Wooden City is a newsletter about London
It’s written by me, Isaac Rangaswami, the writer behind @caffs_not_cafes. I started my Instagram in 2019 to celebrate London’s oldest caffs. Since then, I’ve written for publications like Vittles and the Guardian, while my account has evolved to showcase other places with a similar spirit to caffs too, from chip shops to Chinese restaurants.
With Wooden City, I’m expanding this mission once more. Every other week I publish an article about everyday places with unusual staying power, such as pubs, shops, restaurants and public spaces. I’m interested in the way London's changing, and the spaces that constitute its character. I write about their function, along with the people who use them and make them what they are.
Why subscribe to Wooden City?
Wooden City publishes deeply researched articles that aren’t available anywhere else. I write comprehensive surveys of a specific kind of place, like caffs and bookshops, as well as essays, shorter guides and pieces focused on a single neighbourhood.
Free subscribers receive a bit of each article, but paid subscribers get much more. This includes access to Google maps, full pieces and an archive of material covering over 200 places so far. A subscription is only £3.50 a month or £30 a year, which is 29% cheaper than subscribing monthly. By signing up as a paid subscriber, you’ll get writing that makes it easier to visit all of these places yourself.
