Secrets of the City with Iain Sinclair

[@mikebarton]

Seeing you two out walking brought back this memory. My girlfriend and I moved to London in 1987. My friend joined us a few months later. To figure London out we'd take a tube ride to a random station then get off and walk back to home in Camden Town. Every Sunday for months. Sort of like doing 'the knowledge' but an abridged version. There were so many places, people and things to be found. Wonderful time.

[@ronscholefield1894]

I'm sure many viewers will agree, when you and Iain get together for a tour, it's always worth watching. Well done.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Thanks Ron - it’s always a huge pleasure for me

[@PB-mo1fs]

What joy! One of my favourite film makers with one of my favourite writers. This is a dream team.

[@Occamsrazor35]

Thanks Iain for the ever addictive narratives and John for the superb visuals that, as always, carry you along with them. No glossy, fabricated, 'airbrushed' graphics, but the true sense of being at one with your subject and a deep, deep respect for his companion. I adore your channel and recommend it to all. I miss my hometown and it's accelerated loss of history and spirits.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Many thanks indeed

[@jerryrichardson2799]

Sinclair is like a contemporary Arthur Machen who liked to walk around London when he lived there, it shows up in Machen's stories.

[@markmeechan1671]

Magnificent. Always good to hear Iain elucidate the hidden overlapping of London's history. Great atmosphere you've conjured up in this one John, top notch stuff.

[@bjwnashe5589]

Brilliant. I could listen to Iain talk about London all day long.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

It was a real pleasure as always to walk with Iain - realised today that we’d walked the Lud Heat Map you see at the end

[@bjwnashe5589]

Big fan of Iain's books. Just now getting into your video explorations. Really like what you are doing with this channel. Great work. Cheers!

[@morriganwitch]

Me too xxx

[@tonyb67984]

As I write it's new year's eve 2020 and normally i would be in the pub but decided to sit down indoors with the mrs under tier 4 lockdown in my home city of Portsmouth with "several beers" and binge on your videos ....this one is a masterpiece..thankyou

[@user-ks4dh4be8q]

Well what can I say!!! You know I'm completely hooked now and will be binge watching and rewatching your films and heading towards buying a good few books by Iain. Inspirational. I feel like a painting or two coming from this. Thank you sincerely.

[@jenniferlevine5406]

I really love this walk, I guess that is why I have watched it so many times. Walking the streets of London with two amazing storytellers and historians. It doesn't get much better than this!

[@wendybrown5935]

Utterly facinating, 4am in the morning and I could not stop watching. Have subcribed and now catching up on past vids. Ian was amazing, what a treat. Thank you.

[@FIO6271]

A pleasure again to walk with you two! So calm and interesting to know new little aspects of the city. Best wishes from Argentina one more time. Keeping up with your content

[@lesliegprice6652]

Thanks John and Ian, London is like a layer cake,so much hidden in the bones like a oracle Ian interprets the hidden connections and secret history,I Amin awe of his learning and his connection with place, he has lived his knowledge with a lifetime of the cities windings and weavings, truly inspiring.......cheers

[@ashleysgaze]

Bravo John! A tremendous walk alongside the great (and erudite) Iain Sinclair. More! More! More!

[@ringscircles142]

the crown jewels of a walk

[@michaelbrown984]

Fantastic walk.with two experts on London..proper walk into the history of this great city

[@annjuurinen6553]

What a fascinating walk and so much information about the City of London. Ian Sinclair has quite the mind. Love this commentary. I really enjoy these walks. Inspiring during this fourth wave of pandemic.

[@rambling_rob7035]

Worth the wait for the up loading! What a fascinating walk and wealth of information by Ian Sinclair. Thanks John.

[@littleacornslandscapes2935]

A Sunday's not a Sunday without your work, thanks John.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Thanks Little Acorns - I pulled out all the stops to get this online today

[@другПараферналия]

I used to live and work in this area and made a million steps around . Lovely walk. Every single corner is so familiar.

[@jpete190]

I absolutely love this channel.

[@hArtyTruffle]

When you mentioned The Levellers, I was reminded of the time, a year or two after we’d been evicted from St. Paul’s Cathedral, we Occupied a piece of land just up from where the Magna Carta was signed at Runnymede. I felt very much like a cross between a Leveller and a Hobbit, levelling the land so I could build my temporary residence. It felt blissful, sleeping in that quiet place, showering in the rainfall, planting and building. On looking towards London, the Shard became Mordor. I imagined a fiery watching eye atop that monstrosity, and cried when I finally had to leave.

[@AMcF54]

What a great unravelling of the mysteries and myths of London. Always an unpredictable journey, with Iain Sinclair. Always thought-provoking. And beautifully filmed and crafted by your good self, John. Many thanks.

[@IanOSullivan1965]

Absolutely mesmerizing, John. Thanks so much for posting. I love IS's books. What a tour guide to have!

[@JohnRogersWalks]

I feel very fortunate to walk with him Ian

[@morriganwitch]

I could listen to you guys all day . I’m Going to dig deeper and actually look beyond the surface of London xxx spent many a notorious night in cable street at The notorious Stunners Nite Club with the Gurls xxx

[@tomgirldouble3249]

That was excellent Ian is such a knowledgeable man, be watching again as too much to take in on one go. Thanks john and Ian 😀👍

[@JohnRogersWalks]

It’s always a huge education and a real pleasure walking with Iain

[@davidhallard7427]

Great film John. Nice to see Iain Sinclair looking so well.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

He’s unstoppable David - would have walked all day and night

[@Shungabali]

Your channel is one the best finds on KZbin and I'm so glad I came across one of your delightful walks following a lost river on top of that your two films with Iain Sinclair are little Masterpieces so enjoyable for someone who ❤ London and its history.

[@daveconyard8946]

Thanks john! a real treat a brilliant start to my week best regards, Dave.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Cheers Dave

[@timbuthfer901]

Endlessly fascinating, so many links and connotations, Iain's knowledge of London is encyclopedic. Thank you John and Iain for the delightful imagery.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

my pleasure Tim - thanks for watching

[@FireflyOnTheMoon]

Amazing for 76 yrs old

[@rpm1796]

Thank you gents for a truly amazing stroll.

[@BerniM10]

In the mid-late 70s, I worked for a company called the Amalgamated Metal Corporation who were situated above the London Metal Exchange in Leadenhalll Market. The LME was then an "open outcry" market, so twice a day there would be a frenzy of traders, each trading a particular metal and each metal having a short time-slot in the session. I think - and I'm happy to be corrected - that what was known as "soft" commodities (aka "softcomms") were similarly traded at Plantation House. Softcomms comprised the likes of tea, coffee, wool, etc. Leadnenhall Market itself was still a market at that stage, mainly serving the restaurant and hospitality trade, I think and it wasn't unusual to walk through the market first thing to see a brace of deer, hare, pheasant or grouse hanging from a market trader's window. There was also a fishmongers which used to have the most elaborate and colourful displays.

[@neilfromdownunder9204]

There used to be a pub in the Leadenhall Market that used to do a good ploughman's lunch that I had many times when I worked in and around the city area in 1973/1974.

[@andrastetriformis6241]

What a truly wonderful mystery tour! Hope you'll do more with him in the future.

[@mariana4059]

Marvellous walk with lots to think about.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Thanks Mariana

[@katcankan7129]

This was a fascinating walk. Agreed that Mr Sinclair is a fountain of knowledge a real treat. Maybe a London building decode walk one day.😊

[@michaellabram5980]

Loving your work...Great stuff...Thanks.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Thanks Michael

[@redfordgrange3507]

There’s a great deal on Thomas Rainsborough in The Leveller Revolution (Verso, 2016) by John Rees - one of those who unveiled the plaque - especially chapter 12, “Revolution”. A very significant moment in the English Revolution, on Rees’s account.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Thanks Redford will look for the book

[@levilm69lovecoldplsywillia9]

Lost for words awesome journey into the past almost hypnotizing !

[@timnoonan2498]

Wow what a walk through the belly of the beast that is London, fascinating ,what a font of knowledge and insight. i really appreciated the change in atmosphere after dark, thankyou.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

My pleasure Tim

[@neilanscombe7348]

Absolutely fascinating to watch and listen to, many thanks, Have a great week!

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Thanks Neil

[@john80c]

Fascinating video with the lesser known history of London. Swedenborg and Rabbi Low sound like fascinating dinner guests. The Golem is one of the all time great literary creations-an original superhero with feet of clay.

[@martinpotter1517]

Love this video. Im travelling next week from Baltimore to London

[@angelenoof206]

I keep going back to this one so rich

[@Rameman33]

What a massively interesting man Iain is John, i'd bend his ear for hours ! Thank you for this film, really enjoyed it.

[@Underthevolcanobooks]

Phenomenal. So trippy suggestive and cool.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Cheers

[@RandomUser25122]

Love this video and i admire Iain Sinclair’s honesty and knowledge in this area.

[@northlondonallotment6745]

Fascinating! Thank you.

[@rosswebster7877]

Fantastic collaboration with Ian Sinclair as always John! The City of London seems like such a surreal place; the past, present and future are chaotically meshed together. The only thing linking them together being money and capital whether it is Medieval times, 18th century Colonialism or 21st century Cyberpunk. Much of what I know about the City of London comes from Oliver Bulloughs’ great book, Moneyland. Didn’t know about the connection between Swedenborg and Rabbi Lowe. Also recently I found out that one of the early devotees of Swedenborg in America was John Chaplin AKA the semi-legendary folk character Johnny Appleseed.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Thanks Ross - it's always such a pleasure to walk with Iain. Swedenborg was a really intriguing figure. The Swedenborg Society is still flourishing in London, we screened London Overground at their film festival in Bloomsbury. They have a great publishing imprint that has published a few slim volumes by Iain - well worth a look.

[@mctasty6094]

I've just watched this and i love it, many thanks.

[@BaronMichaelDeBlone1066]

Once again, what a treasure of interesting information Iain Sinclair is. I think this one tops the lot for me so far though.

[@rossybink]

This was the best walk, really enjoyable. At 32.50 when he says Sebalds train would regularly stall from Norwich to London, this actually continues to present day 😁

[@solobrouk]

Learnt loads on that walk. Excellent stuff.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Thanks Stuart

[@CthulhuInc]

jeepers, this is another that i'll have to immediately re-watch - there's so much to unpack, so much to digest!

[@ralphwinter6421]

Fantastic walk John, Cheers mate.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Thanks Ralph

[@vickywitton1008]

So interesting and so peaceful too seeing as you use the same music as my yoga teacher does!

[@neilprice1968]

Brilliant! Excited to visit london again soon. Absolute Genius.

[@danhope77]

So Rambo was a poet before Vietnam.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

The poetry drove him to extremes (true)

[@danhope77]

@@JohnRogersWalks so true. Maybe the same poetry that our Prime Minister has been reading.

[@Mathemagical55]

When Eric Cantona first came to England he expressed an appreciation for Rimbaud during an interview. Unfortunately the sports journalists then reported that he was a fan of Rambo.

[@monkeytrousers6180]

Love it....great stuff...Iain is always interesting.

[@Ben_Mdws]

I haven’t read one of Iain’s books and I need to rectify that quite urgently.

[@milkmanofhumankindness5118]

A great talk, and very true sites do reveal themselves bit by bit when you visit them.

[@smilevideobritain499]

Amazing walk.. your dead right.I've never been too interested in history, Always geography, mostly because I listen but don't absorb. This presentation had me hooked and I really did enjoy it. Thanks to both of you.

[@hanian]

Just wonderful.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Thanks Ian

[@stevegee7593]

As you may have gathered my past in London goes a long way back. With things like my dad taking part of the battle of Cable Street. His Carson of it was just a bit of pushing and shoving. To where you walk down Corn Hill where in 1795 my many great grandfather was born in Sun Court.

[@bazangelopoulos]

What great stories with lain Sinclair.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Thanks Baz

[@LilStevie369]

Fantastic. I enjoyed this so much. It's funny how I got here. I was watching a show called A Discovery of Witches. The episode takes place in 1590 and I was curious about London back then. So one thing lead to another and I ended up here. A truly, happy accident. Not my last visit to be sure!

[@JohnRogersWalks]

That’s funny Stephen- I’ve just uploaded a video where I walk through Manningtree, home of Mathew Hopkins who wrote The Discovery of Witches in 1647, which I talk about (there’s a link to Iain Sinclair via his friend Mike Reeves who directed the film about Hopkins - The Witchfinder General)

[@Berry-fr5wj]

Vincent Van Gogh lived in Isleworth (not far from the Thames) near Twickenham

[@g.t.36]

Brilliant. Thanks

[@dai19721]

ah a great one liked it a lot cheers John.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Thanks David

[@borderlands6606]

Kew, home of Bio-Piracy. Should be on a street sign. Fascinating walk, John.

[@NewingtonBoy]

Very interesting boys! Many thanks!

[@annaracker1444]

What an interesting man. Loved this

[@brianwaterhouse7975]

I lived in Isleworth, west London, where there is a blue plaque for Van Gogh. He used to walk along the Thames to Tower bridge area, set off early, then return to Richmond on the first District line train's in the evening, I believe he sketched many of the London bridges on these weekly trips.

[@stevec00ps]

I keep looking for myself in this one!

[@shaunlanighan813]

A good walk with a knowledgeable companion.

[@louistracy6964]

Just great. Thanks.

[@johnho2006]

Sadly the book Lud heat is not availble on Audible or ebooks, i fancied a good listen

[@frikaleoteras]

Thank you John!

[@suecondon1685]

"I love this wall". Speaks volumes.

[@JagBetty]

Enjoyed that one John.....wish Dundee was a bit bigger🕍

[@j0nnyism]

Anyone know the music please?

[@stewartconacher6552]

Excellenr video full of fascinating info.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

thanks Stewart

[@raysargent4055]

Isleworth is where Van Gogh lived and worked as a Sunday schoolteacher London rd near west Middlesex hospital the building is still there with a blue plaque on it .

[@chrisb4504]

6:50 what a beautiful piece of music??

[@rubenmartin6394]

Great video! What is the book at 16:00?

[@Czechbound]

This is very, very interesting.

[@lassepeterson2740]

Wow , and i thought Kew Gardens was just a strange railway junction in London . What detail .

[@dodgyg3697]

Supreme walk.

[@mickmcguire4571]

Good work

[@johnbettano6026]

Oh my well done. well done indeed

[@talesfromtinpanalley-thedo6198]

Fascinating

[@ednorton47]

Thomas Jefferson's mother was from Shadwell.

[@elliottjohnson967]

Interesting, all this talk of lost heads, since Sebald wrote about the travels of Sir Thomas Browne's skull in Rings of Saturn. I was recently at St Peter Mancroft in Norwich, where Browne was interred. His skull was stolen from the grave under the chancel by workmen doing repairs, sold to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital's collection of medical curiosities, and bought back decades later. When it was reinterred the vicar had to record the burial on the parish register, and he put 'Thomas Browne - aged 317 years.' They have a cast of the skull in a display cabinet.

[@maxdexter2690]

Worth watching but very very revealing about how this Great city of London is the very manifestation of Colonial conquest and power. Its kind of interesting to note that a lot of Londoners seem so standoffish, cold and distant. Could it somehow be that the ghosts of all those countries that the British Empire conquered have cursed London and Londiners? As Ian said the light exists with the dark, interesting.

[@prepared6315]

I do get angry at times. It wasn't only people in cities who had hard lives. My grandparents were miners. Both died because of it which was basically slavery.

[@J_PhD]

15:20 "IT'S THE NATION'S FAVOURITE" as Iain Sinclair walks away... :-D

[@cienfuegos1228]

John ... Love your vids. But please pass on to Ian that I live in Lima and would.be happy to help in any way with his Peru linked project.

[@cienfuegos1228]

... delighted more the like

[@polo-kf6yh]

mr sinclair, so interesting.

[@staygulf83]

Did I hear right? Did you say that van Gogh stayed near London Airport?

[@JohnRogersWalks]

that's correct, he lived in Isleworth for a while

[@margaretdrew2844]

He was very knowledgelble but i find you warmer