William Davidson and the West End Job -The Bicentenary of the Cato Street Conspiracy
The World of Isaac Newton - by Toni Mount
Grand Panorama of London - We recommend watching this with the speakers on.
An Interview with Author and Illustrator, Michael Foreman, with questions developed by children.
Manufacture of Liberty Fabrics at the Merton Print Works - 1972
Folklore Of Underground London With Antony Clayton
The manufacture of Liberty fabrics at Merton Abbey Print Works
Voices in the Dark – The Birth of Talking Pictures
Bombed, bloodied but unbowed: London from the Blitz to the V2 - A talk by Mark Clapson
The Stag Brewery Pimlico
A slideshow of photographs from the Stag Brewery in 1922 showing every stage of the brewing process.
The photographs reveal the skill and expertise of the workers as well as the sheer beauty of many of the machines they operated. However, they also convey a real sense of life within this close-knit community where people worked, lived and socialised.
We would love to hear from anyone who used to work at the brewery or has any memories of it that they would like to share. You can email us at this address: [email protected]
Open House 2020 – A Virtual Tour of Our Archives Centre
For Open House 2020 we offer you something a little different: Staff here have put together a virtual tour video, taking you through the building and showing you some of their favourite collections. You also get a glimpse behind the scenes at the conservation studio and our strong rooms where centuries of history are being kept safe.
@openhouselondon2020
Interview with Dr Francis Boorman, researcher for Victoria County History
Archivist Gillian Staples interviews Dr Francis Boorman on the history of St George Hanover Square.
Interview with Melanie Backe-Hansen
Archivist Gillian Staples interviews Melanie Backe-Hansen, co-author of 'A House Through Time'.
This interview was recorded in July 2020 for City of Westminster Archives Centre
The Cato Street Conspiracy
Peter Daniel, our education officer talks about the Cato Street Conspiracy and introduces a new song, specially commissioned by Westminster Archives and inspired by the last words of condemned conspirator James Ings ‘Death or Liberty’.
A Guide to Searching the Archives Catalogues Online
Archivist Gillian Staples demonstrates how to search the online catalogues for City of Westminster Archives Centre.
A Quirky Story from the Archives
Join Tim Reid from Westminster Archives to hear about the discovery he made in the archive catalogue.
A Brief History of Pimlico
Join our Archivist, Gillian, as she takes you through the history of Pimlico, illustrated by archives in our collections.
Images Through Time – Childhood in Westminster from 1770 - 1980
Images of childhood in Westminster spanning more than two centuries. Explore prints and photographs from our archive collections dating from 1770 to 1980. Music and arrangement by Susie from Westminster Archives.
Monks and Marshes - A History of Medieval Westminster
Join our Archivist, Gillian, as she takes you through a history of Medieval Westminster illustrated by archives in our collections.
Bread and Marmalade Pudding
Our next recipe from David is a Bread and Marmalade Pudding. Although the recipe is from a booklet that was published six years after VE Day, a version of this pudding may well have been included as part of a VE Day celebration menu.
'The ABC of Cookery' booklet was published in 1951 by the Ministry of Food, a government department set up to manage food rationing during the period 1940-1954. Cakes and puddings baked for VE Day celebrations would have included permitted extra rations of sugar issued especially. Preserves such as jam and marmalade were among the list of rationed food and were only removed from the list in December 1948.
The scarceness of oranges during the war years however would have perhaps meant that the marmalade included in this recipe was not of the more desirable orange variety. However housewives and other domestic cooks were known for their ‘make do’ attitude and were very inventive with the ingredients that were available. In the case of marmalade, a popular substitute for the orange kind was Mock Marmalade, with the oranges substituted sometimes with carrots. Carrots were also used as a substitute for apricots in the popular Mock Apricot Flan which again may have made an appearance on a VE Day party table.
For 1945, this recipe is a little generous with the milk, but they could have used powdered milk instead and, after all, it would have been for a very special occasion!
Our video is from Georgia and her son Alexander, who gave the pudding a try!
BREAD & MARMALADE PUDDING
6oz breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons of marmalade
1 pint milk
Place half the breadcrumbs in a pie dish. Spread marmalade over this and then sprinkle remaining breadcrumbs over the top. Add milk and bake at 180C/Gas 4 for an hour or until the pudding is set and golden brown.
Westminster Libraries & Archives Westminster City Council
My Favourite Archives
Join our Archivist, Gillian, as she takes you through some of her favourite archives in our collections.
Westminster Libraries & Archives
'Big Brute' rumbling entrance
'Big Brute' rumbling entrance - see our previous post for the story