London (Amazing Extraordinary Facts)

Description

"Amazing & Extraordinary Facts: London" is a unique collection of strange laws, heroic deeds, surprising revelations and other quirky stories that have shaped the unique history of Britain's capital. London's long history is an extraordinarily rich source of amazing facts, whether your interest is political, social, architectural or historical, you will find a variety of topics in this alternative guide to London. Brief, accessible and entertaining pieces on a wide variety of subjects makes it the perfect book to dip in to. The amazing and extraordinary facts series presents interesting, surprising and little-known facts and stories about a wide range of topics which are guaranteed to inform, absorb and entertain in equal measure.

Author description

Stephen Halliday is a historian specialising in British and industrial history. He is an authority on the history of London, with a special interest in the great engineering works. He is the author of The Great Stink: Sir Joseph Bazalgette and the Cleansing of the Victorian Metropolis (Sutton 1999) and Amazing & Extraordinary London Underground Facts. He contributes articles and reviews to magazines such as Literary Review, Times Higher Education, BBC History and History Today.

Table of contents

Introduction; Why is 'Of Alley' so-called?; The secrets of Old London Bridge; Why are London taxis called Hackney cabs?; How did steam trains run on the underground?; What is the London Stone and where did it come from?; What happened to the River Fleet?