London`s suburbs may stretch for well over 600 square miles, but in historical accounts of the capital they tend to take something of a back seat. In ” Greater London”, historian Nick Barratt places them firmly centre stage, tracing their journey from hamlets & villages far out in the open countryside to fully fledged urban enclaves, simultaneously demonstrating the crucial role they have played in the creation of today`s metropolis. Starting in the first century AD, he shows how the tiny settlements that grew up in the Thames Valley gradually developed, & how they were shaped by their proximity to the city. He describes the spread of the first suburbs beyond the city walls, & traces the ebb & flow of population as people moved in to find jobs or away to escape London`s noise & bustle. He charts the transformation wrought by the coming of the railways, the fight to preserve Hampstead Heath, Epping Forest & other green spaces & the struggle to create a London-wide form of government. He gives an account of wartime destruction & peacetime reconstruction, & then brings the story to the present with a description of the very varied nature of today`s suburbs & their inhabitants. In the process, he evokes Tudor Hackney & Georgian Hampton, explains why Victorian Battersea & Finchley were so different from one another, & follows Islington`s fall from grace & subsequent recovery. Magnificently illustrated throughout with contemporary engravings & photographs, this is the essential history for anyone who has ever lived in London.