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

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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. 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! London is famous for its museums, each one full of treasures and relics – but the biggest museum in the capital is the city itself. This richly detailed and beautifully illustrated book provides a miscellany of historic features and curiosities to spot as you wander around the capital. This would be an ideal coffee table book and also good to have in e-book form to guide you around the capital, particularly if following any of the suggested walking maps.

If you want to know where to find street furniture, Roman remains, hidden rivers, or stink pipes (yes, really!) - basically anything that tells a story of the capital's past, this is definitely a book to have in your collection. 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.) 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. Do you know what jetting is or a sedan chair? Do you know when ‘Egyptian mania’ affected London architecture? You can learn the interesting answers to these questions and more by reading this book. It’s full of unusual facts about London history and architecture. The illustrations are an absolute delight. This is a perfect book for people who live in London, and for tourists. However, tourists may not have the time to explore all the places mentioned here. This book certainly made me wish that I lived in London!This richly detailed and beautifully illustrated book provides a miscellany of historic features 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; want to know what a Victorian stink pipe is; or just want to be armed with knowledge when you explore new parts of the city - this book will provide the tools to deciphering London's secret code, and introduce you to a treasure trove of hidden spots to discover.

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. 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 citys streets, gardens, parks and buildings. The text itself provides just the right introduction to each spot covered, whetting many an appetite (or at least my own--can I book a flight?). The author brilliantly intersperses some walks throughout, as well--which I would absolutely avail myself of were I a tad bit closer. This was a great way to get a birds-eye view of London and its rich history, art, and architecture.It is also beautifully illustrated by the brilliant Katharine Fraser and includes four self-guided maps to help you explore the city for yourself!

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. See London in a completely new light in this unearthing of the city's hidden sescrets and untold stories, 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.London: A Guide for Curious Wanderers is a great travel guide of London as well as a book that contains a wealth of information that many may not know about the City of London.