Forgotten Urban Histories: The extraordinary secrets of ordinary cities.
Forgotten Urban Histories is a sharp, atmospheric, and beautifully immersive journey through the hidden layers, forgotten lore, and quiet anomalies of the places we think we know. The premise is simple: while modern cities and historical landscapes constantly modernise and push forward, they rarely truly erase where they have been. Instead of demolishing their past, they bury it, lock it away, or leave it to pass into local myth—creating a parallel world where history, legend, and the present day exist directly alongside one another.
This podcast is a detail-driven exploration of those incredible, overlooked spaces and stories. We bypass the polished tourist landmarks to uncover the spectacular omissions and eerie mysteries that most people walk straight past every day: abandoned infrastructure untouched for decades, whispered local legends that blur the line between fact and folklore, forgotten historical chapters, and anomalous sites waiting silently just out of view.
Combining rigorous historical research with a lightly witty, observational eye, Forgotten Urban Histories treats the world’s most fascinating locales as living, breathing historical marvels. We pull back the curtain on the everyday landscape to find the awe, mystery, and amazement buried just out of sight. This isn't a lecture on history; it's a celebration of the extraordinary, forgotten narratives and spaces we are lucky enough to still be able to rediscover and explore.
About the Host
Mark Kerrigan holds a Bachelor of Education and a Master’s degree in Theological Studies. With over twenty years of experience as an educator, Mark excels at breaking down complex, rigorous academic research into engaging, accessible, and fascinating narratives. He is a multi-disciplinary creator under the Narranimate Studios banner, hosting both The B-Side Bible and the Forgotten Urban Histories podcast.
Mark is also a versatile author, having written two speculative fiction novels as well as two children's novels. Across all his projects, he combines his background in education, narrative world-building, and historical criticism to strip the varnish off the past—delivering it exactly as it was: loud, accurate, and completely off the record.
Episodes
6 episodes
The Layers of Poveglia
Episode Description:Every year, millions of travellers stand along the Riva degli Schiavoni in Venice, gazing out across the sparkling, turquoise expanse of the Venetian Lagoon toward the glittering facades of the Doge’s Palace and the B...
The Miracle at Malta
On the afternoon of April 9, 1942, the sky over the village of Mosta turned entirely black. Malta was enduring the absolute height of an intense, industrial Axis siege, and the Luftwaffe had targeted the island with relentless, heavy bombardmen...
London’s Hidden Tube Tunnels: Ghost Stations, War Rooms, and Plague Pits
London is exceptionally good at appearances. From the surface, it presents as an entirely orderly, predictable metropolis that queues with mathematical precision and insists on calling things "temporary closures" even when the gates have been p...
The Bourbon Tunnel
The Bourbon Tunnel: The King Who Dug Himself an EscapeBeneath the lively streets of Naples lies a tunnel built out of royal nerves and Neapolitan stone. In this episode, we follow the curious story of King Ferdinand II, who ordere...
The Catacombs of Paris: The Unnamed Dead.
Beneath the bright boulevards of Paris lies another city — silent, cold, and built entirely of human bone.In this episode, we explore how overflowing cemeteries, disease, revolution, and empire all led to the creation of a vast ossuary b...
The Mole of Edge Hill: Liverpool's Mysterious Tunnels
Beneath the quiet streets of Liverpool lies a labyrinth carved by hand over two centuries ago — a network of tunnels with no clear purpose and no surviving plans. In this debut episode, Mark Kerrigan explores the mystery of Jo...