Recording of the week: Memories of school

As September starts in the northern hemisphere, for me (and I suspect many others) this means one thing – ‘back to school’. This could be both memories of one’s own school days, or the relief as a parent or carer that ordinary term time routines can resume. From my childhood…




Recording of the week: Architect Kate Macintosh discusses Dawson’s Heights in East Dulwich

In my spare time I have often pondered what would count as the ‘Seven Wonders of South London’. The Catford Cat and the Croydon IKEA towers no doubt, but the Crystal Palace transmitter and the Crystal Palace dinosaurs? And how do you separate the component parts of Greenwich? For this…




Recording of the week: A poem by Jack Carey (1923-2001)

Above: Jack Carey in 1957. Photo copyright © Neil Hornick Jack Carey was an English teacher and poet. His poetry was first published in 1958, in The London Magazine. Further poems were published in a range of journals and anthologies over the years, and his collection Words and Mirrors (1976)…




Parkinson in the archive

This week the sad news of Michael Parkinson’s death was announced. Known as the ‘king of the chat show’, Parkinson had a rich television and radio career. Which included most famously presenting his own show Parkinson, and, from 1986 to 1988, Desert Island Discs. Whilst cataloguing audio for the Unlocking…




‘Breathe in, Breathe out’ – a soundscape

Experience a new sound installation, ‘Breathe in, Breathe out’, in the Sir John Ritblat Treasures Gallery at the British Library. The project looks at the positive effects of sound on well-being and relaxation. It is the first in a series of new initiatives in the Treasures Gallery, exploring innovative ways…