The Strand: A Biography

The first history of one of London’s most extraordinary streets. Running along the Thames’s northern shore and spanning three-quarters of a mile from Trafalgar Square to Temple Bar, the Strand has been a witness to London’s growth and change from the earliest years of the city's existence. In The Strand: A biography, Geoff Browell and Eileen Chanin uncover the deep history of this remarkable street. Tracing its origins in the Roman era, they reveal how it grew in importance as authority shifted from church to aristocracy, then to commerce, media and law. Over time, everything that mattered converged on the Strand: tradition and ceremony clashed with rebellion and destitution. By 1910, the street was known as the ‘centre of the world’. Drawing on remarkable archival discoveries, Browell and Chanin present the most complete and compelling history of the Strand ever written. Filled with surprising, untold stories, The Strand: A biography is a must-read for lovers of one of the world’s greatest cities.

Table of Contents:
1 Introduction 2 Beginnings 3 Medieval Strand 4 Early modern Strand 5 Eighteenth-century Strand 6 Nineteenth-century Strand 7 Edwardian Strand 8 Interwar Strand 9 To the twenty-first century 10 Conclusion Index

About the Author :
Geoff Browell is a senior archivist at King’s College London. He is also chair of AIM25, a charitable consortium of the archives of 150 cultural organisations in London. He leads historical tours of King’s and is the editor of Strandlines, a digital community dedicated to exploring lives on the Strand. Eileen Chanin is a Sydney-based historian and a Research Associate of the Australian National University. She is the author of nine books, including Capital Designs: Australia House and Visions of an Imperial London (2020). Her interest in the Strand and its many facets deepened as a Visiting Fellow of King’s College London.

Review :
Shortlisted for the Architectural Book Awards 2025 Winner of the Architects’ Company Book Awards 2025 Guide category 'An engaging and instructive approach to urban history and more particularly that of London, and a book that gave me great pleasure.' Jeremy Black, author of A History of London 'The soul and spirit of this highway emerges from the accumulation of detail through the centuries.' Iain Sinclair, author of London Orbital 'A fascinating exploration of the ever-changing face of London. The Strand combines rigorous scholarship with a rich tapestry of stories, packed with details to surprise and delight. The result is a joy to read.' Alice Loxton, author of Uproar! Satire, scandal and printmakers in Georgian London 'An essential biography of one of London’s key thoroughfares, from its Roman origins to the twenty-first century. The focus upon both changing buildings and personalities, as well as the placing of the Strand in its wider London environment, make this an innovative and readable book.' Panikos Panayi, author of Migrant City: A New History of London 'An essential biography of one of London’s key thoroughfares, from its Roman origins to the twenty-first century. The focus upon both changing buildings and personalities, as well as the placing of the Strand in its wider London environment, make this an innovative and readable book.' Panikos Panayi, author of Migrant City: A New History of London 'This is an important book, brimful of information on what is arguably one of the most significant streets in London, the route for the capital’s expansion over many centuries.' Gillian Tindall, Times Literary Supplement 'A final chapter speculates about the future and brings this survey of a remarkable street not to a conclusion, but to the expectation of further, even possibly apocalyptic, change.' Richard Chartres, Church Times