Australian speculative fiction writer, Narrelle Harris, recently wrote a blog post on A Cheat Sheet to London, with useful information links to aide in writing stories set in London. I’ve now added a few more books and websites to my ‘go-to’ research list. Fortunately I have visited once, albeit a flying visit. Still, writing steampunk stories based in London is a challenge for me – being a non-Londoner myself.
A big thank you to Narrelle for sharing her lists used to write her most recent Sherlock Holmes story, The Adventure of the Colonial Boy. Here’s my list (concentrating on 19th century London) in return.
Where am I?
Though I write alternate history and fiddle with London’s layout, I base my stories on maps of nineteenth century London. I use a combination of webpages and books to research the architecture and walk the streets of my London.
- Booth’s Poverty Map (online)
- Booth’s Poverty Map (Bloomsbury Publishing).
I bought mine elsewhere but it’s no longer available through that seller. Also available from Museum of London. - Google Maps (used in conjunction with Booth’s map)
- Photos of Marylebone Through Time by Brian Girling
- Images of London – Marylebone by Brian Girling
House and Home and Social London
If Walls Could Talk by Lucy Worsley Amazon / Book Depository- Mrs Beetons Household Management – available online or as book
- Victorian Servant Hierachy and Wage Scale (webpage)
- The Victorian Web (webpage)
- Back in My Time: A Writer’s Guide to 19th Century (blog)
- A Dictionary of Victorian Slang (1909) available online
- British Slang – Lowerclass and Underworld – pdf (online)
- How to Speak 19th Century (webpage)
- The Dictionary of Victorian London webpage
Victoria and the Royal Court
- Serving Victoria by Kate Hubbard Amazon / Book Depository
Murder & Mayhem – history and technology of Crime
- The Invention of Murder by Judith Flanders Amazon / Book Depository
- A Very British Murder by Lucy Worsley Amazon / Book Depository
- Jack the Ripper Casebook (webpage) – I love this page. It has info on Jack the Ripper, investigative and autopsy techniques of 19th century.
- Jack the Ripper 1888 (webpage)
Share your cheat sheet/research list
Now it’s your turn. What resources (books, webpages) do you recommend for the non-Londoner writing stories set in London?
Narrelle Harris is the author of Walking in the Shadows, The Opposite of Life and, more recently penned a Sherlock Holmes mystery, The Adventure of the Colonial Boy published by Improbable Press.
Photos:©2016 Karen J Carlisle. All Rights Reserved.
Thanks for sharing! I’ll add a few of my own. I visited quite a lot of the places Steve suggested, but I’d also add the Hunterian Museum (and the book The Knife Man) which gives us a close look at medical history in London
https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums-and-archives/archives/
as well as the Old Operating Theater (which also has a virtual tour on the website so you can visit without traveling to London).
http://www.pan3sixty.co.uk/virtual_tours/old-operating-theatre/virtual-tour.html
Books:
London by Paul Ackroyd
The Victorian City by Judith Flanders
Links:
Victorian England
http://www.english.uwosh.edu/roth/VictorianEngland
Slums
http://www.victorianweb.org/history/slums.html
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th-century_London
Karen as a Londoner feel free to ask me any request for local info that might help – Pie and Mash shops, Pubs, etc…I am old enough to remember using Victorian pennies with the old Queen on them.
When Bryce did his recce for DEAD LONDON the following is what I sent him and includes some not so obvious gems …..Oh I would add the Lamb and Flag to the list of pubs by the way…..
I am sure he would not mind me sharing for the benefit of the art!! Yours Ever Steve
This is my list based upon places that are of a Steampunk/Victorian flavour or older. I would expect you to have visited Westminster Abbey and poets corner, St Paul’s Cathedral ( Nelson is buried directly under the dome in the crypt. The most honoured spot in the whole of the UK. Wellington is nearby as well). The Tower of London, The Monument,County Hall (Southbank), Buckingham Palace and the Royal Mews.
Ok that is the obvious places. Now the slightly less obvious:
The Victoria and Albert Museum – Victorian clothes and design
The Science Museum – Steam trains and engines
Apsley House – Number One London, Home of the Duke of Wellington
The Clink prison – clink street
The Citie of Yorke – Holborn – Victorian pub,
The Princess Louise – High Holborn – Victorian Pub (listed lavatories!)
Gordon’s winebar – Villiers’ Street (Edward VIII ‘s lair)
Horniman’s Museum, Forest Hill, South London, My Steampunk cathedral, Taxidermy,Musical Instruments and a collection from around the world.
Crystal palace park (the remains of the great exhibition) and the Dinosaurs
Kew gardens ( splendid palm houses)
Wiltons Music Hall – the oldest theatre/music hall in Lonodn and being restored to its former glory.
The Cheshire Cheese pub – fleet street
The Samuel Pepys , Riverside pub
The Tower Bridge and its workings
Covent Garden market (touristy but Victorian)
The Royal Observatory – Greenwich (take a boat trip and climb the hill)
The Maritime museum – Greenwich
The Trafalgar Inn – Greenwich
Brunel’s foot tunnel Greenwich
The Cutty Sark – Tea clipper Greenwich
The Army museum Chelsea
The Guards Chapel and Museum, Birdcage walk
The Imperial War Museum – Lambeth
The inns of court Temple
The inns of court , Lincolns Inn Fields,
Sir John Soanes Museum
The Gefferye Museum
The Wallace collection.
The Ship and Shovel pub
The Prince Albert pub Victoria
The Albert Hall and the Albert memorial
Burglington arcade
Belgrave square