London As It Might Have Been

by Felix Barker, Ralph Hyde

This book presents a picture of London as it might have been, in architectural terms. For example, there could have been a 68-foot pineapple on top of St Paul's, Robert Peel rising from the Thames, and an Eiffel Tower at Wembley, instead of the more familiar edifices and places we know.

Genres: London, Architecture, Alternate History, History, Nonfiction

223 pages, Hardcover

First published May 20, 1982

Reviews

[Ipswichblade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book about monuments and buildings that were never built in London

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

For all of the iconic buildings and locales that make up London there were many proposals and visions which went unrealized. Felix Barker and Ralph Hyde's book provides a fascinating account of the various plans made over the previous four centuries, many of which would have created a very different metropolis from the one that exists today. In the process, the authors shed light on an often-overlooked part of London's history, one that is enormously fun to read for the humor with which they address some of the more outlandish suggestions and the speculation it inspires for how very different the city might be had some of these projects ever been realized.