10 classic books set in London

Step into the heart of London through the pages of Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf’s luminous modernist masterpiece. Set over the course of a single day in post-World War I London, the novel follows Clarissa Dalloway, an upper-class woman preparing for an evening party. As Clarissa walks through Westminster, encountering old friends and strangers alike, the city pulses with life, history, and the unspoken emotions of its inhabitants. Woolf’s London lingers long after the final page.

The Picture of Dorian Gray paints a decadent portrait of London, where beauty, excess, and corruption intertwine. The novel follows Dorian Gray, a young man whose (initially) stunning portrait ages while he remains eternally youthful – allowing him to indulge in hedonistic pleasures without consequence. Set against the backdrop of aristocratic Knightsbridge, bohemian Chelsea, and the shadowy opium dens of the East End, London becomes a mirror of Dorian’s dual existence: glittering elegance by day, depravity by night. A dark, philosophical tale of vanity and morality, Wilde’s novel remains hauntingly relevant in its exploration of art, desire, and self-destruction.

Modern readers might not recognise today’s vibrant, youthful Clapham in Forster’s much-loved novel, A Room with a View. A tale of love, self-discovery, and social constraint, the story moves between the golden beauty of Florence and the buttoned-up world of Edwardian London. While Italy offers Lucy Honeychurch passion and possibility, her return to Clapham – in this book a quiet, respectable suburb – places her back in the rigid expectations of her class. Witty and incisive, this novel explores the struggle between what is expected and what truly matters.

First published by Macmillan in December 1960, The Ballad of Peckham Rye is the tale of Dougal Douglas, a devilish outsider who arrives in Peckham, unsettling the quiet working-class community with his strange charisma and disruptive influence. As Dougal charms and deceives his way through the town, the novel playfully questions morality, order, and the nature of evil. A brilliantly strange and subversive modern classic, The Ballad of Peckham Rye turns South London into a stage for the absurd.

Few writers have captured the essence of Victorian London like Charles Dickens. Dickens' East London is a world of thieves, workhouses, debtors, and lost children, but also of resilience and hope. Through unforgettable characters and immersive storytelling, he immortalizes the East End’s struggles and spirit. Dive into Dickens’ London with Oliver Twist which brings us deep into the criminal underworld of Whitechapel and Spitalfields, where Fagin’s gang operates in the city’s most destitute areas. 

London’s East End comes alive in this vivid account of life on the city’s margins, where Orwell experienced the routines of lodging houses, street markets, and back-alley cafes. In this powerful personal account, he invites us into a world where stories unfold in whispered conversations and shared meals. More than a study of hardship, Down and Out in Paris and London captures the energy and quiet resilience of the East End streets, the quirks of the people there, and the enduring spirit of a city that never stands still.

A comic masterpiece, The Diary of a Nobody is a delightfully witty satire of middle-class life in late nineteenth-century London. The novel follows Charles Pooter, a well-meaning but hopelessly self-important clerk who meticulously records the triumphs and embarrassments of his humble life in Holloway, North London. With its sharp humour and timeless charm, The Diary of a Nobody remains one of literature’s funniest and most endearing portraits of ordinary life. Take a stroll through the charming streets of Islington and put yourselves in the shoes of the hapless yet lovable Charles Pooter.

While much of Bram Stoker’s novel unfolds in the eerie landscapes of Transylvania, it is in London that Count Dracula begins his reign of terror. One of the novel’s most haunting locations is Highgate Cemetery, where the vampire Lucy Westenra is laid to rest – only to rise again. Even today, a visit to Highgate’s shadowy tombs and ivy-cloaked gravestones feels like stepping into a scene of Gothic fiction. With its blend of horror and psychological depth, Dracula remains the definitive vampire novel. 

A dazzling satire of ambition, social class, and survival, Vanity Fair follows the fortunes of the indomitable Becky Sharp, a woman determined to climb the ranks of Regency London. From humble beginnings, Becky charms, manipulates and schemes her way into the elite world of Kensington’s grand townhouses. As Becky’s star rises and falls, Thackeray exposes the vanity and hypocrisy of a world where reputation is everything. 

The Lonely Londoners is an unflinching look at the experiences of Caribbean immigrants in post-war London. Sam Selvon’s groundbreaking novel follows Moses Aloetta and his friends as they navigate a city that offers both promise and prejudice. Among the key locations is Notting Hill, home to many newly arrived West Indian immigrants. Amidst the hardship, there is camaraderie, humour, and resilience, as the characters forge a new kind of London identity. Giving voice to those who shaped London’s multicultural landscape long before it was celebrated, The Lonely Londoners is an essential read.