The Rough Guide to London Mini - Softcover

Humphreys, Rob

Softcover

ISBN 10: 185828581X ISBN 13: 9781858285818

Publisher: Rough Guides, 1999

Synopsis

Introduction

With a population of around seven million, London is by far Europe's largest city, spreading across an area of more than 620 square miles from its core on the River Thames. Ethnically it's also Europe's most diverse metropolis: around two hundred languages are spoken within its confines, and more than thirty percent of the population is made up of first, second- and third-generation immigrants. And few cities dominate the national horizon as completely as London: this is where the country's news and money are made, it's where the central government resides and, as far as its inhabitants are concerned, provincial life begins beyond the circuit of the city's orbital motorway. Londoners' sense of superiority causes enormous resentment in the regions, yet it's undeniable that the capital has a unique aura of excitement and success - in most walks of British life, if you want to get on you've got to do it in London.

Despite its dominant role, however, London remains the only capital city in Europe to enter the new millennium without its own governing body, a symptom of more than a decade and a half of political indifference from previous Conservative governments. This neglect, compounded by a political culture that penalizes the unfortunate, has resulted in a city of spiralling extremes - ostentatious private affluence and increasing public squalor. That said, London is a thrilling place. Its museums and galleries - the British Museum, the Tate, and scores of others - are among the finest in the world, while monuments from the capital's more glorious past are everywhere to be seen, from medieval banqueting halls and the great churches of Sir Christopher Wren to the eclectic Victorian architecture of the triumphalist British Empire. The major sights - Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London - draw in millions of tourists every year. Yet there is as much enjoyment to be had from the city's quiet Georgian squares, the narrow alleyways of the City of London, the riverside walks, and the quirks of what is still identifiably a collection of villages. And even London's traffic pollution - one of its worst problems - is offset by surprisingly large expanses of greenery: Hyde Park, Green Park and St James's Park are all within a few minutes' walk of the West End, while, further afield, you can enjoy the more expansive parklands of Hampstead Heath and Richmond Park.

You could spend days just shopping in London, too, hobnobbing with the gentry in Harrods, or sampling the offbeat weekend markets of Portobello Road and Camden, the seedbed of London's famously innovative street fashion, which provides fertile ground for the capital's home-grown talent. The music, clubbing and gay/lesbian scene is second to none, and mainstream arts are no less exciting, with regular opportunities to catch brilliant theatre companies, dance troupes, exhibitions and opera.

Restaurants, these days, are an attraction, too. London has caught up with its European rivals, and offers a range from three-star Michelin establishments to low-cost, high-quality Indian curry houses. Meanwhile, the city's pubs have heaps of atmosphere, especially away from the centre - and an exploration of the farther-flung communities is essential to get the complete picture of this dynamic metropolis.

When to go

Considering the temperateness of the English climate, it's amazing how much mileage the locals get out of the subject - a two-day cold snap is discussed as if it were the onset of a new Ice Age, and a week in the upper 70s starts rumours of drought. The fact is that English summers rarely get hot and the winters don't get very cold, though they're often wet. The bottom line is that it's impossible to say with any degree of certainty that the weather will be pleasant in any given month. May might be wet and grey one year and gloriously sunny the next, and the same goes for the autumnal months - November stands an equal chance of being crisp and clear or foggy and grim.

As far as crowds go, tourists stream into London pretty much all year round, with peak season from Easter to October, and the biggest crush in July and August, when you'll need to book your accommodation well in advance. Costs, however, are pretty uniform year-round.

About this title

Review

The Rough Guide to London must have represented a considerable challenge for author Rob Humphreys: not only is the library of guide books to the capital overstuffed, Humphreys was faced with creating the definitive insider's guide for an imprint which has long enjoyed very high expectations in its dedicated army of users. The Rough Guide series has always marked itself out as the most incisive, lively, hyper-informed and (most of all) unstuffy series of guides on the market. Previous editions of this pithy and highly accessible book have comprehensively established its credentials, and they're copper-bottomed. Whether you're looking for a truly idiosyncratic guide to the more esoteric byways of the Big Smoke (with particularly useful and offbeat sections on the performing arts and sport) or a straight-down-the-middle guide to all the standard tourist attractions, Humphreys' book pulls off the impressive conjuring trick of functioning on both levels. While the guide is perfectly judged for the reader living on the British mainland, there are useful sections on getting to London from North America, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, with up-to-date info on visas, customs, tax and work permits (the latter will be particularly useful for students: always a key audience for the Rough Guide series). And the sections on the more boring necessities such as insurance, post and health are dispatched with economy and accuracy. But it's in conveying the city's rich topography and history that Humphreys really soars, and a casual glance at the sections on Fleet Street, the South Bank and trendy areas such as Clerkenwell will have both die-hard Londoners and visitors keen to track down the points he ticks off. As ever in the series, illustrations and colour are kicked out in favour of hard-core info, and even if you've picked up earlier editions, the ever-shifting flux of one of the world's greatest cities has ensured that you probably need this new, comprehensively updated volume. --Barry Forshaw

Review

"The Rough Guide to London is at once invaluable and diverting." Conde Nast Traveller

Edition details

• Publisher: Rough Guides
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 185828581X
• ISBN 13: 9781858285818
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368