Early Book Review: Abandoned London: Discover the Hidden Secrets of the City in Photographs by Katie Wignall

Abandoned London:  Discover the Hidden Secrets of the City in Photographs by Katie Wignall is curretly scheduled for release on May 14 2021. It seems bizarre that in a place as crowded, noisy and expensive as London there are still wasted unused spaces. The relentless drive for regeneration across Britain’s capital deceives us into thinking that every spare building and patch of ground is under development. But this vast metropolis of more than 10 million people hides many secrets and unexpected treasures from the city’s unique 2000-year history. In Abandoned London, read about the Abbey Mills Pumping Station, a facility created in 1858 to deal with ‘the Great Stink’, and now London’s Italian-Gothic cathedral of sewage; or the subterranean Finsbury Park underground reservoir, a space capable of holding five million gallons of water and today used as an occasional movie location; or the remnants of Highgate’s overground steam railway station, now a protected bat habitat; or the Clapham deep-level shelters, constructed in World War II and designed to provide protection for locals against aerial bombing raids; or the Haggerston public baths, part of an early 20th century building programme devised to improve London’s hygiene. These photographs of abandoned places capture a moment in time. Some of the buildings have since been demolished or refurbished, but many are still there, neglected and uncared for. These places have great value and a rich significance, offering us a glimpse of past worlds.

Abandoned London is a captivating look at the abandoned spaces in London. It was fascinating to see and learn about some of these locations, as every city and town has these types of location but few stop and think about the beauty and visual interest they hold. I have always had a love for the broken, abandoned, or simply slightly off kilter buildings or features of nature- so this collection really hit the sweet spot for me. There is a solemn beauty that can be found in the forgotten or neglected, and this book captures that idea while teaching readers a little bit about each of these places, and what the future might have in store for them.  Those with an interest in the location, architecture, history, or the forgotten will all find something here that capture's their eye and their interest.