We challenge our contributors to reply to ten devilishly probing questions about their London and we don’t take “Sorry Gov” for an answer. Everyone sitting in the hot seat they will face the same questions ranging from their favourite way to spend a day out in the capital to their most hated building on London’s skyline to find out what Londoners think about their city. The questions are the same but the answers vary wildly.

Sam Roberts is a writer, researcher, and publisher with a special interest in the historical and contemporary aspects of the sign painting craft. He co-authored Ghost Signs: A London Story, the definitive contemporary book on the topic of fading painted signs.

He is the leader of the top-rated Ghostsigns Walking Tours. Sam currently lives with his young family in Sant Pere de Ribes, Catalonia, where he edits and publishes BLAG (Better Letters Magazine), the world’s only print and online publication dedicated to sign painting.

What’s your secret London tip?

Slow down, and look up. So many people are navigating the city via their phone, or are just plain on their phone, that they miss so much that London has to offer. Slow down, take new routes, and discover everything that’s hidden in plain sight. Even the most familiar streets can reveal new things when we are paying attention, and not locked into a screen.

What’s your secret London place?

It’s a bit of an open secret, but Clissold Park in Stoke Newington. I grew up just able to see its trees from my living room, and my formative years were spent idling away the long summer days in its green fields. Perhaps a little more off the beaten track is the Bake Street cafe and bakery on Evering Road, N16, which has the best brownies in town to enjoy with its outstanding coffee.

What’s your biggest gripe about London?

The expense of the place, in particular housing. There are so many better ways of providing this essential human right to shelter.

What’s your favourite building?

I have a soft spot for any building that hosts a ghost sign, but beyond that, I have always liked The Castle on Green Lanes that faces onto the reservoir—it’s a slice of grandeur in more prosaic surrounds.

What’s your most hated building?

Take your pick from any of the numerous unaffordable blocks of flats being thrown up along the banks of the river. If you want to narrow things down, then let’s go with those that now obscure many views of Battersea Power Station, especially from the train.

What’s the best view in London?

For me, it used to be from the hill with the Greenwich Observatory at the top, but now I’d go with Parliament Hill.

What’s your personal London landmark?

Ambler Primary School on Blackstock Road, N4.

What’s London’s best film, book or documentary?

If I can pick my own, then Ghost Signs: A London Story. If not, then Alistair Hall’s London Street Signs.

What’s your favourite restaurant?

The Bleeding Heart Tavern near Farringdon. My wife and I had a tradition of having a Christmas meal there before we left London.

How would you spend your ideal day off in London?

I’d take myself to a less familiar part of the city, most likely to the south/west, and go to see some ghost signs ‘in person’. I’d also use the opportunity to seek out some new cafes and bookshops, allowing serendipity to guide me.