London has a fascinating and turbulent 2,000-year history, during which it has been burnt down several times, rebuilt, bombed in two world wars and rebuilt again. Despite, the ravages of time and conflicts (and developers!), the city has enough world-famous attractions to keep the average visitor or resident occupied for a month of Sundays, which are more than adequately covered in a wealth of guidebooks. What Hidden London does is take you off the beaten path – side-stepping the city’s tourist-clogged major sights – to seek out its more unusual charms and esoteric, mysterious side.
Like our sister publications, London’s Hidden Secrets and London’s Secret Places, Hidden London contains a wealth of unusual, hidden and little-known attractions. Among the over 100 places featured are an abundance of historic churches and other ancient buildings; secret gardens and magnificent Victorian cemeteries; fascinating small museums and galleries; characterful pubs and stunning hotels; cutting-edge art and design, and much more.
Inside you’ll discover a lovely church in the shadow of Westminster Abbey where William Caxton and Sir Walter Raleigh are buried, and Sir Winston Churchill was married; an atmospheric 17th-century public house where Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dr Samuel Johnson and Charles Dickens (among others) were frequent visitors; a splendid 16th-century hall where Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night was first performed; an absorbing museum dedicated to a ‘secret’ society that numbered Edward VII and Sir Winston Churchill among its members; and a majestic Victorian cemetery where Sir Henry Doulton, Baron Julius de Reuter and Sir Henry Tate are buried.
Hidden London isn’t intended as a walking guide, although many of the places covered are close to one another in central London – notably in the hubs of Westminster and the City – where you can easily stroll between them, while some are out in the suburbs. However, most are close to public transport links and relatively easy to get to. What’s more the vast majority are free, so there’s no excuse for not getting out there and exploring.
With a copy of Hidden London to hand to inspire you, you need never be bored of London (or life). We hope you enjoy discovering the city’s ‘secrets’ as much as we did.
RRP: | £10.99 Survival Books |
Author: | David Hampshire |
ISBN-13: | 978-1-913171-20-9 |
Edition: | 2nd |
Published: | 31st Mar 2020 |
Number of Pages: | 256 Pages |
Dimensions: | 190mm x 110mm |
Book Type: | Paperback |