London's Labyrinth: The World Beneath the City's Streets

by Fiona Rule

London's Labyrinth exposes the sinister side of the subterranean city in Victorian from the shocking bomb attacks on the Metropolitan and District Lines in 1883 to the sad tale of unrequited love at Charing Cross, where a young man shot the object of his affections before turning the gun on himself. By its very nature, “underworld” London has also been a popular resort of thieves and the book relates outrageous tales of robberies, such as that of the unfortunate William Frost, shot during a mugging on the Metropolitan Line in 1910. It has also witnessed some of the worst tragedies in London's history. Such tragic tales are interspersed with the lighter but no less fascinating stories of London's numerous disused railways, its “ghost stations,” tunnels, and bunkers. In the twenty-first century, underground London remains an essential part of the capital's life, and this book will enrich any journey (real or imaginary) through the city's subterranean labyrinth.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, London, Cities

191 pages, Hardcover

First published September 20, 2012

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

When most people think of London, they know all the famous sights, the Tower, Parliament, the palaces and the new skyscrapers that thrust into the sky. When they consider what is below, almost everybody knows the tube, that arterial network that brings people right into the centre of London. But the streets of London hide many secrets.

In this Rule looks at the most common things that you would find if you were to remove the tarmac. There is the tube of course, but there are rivers that have not seen the light of day for decades, a Post Office railway, unused tunnels under the river, and the ghost stations that are no longer used on the underground. She also covers a fair amount on the of the underground during the war, and the bunkers that were constructed and almost never used, as well as other disasters that has befallen the service. She brings it up to date with an account of the 7/7 atrocities.

It is not a bad book, but it does suffer from being one of many books on this fascinating subject. Rule has done a reasonable job on the book, and coming at it from a more historical slant helps, but it could have really done with some more photos. Worth reading for those aficionados of London, but there are better books out there on this subject, in particular London Under: The Secret History Beneath the Streets by Peter Ackroyd and for a photographic record, Subterranean London: Cracking the Capital by Bradley L. Garrett.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting intro to subterranean London ! Most interesting chapter was on the ghost / abandoned stations !

[T. K. Elliott (Tiffany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're already an aficionado of subterranean London, this isn't the book for you. It's for those who've only just started to scrape away the surface, and provides an overview of what's down there, who built it/dug it, and why.

Instead of being entirely chronological, Labyrinth deals with the various underneath bits by type: sewers first (and the disappearing rivers) and the Underground (subway, to Americans) last, and continues the narrative to the early 21st century, finishing with the 7/7 attacks and the necessity for using Ground Penetrating Radar if you want to dig any more tunnels under London without hitting anything important.

It's a relatively fast-moving, interesting read. I don't imagine it's got anything you couldn't find elsewhere - this is not ground-breaking (see what I did there?) historical research. It's a useful first book for anyone who wants a general overview of London under, rather than a book that is specific to one type of tunnel.

[Jeanne Manton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's really amazing that a book about London's sewers could be fascinating but Ms Rule has done it. I admire her writing skills and always add to my historical knowledge base (I did not know the zepplins bombed London in WWI!). My only regret is that I am unable to take the walking tour outlined at the end but I can follow along with Mapquest. Thank you for a delightful read.

[Theo Kokonas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good historical account of how London's underground networks came to be. It's well-researched although it became a bit of a dry read very quickly. Still, worth reading through if you've ever peered out of the window of a London tube train between stops and wondered how the tunnels came to be.

[Philip Cracknell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking under London

I'm always fascinated by hidden parts of my old home town. This book fills in some more of my knowledge and was very helpful in adding more to the tv programmes I've been watching.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting on a historical level. Since I don't have first hand knowledge of London tube routes the detail on places was a bit over board

[Nick Carnac · Rating 4 out of 5]

,,,,,,deep beneath our feet,,,,,,,the glass pavement?,,,,,,,,

[Michael Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occasionally dry, but generally a very interesting exploration of the world beneath London, from the Bazalgette Sewers to Crossrail.

[Auntiecatherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Potentially interesting overview of London's subterranean history ruined by a total absence of maps and diagrams. Unless you know the geography of London really well, this requires substantial extra resources to be readable

[Kriegslok · Rating 3 out of 5]

While a promising premise London's Labyrinth did not entirely do it for me. Too often the author seemed to be distracted and diverted by events above ground and perhaps interesting if irrelevant to the case historical meanderings. While an interesting primer on some of what is under London there isn't really much here which someone with a resonable knowledge of subterranian London will not already know and with much of it being available elsewhere in more detail. What this book is is a good basic introduction to a little bit of industial and social underground London. A quick read and a tad disappointing.

[Zara Rahman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying 'microhistories' this year - histories of one particular phenomenon. This, on London's subterranean life and history, is a broader 'microhistory' than I had thought it would be, and clearly a lot of research has gone into it. For those who are particularly familiar with London's streets, this could make a great present - it covers many central areas, and gives lots of detail on where things happened and when, and is full of lots of little-known facts. It's written in an engaging tone, not too heavy despite it being so fact-filled, and gives a great overview to a busy city's even busier underground life.

[Saturday's Child · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read, especially the parts about the war.