London, more than any other city, has a secret history concealed from view. Behind the official façade promoted by the heritage industry, lies a city of esoteric traditions and obscure institutions, of lost knowledge and hidden locations. Occult London rediscovers this hidden history, unearthing the secret city and its forgotten inhabitants. Encompassing a historical panorama from the Elizabethan age to the present day, we are introduced to the magic of Dr Dee and Simon Forman, the rise of the Kabbalah and the occult designs of Wren and Hawksmoor. Elsewhere we meet figures such as Spring-Heeled Jack and the Highgate Vampyre, and occult organizations from the Invisible College to the Golden Dawn.
Today a concern for such hidden traditions has returned and Merlin Coverley explores this revival of interest in the occult tradition, one that accords well with emerging New Age philosophies, the interest in London’s Ley Lines, in alternative histories and psychogeography.
Also included is a section entitled Walking Occult London, detailing a series of four walks covering features of occult significance for the Elizabethan, Eighteenth Century, Fin de Siecle and contemporary periods – and an Occult Gazetteer: An A-Z of London’s most resonant Occult Locations, from Abney Park cemetery to Wellclose Square, with a series of short descriptive entries including postcode, nearest tube, and map.
