Product Description

Bestselling author Christopher Winn takes us on a captivating journey around London to discover the unknown tales of our capital's history. Travelling through the villages and districts that make up the world's most dynamic metropolis "I Never Knew That About London" unearths the hidden gems of legends, firsts, inventions, adventures and birthplaces that shape the city's compelling, and at times, turbulent past. See the Brentford river views that inspired Turner to become an artist and find out where London's first nude statue is. Explore the oldest and largest tidal mill in Britain and unearth the original Big Brother house in Bromley. Spy out the village that gave its name to a car and the Russian word for railway station. Discover which church steeple gave us the design of the traditional wedding cake, where the sandwich was invented and where in Bond Street you can see London's oldest artefact. Visit the tombs of Karl Marx, John Constable and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Climb the famous 39 steps, go from East to West and back again at Greenwich and fly the world's biggest big wheel. Brimming with stories and snippets providing a spellbinding insight into what has shaped our capital, this beautifully illustrated gem of a book is guaranteed to inform and amuse in equal measure.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2148 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Guardian online
"A delightful and informative addition to the capital's literary legacy...I Never Knew that about London will not fail to enhance months, even years, of gentle urban exploration...Winn's touch is always light, and his knowledge is never overbearing, so the selections and observations remain unfailingly interesting"

About the Author
Christopher Winn has been a freelance writer and trivia collector for over twenty years. He has worked with Terry Wogan and Jonathan Ross, and sets quiz questions for television as well as for the Daily Mail and Daily Express. He also produces for theatre and has recently toured with Hugh Massingberd's play, Ancestral Voices, about James Lees-Milne. He is the author of I Never Knew That About England, I Never Knew That About Ireland and I Never Knew That About Scotland. You can test your own trivia knowledge on his website www.i-never-knew-that.com.

Customer Reviews

Become a London-bore!
This is an excellent 'by the bed' book for dipping in and out of. Each section has a generous selection of interesting gems and more bizarre nuggets about the capital that will make any reader an instant London Bore or a valued member of any pub-quiz team (admittedly only for the London questions!). Certainly a book worth having even if you don't have a huge thirst for knowledge about London - this will gently change that without you even noticing.

I never knew about London
I have lived in London most of my life and I was amazed at the number of things that I did not know about it . I found it so very interesting that it was difficult to put down and would thoroughly recommend it to all those people who live or have lived in London and thought that they knew most of what there was to know about it. Get this book and you will be like me unable to put it down . Also for anyone interested in learning a bit about London that the usual tourist books don't mention.

I thought I knew ... but I didn't
I sent this to my mother, and she had this to say about it:

'I Never Knew That About London' - well, born as a Londoner 80 years ago and living there for nigh on the following 40, I did suppose that there wasn't too much I hadn't gleaned and gathered about my City in that time. This little book, however, has endeavoured to and succeeded in knocking my complacency and assurance for six.
The 'knowledge' contained and explained within its covers is delivered without the usual somewhat boring 'info' drag that invades so many other attempts on this subject.
Ranging from total documented fact to lighthearted - but still informative - trivia this particular attempt to describe London as was and has now become is, for me, a winner; a must have and will not lie neglected choked with dust; rather it will terminate in well dog eared tatters. For my son who had the inspiratin to buy it for me - Cheers!