Mike Hall
@thisismikehall.com
Award-winning mapmaker and illustrator in Valencia, Spain | My first book THE BOROUGHS OF LONDON is now available! https://www.batsfordbooks.com/book/the-boroughs-of-london | More info: linktr.ee/thisismikehall
You can read more about all of the places I’ve been to today plus hundreds more across all 32 boroughs in the capital in our book The Boroughs of London, available now in all good bookshops!
www.batsfordbooks.com/book/the-bor...
www.batsfordbooks.com/book/the-bor...
November 26, 2025 at 5:11 PM
You can read more about all of the places I’ve been to today plus hundreds more across all 32 boroughs in the capital in our book The Boroughs of London, available now in all good bookshops!
www.batsfordbooks.com/book/the-bor...
www.batsfordbooks.com/book/the-bor...
Never in my life did I think I’d be so glad to be at Hackbridge station. My ride back north awaits
November 26, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Never in my life did I think I’d be so glad to be at Hackbridge station. My ride back north awaits
Here I reach the end of my Sutton odyssey, and somewhere entirely 21st century: the BedZED estate, designed to be the first zero-carbon housing scheme in the country, and its distinctive ‘wind scoops’ on the roof (also drawn by me for the book).
November 26, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Here I reach the end of my Sutton odyssey, and somewhere entirely 21st century: the BedZED estate, designed to be the first zero-carbon housing scheme in the country, and its distinctive ‘wind scoops’ on the roof (also drawn by me for the book).
Penultimate stop: Carew Manor, with its Grade I-listed hammerbeam-roofed great hall somewhere inside.
Bonus: Beddington Church next door, very old, very flinty
One location to go!
Bonus: Beddington Church next door, very old, very flinty
One location to go!
November 26, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Penultimate stop: Carew Manor, with its Grade I-listed hammerbeam-roofed great hall somewhere inside.
Bonus: Beddington Church next door, very old, very flinty
One location to go!
Bonus: Beddington Church next door, very old, very flinty
One location to go!
Roundshaw, a largely 1960s housing estate built on part of the site of Croydon Airport (London’s original airport) where all the streets are named for aircraft and aviators. 🛩️
Two left…
Two left…
November 26, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Roundshaw, a largely 1960s housing estate built on part of the site of Croydon Airport (London’s original airport) where all the streets are named for aircraft and aviators. 🛩️
Two left…
Two left…
Next: Little Holland House at Carshalton Beeches - home to Frank and Florence Dickinson for nearly 60 years, and *every* item of furniture and decor within was handcrafted by them. Grade II listed! Sounds amazing. Sadly also closed today (only open 1st Sunday of each month)
November 26, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Next: Little Holland House at Carshalton Beeches - home to Frank and Florence Dickinson for nearly 60 years, and *every* item of furniture and decor within was handcrafted by them. Grade II listed! Sounds amazing. Sadly also closed today (only open 1st Sunday of each month)
6 locations down, 4 to go 😅 Time for a break, and an opportunity to recharge both my and my phone’s batteries!!
Touch-and-go whether I’ll have enough time to complete the tour before I head back north…
Touch-and-go whether I’ll have enough time to complete the tour before I head back north…
November 26, 2025 at 2:09 PM
6 locations down, 4 to go 😅 Time for a break, and an opportunity to recharge both my and my phone’s batteries!!
Touch-and-go whether I’ll have enough time to complete the tour before I head back north…
Touch-and-go whether I’ll have enough time to complete the tour before I head back north…
Another church: All Saints Carshalton, with the mysterious Anne Boleyn’s Well just outside, where (legend has it) the queen’s horse supposedly struck the ground with its hoof, causing water to issue out.
November 26, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Another church: All Saints Carshalton, with the mysterious Anne Boleyn’s Well just outside, where (legend has it) the queen’s horse supposedly struck the ground with its hoof, causing water to issue out.
I’ve made it to village-y Carshalton, with its picturesque ponds, the Honeywood Museum (sadly closed today), lots of birds, and a very friendly goose
November 26, 2025 at 1:50 PM
I’ve made it to village-y Carshalton, with its picturesque ponds, the Honeywood Museum (sadly closed today), lots of birds, and a very friendly goose
Onwards with the tour: devotees of Wall’s Viennetta or Wall’s Sausages (remember the ads with the talking dog??) should make a pilgrimage to the Thomas Wall Centre, founded by the member of the Wall’s dynasty, formerly a school and now a community centre
November 26, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Onwards with the tour: devotees of Wall’s Viennetta or Wall’s Sausages (remember the ads with the talking dog??) should make a pilgrimage to the Thomas Wall Centre, founded by the member of the Wall’s dynasty, formerly a school and now a community centre
Sutton fans: The Boroughs of London (AND the Atlas of Imagined Places!) is available at your local Waterstones, while stocks last 😉
November 26, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Sutton fans: The Boroughs of London (AND the Atlas of Imagined Places!) is available at your local Waterstones, while stocks last 😉
Ooh now this is nice 🐓
November 26, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Ooh now this is nice 🐓
I made it to Sutton town centre. Here I am outside Trinity Church and its distinctive Neo-Gothic spire (just to prove I am actually doing this) and my illustration of it which appears in our book
November 26, 2025 at 12:35 PM
I made it to Sutton town centre. Here I am outside Trinity Church and its distinctive Neo-Gothic spire (just to prove I am actually doing this) and my illustration of it which appears in our book
Just nearby in the churchyard of St Dunstans is the tiny Lumley Chapel, full of ancient tombs and memorials, and the oldest building in the borough. (Note: you need to acquire a key from the library next door to gain access 🔑)
November 26, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Just nearby in the churchyard of St Dunstans is the tiny Lumley Chapel, full of ancient tombs and memorials, and the oldest building in the borough. (Note: you need to acquire a key from the library next door to gain access 🔑)
First stop on my tour: Whitehall. No not *that* Whitehall, but a charming weatherboarded cottage-turned-local history museum, and home to a rather good model of the long lost Nonsuch Palace.
November 26, 2025 at 11:58 AM
First stop on my tour: Whitehall. No not *that* Whitehall, but a charming weatherboarded cottage-turned-local history museum, and home to a rather good model of the long lost Nonsuch Palace.
Well here I am Sutton: birthplace of Quentin Crisp, John Major, Penelope Keith, James Hunt, that singer bloke from Razorlight, and the fictional home of Tony Hancock.
I begin my tour in Cheam!
I begin my tour in Cheam!
November 26, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Well here I am Sutton: birthplace of Quentin Crisp, John Major, Penelope Keith, James Hunt, that singer bloke from Razorlight, and the fictional home of Tony Hancock.
I begin my tour in Cheam!
I begin my tour in Cheam!
Here we go then. As @diamondgeezer.bsky.social has decreed it, and for the amusement of ~3 people, I am bound for the great borough of Sutton.
Stand by for a reportage.
Stand by for a reportage.
November 26, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Here we go then. As @diamondgeezer.bsky.social has decreed it, and for the amusement of ~3 people, I am bound for the great borough of Sutton.
Stand by for a reportage.
Stand by for a reportage.
So far it’s a choice between Sutton or Hillingdon. Both perfectly fine places to visit though rather inconveniently distant from the north London place I need to be at by 6pm...
November 25, 2025 at 2:13 PM
So far it’s a choice between Sutton or Hillingdon. Both perfectly fine places to visit though rather inconveniently distant from the north London place I need to be at by 6pm...
💡 Publicity stunt idea:
I have a whole day to kill in London tomorrow. In homage to @diamondgeezer.bsky.social, my challenge is to visit all of the key locations we feature within a single borough in our book.
Which borough is up to you! Vote in the replies - the borough with most votes wins. Go!
I have a whole day to kill in London tomorrow. In homage to @diamondgeezer.bsky.social, my challenge is to visit all of the key locations we feature within a single borough in our book.
Which borough is up to you! Vote in the replies - the borough with most votes wins. Go!
November 25, 2025 at 9:28 AM
💡 Publicity stunt idea:
I have a whole day to kill in London tomorrow. In homage to @diamondgeezer.bsky.social, my challenge is to visit all of the key locations we feature within a single borough in our book.
Which borough is up to you! Vote in the replies - the borough with most votes wins. Go!
I have a whole day to kill in London tomorrow. In homage to @diamondgeezer.bsky.social, my challenge is to visit all of the key locations we feature within a single borough in our book.
Which borough is up to you! Vote in the replies - the borough with most votes wins. Go!
A reminder that this time next week @mattfromlondon.bsky.social and I will be at Enfield Waterstones signing copies of our book The Boroughs of London! ✍🏻📚
If you're in north London that evening, do stop by!
⏰ 6pm, Wed 26 Nov
📍 26 Church St, Enfield EN2 6BE
www.waterstones.com/events/the-b...
If you're in north London that evening, do stop by!
⏰ 6pm, Wed 26 Nov
📍 26 Church St, Enfield EN2 6BE
www.waterstones.com/events/the-b...
November 19, 2025 at 7:15 PM
A reminder that this time next week @mattfromlondon.bsky.social and I will be at Enfield Waterstones signing copies of our book The Boroughs of London! ✍🏻📚
If you're in north London that evening, do stop by!
⏰ 6pm, Wed 26 Nov
📍 26 Church St, Enfield EN2 6BE
www.waterstones.com/events/the-b...
If you're in north London that evening, do stop by!
⏰ 6pm, Wed 26 Nov
📍 26 Church St, Enfield EN2 6BE
www.waterstones.com/events/the-b...
🚨 COMPETITION TIME! 🚨
💭 Play the role of a 1960s London councillor and invent a new name for an existing London Borough!
The best suggestions will win a signed map of Greater London by me, AND a copy of 'The Boroughs of London' courtesy of Batsford Books!
ℹ️ More info at bit.ly/BorosComp
💭 Play the role of a 1960s London councillor and invent a new name for an existing London Borough!
The best suggestions will win a signed map of Greater London by me, AND a copy of 'The Boroughs of London' courtesy of Batsford Books!
ℹ️ More info at bit.ly/BorosComp
November 17, 2025 at 5:55 PM
🚨 COMPETITION TIME! 🚨
💭 Play the role of a 1960s London councillor and invent a new name for an existing London Borough!
The best suggestions will win a signed map of Greater London by me, AND a copy of 'The Boroughs of London' courtesy of Batsford Books!
ℹ️ More info at bit.ly/BorosComp
💭 Play the role of a 1960s London councillor and invent a new name for an existing London Borough!
The best suggestions will win a signed map of Greater London by me, AND a copy of 'The Boroughs of London' courtesy of Batsford Books!
ℹ️ More info at bit.ly/BorosComp
Around the time I moved to Spain (11 years ago now!) I was reading As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee, a book that captivated me so completely I ended up drawing a map of the author's journey. One day, I’ll get around to doing the same for its follow-up, A Moment of War.
November 9, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Around the time I moved to Spain (11 years ago now!) I was reading As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee, a book that captivated me so completely I ended up drawing a map of the author's journey. One day, I’ll get around to doing the same for its follow-up, A Moment of War.
Full marks for this costume from this Hieronymus Bosch fan 💯
We have the same unnamed critter lurking on our bookshelf, though I genuinely never noticed the little yellow crest on the red cloak until now!!
We have the same unnamed critter lurking on our bookshelf, though I genuinely never noticed the little yellow crest on the red cloak until now!!
November 1, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Full marks for this costume from this Hieronymus Bosch fan 💯
We have the same unnamed critter lurking on our bookshelf, though I genuinely never noticed the little yellow crest on the red cloak until now!!
We have the same unnamed critter lurking on our bookshelf, though I genuinely never noticed the little yellow crest on the red cloak until now!!
🎃 This Halloween, here are some creepy characters from my illustrated maps in the Atlas of Imagined Places and the Atlas of Imagined Cities. In these books you can discover where the Ghostbusters HQ, Chucky’s house, Dracula’s castle and more can all be found.
www.thisismikehall.com/imaginaryatl...
www.thisismikehall.com/imaginaryatl...
October 31, 2025 at 4:52 PM
🎃 This Halloween, here are some creepy characters from my illustrated maps in the Atlas of Imagined Places and the Atlas of Imagined Cities. In these books you can discover where the Ghostbusters HQ, Chucky’s house, Dracula’s castle and more can all be found.
www.thisismikehall.com/imaginaryatl...
www.thisismikehall.com/imaginaryatl...
That East Wing construction site, per OpenStreetMap:
October 23, 2025 at 5:52 PM
That East Wing construction site, per OpenStreetMap: