Explore London’s strangest true events with an illustrated map: whales in the Thames, mice on Philpot Lane, the Beer Flood, and the Hackney Mole Man—quirky, real.
At times, London feels like a city not only steeped in history but also shaped by a wonderfully odd past. In February 2025, the website Londonist published a vibrant illustrated map that gathers the strangest—and sometimes downright peculiar—incidents to have unfolded across the capital. The illustrations and design are by artist Clair Rossiter, and every episode is rooted in real dates and locations.
The map is titled A Map Of Weird Things That’ve Happened In London, and it’s not about tourist landmarks; think whales, mice, secret tunnels and beer floods.
It’s an illustrated portrait of London dotted with dozens of unusual events from different times. You won’t find Big Ben or Buckingham Palace; instead, there’s a whale in the Thames and a man who dug tunnels beneath his own house. Each story comes with a caption and a bright, witty drawing.
A few standouts:
- The whale in the Thames. In 2006, a whale was spotted in the river. The commotion was so great that it even inspired musicians to write a song.
- The mice on Philpot Lane. A tiny sculpture shows two mice fighting over a sandwich. Legend has it that builders argued over who had stolen the food—only to discover the culprits were rodents.
- The musician monkeys. In 1926, 13 monkeys escaped from a private zoo; they had been performing in a jazz band. One even boarded a train and ended up in another city.
- The Beer Flood of 1814. An enormous vat exploded at a brewery, and 2.5 million pints surged through the streets. It was a genuine beer torrent and, sadly, there were casualties.
- The Hackney Mole Man. A Londoner named William Little spent years secretly digging tunnels under his home. They grew so extensive that neighbours began complaining about vibrations.
What unites these tales is simple: they don’t sound like the London we usually hear about, and that contrast only makes them more compelling.
It’s laid out as a large hand-drawn scene with labels—bold colours, playful details, and a sense of humour. There’s no strict timeline: events are positioned by where they happened rather than when.
Broadly, the stories fall into a few strands: animals (whale, monkeys, mice), human eccentricities (the Mole Man), and urban mishaps (the beer flood). The result feels dense and lively—engaging enough to enjoy as an illustration in its own right.
Anyone who loves quirky facts without necessarily travelling. You can stay at home, open the map and wander through London’s odd chapters. It’s like a miniature trip, just without luggage or tickets.
There are other maps, too: a chart of urban curiosities, a ghost map, and even a guide to smells in the Underground.
Weird Things That’ve Happened In London offers a playful, informative way to see the city through a different lens. Swap museums and royal palaces for monkeys, mice and waves of beer—packed into a single, eye-catching illustration.
It’s a neat pick for anyone drawn to the unusual, keen to learn something new and happy to smile along the way. It might even nudge someone to create a similar map for their own city.