2 Audley Square
Mayfair, London W1K
UK
Established in 1994, The Course offers exciting lectures in Art History, Literature and Music.
London has transformed almost unrecognisably since 1900. At the beginning of the period the capital of a truly global empire and its largest port. At the end, the centre of one of the world’s most cosmopolitan societies, a great financial centre and a cultural hub. This twenty part series of lectures and walks will trace the forces that transformed London, from Imperial pomp through wartime catastrophe, to the vibrant but nervous metropolis of the 21st century.
War and Destruction
An enduring image of the Second World War is the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral shrouded in smoke: London Can Take It. However, the war was traumatic and the effect on London’s citizens and buildings has been somewhat hidden behind an image of the Dunkirk spirit. It did, however, produce a number of visionary schemes to re-shape the city to better suit the modern world.