Why Is Downing Street Painted Black?: 365 fun, fascinating London facts from one of the city’s most popular tour guides, the perfect 2025 gift for history and trivia fans

by Jonnie Fielding

365 weird and wonderful London facts by one of the city’s most popular tour guides

Have you ever tried to find a street named Bond Street? ( you won't!)

Did you know you can't dine for 13 at the Savoy? At least not without a cat joining you…

And have you ever heard about the bus that jumped Tower Bridge?

As a walking tour guide for 15 years, Jonnie Fielding has made it his mission to uncover all there is to know about London, from forgotten facts to the history hiding in plain sight.

Packed full of pub-quiz trivia and bespoke illustrations, Why Is Downing Street Painted Black? includes 365 of his favourite quirks, anomalies and eccentricities from all over town.

So whether you live in London, would love to live in London or just love a great fun fact, Jonnie's guaranteed to reignite your fascination with this weird and wonderful city.

Genres: Nonfiction

384 pages, Hardcover

Published December 23, 2025

Reviews

[Chris Butts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many fascinating facts in this book. Really fun to read! Makes me want to go on a walk in London with Jonnie!

[Paul Voller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have lived in and around London my whole life and found out interesting facts about London landmarks yards from where I worked for so many years. An easy read with stories to describe London’s history.

[Christopher Gerrib · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found out about this book because I follow the author's Instagram page (@bowlofchalk). The author, Jonnie Fielding, is a refugee from Corporate UK who found a job leading walking tours of London. After the COVID pandemic, he decided to juice up his business by posting a fun London fact with video on his Instagram. He then took those facts and ported them into a book.

The title is I think a bit of false advertising in that there are way more than 365 fun facts. Each fact is a page or less, and told in Fielding's conversational style. It's a refreshing book that one can read for a bit, set down, and return to later.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

what an amazing book, i have only visited London a few times but this makes me want to explore more. I had my phone open to the map to see where some of these places were and if i could see a street view like an armchair explorer! take a good look at the Jonnie's Instagram "Bowl of chalk" that i have only just discovered myself with videos :P

Would definitively recommend this book you can just dip in and out of the chapters as you like, it makes a refreshing change to slogging through a non fiction book
well worth a read !

[Mollie Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure why I decided to listen to this book but lowkey enjoyed it 😂

[gltgw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Member of the 'You are here' reading category

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a fun fact