The first book to tell the remarkable story of 41-42 Cloth Fair, London, and how the great city evolved around it. The great city of London has many layers of history lying buried beneath its streets. In a few places, remnants of the capital's ancient past are still visible in the form of important and often royal buildings, such as the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. However, these magnificent, world-renowned places are not the only survivors of a long lost world. Halfway down a narrow, medieval lane on the outskirts of Smithfield stands 41 - 42 Cloth Fair - the oldest house in the City of London. This book uncovers the fascinating survival story of this extraordinary property and the people who built it, owned it and lived in it, set against the backdrop of an ever-changing city that endured war, disease, fire and economic crises. AUTHOR: Fiona Rule is a London historian, whose previous books include the bestselling The Worst Streets of London (Ian Allan, 2008), London's Docklands (Ian Allan, 2009) and Streets of Sin (THP, 2015). In 1998, she set up her own marketing and research company, and, after successfully completing a Diploma course in Local History from the University of Oxford, began to specialise in historical writing and research.

20 colour illustrations.