Charles Booth's London

A six-week Tuesday evening course at Mary Ward Centre exploring Victorian London through Charles Booth's pioneering poverty research, taught by historian Sarah Wise.

This six-week course uses the work of social researcher Charles Booth — best known for his Poverty Map — as a lens on late-19th-century London, examining poverty, inequality and everyday life. Weekly sessions focus on different districts, including the Old Nichol, Soho, Whitechapel, Lisson Grove, the docks and Covent Garden, with themes ranging from working-class politics and immigrant experiences to schools, religion and trades. Tutor Sarah Wise is an award-winning historian and author who contributed to the Thames & Hudson/LSE book on Booth's Poverty Maps.