Shutting the door on the world outside & embarking on a journey through an historic house releases the magic of time travel. Its an opportunity to recreate imaginatively a specific era peopled by characters whose lives can only be guessed at or to rerun incidents from a well-known biography in their setting. London has an amazing range of houses regularly open to the public & this book covers them all. Architects from Robert Adam to Erno Goldfinger are represented. In social terms the spectrum runs from the destitute who filled the workhouse now known as Vestry House in Walthamstow to aristocrats & royalty busily building & coupling in Kensington & Twickenham. With architectural & social history biographies & practical information this book provides everything visitors need to plan a trip back through the centuries. ...

Many of Londons original power stations have either been demolished converted for other use or stand derelict awaiting redevelopment that is seemingly always just out of reach. However in their prime these mighty cathedrals of power played a vital role in Londons journey towards becoming the worlds most important city. Gasworks also played a key role built in the Victorian era to manufacture gas for industry & the people before later falling out of favour once natural gas was discovered in the North Sea. Londons Lost Power Stations & Gasworks looks at the history of these great places. Famous sites that are still standing today such as those at Battersea & Bankside (now the Tate Modern gallery) are covered in detail but so are the previously untold stories of long-demolished & forgotten sites. Appealing to anyone with even the slightest interest in London derelict buildings or urban exploring this book uses Londons power supply as the starting point for a fascinating hidden history of Britains capital & of the more general development of cities from the era of industrialisation to the present day. ...

From the sources of the Fleet in Hampsteads ponds to the mouth of the Effra in Vauxhall via the meander of the Westbourne through Knights Bridge & the Tyburns curve along Marylebone Lane Londons Lost Rivers" unearths the hidden waterways that flow beneath the streets of the capital. Paul Talling investigates how these rivers shaped the city
- forming borough boundaries & transport networks fashionable spas & stagnant slums
- & how they all eventually gave way to railways roads & sewers. Armed with his camera he traces their routes & reveals their often overlooked remains: riverside pubs on the Old Kent Road healing wells in Kings Cross stink pipes in Hammersmith & gurgling gutters on streets across the city. Packed with maps & over 100 colour photographs " Londons Lost Rivers" uncovers the watery history of the citys most famous sights bringing to life the very different London that lies beneath our feet."

...

The London Olympics of 1908 was intended to reveal Britain & its empire at its zenith. Before the games had ended almost everything that could go wrong had the organisers were universally condemned & it had caused a number of international incidents. When squabbling between Rome & Milan as to who should host the Games became too much they were moved at the last minute to London. Two influential well-meaning but incredibly inefficient English aristocrats picked up the baton & declared that London would show the world how to mount a major international athletics event. The games opened in the pouring rain which was to continue for the whole two weeks. One country insisted that another country march under its banner yet another country complained that it was under the banner of Britain when it shouldnt be & another refused to dip its banner to King Edward causing uproar. Decisions on competitions were questioned contestants were accused of being professionals a rival dropped the shot of the shot-put on the foot of a competitor & one contestant ended up running a race alone. Amongst the chaos there were some class performances but these were by overshadowed by disputes back-biting disqualifications & more even after it finished two weeks later. Olympic Follies is a superb entertaining tale of one of the most fascinating unusual & often hilarious Games ever held
- a must for anyone looking forward to the London Olympics of 2012.
...

Londons Secret Walks is a walking book with a difference taking in many of Londons lesser-known but no less worthy sights. As Samuel Johnson said to his friend Boswell in the 18th century on the occasion of the latters arrival in London: survey its innumerable little lanes & courts." By extension wander off the beaten tourist track & youll discover a world of fascinating sights & attractions that not many tourists
- or even Londoners
- get to see."

...

This book is for the passengers & aviation buffs who use London's main airports. It

Includes:: a brief history

...

June 2013 sees the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Queen's Coronation only the second time in British history a monarch has reached this remarkable milestone. As the event was famously the first of its kind to be televised images from the ceremony inside Westminster Abbey are instantly recognisable & have become iconic. Far less familiar are the scenes in the streets outside however where huge crowds assembled to see a procession of state coaches & historic regiments marching past public buildings festooned with patriotic banners & colourful grandstands erected outside many famous landmarks. At the core of the book is a hitherto private collection of more than 200 images showing London's West End on the day. None has been published before & together they provide a unique & precious record of this historic occasion
- the day of the Coronation as it was seen by ordinary members of the public.
...

This remarkable book presents a modern photographic panorama of the River Thames by Charles Craig Graham Diprose & Mike Seaborne alongside one created by the Port of London Authority in 1937. Thames Panorama is a fascinating study of how the twentieth century has changed the face of the Thames. First published in 1988 & updated for the Millennium this book is again being brought up to date a sign of how rapid the pace of change has been for London's river. & yet amid the sparkling new developments & brash architectural statements that have sprung up a sense of continuity is apparent when the two panoramas albeit separated by more than seventy years are shown side by side. ...

This fascinating insight into London's docklands is the result of extensive research into an part of London that has intrigued the author for many years. In its heyday the area was dominated by the Port of London; a sprawling network of quays ancient wharves deep canals & high-walled basins that stretched along the river Thames from the City to Tilbury. Two or three generations ago London Docks provided employment for over 100 000 men but the demise of London's docklands in the late 20th century ended a tradition of waterside industry that had existed in London since Roman times. Yet the Docks themselves still stand defiantly; too expensive (and expansive) to be attractive to property developers despite the fact that most are sited in prime real estate areas. For the foreseeable future the Docks will remain part of London a visual reminder that for a time Britannia did indeed rule the waves. This splendid book chronicles the rise & fall of this most under-explored part of historical London by plundering the wealth of evidence left behind by the people who worked lived & visited the area. From archaeological finds through to diaries newspaper articles census returns & personal interviews the lost docks of London are rediscovered through fascinating tales of Medieval mercers river pirates shipbuilders merchant adventurers mud larks Dockers socialist agitators brothel keepers & opium eaters to name but a few. London's docklands & its people were hugely influential not only in shaping the commercial destiny of the capital but also the development & social structure of the entire eastern side of the city. At this uncertain & precarious point in their history it is important that their story is told before all remnants of their illustrious past are erased forever. ...

People love walking the streets of London but there are always more questions than answers after a stroll through the capital. Following any of the 13 walks featured in the book will allow the user to walk in the footsteps of authors & statesmen murderers & revolutionaries. With over 400 full-colour photographs this book is packed with interesting details about London's history with both personal tales of those that wandered the same streets in former years & a more general social & economic history of the different areas covered. Each walk is brought to life with thumbnail photos striking full-page photos & detailed maps illustrating the route & where buildings & points of interest are located. From open sunny squares to winding alleyways & quiet hidden corners explore London & discover how 2 000 years of colourful history have shaped this city. ...