Inspired by one of our manuscripts, readers of Londonist are attempting a 20 mile walk across London to track how the city has changed over the last 150 years.They’re following in the footsteps of James Patterson, a master at the Deaf and Dumb Institution, in Manchester, who recorded a visit to London over Christmas 1858 in his diary. Patterson's seemingly inexhaustible perambulations took him across the metropolis, and the detailed notes he made offer a fascinating view of sights to see for a mid-Victorian tourist.
For more on 'The Patterson Challenge' – including how to take part – have a look here. We'll keep you posted on how these intrepid souls get on.
(A less tiring insight into Patterson is offered here by Dr Chris Hilton of the Wellcome Library, in an article originally published in the Newsletter of the London Topographical Society).
