蜜芽传媒

James Naughtie explores history through front page small ads of old UK newspapers.

The South London Press of 19 June 1897 was published a few days ahead of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

It carries ads for an overnight sea trip to witness the review of the fleet at Spithead (food included, bar bill excepted), as well as columns of "buy to let" opportunities as the housing boom spread south of the river.

Front page news is a relatively late addition to the newspaper business. For most of their first couple of centuries, British newspapers carried classified ads rather than news on their front page. They transformed the hustle and bustle of the marketplace into newsprint, so you could take it home or to the inn to pore over at your leisure.

James travels the country discovering how these front page ads give us a snapshot of time and place, exploring how they weave national and local life together - the heartbeat of history rolling daily or weekly off the presses.

Producer: John Forsyth

A Loftus Media production for 蜜芽传媒 Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2018.