Great Exchanges is a collaboration between Portobello Radio and Imperial College London. We bring together research scientists and members of the community to discuss topics that feature in the 2026 Great Exhibition Road Festival on June 6th and 7th.

In this latest episode, we turn our attention to a pivotal moment in London’s history: the Great Exhibition of 1851. This year’s Festival marks the 175th anniversary of the largest public event the city had ever seen, and on the anniversary of the day it first opened to more than six million visitors, we step back inside the Crystal Palace — home to over 100,000 objects celebrating industry, technology and empire. Joining the conversation is Dr Jennifer Wallis, historian of science and medicine at Imperial College London. We’re also joined by Alair Ayeni from down the road in White City, one of the Festival’s 2026 Young Producers helping to re‑examine the Exhibition’s legacy through a contemporary, decolonising lens.

https://www.greatexhibitionroadfestival.co.uk/

• (00:00:00) - Great Exhibition
• (00:02:14) - The Great Exhibition of Industry
• (00:06:21) - Young Producers at the
• (00:09:43) - Experiencing the Exhibition
• (00:11:23) - The Great Exhibition
• (00:12:07) - The Great Exhibition
• (00:16:52) - The Great Exhibition of 1851
• (00:18:43) - Exploring the Exhibition
• (00:20:12) - The Great Exhibition
• (00:23:24) - The Great Exhibition: Analysis
• (00:25:09) - The Great Exhibition and its contemporary
• (00:29:43) - The Great Exhibition