Night walking: a nocturnal history of London

Throughout its history, London has been two places: the daytime city of business and work; and the nighttime palace of dark desires, crime, and vagrancy.

This place has attracted writers, lawyers, poets, and politicians who have all attempted to chart and control the nocturnal flows of the capital.

In the medieval city, nightwalking was a punishable crime; by the Victorian era, Charles Dickens was forced to wander the streets by night in order to becalm his disturbed mind.

Why has the city shrouded in darkness been such a compelling subject over the centuries?