An Address in Bloomsbury - Alec Forshaw

This is the tale of two houses, which at different times have had the same address of 49 Great Ormond Street.

Built at the end of the 17th-century on what was then the northern edge of London, this street has a complex history, famous today for its hospitals, but remarkable for much more besides. Superbly illustrated in full colour with photographs, drawings, prints and maps, the book traces the life and times of both No. 49s and the people who lived and worked there.

It embraces the development of institutions such as the Foundling Hospital, the church of St George-the-Martyr, the Hospital for Sick Children, the Working Men's College and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, together with the involvement of great figures such as Nicholas Barbon, Richard Mead, William Stukeley, Earl Grey, Charles Dickens, Louisa Twining and William Morris. With over 350 years of history packed into 400 pages it is a rich and compelling story.

Alec Forshaw has worked for more than forty years on conservation of the historic built environment. He is the author of Smithfield: Past and Present, 1980s London, Brussels Art Nouveau: Architecture and Design and coauthor of New City: Contemporary Architecture in the City of London.

Brown Dog Books.
400 pages.