The first part of this lecture reflects on the disadvantaged 'London lives' many of the capital's children are presently forced to experience and the implications this has for their schooling. The later part commends aspects of the writings of two long-dead Londoners - the eminent lawyer, Thomas More, and the great political polemicist and literary critic, William Hazlitt. Each writer at different times in England's history introduced into its culture his own distinctive way of thinking and discoursing, and it is these styles that are worth re-engaging with at this particular juncture, as we consider the scope, nature and potential of school reform, not just in London, but generally.