The New Jerusalem

by Adrian Geoffrey Gilbert

The untold story of how a secret society rebuilt London.

In 1666, a spark from a baker’s over led to the Great Fire, which ravaged much of London. After the flames had been put out and the dead buried, London was once more a blank canvas for the builders and architects to create a new city -- a city that could be rebuilt to reflect its glorious destiny.

The men at the centre of London’s reconstruction were, in the main, members of the Rosicrucian-founded Royal Society, men such as Sir Christopher Wren. This society believed in the mystical wisdom of the ancient world and the millenarianist beliefs of its founders. They were convinced that London had long been the chosen site of the New Jerusalem -- the city that would descend from the sky at the Second Coming as foretold in the Book of Revelations. Now, the Great Fire had given them the chance to recreate the city in a more fitting image.

In this eye-opening book, Adrian Gilbert, author of Signs in the Sky, reveals a hidden London and the true significance of such well-known sites as St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Monument and Temple church. He also introduces us to the men and women who shaped seventeenth century London according to their beliefs. Combining personal detective story and archaeological investigation with rigorous historical research, The New Jerusalem is a colourful historical portrait of a London we have never seen before.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Adrian Gilbert is a bestselling British author and independent publisher who lives in England. His books are centred on investigations into ancient Esoteric knowledge and religious Mysteries.Adrian was born in Beckenham, Kent, England. His primary school was Bishop Challoner School, Shortlands, Beckenham, and for secondary education he went to St Edmund's College, Ware, Hertfordshire. He read Chemistry at the University of Kent at Canterbury. Whilst at university he took up yoga and had several mystical experiences that changed the course of his life. His first job after leaving university was as a pharmaceutical representative, but he left this after less than a year on ethical grounds. After travels in Europe, to Israel and the US, he took up a post as sales and marketing manager with Turnstone Press, a publisher of esoteric books. Leaving Turnstone, he worked for a time as postal sales manager for Watkins Books, London's oldest esoteric bookstore. In 1978 he changed career entirely and retrained as a computer analyst/programmer. He returned to publishing in 1986, working as a representative for Element Books Ltd as a preparation for setting up his own publishers, Solos Press, in 1991. This specializes in the publication of books concerning Gnosticism, Christian mysticism and Hermetic Philosophy. He is mainly known for his books The Orion Mystery, which was co-authored by Robert Bauval in 1994, and The Mayan Prophecies, which was co-authored with Maurice Cotterell in 1995. Both these books were Sunday Times Top-Ten best-sellers. To date his books have been translated into some twenty languages, including German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Russian, Greek, Turkish, Chinese, Korean and Japanese

Reviews

[Maurice Barratt]

Really good book if you want to understand how the Masons rebuilt London after the fire in 1666. wonderful explanation of buildings with great illustrations. Highly recommended.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this book.

As someone who has very little knowledge of history, this was a great introduction.

Very fascinating.