London Villages

Book excerpt: This is the complete guide to the local neighbourhoods of London, filled with all the city's best secrets and hidden gems, and now updated with even more great spots! Offering an intimate view of the city, this unique guidebook allows you to explore the capital city's best local neighbourhoods, highlighting the small, locally-known enclaves of independent shops, cafés and public spaces that give the capital its inimitable character. From Columbia Road to Clarendon Cross, there are dozens of tucked away ‘villages’ in London and this compendium of thirty of the most unique and vibrant is your key to exploring the city in a new way. Whether you want to enjoy a few glasses of pinot gris at a local bistro before catching an independent art-house film in Bermondsey street, or if you would prefer to indulge in a beauty spa before browsing the cheeses, meats and wines of MacFarlane's deli in Abbeville village, this guide will have something to suit all tastes and preferences. With atmospheric photographs, an illustrated map for each village, and a short text that sums up its spirit, history and location, this charming guide is a great starting point to seeing this great city in an entirely new light! Also available in the London Guides series is Quiet London, a guide to some of the capital's most peaceful and secluded spots to visit, for those who want to see a different side of the bustling city.