Pub. Dr James Wright. Dr Peter Clark. Dr Mark Hailwood - Alehouses and Good Fellowship in Early Modern England.

Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson delve into the history of the Union Jack - the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

It’s one of the most recognisable British icons, but just why does it look the way it does? What’s the story behind the pattern?

We’ll get into the saintly foundations, the Stuarts, and of course the age old question - where on the flag is Wales?

Key Sources:

The Union Jack: The Story of the British Flag - Professor Nick Groom

Modern buildings are ugly - that’s what opinion polls suggest - but if it’s true, what’s the story behind it?

Ben Henderson and Alice Loxton see how a Swiss architect turned the British establishment against traditional architecture, and how his followers rebuilt British cities in the hope of improving society.

For some, modern architecture is a crime against the public realm. For others, it’s iconic. Alice and Ben explore the debate over the decades.

Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds and on Here For The History’s YouTube channel.

Key Sources:

A Short History of British Architecture: From Stonehenge to The Shard, Simon Jenkins The Modern British City 1945-2000, Otto Saumarez-Smith