Photographer’s Note

As a born-and-bred Londoner I had tremendous fun recording my hidden London as it stands in the twenty-first century for my hugely successful first book Unseen London.

Dazeley photographing the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel.

Many readers of that book told me of their frustration and disappointment in being unable to visit some of the locations, especially those which had absolutely no public access; this gave me the idea to produce a sequel, London Uncovered, featuring London’s lesser-known institutions, buildings, homes, shops, museums and attractions that are easily accessible.

I am seen here photographing the stunning Grand Staircase in the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, one of the amazing locations in the book. Sir John Betjeman called this Gothic treasure ‘too beautiful and too romantic to survive’ in a world of tower blocks and concrete. Its preservation against the odds will cause wonder; the building itself will take your breath away. After years of devoted restoration, the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel is being hailed as London’s most romantic building. Its glorious Gothic Revival metalwork, gold-leaf ceilings, hand-stencilled wall designs and a jaw-dropping grand staircase are as dazzling as the day the hotel, formerly known as the Midland Grand Hotel, was built in 1873.

The locations for London Uncovered were photographed mostly on my trusty Nikon, over a period of a year, with access made possible through the generosity and help of friends and clients made throughout my career. As a photographer it is an absolute joy for me to share photographs of London, my wonderful city.