Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14197 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Synopsis
Aimed at visitors and Londoners alike, this fully updated edition of Secret London unlocks the city's most fascinating secrets - both above and below ground. Celebrated historian Andrew Duncan strips away bricks, mortar and tarmac to uncover parts of the capital that even born-and-bred Londoners may never have seen. Below ground, he guides readers through an extraordinary honeycomb of structures - from the government's vast system of offices and tunnels under Whitehall, through abandoned Underground stations, to Clerkenwell's amazing network of subterranean prison cells. Above ground, he leads the way through narrow alleyways and cobbled mews, revealing unexpected treasures and describing rarely seen interiors and special collections. Opening times and addresses, detailed route maps and evocative photographs complement a fascinating text that is sure to delight all urban explorers.

Customer Reviews

Good Beginners Book
I've lived here all my life and always had an interest so this is probably not aimed at me. Although I did learn one or two things, I knew most already.
If I were a visitor or just beginning to look around me, though, this would be an ideal way to start. The walks are well thought out, the language engaging and I think this might inspire me to investigate more if I didn't already spend most of my time peering between the cracks in London's beautiful facades!

A Good Guide!
I ordered this book with a view to planning a day of walking around the city with a friend. There are several walks planned out for you, with details of places of interest, places to stop for refreshment etc. The only problem was that, on the particular route we followed around St. Pauls, the map didn't appear to be 100% accurate and we had to rely on our backup copy of the A-Z. Not a huge problem, in fact it's sometimes fun to drift slightly off course just for the satisfaction of finding your way back again. This is probably partly due to the fact that London seems to be continually changing and most maps are out of date as soon as they are published.

A good guide book, but just make sure you've got an A to Z handy as well!

Good clear book on the secrets of London
This is a 'nice to have' text rather than a 'must have', a proportion of the book refers to places and things that are not really 'secret', more hidden from public view (elements of the library in parliament for example) which was not really what I was expecting when I ordered it. There are however some excellent walks described in here which are probably worth the purchase price for alone.