Eccentric London: The Bradt Guide to Britain's Crazy and Curious Capital

by Benedict le Vay

A guide to the eccentric people, places and events of London for travelers looking for a different kind of guide to touring the greatest city in the world.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2002

Reviews

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Same old stories, same mistakes, same crap - I know writers have to earn a living but they could at least try and be original rather just doing a scissors-and-paste job from older books. Just don't waste your time or money on this bilge.

[Wendy Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting and quirky facts at times, just goes to show how much history there is in London.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book I found was really good for inspiring searches for different things in London. I used it quite extensively for a trip a few years ago. I did have some difficulty locating a few things which I originally attributed to inaccuracies on the part of the writer, but upon further investigation discovered that they did exist as he described them but that I was simply unable to find them (viz. Richard Burton's Tomb in Mortlake, the mysterious Hill Garden in Hampstead Heath). I would advise the reader to research some of the items that he wishes to find on the internet before heading on a wild goose chase. A good supplement to this book is Andrew Duncan's Walking London.

edit: On a second trip to London I found both the tomb using better descriptions of it's location on the interweb and by asking an old woman to help me find a particular street, and the Pagola (hill garden) after many hours of wandering Hampstead Heath and seeing other lovely sites (hint: if you find the Spaniard Inn you are getting closer, and to get in to the garden it looks like you are walking rather close to somebody's house (private property) but if you forge ahead you will be happily rewarded).

[Karli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is certainly detailing eccentric London. However, detailing is the operative word. Here le Vay leaves no stone untouched, no tree without comment and no blue oval plaque unmentioned. It's quite charming, in its own way. If you picked this up a guide book you might be a bit disappointed unless you live locally. If you're, say, an American tourist like me who only has a given number of days and pounds to spend in London, it's less helpful. That said, not many a book will comment on the reasons that London is the way that it is in such specific ways and have such informed notes on them. It would be easy to shelve this as long-winded trivia and call it a day. Instead you could call this a tour book for those who loved Peter Ackroyd's London: A Biography. It is that thorough, that passionate and that lengthy.

[Valerie Baber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting book to flip through on long tube rides. The writing was done in good humor and it would be a lovely addition to a collection belonging to someone who enjoys storing away knowledge on useless trivia.

[MJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this three or four times over, either from cover to cover or particular chapters. I learn something new every time I read it. It's funny and chock full of quirky information. Eccentric to the max.

[Cwelshhans · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, quirky guidebook.

[Shira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great potential. I'm going to save it for my next trip to London. It will be my only guidebook. Can't wait!