Gas, oil and the Essex blues
The arrival of ships carrying natural gas and oil refinery towers shaped the landscape of Canvey Island in Essex. New Generation Thinker Sam Johnson-Schlee considers their impact
Canvey Island: cradle of innovation for gas heating and home to music makers Dr Feelgood, who drew inspiration from the Mississippi Delta. New Generation Thinker Sam Johnson-Schlee is an author and geographer based at London South Bank University. His essay remembers the influence of Parker Morris standards on heating in the home, songs written by Wilko Johnson and the impact of central heating on teenage bedrooms, record listening and playing instruments.
Producer: Julian Siddle
You can hear more from Sam in Free Thinking episodes exploring Dust and Sound, Conflict and Central Heating
New Generation Thinkers is a scheme run by the 91热爆 and the Arts and Humanities Research Council to put research on radio
Death in Trieste
A 1760s murder still informs ideas about aesthetics, a certain sort of sex, and death.
Watch: My Deaf World
Five compelling experiences of what it is like to be deaf in 21st-century Britain.
The Book that Changed Me
Five figures from the arts and science introduce books that changed their lives and work.
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The Essay
Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond.
