West End Chronicles: 300 Years of Glamour and Excess in the Heart of London
In this, Ed Glinert describes 300 years of glamour and excess in the heart of London. Its streets and squares have been home to poets, authors and revolutionary anarchists: Casanova, Francis Bacon, George IV, Oscar Wilde, Dylan Thomas: these are but a few of the inhabitants, hedonists and revellers who have enjoyed and played in the clubs, theatres and restaurants. The bawdy atmosphere of the music hall is recreated on the page as Marie Lloyd struts her stuff with her double entendres that delighted the audiences and almost caused the theatre to lose its licence. From the seedy clubs of Soho to the luxurious hotels such as Claridges and the Dorchester, people from every walk of life have contributed to the ever-evolving story of London’s West End.
