A fantastic look at abandoned places in London.A book of discovery adventure reading about these long forgotten places.The photographs are amazing the commentary adds to the discovery of these locations.I will be going back to this book again&again highly recommend.#netgalley #amberbooks,

I have mixed views on this book. I found it had some real hidden treasures, but many pages featuring pictures of the outside of boarded-up buildings. I lived in London for four months in college, so it has a very special place in my heart, but overall I was hoping for more from this.

I had mixed feelings on this book. The topic in general is fascinating, but I wish the introduction in each section were a little more in depth on why these various places were abandoned. Some sections, like abandoned stores were less interesting. I wish more content was devoted to the more interesting and historically significant abandoned sites, such as the Roman ruins and bomb shelters. Also some very historical sites were m missing completely such as abandoned airfields from World War Two and what about Hadrian's Wall?

This book is amazing. A collection of beautiful photos, some showing parts of London that are not accessible e.g. underground places or the interiors of derelict buildings, others showing places that you probably walk past without noticing how interesting they are. It's really fascinating - so much history all around us. Even modern history - like the collection of abandoned internet cafes! Internet cafes seemed so modern not so long ago but now they're something we just don't need anymore with the advent of smartphones.

I love books like this - I love being able to look back at how places were and I like the mix of cultural and social history that often comes with them.

I love you can pick them up as and when you want and dip in and out - that said I started reading this one in an evening and finished it the same night, I just kept turning the pages, it was a welcoming way for me to relax after a tough week.

This book has a good mix of images and I liked the commentary that was added just to add a few details to the images selected, the locations and how they came to be abandoned in the first place.

I do imagine that there are more than enough places to make a second, third or even fourth book and I would love to find out more and I think that the author did a great job with the ones selected.

It is 5 stars from me for this one - very highly recommended!

This tome shows photographs of forgotten London -- the abandoned, derelict buildings that give stories of the past. Passages next to each photo share the location and history of the structure. Sadly, many of these buildings have since been demolished or refurbished into housing, so they are not only abandoned but lost to history.

I knew I was enjoying this book, but when I found myself reading out captions and holding up my iPad to show some of the photographs from a city we both know and love, I realised I was really enjoying it.

Looking at Abandoned London is a poignant experience as we are still in Lockdown, so freedom to travel is restricted. Although I live in a beautiful rural area, I’m missing exploring urban spaces a lot. I miss the noise and bustle, being part of something much bigger and busier than here. The locations and interesting captions reminds me of how much I’m longing to visit one of my favourite cities again. It’s igniting my enthusiasm to take some more walking tours, perhaps even in abandoned tube stations. Seeing photographs of some familiar buildings, and closed underground station entrances which I’ve waited outside for friends in the past, is making me ITCH to get my walking trainers on, pocket my Oyster card and jump on a train. Soon....!

This is not in any way a tourists’ guide to the city. Rather it has a very specific brief and it’s one which is fulfilled fairly well. There are not any photos of the larger area or maps for reference. You would not get a sense of how distinct the areas of the city are or where the abandoned places are in relation to each other, unless you really know London.

I quite like the fact that there isn’t a huge amount of written information to accompany the photographs. If I’m particularly interested in an area or the story of a building or place, I will search out further information. Indeed I have googled to see what The Carnegie library in Lambeth looks like now it’s been restored. (My heart skipped a beat at the thought that it may have been demolished.)That was one of the buildings which jumped out at me. Lucky locals! Plus I’ve found articles about E. Price Fruiterers in Kensal Town. What a fantastic renewal and ongoing family story. (I wonder what the original owners would make of the organic produce and the no-doubt exorbitant prices. It’s amusing that they list the location as Notting Hill, rather than Kensal Town...)

I’ve discussed the pubs chapter with the FD of an independent pub chain as he is familiar with some and another friend who was a wine bar manager in London in the 1990s. I’ve googled what Urban Explorers are about too. There is some amusing video footage on You Tube. So, all in all thank you for providing distraction from the isolation and restrictions of life during Lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for the opportunity to receive an ARC of this book, in return for an honest review.

This book has wonderful evocative images of London. The author tells the hidden tales of places you've probably walked past and never considered. Fascinating.

2 stars - It was ok

As someone who has never been to London, I thought this would give a fascinating glimps at some of the abandoned places that can be found there. From the cover photo I expected more photos to capture the beauty of these places. Unfortunately only a few of the photos actually do this. The majority of the photos are just of boarded up storefronts and buildings and the only interesting thing I found in those was the graffiti. I don’t know if this was a stylized choice or that was all they could get of those areas, but it wasn’t the beautiful abandoned places I expected.

I liked that this book provided small bits of information about some of the places. I don’t really enjoy photo books with huge sections of text. Also I was hoping this book would add unique destinations for me to go to if I ever make it to London, but sadly, it didn’t.

#AbandonedLondon
I received this book for an honest review.
#NetGalley

the pictures were breathtaking the photographer also put a lot of themselves in to all the pictures taken. Very well done in a very interesting topic.

This book mainly consists of photographs, with only a small amount of text for each photograph. In this type of book I prefer more photographs than pages of text, however I would have liked a bit more explanation and history for some of the photos. I was able to find out more information from Google, but it would have been easier if the book had provided a little more detail.
The photographs are very high quality, and they are set out into different categories. When you look at some of the photographs it is amazing to see some of the abandoned places in an area where space can be a premium and sought after commodity.
If you have read this type of book before, then there are the usual photographs of abandoned Tube Stations. However there are also photographs of less well known buildings, such as pubs.
This was an enjoyable read, and easy to dip in and out of.

Sadly so many places have fallen foul of being abandoned these days, for many reasons that we never find out. This was a fascinating insight to many of these hidden treasures through London. This was a fascinating book, beautifully peppered with some fantastic photographs

I’m very torn on this book. I absolutely love London. While I lived there, I loved finding the hints of old London like signs for shops that no longer exist or abandoned Tube entrances. I follow several “abandoned” Instagram accounts and I’ve seen some gorgeous pictures of abandoned Tube stations, victorian warehouses, and converted churches, however the pictures in this book were a mixed bag. I was hoping for images that captured the beauty of these places trapped and lost in time, and while some (like the eerily beautiful cover photo) did that, others were just made me go, “yep, I can see why that’s getting demolished.” I honestly can’t tell if some of the pictures were a stylistic choice mean to show how gritty and rundown some of the buildings had become or if they were simply they only photographs taken of the buildings in the last 10 years. The book provides very little in terms of text, giving a couple paragraphs of text at the beginning of each section and a 1-2 sentence caption for the photos. In most travel photography books this is my ideal ratio, but so few of the pictures had any appeal that I wish there was more explanation as to why each building was built then abandoned. I was really hoping this book would add places to my list of things to find on my next trip to London, but other than making me really want to do a tour of the abandoned Tube stations, it didn’t really make me excited to hunt down any of the featured buildings. Also, I don’t think all the locations mentioned in the description are in the book, specifically the Highgate West Cemetery and the Sydenham Hill Woods Folly. I didn’t double check all the locations, but I know for sure what those two should look like and neither are in the book. I think if I purchased this book I would be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amber Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit I thought to get a bit more from this than I did. Knowing the publishers I settled back expecting grandstanding photos from the best urban explorers, the most shocking occasions of abandoned housing, disused infrastructure – and some of the most quirky unwanted pubs, and suchlike. I did get those, but only in smaller quantities, and in the finish there were a few too many boarded-over shops for my taste. The fact that this could have been a lovely coffee table album portraying the beauty of rottenness, yet turned into more of a survey of London's social history, should not put people off, but it does kind of suggest to me it's trying to hit several targets with its intentions and not quite scoring with them all. Three and a half stars.

It seems incongruous that in a city as crowded and expensive as London there are many abandoned, unused places. This book explores some of these, it’s a photographic journey featuring sites that used to be something but are now often unused, crumbling and graffiti stained buildings, the surrounding land strewn with litter, rubble and weeds. There are old hospitals, public baths, bomb shelters, restaurants and other assorted buildings. To my eyes most of these are just scruffy reminders of the past - but there others here that I found much more appealing:

A number of Tube stations have been withdrawn from use, their doors closed and sealed. The external features of some of these provide clear signals that a station was once in operation here, it’s rather spooky really. And inside the stations are reasonably well preserved, the now empty tunnels looking ghostly in their faded glory. One of these former stations is in Mayfair, occupying a section of the city’s most coveted real estate. I preferred these less battered relics of the past.

In Bermondsey, a former Soviet T-34/85 armoured tank occupies a small plot of land opposite attractive 19th century houses. It’s presence is apparently protected thanks to a planning misunderstanding concerning the installation of a tank. You’ve got to love that.

Beneath Finsbury Park, accessibly only via a manhole situated within the park, sits an underground reservoir capable of storing five million gallons of water. It’s an darkly impressive structure and though closed some years ago due to safety concerns, this gloomy but rather grand place it is still sometimes used for films.

A rather tatty looking industrial premises with the business name still proudly displayed, the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company building is not something that particularly stands out for it’s architectural beauty. But the accompanying text explains that the company football team changed it’s name in 1900 to… West Ham United. I always wondered where their nickname, The Hammers, came from.

I believe it’s an uneven collection of the grim and the interesting. There are some fascinating histories here and some buildings that I passed over quickly will, I’m sure, hold some appeal for others.

I received an advance copy of, Abandoned London, by Katie Wignall. I love abandoned places. Why were they abandoned, whats the history of the building? I really liked this book of abandoned places in London.

This fascinating book takes readers into the lost and forgotten corners of London, the large and small, the magnificent and the squalid. Tour what has got to be the most magnificent sewage treatment plant in the world or hang out in a spooky abandoned subway station. Filled with pictures that highlight the past of one of the most storied cities in the world, this is a must for urban explorers, or those of us who prefer to do our exploring from the sofa

Collection of photographs of disused and derelict places around London, you have probably walked past and not given any attention. The history of what went before and why it’s derelict now is fascinating, potted history of industry, trading, war, social habits, deprivation, transport and culture all in one book. Beautiful presentation. Thank you to #NetGalley and #AmberBooks for the copy.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3876053370
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3876053370
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3876053370
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3876053370
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3876053370

There is something attractive about abandoned buildings, and if they are in London they are totally charming! I didn't know there were so much abandoned places in London; it is exciting. Good book.