London's Waterside Walks


Book Description

Many people are familiar with London's River Thames, but the city has much more to offer when it comes to waterways, including a wealth of canals, minor rivers (most are tributaries of the Thames), lakes and reservoirs. London's Waterside Walks takes you along 21 of the city's lesser known - but no less interesting - beautiful and tranquil waterways.




Walking in London


Book Description

This guidebook presents 25 varied walks exploring London's green and open spaces. Covering both the city centre and the Greater London area, it takes in royal parks, heaths, forests, canals and rivers, including Epping Forest, Hampstead Heath, the World Heritage site of Kew Gardens and Wimbledon Common. Walks range from 4 to 14 miles and most can be accessed by public transport. Alongside detailed route descriptions and OS mapping, the book features practical information on parking, public transport and refreshments. Each walk showcases a particular species of wildlife that you might encounter, and there is fascinating background information the history and conservation of the capital's wild spaces. London is a city of 8 million people and 8 million trees, and its vast open spaces are home to 13,000 species of wildlife. This book is an ideal companion to exploring a greener, more gentle side to the city.




London's Lost Rivers


Book Description

Packed with surprising and fascinating information, London's Lost Rivers uncovers a very different side to London - showing how waterways shaped our principal city and exploring the legacy they leave today. With individual maps to show the course of each river and over 100 colour photographs, it's essential browsing for any Londoner and the perfect gift for anyone who loves exploring the past... 'An amazing book' -- BBC Radio London 'Talling's highly visual, fact-packed, waffle-free account is the freshest take we've yet seen. A must-buy for anyone who enjoys the "hidden" side of London -- Londonist 'A fascinating and stylish guide to exploring the capital's forgotten brooks, waterways, canals and ditches ... it's a terrific book' - Walk 'Pocket-sized, beautifully designed, illustrated and informative - in short a joy to read, handle and use' -- ***** Reader review 'Delightful, informative and beautifully produced' -- ***** Reader review 'A small gem. A really great book. I can't put it down' -- ***** Reader review 'Fascinating from start to finish' -- ***** Reader review ************************************************************************************************ From the sources of the Fleet in Hampstead's ponds to the mouth of the Effra in Vauxhall, via the meander of the Westbourne through 'Knight's Bridge' and the Tyburn's curve along Marylebone Lane, London's 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 and transport networks, fashionable spas and stagnant slums - and how they all eventually gave way to railways, roads and sewers. Armed with his camera, he traces their routes and reveals their often overlooked remains: riverside pubs on the Old Kent Road, healing wells in King's Cross, 'stink pipes' in Hammersmith and gurgling gutters on streets across the city. Packed with maps and over 100 colour photographs, London's Lost Rivers uncovers the watery history of the city's most famous sights, bringing to life the very different London that lies beneath our feet.




This Other London: Adventures in the Overlooked City


Book Description

Join John Rogers as he ventures out into an uncharted London like a redbrick Indiana Jones in search of the lost meaning of our metropolitan existence. Nursing two reluctant knees and a can of Stella, he perambulates through the seasons seeking adventure in our city’s remote and forgotten reaches.




Walking London's Waterways


Book Description

A professional walking guide shares twenty one of the best guided walks along the British capital’s scenic waterways, packed with beautiful sights. Meandering through the London metropolis are the city’s many waterways. From the mighty Thames to tranquil streams, from historic wharves to buzzing docklands, the twenty one walks in this book follow these waters, revealing a hidden London full of history, discovery, and surprises. Professional walking guide Gilly Cameron-Cooper has carefully selected the best routes to uncover the capital’s distinct waterways. An enthusiastic explorer, she will lead you alongside docks, rivers, and canals in the footsteps of Roman traders, Tudor adventurers, and Victorian engineers. These paths will take you past iconic landmarks, great feats of engineering, and a variety of lesser-known treasures. London’s rivers and canals were once pulsing arteries of industry, but today they provide a haven for wildlife and walkers alike. Here you will find green and peaceful retreats by the water, just moments away from the bustle of sprawling suburbia. Full color photographs, clear maps, and practical route directions make Walking London’s Waterways the essential companion for discovering a new side to London. “A handsome volume…the authoritative and conversational commentary is endlessly absorbing.” —WALK Magazine “If you too are someone who enjoys discussing the hidden side of London then this book will have plenty to offer.” —Real Travel “A super read and inspires you to get out there and to try the walks for yourself.” —The River Thames Guide




London's Hidden Rivers


Book Description

A fantastic guide to exploring the hidden rivers of London. London has many rivers, but they are often hidden under centuries of development. Rivers like the Walbrook, the Fleet or the Effra have left their mark on the city, and still form an important part of our subterranean world. - From the former watering hole, by the Earl's Sluice, where Canterbury pilgrims rested, David Bowie rehearsed and Henry Cooper trained, to the Gardens by the Westbourne where a young Mozart performed. - From Counter's Creek and its burial grounds of Kensal Green and Brompton to the River Effra and the West Norwood cemetery. - From the pipe carrying the River Tyburn over Baker Street Underground station to the grate in Farringdon through which the River Fleet can be heard (and seen). David Fathers shows the course of London's hidden rivers in a series of detailed guided walks, illustrating the traces they have left and showing the ways they have shaped the city. Each walk starts at the tube or rail station nearest to the source of the river, and then follows it down to the Thames through parkland, suburbia, historic neighbourhoods and the vestiges of our industrial past. London's Hidden Rivers contains over 120km of walks, both north and south of the Thames. Winding through the hills, valleys and marshes that underlie the city, every page is a revelation.




The Rings of Saturn


Book Description

"The book is like a dream you want to last forever" (Roberta Silman, The New York Times Book Review), now with a gorgeous new cover by the famed designer Peter Mendelsund A masterwork of W. G. Sebald, now with a gorgeous new cover by the famed designer Peter Mendelsund The Rings of Saturn—with its curious archive of photographs—records a walking tour of the eastern coast of England. A few of the things which cross the path and mind of its narrator (who both is and is not Sebald) are lonely eccentrics, Sir Thomas Browne’s skull, a matchstick model of the Temple of Jerusalem, recession-hit seaside towns, wooded hills, Joseph Conrad, Rembrandt’s "Anatomy Lesson," the natural history of the herring, the massive bombings of WWII, the dowager Empress Tzu Hsi, and the silk industry in Norwich. W.G. Sebald’s The Emigrants (New Directions, 1996) was hailed by Susan Sontag as an "astonishing masterpiece perfect while being unlike any book one has ever read." It was "one of the great books of the last few years," noted Michael Ondaatje, who now acclaims The Rings of Saturn "an even more inventive work than its predecessor, The Emigrants."




Derelict London: All New Edition


Book Description

______________________________ The huge word-of-mouth bestseller – completely updated for 2019 THE LONDON THAT TOURISTS DON’T SEE Look beyond Big Ben and past the skyscrapers of the Square Mile, and you will find another London. This is the land of long-forgotten tube stations, burnt-out mansions and gently decaying factories. Welcome to DERELICT LONDON: a realm whose secrets are all around us, visible to anyone who cares to look . . . Paul Talling – our best-loved investigator of London’s underbelly – has spent over fifteen years uncovering the stories of this hidden world. Now, he brings together 100 of his favourite abandoned places from across the capital: many of them more magnificent, more beautiful and more evocative than you can imagine. Covering everything from the overgrown stands of Leyton Stadium to the windswept alleys of the Aylesbury Estate, DERELICT LONDON reveals a side of the city you never knew existed. It will change the way you see London. ______________________________ PRAISE FOR THE DERELICT LONDON PROJECT ‘Fascinating images showing some of London’s eeriest derelict sites show another side to the busy, built-up capital.’ Daily Mail ‘Talling has managed to show another side to the capital, one of abandoned buildings that somehow retain a sense of beauty.’ Metro ‘Excellent . . . As much as it is an inadvertent vision of how London might look after a catastrophe, DERELICT LONDON is valuable as a document of the one going on right in front of us.’ New Statesman ‘From the iconic empty shell of Battersea Power Station to the buried ‘ghost’ stations of the London Underground, the city is peppered with decaying buildings. Paul Talling knows these places better than anyone in the capital.’ Daily Express ‘[London has an] unusual (and deplorable) number of abandoned buildings. Paul Talling’s surprise bestseller, DERELICT LONDON, is their shabby Pevsner.’ Daily Telegraph ______________________________




London's Lost Rivers


Book Description

A series of walks along the routes of eight lost rivers in London, with richly detailed anecdotes outlining the history of each river's route, origins and decline. When we think of London's river, the vast thoroughfare of the Thames immediately springs to mind. But this ancient city was built around other rivers too – and traces of these still remain, for those who know where to look. London's Lost Rivers takes the reader on a series of walks along the routes of eight lost rivers, combining directions for walkers with richly detailed anecdotes outlining the history of each river's route, origins and decline. Tom Bolton reveals a secret network that spreads across the city, from picturesque Hampstead in the North to the hidden suburbs of South London, and runs beneath some of London's most iconic and historic sites. These London pasts are brought to vivid life, populated by characters both famous and infamous, including politicians, forgers, actors, architects, athletes, monarchs and murderers. Evocative, witty and engaging, London's Lost Rivers invites both visitors to the city and lifelong Londoners to explore another side of London and its rich history, whether on foot or in the imagination.




Rick Steves London 2020


Book Description

From the sacred stones of Westminster Abbey to the top of the London Eye, the city is yours to discover with Rick Steves! Inside Rick Steves London 2020 you'll find: Comprehensive coverage for spending a week or more exploring London Rick's strategic advice on how to get the most out of your time and money, with rankings of his must-see favorites Top sights and hidden gems, from Trafalgar Square and the Tower of London to where to find the best tikka masala or fish and chips Connect with local culture: Catch a show in Soho, take afternoon tea, or have a pint of English ale with Londoners in a pub Beat the crowds, skip the lines, and avoid tourist traps with Rick's candid, humorous insight The best places to eat, sleep, and relax with a Pimm's Cup Self-guided walking tours of lively neighborhoods and world-class museums like the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Day trips to Windsor, Cambridge, and Stonehenge Detailed neighborhood maps and a fold-out city map for exploring on the go Useful resources including a packing list, popular British slang, a historical overview, and recommended reading Over 600 bible-thin pages include everything worth seeing without weighing you down Make the most of every day and every dollar with Rick Steves London 2020. Spending just a few days in the city? Try Rick Steves Pocket London.