Decipher symbols including the golden leopard head, the Mercers' maiden, pineapples, mysterious seven noses of Soho, Ordnance Survey benchmarks and tiny "Two Mice Eating Cheese" sculpture. Although some actual photos to provide a bit more “street” context would have been nice, I suppose that context would be supplied by actual walk to the places Chesher describes. Each chapter has a walk included, only a short one or two hour amble, that includes details from all corners of the book, but I did expect to have more to this than what we got. To go beyond standard “big” tourist attractions, to find fascinating little tidbits just hiding in plain sight — it is a great thing for any city explorer. See London in a completely new light inthis guide to the citys hidden secrets,untold stories andspecial places laden with history which you can discover for yourself!

I received a free copy of, London: A Guide for Curious Wanderers, by Jack Chesher, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. It is beautifully illustrated and contains self-guided walking maps to discover the city for yourself. This richly detailed and beautifully illustratedbook provides a miscellany of historic features and curiosities to spot as you wander around the capital. Whether you’ve always wondered why there are cattle troughs on your route to work, why bollards often look like upside down cannons or wanted to know what a Victorian stink pipe is – this book will provide the tools to decipher London’s secret code, and introduce you to a treasure trove of hidden spots to explore. This charming guide to the lesser known and often ignored sights of London is clearly a labor of love for expert tour give author Jack Chesher.Having seen the creator of this book as someone's guest on youtube I knew it would not be too shoddy, but I didn't expect it to be on the slight and gentle side I at first felt it to be.

The illustrations were lovely and I enjoyed this a LOT more than I expected to initially (I think the cover hides how lovely it is! There was not much else to do other than walk around London, so I started voraciously exploring the city and writing about my findings to a few keen subscribers. Part of the ‘Street Furniture’ sparks insight into all the paraphernalia that makes wandering our streets so rewarding.Documenting his journey to discovering the city's fascinating and vibrant past by exploring its streets, he believes London itself is the greatest museum of all. If you're keen to visit London for the first time or live there, you will assuredly be tickled (and rewarded) by these objects. Some examples include evidence of London bombings during WW2, London’s largest graffiti wall, London’s smallest sculpture, “Two Mice Eating Cheese,” and fossilized tree stumps thought to be millions of years old. The illustrations may show a type of architecture to see or may be small things like symbols of livery companies form the 1500s. While I enjoyed the beautiful watercolor illustrations, I am a very visual person and wish that there had been photos so I know exactly what to look for when I visit the places.