London's Oddities

Walk anywhere in London and you'll find something that puzzles you - a quirky building or bizarre piece of street furniture, a monument or fragment of signage that seems out of place, out of time or simply inexplicable. Remnants of Roman wall erupt in unlikely places; richly painted bingo halls and modernist housing estates hide unexpected secrets; eccentric houses, mad memorials and fantastic feats of engineering recall London's maverick residents; unexpected dips and surges in population, health or wealth remain curiously embedded in the city's infrastructure. This book collects scores of intriguing examples of the oddities that animate the city's streetscapes, exploring the stories behind their creation, the twists and turns of their subsequent history, and the extraordinary lives of the individuals responsible for their existence. A walk through London will never be the same again!