A treasure trove in the The City of London. The Archive of London. Strongrooms hold kilometres of shelving; boxes of matter that has somehow been catalogued and categorised in a traceable manner by the public, for academic, genealogical and other research. This beautiful book is from a box on Epping Forest. On the same visit, I looked through photographs of Blitz singsongs in Bethnal Green Underground station, 1980s anti-Thatcher / pro-GLC gig posters and paper concertina optical models of the Crystal Palace.

A place that really grows on you, with each visit the Barbican reveals more of itself to you and your bond is tightened. The Barbican Kitchen is great for coffee or lunch, summer hangouts by the ponds, cinema in winter, the amazing Barbican Hall for live music, and don't miss the conservatory.

Whipps Cross flats next to Hollow Pond boating lake is where I run. A perfect antidote to the chaos in the city.

My favourite record shop in London. Old-school record store stocks eclectic blues, dance, soul, reggae and global music on vinyl and CD.

Small little Rose Garden in a beautiful neighbourhood. All the houses surrounding the park have a dutch appeal to them.