London Revisited: The Protestant Capital

Close Readings · May 18, 2026 · 21m

At the start of the 16th century London was still recognisably medieval, crowded within its walls, dominated by churches and monasteries and deeply tied to Catholic Europe. By the end of Henry VIII’s reign, much of that world had vanished. The Reformation not only changed the religious practices of its inhabitants, it brought a widespread transfer of property that reshaped the character and activity of the city and turned it into a theatre of power, punishment and debate.

Rosemary is joined by Vanessa Harding, emerita professor of London history at Birkbeck, University of London, to look at…