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Do you know what's under your feet? The London Underground was the
very first underground railway - but it wasn't the first time
Londoners had ventured below ground, nor would it be the last.
People seem to be drawn to subterranean London: it hides unsightly
(yet magnificent) sewers, protects its people from war, and hosts
its politicians in times of crisis. But the underground can also be
an underworld, and celebrated London historian Fiona Rule has
tracked down the darker stories too - from the gangs that roamed
below looking for easy prey, to an attempted murder-suicide on the
platform of Charing Cross. Underneath London is another world; one
with shadows of war, crime and triumph. London's Labyrinth is a
book that no London aficionado should be without.
Do you remember the docks? In its heyday, the Port of London was
the biggest in the world. It was a sprawling network of quays,
wharves, canals and basins, providing employment for over 100,000
people. From the dockworker to the prostitute, the Romans to the
Republic of the Isle of Dogs, London's docklands have always been a
key part of the city. But it wasn't to last. They might have
recovered from the devastating bombing raids of the Second World
War - but it was the advent of the container ships, too big to fit
down the Thames, that would sound the final death knell. Over
150,000 men lost their jobs, whole industries disappeared, and the
docks gradually turned to wasteland. In London's Docklands: A
History of the Lost Quarter, best-selling historian Fiona Rule
ensures that, though the docklands may be all but gone, they will
not be forgotten.
London's old buildings hold a wealth of clues to the city’s rich
and vibrant past. The histories of some, such as the Tower of
London and Westminster Abbey, are well documented. However, these
magnificent, world-renowned attractions are not the only places
with fascinating tales to tell. Down a narrow, medieval lane on the
outskirts of Smithfield stands 41–42 Cloth Fair – the oldest
house in the City of London. Fiona Rule uncovers the fascinating
survival story of this extraordinary property and the people who
owned it and lived in it, set against the backdrop of an
ever-changing city that has prevailed over war, disease, fire and
economic crises.
Amid the bustling streets of Spitalfields, East London, there is a
piece of real estate with a bloody history. This was once Dorset
Street: the haunt of thieves, murderers and prostitutes; the
sanctuary of persecuted people; the last resort for those who
couldn't afford anything else - and the setting for Jack the
Ripper's murderous spree. So notorious was this street in the 1890s
that policemen would only patrol this area in pairs for their own
safety. This book chronicles the rise and fall of this remarkable
street; from its promising beginnings at the centre of the
seventeenth-century silk weaving industry, through its gradual
descent into iniquity, vice and violence; and finally its demise at
the hands of the demolition crew. Meet the colourful characters who
called Dorset Street home.
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Hubbard Park
Justin Piccirillo
Hardcover
R750
Discovery Miles 7 500
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