Transient Town
7.00pm Thursday 27th August 2026
Admission: Tickets £13.80 inc. in advance only HERE From medieval guesthouses to today's HMOs, London has always been a city of transient residents. In the first of two salons, we explore how long before hotels became commonplace, travellers, clergy, merchants, migrants and professionals depended on an extraordinary variety of temporary accommodation.
Historian LESTER HILLMAN journeys back several centuries to uncover London’s forgotten network of monastic and episcopal lodgings. From the Hospitallers of Clerkenwell and the Gilbertines near Smithfield to the Bishop of Ely’s London residence, he shows how temporary bases supported fundraising, administration and diplomacy, while placing their occupants at the heart of one of medieval London’s liveliest neighbourhoods
Lodging was more than a place to sleep: it was where business was conducted, alliances forged, information exchanged, and new arrivals found their footing in the world’s most dynamic city.
Historian Dr GILLIAN WILLIAMSON explores the hidden world of eighteenth-century lodgers, revealing the complex relationships that existed between landlords, landladies and the thousands of people who made their homes in rented rooms. She shares a fascinating insight into the role lodging houses played as the facilitators of encounters and interactions, and how they sustained the economy of Georgian London.-----
Dr GILLIAN WILLIAMSON is a social historian specialising in eighteenth-century Britain. She has published on the Gentleman’s Magazine, the leading eighteenth-century periodical, and her acclaimed book, Lodgers, Landlords and Landladies in Georgian London, explores the complex world of London’s lodgers and the households that accommodated them. She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a regular speaker on the history of Georgian London. She is currently working on the life of John London, a Black publican and one of the earliest known Black voters.
LESTER HILLMAN is an historian, guide and independent researcher whose work explores the geography and urban life of London. Through original archival research, he brings to life the networks of people, places and temporary lodgings that connect the city and its citizens
Our home, THE HORSE HOSPITAL, is a unique Grade II listed not for profit, independent arts venue within the only existing unspoilt example of a two-floor, purpose-built stable with public access in London.
Built in 1797 by James Burton. the shell is constructed with London Stocks whilst the interior features a mock cobbled re-inforced concrete floor and ramps with slats to prevent the horses from slipping. Each floor has 5 cast iron pillars and several original iron tethering rings.
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