Hidden City: The Secret Alleys, Courts & Yards of London's Square Mile

"Sir, if you wish to have a just notion of the magnitude of this city, you must not be satisfied with seeing its great streets and squares, but must survey its innumerable little lane and courts." Such was Samuel Johnson's advice to his companion Boswell, and more than two centuries later his advice is still just as valid. To a great degree the real London - the fascination of extraordinary goings-on during its long history, of famous Londoners past and present, and of some of its finest and most diverse architectural treasures - is often to be found not in its more famous streets and squares but in the small and obscure places which so many of us simply miss. David Long uncovers these forgotten locations and brings to life their fascinating history in his own inimitable style.