Lost London: From Crystal Palace to Heston Airport, a History in 25 Missing Buildings

by Paul Knox

An engaging, beautifully illustrated history of London told through twenty-five lost buildings London has been rebuilt and reshaped perhaps more than any other city over its two-millennia history. From the construction of the Underground to slum clearance and the Blitz, buildings have long been damaged or demolished to pave way for the new. Today, demolition is big business, and around 3500 buildings are destroyed each year, most of which are social housing. Paul Knox traces the history of London from the Great Fire to the present day through twenty-five lost buildings. Knox explores surprising and unusual locations in the city's history, like the Necropolis Station in Waterloo used by funeral parties traveling to a burial ground in Surrey. We see historic landmarks, like Christ Church Greyfriars and the Crystal Palace, as well as everyday places like the White Horse pub in Poplar and a housing estate in Hackney. This is a fascinating study of London's restless landscape, showing how conservation has changed over 400 years.

416 pages, Hardcover

Published May 5, 2026

About the author

I am an urban geographer and university administrator. I currently serve as Senior Fellow for International Advancement, reporting directly to the President of Virginia Tech. Between 1997 and 2006 I served as Dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and in 2009 I served for a year as Director of the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute. As a member of the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning I have taught courses on urban and regional development theory and comparative urbanization. I currently teach Honors courses on European Urbanization and Urbanism, and on Cities and Design.

My research and writing is focused on urban form, and in particular the social construction of the built environment. I am particularly interested in the ways in which the sense of place of small towns and of big-city districts is embodied in the built environment; and in the ways in which social histories are reflected in the architecture of city districts.