Since its establishment by the Romans in about 47 CE London has become home to almost 9 million people and achieved global importance, not only as a centre for commerce and government but also for aspects such as its architecture and culture. Reflecting the city’s rich and fascinating history is the vast number of publications devoted to it, from brief overviews and visual records to studies focusing on particular eras or aspects of life. Our history of London books represent this range, and here we explore the capital through titles that offer a broad historical perspective and those that shed light on its lesser-known elements.
Charles Booth’s London Poverty Maps
London was a rich city during the 19th century and yet a large percentage of its population was living in abject poverty. One of the most comprehensive surveys of the city’s economic disparities was undertaken by Charles Booth, whose London Poverty Maps colour-coded vast areas and summed them up according to social status. Over a century later the maps continue to make clear the connection between land and wealth in the city, that of Notting Hill offering an especially stark example with ‘wealthy’ homes shown in yellow on the streets and crescents around Ladbroke Gardens while those squeezed onto the land between Clarendon Road and the railways are black or blue – ‘vicious, semi-criminal’ or in ‘chronic want’.
Bomb Damage Maps 1939 – 1945, The London County Council
The devastation brought about by the attacks on London during the Second World War was recorded on 110 maps by the County Council, which show not only where V-1 flying bombs and V-2 rockets landed but also the condition each area was left in and the likelihood of being able to carry out repairs. Contrasting the broad picture of destruction conveyed by the maps is a series of photographs by City of London policemen showing in more detail streets filled with rubble and buildings on the brink of collapse. The maps were used to draw up plans for rebuilding the city and have been included in the UNESCO UK Memory of the World Register.
The A–Z History of London by Philip Parker
Since the first A–Z was produced in 1936 the format has become synonymous with the capital and there was a time when it seemed almost every newcomer to the city carried the trusty pocket-sized Central London edition. Using excerpts from A–Z guides to frame his narrative, Philip Parker explores some 80 years of changes in the capital’s geography but also the experience of living there, looking at issues including transport, markets, public housing and hospitals to build a picture of its transformation. Particularly altered are areas such as Canary Wharf and Thamesmead, or Plumstead and Erith Marshes as they were until the late 1960s.
Unseen London by Mark Daly and Peter Dazeley
Spanning places of worship whose exteriors belie the treasures behind their doors, the working areas of public buildings, and spaces that are off limits, Unseen London gives tantalizing glimpses into the world beyond the city’s streets and famous facades. Peter Dazeley’s photographs are accompanied by historical context and surprising anecdotes, with highlights including the opulent Grand Staircase of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, built in the 1860s after the ceiling of the Downing Street office collapsed, and King Henry VIII’s wine cellar – one of the few remains of Whitehall Palace it was encased in a steel frame and lowered by 19 feet to make space for new Ministry of Defence buildings in 1949.
London in Fragments by Ted Sandling
The discovery of a clay pipe with its bowl shaped and carved to resemble a horse’s hoof was the starting point for Ted Sandling’s interest in mudlarking – exploring the foreshore of the Thames for artefacts. While Victorian mudlarkers would have been looking for items they could sell to eke out a living – coal, rope, pieces of iron or copper – modern participants tend to be motivated more by the thrill of finding a connection to ‘the jumble of vanished lives’, with everyday objects such as buttons, pieces of pottery and bottles providing contributions to the Portable Antiquities Scheme. From a Mesolithic flint knife to a copper Sri Lankan suraya inscribed with words to ward off misfortune, the finds in this volume tell an alternative history of London and offer a record of our heritage.
Cathedrals of Steam by Christian Wolmar
It wasn’t until 1836 that the first railway came to London but over the remainder of the century twelve major stations were built. Christian Wolmar explains how competition between different companies led to a race to build ever bigger terminals, as close to the centre as possible and no matter the scale of disruption – the construction of St Pancras saw the demolition of St Luke’s Church, which the company rebuilt in Kentish Town, and the eviction of 10,000 people from their homes with just a few days’ notice and no compensation. Construction continued nonetheless, seemingly hand-in-hand with London’s growth into the world’s largest and most affluent city and creating an architectural legacy that reflects the ambition and confidence of the era.
A Brief History of London by Jeremy Black
While focusing on the last five hundred years Jeremy Black’s overview of London begins with its settlement by the Romans and an explanation of its strategic importance, then a summary of life in the medieval city. Spanning a broad range of topics including governance, economics, society and culture he traces the capital’s growth up to the present day while highlighting the key events and people who shaped it. Throughout the narrative he places the city in the context of the country and the wider world before concluding with an analysis of how looking at the past can allow a better understanding of the present.
Occult London by Merlin Coverley
Offering an alternative way to view the city, Merlin Coverley explores those moments in which the occult rose to prominence in the public imagination, from its connection with the emergence of Enlightenment thinking and witchcraft to the interest in ley lines and the investigations carried out by vampire hunters following disturbing reports of supernatural activity around Highgate cemetery in the 1960s. The book also provides a gazetteer of almost forty locations with esoteric histories, including Parliament Hill, considered by Druids to be the most ancient and important of their gathering sites, and St Paul’s Cathedral, said to mark the spot where King Arthur drew his sword from the stone.
