Publisher: Batsford
From its retro cover (Do I detect the LCC font?) to its final section musing on the make-up of London in the future this handsome book should be on the want list for all lovers of London.
Marrying the exquisite maps of Mike Hall with the writing of Matt Brown is a perfect combination. Anyone familiar with Matt’s writings either in previous London books or on the Londonist blog will know his witty, informative, “numbat squeezing” style. I particularly liked “The Thames Barrier opened (or closed) for the first time in 1982” and County Hall being described as “Where previously officials debated urban regeneration… now you can cuddle a Hollywood ogre”
Taking each 32 boroughs (and The City) in alphabetical turn demographic facts for each (from 2023) are coupled with 10 or 12 interesting sites in each.
As someone who can see Kent from my balcony to “road test” the book I headed south to my home borough of Bromley (official motto I learned: Servire Populo – To serve the people [I always thought it was Clean and Green]) Here I couldn’t really quibble with their choices including Charles Darwin’s Down House, Chislehurst Caves and Crystal Palace Park especially as ignoring anything in Penge falls in line with a lot of Bromley thinking. I’m glad too that they kept the rituals that occur around the Willet Memorial in Petts Wood every time the clocks change the secrets they’re supposed to be.
Next test – Where can this book entice me on a London safari? How about Danny Baker’s “mythical land of” Hillingdon? Arriving at the architectural wonder of Uxbridge Station I would visit the Battle of Britain Bunker – A key location in the Blitz and the Battle of Britain. Dropping down one stop on the Metropolitan an Open House visit to the Jacobean Swakeley’s House and a swim in Ruislip Lido sounds just the ticket.
At less than a £1.00 a Borough this is surely the best value book on London around at the moment. Working ideally as a source of inspiration for exploring this great metropolis of ours and a delightful, useful reference book of its constituent parts.
