The 'Land Question' occupied a central place in political and cultural debates in Britain for nearly two centuries. From parliamentary enclosure in the mid-eighteenth century to the fierce Labour party debate concerning the nationalisation of land after World War II, the fate of the land held the power to galvanize the attention of the nation.

This collection of essays deals with the political life of London, supplying a radical new focus for the interpretation of nineteenth-century British political history. Ranging across Whiggery, popular Radicalism, Toryism, Freethought, working-class politics, and Imperialism, it brings together the worlds of high politics and low in a century when successive reforms of parliament constantly changed the relationship between the two. Examining the interactions between Conservatives, radicals, and liberals, it seeks to establish the rhythms of metropolitan political agitation, unearth the peculiar culture of electoral activity there, and demonstrate the unique dimension revealed by a capital-centered approach to nineteenth century politics.