London: A Guide for Curious Wanderers: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

Product Information

London is famous for its museums, each one full of treasures and relics – but the biggest museum in the capital is the city itself. From the stories behind unusual street names, to the trees in our parks; railings made from recycled WWII stretchers, to shrapnel damage on walls; the hidden symbols on post boxes, to prehistoric tree trunks – there is a rich history hidden in the oft-overlooked details of the city's streets, gardens, parks and buildings. Each walk has a theme. For example, the first one focuses on London’s buildings. They go from Roman ruins to skyscrapers. What makes this book stand out are the detailed illustrations by Katharine Fraser instead of expected photos. Although some actual photos to provide a bit more “street” context would have been nice, I suppose that context would be supplied by actual walk to the places Chesher describes. This richly detailed and beautifully illustrated book provides a miscellany of historic features and curiosities to spot as you wander around the capital. We are experiencing delays with deliveries to many countries, but in most cases local services have now resumed. For more details, please consult the latest information provided by Royal Mail's International Incident Bulletin.

As you would expect all entries have been indexed, but curiously an additional list of postcodes with their locations within the book is also included. I went on to study history at the University of Bristol and lived there for seven years. I put that history degree to immediate good use and became a hotel manager for 4 and a half years.

There are two versions of this book on Goodreads that I cannot combine...hopefully it will be remedied soon by the request that I put through to their librarians. In 2021 I took part in Open City’s Golden Key Academy guiding course and in October 2021 started running my guided walks of London’s hidden history. My walks focus on one area of London at a time, with the aim to uncover its stories, point out the little details many miss, really get under the city’s skin and ultimately share my passion for the city’s history. Exploring cities on foot and finding interesting quirks and details is quite fun. To go beyond standard “big” tourist attractions, to find fascinating little tidbits just hiding in plain sight — it is a great thing for any city explorer. See London in a completely new light inthis guide to the city's hidden secrets,untold stories andspecial places laden with history which you can discover for yourself!

I grew up in Essex and London has always been a fascinating and exhilarating place to me. I have also always had a passion for history. When I was younger my brothers would be taken to football matches at the weekends, I would be taken on day trips to the British museum. I am a big fan of museums and books but, even more so, I am interested in the tangible, liveable and breathable history we are surrounded by as we go about our everyday lives. Having seen the creator of this book as someone's guest on youtube I knew it would not be too shoddy, but I didn't expect it to be on the slight and gentle side I at first felt it to be. The first chapter, taking us almost to the one-third mark, concerns a walk through London's architectural history, from the Roman flooring and Norman arches that are so close geographically if not temporally to buildings designed by a chap who passed away as this was readied for publication that could melt cars parked beneath them. I had a few hours of fun browsing through this book and making a few mental notes of things to look at if I’m in London. London is famous for its museums, each one full of treasures and relics - but the biggest museum in the capital is the city itself. From the stories behind unusual street names, to the trees in our parks; railings made from recycled WWII stretchers, to shrapnel damage on walls; the hidden symbols on post boxes, to prehistoric tree trunks - there is a rich history hidden in the oft-overlooked details of the city's streets, gardens, parks and buildings. Readers are offered four walks through London. The first goes from Tower Hill Station to Liverpool Street Station. Next is Tottenham Court Road Station to Trafalgar Square. Third is London Bridge Station to Borough Station. Finally, there is a walk from Westminster Station to Berkeley Square.

Join the conversation

London is famous for its museums, each one full of treasures and relics – but the biggest museum in the capital is the city itself. Thinking of traveling to England’s capital? Are you just an armchair traveler? Want to get a unique take on London? Whichever applies, this book is a good guide. Overall I think this is a brilliant book, and is not only handy if you’re planning on going for a stroll around London, but also if you simply want to learn some interesting facts and know more about the city’s history. I, for one, am about to annoy my friends and family to no-end with all my new knowledge, and would quite like to book a trip down to London, specifically to see the tiny cheese and mice sculpture on Philpot Lane. In the introduction, the author states that he wants to show explorers lots of hidden corners. He also want to provide an “ability to read London.” Sounds good. See London in a completely new light in this guide to the city’s hidden secrets, untold stories and special places laden with history which you can discover for yourself!

There are some beautiful illustrations throughout the book, highlighting some of the interesting signs, buildings, and statues, ect, that can be found around the Capital, but I found myself scrambling for my phone to look up every other object that wasn’t given a visual - I just had to know what it looked like! However, I understand that the book would have felt crowded if there were illustrations for each curiosity.

The book comes complete with maps so you can spot these details yourself on walks through the capital. The book comes complete with maps so you can spot these details yourselfon walks through the capital. So, pop on a sturdy pair of shoes and get ready to turn the city into the museum you never knew you had. But this does suitably look up, down and sideways, while encouraging us to do the same. Here are signs still existing to WW2 air raid shelters, ancient statues, and so much more. We get several urban myths dismissed (such as equine feet on statuary, for one), and all told there is enough here to guarantee its worth. (I wish I'd known about the very early Tube map the last time I was around Temple.)

This richly detailed and beautifully illustrated book provides a miscellany of historic features and curiosities to spot as you wander around the capital. Whether you’ve always wondered why there are cattle troughs on your route to work, why bollards often look like upside down cannons or wanted to know what a Victorian stink pipe is – this book will provide the tools to decipher London’s secret code, and introduce you to a treasure trove of hidden spots to explore.This richly detailed and beautifully illustratedbook provides a miscellany of historic features and curiosities to spot as you wander around the capital. Whether you’ve always wondered why there are cattle troughs on your route to work, why bollards often look like upside down cannons orwanted to know what a Victorian stink pipe is – this book will provide the tools to decipherLondon’s secret code, and introduce you to a treasure trove of hidden spots to explore. This richly detailed and beautifully illustrated book provides a miscellany of historic features and curiosities to spot as you wander around the capital. Whether you’ve always wondered why there are cattle troughs on your route to work, why bollards often look like upside-down cannons or wanted to know what a Victorian stink pipe is – this book will provide the tools to decipher London’s secret code and introduce you to a treasure trove of hidden spots to explore.