When Did Big Ben First Bong? : 101 Crucial Questions about the Greatest City on Earth

Millions live there, millions more visit each year - but few get to know the stuff that really matters. For example, do you know when Big Ben first bonged - or even who Ben was? Why London's famous river is called the Thames? Which top Nazi was locked up in the Tower of London during World War II? Or what runs through the more than 50 miles of train-size tunnels which run under the city, stretch further than the Channel Tunnel and lie deeper than the Tube - and, no, the answer has got nothing to do with trains.

If you've ever spent time pondering the identity of the London's first celebrity chef, its oldest football club, or the street which is home to more celebrities - alive and dead - than any other in the capital then this is a book for you. From the truth about Handel's ears to tales of hippos roaming around Trafalgar Square, When Did Big Ben First Bong? is a guide like no other to the greatest city on earth.

Book Author

Well received by reviewers and readers alike, David Long's books on London include Spectacular Vernacular: London's 100 Most Extraordinary Buildings, a sequel Tunnels, Towers & Temples: London's 100 Strangest Places, and the popular Little Book of London. The trio reflects the author's longstanding interest in the quirkier, lesser known aspects of the city, its long history, streetscape and architecture, and since 2006 he has published a number of other books on related subjects together with two more volumes in the Little Book series. A writer and journalist since graduating in the 198...
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