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Underground London

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Underground London

By: Stephen Smith
Narrated by: Karen Cass
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About this listen

What is visible to the naked eye has been exhaustively raked over; in Underground London, acclaimed travel writer Stephen Smith provides an alternative guide and history of the capital. It's a journey through the passages and tunnels of the city, the bunkers and tunnels, crypts and shadows. As well as being a contemporary tour of underground London, it's also an exploration through time: Queen Boudicca lies beneath Platform 10 at King's Cross (legend has it); Dick Turpin fled the Bow Street Runners along secret passages leading from the cellar of the Spaniards pub in North London; the remains of a pre-Christian Mithraic temple have been found near the Bank of England; on the platforms of the now defunct King William Street Underground, posters still warn that 'Careless talk costs lives'.

Stephen Smith uncovers the secrets of the city by walking through sewers, tunnels under such places as Hampton Court, ghost tube stations, and long lost rivers such as the Fleet and the Tyburn. This is 'alternative' history at its best.

©2004 Steven Smith (P)2009 Oakhill Publishing Europe Great Britain Sociology Urban Western Europe England Royalty Middle Ages
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I love history of London and the Underground, but found I couldn't maintain my attention on this. While there were some interesting parts, I was hoping for something as engaging as a Bill Bryson, it's just not that good. Like others, I'm going to ask why the narrator is a woman? At first I thought maybe the author was writing as a lesbian, but later it becomes apparent that no, this woman's voice talking about being a man. Actually the narrator, is otherwise, very good. Didn't return it, but came close to it. It won't get a second listen.

A bit meh

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An excellent book but I experienced issues with the audio. A whole chunk of the book repeated and made it really hard to know how far to skip forward to resume.

Excellent book but audio issues

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From sewers and subways to ancient Roman remains and burial sites of kings this book takes you on a subterranean tour of London. Having been born and brought up in the square mile I was astounded at much of what I read. I highly recommend both the book and the narrator who has a knack of delivery the sometimes poetical descriptions of prosaic underground infrastructure in a dryly humorous style.

All the places you never knew were beneath your feet

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The bugs contents were good, but the narrator was incorrect, the book is narrated by a woman, but in parts, mentions that the author is a man, which makes the narrationlittle bit strange. Also, what’sp with the book ending in the middle of the chapter? It just ended, in the middle of something about mailrail. Someone needs to look at this book for its continuity and also for chapters. The chapters seem all wrong

The book was good but,

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In agreement with previous reviews - subject matter is riveting, but why was this read by a woman when written by a man?

Interesting but wrong narrator

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