London v. 6; Westminster Simon Bradley, Nikolaus Pevsner

This guide opens up the treasures of London's most alluring quarter. At its core are Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and the palatial Government buildings of Whitehall, together with the great band of Royal Parks stretching westward toward Kensington. It also includes London's West End (Covent Garden, Soho, Mayfair and St James's) and the less well-known Belgravia and Pimlico. The architectural glories of Westminster Abbey are supplemented by details of its astonishing monuments, perhaps the greatest such collection in Europe. Buckingham Palace and its elder sister at St James's, the gorgeous riches of Theatreland and the stately parade of gentlemen's clubs in Pall Mall are all described in depth. Georgian houses large and small, the amazingly varied Victorian mansion blocks and workers' dwellings, and some post-war housing schemes are also comprehensively surveyed. Architectural developments are punctuated by Westminster's many statues and monuments, from Nelson's Column to Oscar Wilde. For each area there is a detailed gazetteer and brief introduction. A general introduction provides a historical and artistic overview. Numerous maps and plans, over 100 colour photographs, full indexes, and an illustrated glossary are also provided. This is the fifth of six Pevsner Architectural Guides volumes on London available in cloth.

Simon Bradley is the author of London 1: the City of London in the same series. Sir Nikolaus Pevsner (1902-83), one of the greatest names in architectural history, was the founder and chief author of the first Buildings of England series.

'The best and most useful Pevsner to date...[Bradley's] style is clear and lively - what in the newspaper trade is called 'a good read' - London Topographic Society 'It is impossible to do justice to this delightful omnium-gatherum of historical and architectural information' - The Art Book