There are countless books on The City of London but a new title improves upon so many that have gone before.
The City of London: A Companion Guide is a genuinely useful and beautiful book with broad appeal. Anyone who wants to explore and understand this most historic part of the Capital now has a single, portable, readable, volume to guide them and the most dedicated City historian has gained an up-to-date resource packed with glorious photographs.
The Willis Building on Lime Street ©Marcus Rochowski/VIEW
The image of the Willis building, above, is just one of nearly 500 stunning photos.
The text is excellent too. The authors, working under the editorship of Sir Nicholas Kenyon, succinctly, authoritatively and engagingly explain and examine The City; its history, institutions and architecture. Together they have produced the most accessible book I have ever seen on The City of London.
One does not need to be an expert on finance to appreciate their examination of key institutions in The Square Mile’s history and development.
The Bank of England, Tivoli Corner at the north-west tip of the Bank © James Morris/VIEW
The former Overseas Bankers’ Club ©Quintin Lake/VIEW
Interior of the Royal Exchange today following refurbishment in 2001 ©Kilian O’Sullivan/VIEW
One does not need to be an ecclesiastical architecture buff to enjoy the book either. All of the city churches are showcased beautifully but here they are not dealt with in isolation, as they often are elsewhere.
St Bartholomew-the-Great © James Morris/VIEW
This book splits the City into eight areas, provides a map of each, and then deals with each area’s significant architecture and history. The City is made so much easier to explore and to appreciate when it is broken into these varied, bite-sized chunks.
The role of the Livery companies and the City’s unique method of governance, can make for very dull reading indeed, but not here. The Companion explains and reinvigorates even the driest of these subjects with its light but assured touch. Every subject is complimented by superb images of places that can often be difficult to visit in person.
Tallow Chandler’s Hall ©David Borland/VIEW
The ‘salle des pas perdus’ of the Central Criminal Court ©James Morris/VIEW
Of course all the well known “icons” of The City are covered too.
St Paul’s Cathedral ©James Morris/VIEW
But, in addition to the inclusions that demand to made, there are numerous, lesser-known buildings and places. I hadn’t realised, for example, that the shopfront at 115 Cannon Street is by Walter Gropius, the founder of the Bauhaus School. Nor had I seen the majority of the archive images that accompany the modern photos before. Well, that is not strictly true, I should say “I hadn’t seen them until recently”.
Just before Christmas Thames and Hudson published a very large, sumptuous, coffee-table book: The City of London: Architectural Tradition & Innovation in the Square Mile. I have a copy and this new Companion is essentially a reworking of that book.
The physical size and weight of the Companion have reduced the previous title, to make it, if not quite pocket-sized, then certainly manageable on the bus or Tube and usable on the street. The price has been halved too. The images, text and high production values remain unscathed. I think this new edition is certainly worth owning, even if you already have the rather lovely, but unwieldy, version.
As a single-volume introduction to the architecture and history of The City of London, I don’t think it can be beaten.
The City of London: A Companion Guide
General Editor: Sir Nicholas Kenyon
Published by Thames & Hudson
Price: £18.95
ISBN 978 0 500 342794
368pp
Size
22.9 x 15.2cm
Illustrations
470 illustrations, 390 in colour
The author of this blog is a qualified and insured City of Westminster Tour Guide who runs unique walking tours and private tours in London. All my public tours are bookable through Eventbrite.
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Thankyou for the very interesting review of the book. I have been reading the David Piper’s “A Companion Guide to London” 1978,Collins, which I haven’t been able to find ever again in the bookshops. I would also recommend it as a very enjoyable reading.
Susanna Serpe
Thank you, Peter, for your kind words about the book (I wrote chapters 3 and 5)… it was very enjoyable to work on and it’s good to know it’s proving useful. I was struck how few books on the subject (the City as opposed to London generally) there were, apart from Simon Bradley’s wonderful Pevsner volume, without which we could not have done the book on time. But why I logged in was to say, Susanna, if you are stil looking for a copy of David Piper’s book there are lots on abebooks.co.uk – I feel like a drug pusher mentioning that site… it takes all my pocket money.
Thank you so much Aileen. It really is an excellent book, many of my friends who are City of London guides have agreed that it fills a real gap admirably and have bought themselves a copy. Pevsner is wonderful of course but not as accessible, as up to date or as beautiful as your new volume. I too have an ABE habit! All the very best, Pete
Hi Pete,
This book was recommended to my class by one of the tutors of the City of London Guide course as “a very comprehensive guide to the architecture in the Square Mile together with historical sections.” Many of us have bought it and as I said to a colleague, I wish my brain could just soak up all the information! One of the best, if not the best book on the City, that I have purchased!