Victorian London and the Victorian era itself are often romanticized and seen through the unrealistic prism of celebrating one of the greatest periods of British history. I recommend it without hesitation.įascinating reality of Victorian Londoners! If they are as good as this, I'll be in for a triple treat. I enjoyed it so much I picked up the other three titles offered by Ms Picard. I'd like to put every snowflake (and helicopter parent and anyone else lacking what used to be known as a backbone) into a room with this book and let them listen until they could consider their blessings. I know this is a sign of getting old, but I find myself more and more unable to deal with people whinging and moaning about absolutely nothing. That's a real treat with this kind of history: it leads you onward to still more discoveries. This book reminded me how much reading I've yet to do. I've studied a lot of English history, but I've neglected the Victorian era in favor of other periods. Ms Picard brings the city to life in truly unforgettable detail. Go ahead and double that if you're already familiar with London. What a nice surprise to find the book is not only narrated beautifully, but well written, fascinating, and highly entertaining! If you enjoy the minutiae of history, this is great stuff. This title was an accidental discovery: I found it while searching for something narrated by Anton Lesser. All the splendours and horrors of Victorian life will be vividly recalled. The period begins with the closing of the Fleet and Marshalsea prisons and ends with the first (steam-operated) Underground trains and the first Gilbert & Sullivan. Peter Jones, Harrods entertaining and servants, food and drink unlimited liability and bankruptcy the rich, the marriage market, taxes and anti-semitism the Empire, recruitment and press-gangs. This period of mid-Victorian London encompasses a huge range of subjects: Victoria's wedding and the place of the royals in popular esteem how the very poor lived, the underworld, prostitution, crime, prisons and transportation the public utilities, Bazalgette on sewers and road design, Chadwick on pollution and sanitation private charities, Peabody, Burdett Coutts, and workhouses new terraced housing and transport, trains, omnibuses, and the Underground furniture and decor families and the position of women the prosperous middle classes and their new shops, e.g.

Like her previous books, this book is the result of the author's passionate interest in the realities of everyday life, and the conditions in which most people lived, so often left out of history books.

Restoration London by Liza Picard