. . . the lowest and vilest alleys of London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful country-side.

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Copper Beeches

Houses, churches, mixed together; Streets unpleasant in all weather; / Prisons, palaces contiguous, / Gates, a bridge, the Thames irriguous.
[ . . . ]
Many a beau without a shilling, / Many a widow not unwilling; / Many a bargain, if you strike it: / This is London! How d’ye like it?

John Bancks (1709-1751), A Description of London

The essential qualities of the city are closeness variety, and intricacy, and the ever-recurring contrasts of tall and low, of large and small, of wide and narrow, of straight and crooked, the closes and retreats and odd leafy corners.

Sir Nikolaus Pevsner (1902-1983)

The sight of London to my exil’d eyes / Is as Elysium to a new-come soul;

Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593), Edward II

In a town like London there are always plenty of not quite certifiable lunatics walking the streets, and they tend to gravitate towards bookshops, because a bookshop is one of the few places where you can hang about for a long time without spending any money.

George Orwell (1903-1950)