Bizarre England: Discover the Country's Secrets and Surprises

by David Long

In this charming book, author David Long introduces the reader to some of the oddest and most interesting sights in England. Visit places like Devon's Gnome Reserve, Britain's smallest pub, a church for dragon slayers, a subterranean ballroom, the Phone Box Museum, Teapot Island and much more. From weird buildings to eccentric museums and from mystical superstitions to remnants of magical rites, this is a guide to England like no other.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, History, British Literature

192 pages, Hardcover

First published May 28, 2015

About the author

Winner of the Blue Peter Book of the Year 2017, writer and journalist David Long has regularly appeared in The Times and the London Evening Standard, as well as on television and radio. He has written more than 30 books for children and adults and lives in Suffolk.

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book looking at the weird and wonderful things in England.

Gained 5 stars due to supplying me with something else to do the next time I'm in London: The London Loo Tour.

Lovely, oddball travel book.

Highly recommended.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to Come

[Christeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good quick guide to some interesting events and places. Prompted me to add a few to my list of places to visit.

[Genetic Cuckoo · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fascinating book looking at the curious and weird side of the UK. This is an interesting book to dip in and out of rather than read in one session. I found the middle section week and found myself skim reading this section, as I'm not as interested in anecdotes about sports or the war. I did enjoy the ending section on strange festivals and celebrations. I would probably only recommend this book for interested foreigners rather than natives, as many of the details are common knowledge.

[HattieB · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read. Each chapter topic could be an entire book on their own.

[Birte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took my time reading this book because there is sooo much data and information in there! Very interesting though. Also sometimes funny :)

[Zarina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute little tome jam-packed with fun facts about England, the interesting tidbits are categorised by subjects such as royalty, transportation, islands and eccentricity, making it easier to find back an interesting fact you want to reread. While I enjoyed flicking through this and it was a relatively quick read I would say that perhaps it was almost too stuffed with fact after fact and little elaboration on each one, so it was impossible to actually take them all in and store them for future trivia quiz usage. Perhaps this one would be better suited to dip in and out of rather than read front to back like I did.

[Aimée · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich habe David Longs "Reiseführer" vor ein paar Jahren entdeckt, der für Schottland war äußerst unterhaltsam und hat uns ein paar Abstecher zu absonderlichen Sehenswürdigkeiten beschert, der für England ist eher ein Unnützes-Wissen-Kompendium - wobei ich die Teile über Sport und Krieg nur quergelesen habe. Dennoch fand ich hier die Listen zu Heckenlabyrinthen, unanständigen Ortsnamen, seltsamsten Pubs und royalen Eigenheiten ähnlich amüsant. Falls ihr also tiefer in das verquere Gehirn der Insulaner einsteigen wolltet, ist das der richtige Autor für euch.

[Darryl Bortolot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite what I expected when I picked it up. It turned out to be a collection of factoids about unusual or quirky facts. Now, I like stuff like that, but had been looking forward to something more meaty.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting tidbits

This little book is full of interesting little facts and bits of information about things in England. From crime & punishment to sports and pubs. It's a nice little read to find out more about our great little England.

[Peter Moran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of fun facts and knowledge.

I enjoyed this while I was on holiday and if you like quiz shows and interesting challenges this is for you.
It was very funny in places but not every chapter will appeal to everyone and I’m glad I finished it.
A great read.

[Andrew Mckay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfectly fine collection of English miscellany split into categories. Easy to pick up and read for a few minutes here and there. I didn’t know most of the stories so I definitely picked up some interesting facts, though whether I’ll remember any remains to be seen!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read reference book, with a variety of fun and interesting facts. Definitely one I will dip back in and out of to remind myself of information in it.

[Ann Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some fascinating stories

[Ryan Gillam · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's just a collection of Wikipedia facts. Some of which are incorrect. Nothing but kindle unlimited spam.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad full of tit bits of info about strange events, people, places, food etc of the UK although I wouldn’t regard as so bizarre !!

[p cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely surprise.

Didnt know what to expect & got on A unli.ited. Could not put down once started. Will get all the others David Long has written.

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, but nothing too surprising. Easy read.

[Emma Dargue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick, bite size informative book. Highlighting the eccentric and sometimes unusual aspects of life in England

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

A city as old and big as London surely would have plenty of tales that are strangely bizarre.

Interesting to a certain degree, but lacks maps to the various locations mentioned.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paused

[Melinda Griffith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This included lots of quirky facts(?) about England and got a humorous reaction from the uniformed officer who let us off the ship in London.

[Amanda Witt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great overview of the best and worst, shortest and longest things regarding foods, drinks, personal records and other facts.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raccolta bizzarra di bizzari luoghi inglesi: alcuni mi interessavano più di altri, ma è una buona raccolta. Abbastanza accurata ma nello stesso breve per non tediare troppo il lettore.

[Jilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book of bizarre things you didn't know about England. It is an easy read and does have some interesting bits and pieces. Possibly more suited to teenagers.

[John Naylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book of some of the curiosities, traditions and people that have inhabited the country called England.

It does debunk a few myths and also corrects some common misattributions about traditional English stereotypes that didn't actually originate here. I did note at least one error as to something that is claimed to still be operational but was destroyed in the 1990s.

It is an easy read and one that could be read in small doses. Most people will learn something from it but further research would be recommended before taking any of the facts at face value.

[Angela Reeves · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting

[Carlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

very enjoyable, didn't want it to end! interesting trivia facts about a range of topics to do with England.