Around the fringe of every city lies an Edgeland. Neither town or country these often disorganised, but fertile hinterlands were described in the 19th century by novelist Victor Hugo candidly as ’bastard’ places ‘made up of two different natures’ and are places that straddle worlds and spatial traditions.

Miles from the countryside London’s core maintains its own edge conditions and to traverse its heart is to journey across distinct communities, ambiences and built environments, each rubbing up against the other, creating dramatic contrasts and tensions.

Skirting the ancient borders of the City of London, this walk explores the liminal buildings, streets and spaces that have grown up in the shadow of the financial heart. Following a route defined first by the Romans two millennia ago, it explores the contemporary ‘City Fringe’ to reveal medieval suburbs and sanctuaries, victorian warehouses and railways, modernist utopias and 21st century commercial leviathans!

A walk by The London Ambler - Mike Althorpe.