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The Agency of Forgotten Histories: Food
Season 1, Ep. 4
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Episode 4: Food & Drink
In this episode, detective Melusi is sent into the streets of Islington to uncover the history of food, drink and the spaces that shaped everyday life in the borough. Guided by local experts, he follows a trail through markets, dining halls, and gin distilleries, revealing how trade, industry, and working-class communities transformed Islington over the centuries. From the bustling meat trade of Smithfield to the chaos of the gin craze, the evidence is everywhere - if you know where to look.
Stops on the trail include:
Smithfield Market: London’s historic meat market, operating since at least the 12th century and rebuilt in 1868 by Horace Jones. Once a site of livestock trading, public spectacles, and even executions - including that of William Wallace - it remains the UK’s largest wholesale meat market today (albeit whose days are numbered).
St Bartholomew’s Hospital area: a site tied to the darker history of Smithfield, where public executions took place, reflecting the area’s role as both a centre of commerce and spectacle.
Alexandra Trust Dining Rooms: founded by Thomas Lipton with the support of Princess Alexandra, these dining halls provided affordable meals for working-class Londoners in the early 20th century, serving thousands with innovative large-scale kitchens.
Whitecross Street Market: a historic street market that once served a poor and densely populated community, now a vibrant food destination offering global cuisines. The area was also home to a notorious debtor’s prison and an 18th-century red-light district.
Clerkenwell Gin Distilling Sites: including the legacy of Booth’s Gin and other distillers, which flourished during the 18th-century gin craze - a period famously depicted in Gin Lane, highlighting the social consequences of widespread alcohol consumption.
Islington guides, in order of appearance: Jane Parker · Nigel Smith · John Finn · Jonathan Wober
Produced by: Sandy Waugh
With thanks to: Jane Parker and the tour guides at Islington Guided Walks
Presented by Islington Guided Walks and City St George’s, University of London
To book a walk or find out more, visit Islington Guided Walks
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