Title: A History of London through Beer Googles
Author: Cyril O’Brien
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
Synopsis:
Discover stories and parts of London that you may not have known. All of this done whilst visiting some of London’s oldest pubs.
From the Great Fire of London to the Church-run prostitutes of Southwark.
From cock fighting to the famous Cock Lane Ghost.
From Shakespeare to Shrek.
From St Paul’s Cathedral to the inspiration for wedding cakes.
Take a journey through the streets of London and discover things you never knew.
A must for all who live and work in London, as well as visitors to our great city.
What better way could there be than to have a drink and a walk around the parts of the city you have probably never visited.
Hidden gems abound.
My review:
If you love history – especially London history – and enjoy an inner-city walk, this book brings them together with intriguing facts and some brilliant pubs to add to your ‘to visit’ list.
In A History of London through Beer Goggles, you can select a ‘crawl’ and work your way through the pubs on the route whilst you read about each one. Obviously, if you have a drink in each you might not make it to the end (or not with your memory intact!) but you could definitely split them up into various visits and take them bit by bit…!
The ‘crawls’ are split into different areas of London, so you’re bound to find an area that interests you. I think either ‘West End Theatre Land’ or ‘East of the city to London Bridge’ are my favourite overall routes but they all have their interesting facts and information. For me, the information about the areas around them interested me more than the pub information, but this book is a useful tool if you have very indecisive friends who can’t decide on a place to meet as it has so many in there along with phone numbers and opening hours (which I guess may have changed in recent years, since this book was published in 2018).
The book is written conversationally and is very easy to read. It avoids feeling stuffy and although there’s a lot of information within its pages, you can dip in and out as you please. I found it an enjoyable read and would recommend it, particularly if you enjoy learning about the history of pubs and London in general!
My rating: 4/5
Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest review.