I set out to read about the slums of London in 1814, and found myself with two wonderful maps. The one above was produced in 1812, and shows the city a couple of years before my work-in-progress. Look at the parks and wide streets to the west of the ancient heart of the city. To the east we see industry and docks. That was the way the wind blew. Even when Shakespeare was alive, the city’s stink reached noses fifty miles away. It wasn’t any sweeter in Regency times, what with coal fires and the smell of a million people, all their associated animals, and the sewage they collectively produced. Of course the rich preferred to live to the West.

The second map was the last to show every single building in London, and was drawn in 1799. You’ll find a digitised, fully scaleable, version of it here. As the characters in my 3rd and 4th Mountain King books venture into the slum kingdom of my villain, this is going to be extremely useful. Now to decide precisely where to put my imaginary Devil’s Kitchen.