The Groundwater Diaries
The Groundwater Diaries is a heavily illustrated London travel book in which I use old maps, hallucinogenic high strength lager, dream analysis and an old coat hanger to help me find the city's lost streams. Over the course of a year I walked the routes of many of these buried tributaries of the Thames, drew some sketches and read history books. The book covers the great themes of existence - punk, football, feminism, beer, nurses, politics, free jazz, jellied eels, Dickens, offal, capitalism, sex and death.
The trade paperback was published by Flamingo in June 2003, just in time for the vast majority of the cricket season (message to cricket fans - there is a paragraph or two about cricket. Owzat!, or whatever it is you lads say when you're excited). The paperback version came out in March 2004 - one of the last Flamingo issues - with a beautiful new cover by the illustrator Steven Appleby.
See more information here.
Reviews
"In essence, it's crackers. But brilliantly crackers."
Word
"The oddest of books, it is an endearing eccentric's humane outlook on life delivered with a rapier wit that can unravel an entire culture as much through its tackiness as its deep-rooted histories."
The Glasgow Herald
"Bizarre but quite brilliant...Complete with cartoons, maps and other weird gems.'
The Bookseller
"Very funny...written with wit, energy and attitude. Owing more to Spike Milligan than Iain Sinclair... a convincing series of snapshots of the contemporary streetscape of the capital's urban canyons and arteries, its parks and cemeteries."
The Independent
"The diaries of a a funny and extremely likeable man."
Independent on Sunday
"Anarchic, hilarious, inspired."
Northern Echo
"A cross between Bill Bryson and Laurence Sterne."
The Hampstead and Highgate Express
"A fragrantly comical journey."
What's On
"An absorbing tale of an obsessive's search...an utterly entertaining travelogue."
Venue
"It is a strange work that is aimed at the humour market and the language will definitely turn off any academics who get confused enough to pick it up, but somehow there is something fascinating about this author traipsing around holding his A-Z, observing life and wondering when opening time is."
The Central London Independent
