Hidden City

Hidden City by David Long focuses on the secret alleys, courts and yards of London's Square Mile.

I'll confess straight away, I'm a fan of David Long's books. He makes historical information accessible and entertaining to read. Plus, obviously, I'm a London geek so this book is a real treat for me and all London enthusiasts.

The author remembered working in the City of London many years ago and enjoyed meandering through the alleyways at lunchtime to find a quiet spot in a busy city. While researching this book he was pleased to find many of the courtyards are still there and the city is still a fascinating place to get lost in.

Many of the street names have a reference to the past and David Long has documented an A to Z of the city's place names that are easily missed if you never venture off the main roads. He has also taken photographs throughout his travels which document how the city appears today. I just wish some of the photos could be in color and not just on the book jacket.

David Long's knowledge is superb and just as with Spectacular Vernacular and Tunnels, Towers and Temples my copy has bookmarks and notes stuck throughout to remind me to go back and find these places soon.

As well as the A-Z of street names within the Square Mile, there are appendix lists including the City's "open spaces" which is a wonderfully long list and proves even in this built up and busy area there are still many places to enjoy an open air lunch. Another list documents all of the pubs in this relatively small area and you may be surprised how many there are.

I truly wish there was a smaller paperback version of this book as I'd take it out with me whenever I'm in the City of London as I could get many years of use out of it. As it is, the hardback version is still a delight and I'm staying up later and later each night to read more and plan trips to see the quirky insights David Long has shared such as where to see sword rests and dog kennels in a church and where to find a cross-eyed statue.

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