Was life as an LSE student so different in 1955 to 2015? What changes have our long-serving staff seen over the years? Where was there a Paternoster lift on campus? Who was Wright of Wright’s Bar? Find the answers to these questions and more in Tales from Houghton Street, an oral history project to celebrate LSE’s 120th anniversary in 2015.

Everyone at LSE has a story to tell and in summer 2015 the oral history project team (Hayley Reed, Sue Donnelly, Clara Cook and Tom Sturdy) was fortunate enough to speak to a small selection of alumni, academic and professional services staff about their LSE experience.

The collection contains one introductory podcast and 30 audio recordings of interviews with alumni and staff who were studying or working at LSE between the 1950s and 2015.

Participants discussed themes including their experiences as students, teachers and researchers at LSE, developments in higher education and the future of LSE. They also shared memories about the changes on LSE’s campus: the buildings, halls of residence, the social life, and about life in London through the years.

Each recording is accompanied by a summary of the interview to help researchers identify key points. The introductory podcast features excerpts from the interviews with alumni Carol Wain (1967), Brian Van Arkadie (1956) and Mary Evans (1967/1968, LSE Centennial Professor, Gender Institute).