Why don’t people take more notice of bollards? How often do they stop to look at a coal-hole cover? Why are pub signs largely ignored and Royal Warrants on shops scarcely noticed? Such a grievous situation is about to change with the publication of this, the first book dealing specifically with London Street Furniture. It examines the unconsidered trifles which can be found in bewildering diversity around the streets particularly of the older parts of central London but also elsewhere in the Metropolis. These items help us to understand the growth of London and provide pointers and fascinating insights into its economic and social development as well as the changes in science and technology it has witnessed. Knowing something about street furniture makes a walk around London far more interesting.