The 2019 events programme is taking shape, with a range of talks, debates, schools, tours and walks currently being slotted into next year's calendar. To make sure you know when booking opens for each of our talks, sign up for our newsletter. There are three main themes for next year - London's High Streets, and Parks and Open Spaces are two, and the third is Engineering and Infrastructure. Sarah Yates explains the thinking behind the series and some of the events to look forward to. During 2019 one of the main themes that the London Society will be exploring is the capital’s engineering and infrastructure – the ‘underpinning’ that enables us to live, work and move around the city every day. The history of London’s infrastructure dates back centuries, as the natural resource of the River Thames, its tributaries and springs provided citizens with their water supply. As the capital expanded, road and utility networks also grew. By the 19th century engineering had become an area in which the UK – and London - led the world in innovation and technological achievement. Among the most renowned of these are of course the Thames Tunnel, the world’s first tunnel built under a navigable river, between Rotherhithe and Wapping, by Marc Brunel and his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In addition, Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s revolutionary system that diverts sewage to outfalls east of London solved the huge problem of infectious disease outbreak and pollution of potable water supplies. Today the Thames Tideway Tunnel scheme seeks to upgrade this system for the 21st century in the light of climate change and another further wave of massive population growth. In the same way, the long-awaited Elizabeth Line is hoped to provide much-needed extra capacity for London’s overburdened public transport system. Although 2018 was officially designated the ‘Year of Engineering’ by the UK government, 2019 will see not only future expansion with the arrival of the Elizabeth line but also, looking back, the 125th anniversary of the opening of Tower Bridge and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Bazalgette. Through a full programme of walks, talks and tours, and partnerships with engineering institutions, the Society will celebrate the best achievements of London’s greatest engineers while also exploring how the engineers of today are generating solutions to help make London a sustainable and liveable city in the future. Talks include:

• London’s infrastructure history, with Alistair Lenczner
• Tower Bridge and its 125th anniversary
• Why is London’s railway network the way it is? Is it still right for London
• Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Paddington railway station with historian Steven Brindle
• Waterloo (Ladies) Bridge with Karen Livesey
• ICE engineering walks, to be led by ICE London Graduates and Students