Learning the Knowledge of London
This section provides you with a concise guide to studying the Knowledge of London, taken from the book “The Right Direction - The Complete Guide to Learning the Knowledge of London”.
If you prefer to have a physical copy or e-book, the book is available to purchase from Amazon in both formats here.
We recommend reading through every section first, and then referring to the various sections as and when you need to. Use the following menu to skip to any sections relevant to your current situation.
Points of the Compass and Left & Right
Before embarking on your first run, take some time to get to grips with direction and position. Manor House Station, as infamous as it is within cabbie folklore, probably wouldn’t have been the most well thought out choice for a starting point, had it been the original starting point - that being the Manor House pub which stood opposite the main station entrance.
With Manor House Station and its multiple entrances, the confusion can begin before moving off on run number one.
Some students may suss out their heading very easily, and to those students, you may feel that this section is trying to teach you to suck eggs! Our ability to navigate will depend on past experience. It may be that you are already familiar with maps and the directions of a compass, but for others, this may not be such a simple task.
There are entrances on both Green Lanes & Seven Sisters Road. We can narrow down these entrances to any of those on Green Lanes, as the Blue Book states you must leave on the left from an entrance on Green Lanes. Now here lies our first potential problem. You’ve arrived, possibly had a look around, and perhaps you’ve lost your bearings. Maybe you’ve gone off to find a few points of interest, depending on which blue book you may be following.
“So which of the Green Lanes entrances do I ‘leave on the left’ from?”
The entrance you choose is important, because if you choose the wrong one, you’ll be heading in the wrong direction! For this run, you need to leave from the Northern entrance on Green Lanes, which you can locate by comparing your current position (on the Green Lanes/Seven Sisters Road junction) to what you see on your A-Z map. Before doing a Blue Book run, it’s important to pen it up on a map or mark it up on a digital version of the A-Z, as this will show you the direction you need to head in. You can then relate that preparation to the real world by using your surroundings to ensure you have the correct starting position and heading.
You will have located your first right turn (either Brownswood Road or Highbury New Park depending on your choice of Blue Book) and noticed that your pen line moves downwards and slightly to the right of your map. This is a “South-Southeast” heading. We generally only refer to headings with a maximum of two directions, so for less confusion we will refer to this heading as just “South East”, as it sits ever so slightly East of the South-Southeast heading. You will now know that the junction of Woodberry down is to the right of your pen line, but you need to refer to the position of this junction as if you were travelling in the direction of the pen line; in which case it will be to your left. Confused yet? Don’t worry, the following diagram (fig.1) will explain the concept if you are more of a visual learner.
fig.1
If you can see the junction of Woodberry Down and Seven Sisters Road at roughly the 10 o’clock position from your starting point then you are in the right place and 12 o’clock will be your heading. You can also use Finsbury Park as a reference point due to it being a large feature of the area. You’ll notice that your pen line moves away from the Eastern corner of the park, so if you continue to see the park when you have begun your run, you’ll know that you’re going the wrong way. You can use the map like this to help with your initial orientation when leaving points with multiple entrances.
So what makes this particular entrance the “Northern” entrance?
When we refer to the fixed position of a point of interest, we use its compass direction in relation to the roadside or in relation to other entrances to that same point. While this entrance is the Northern entrance, its fixed position in relation to Green Lanes is North East, as it is located on the North East side of Green Lanes. Making a note of the fixed position of a point of interest - in relation to the roadside - is important when it comes to points revision. You may think that making a note of the fact that it is on your left hand side as you move off would be relevant, and to some extent it is for this point, but only by accident; due to the fact it has multiple entrances. You can always have an entrance on your left hand side when leaving from Green Lanes, whether heading North or South along Green Lanes. We will use a much simpler point of interest to describe the difference between “Left & Right” and “North, South, East & West”
If we take a point of interest with a single entrance, such as the Kent Hall Hotel on Seven Sisters Road, we can say that the fixed position of this point is on the South East side of Seven Sisters Road. This will never change; that building will always be on the South East side of the road. What does change however, is its direction in relation to your heading. If you are heading South West along the road, the point is on your left. And it may be that you are heading in that direction when you come across this point to make notes. But if you are heading in the opposite direction, the point is now on your right. This is why it’s important NOT to reference your left or right when making notes on a point as it can confuse you when it comes to revising that point.
Hopefully this section has given you an insight into the points of a compass. We will cover them more in the sections that follow, so just refer back to this section for a recap at any time.
Blue Book Runs
The 320 Blue Book runs form a vital “web of knowledge” which help you to think of routes between any two points of interest within the six-mile radius of Charing Cross Station. It’s true to say that they do not cover every single conceivable route option, but you will fill in those gaps in due course.
Without completing these runs, you will stand very little chance of progressing any further on the Knowledge. It is vital that you run all 320 runs, and it is recommended to complete the 319 link runs that join the end points to the next start point. You will be riding that route anyway, so why not make it part of your revision? The link runs can be very helpful when it comes to appearances, and some examiners even focus some of their questions on these runs. They will also come into their own when calling over early the “point-to-point” runs that have been devised to aid your progress. You will find these further down this page. The questions are designed to get you testing your ability to link together your runs and acquired knowledge.
It’s wise to prepare your runs before heading out. Try to aim for 4 runs per outing if you can. Read through the runs and attempt to pen them on your map. Make a photocopy of the runs to take out with you to attach to your knowledge board on your moped or your dashboard in your car. You can also display them on a mobile phone or tablet but just make sure it is in a safe place for you to refer to during the run without having to touch your device. If possible, mark up the runs and save them on the A-Z app on a tablet, or take a picture of the run you penned on the laminated map. You can use these for reference whilst out doing your runs as you don’t want to be carrying a huge map of London around with you. Always pull over in a safe place when referring to your maps. Whilst it’s not the best idea to have a large physical map with you, I would recommend always having the digital version at your disposal any time for reference purposes. Map books with laminated pages are also handy, but increasingly hard to come by unfortunately.
Once you complete a run, spend a few minutes trying to call it over from memory, referring to the run if you get stuck, but attempting to eventually call it over from start to finish without looking at the run. You may also find it helpful to stop after each set of 4-6 roads and practice calling over up to your current point, but this isn’t always doable, so not a vital part of doing your runs, but something to consider if you initially struggle to call them over from memory at the end.
When calling over the run, try to visualise every turn you make. This means attempting to take in that visual detail whilst doing the run. You won’t always be able to visually recall every single turn, but if you can visualise as much as possible it will help you massively. The further you progress through the blue books, the more visual memories will be made in your brain of these countless roads, turns and points. That’s why it’s vital that you call over on a daily basis at least 5-6 days a week. If you can call over every day that is even better.
The aim is to eventually be able to “see” the map of London in your head, or have enough visual memory and directional knowledge to be able to reel off routes completely from memory. Our brains work in different ways, and some people will rely on seeing the map more than visual memory, and vice-versa. Whichever way your brain adopts will help you achieve your goal. To begin with though, visual memory is key, along with being able to retain the written information from your blue books.
When calling your Blue Books, your aim is to become fluent in your ability to call the runs. This means steady calling with no hesitation. Many students try calling over at speed, but most examiners don’t this way of calling as it’s easy for them to miss something you have called. This type of calling over won’t really do you any favours in the long run, as you need to be able to settle on a calling pace that works for you in appearances. Gaps of around half a second between each call are sufficient. It also allows you time to regulate your breathing, which you will want to be able to do in a high pressure appearance situation.
Once you have your first set of runs printed out or displayed on your device, you will make your way to Manor House Station. First of all, it’s wise to spend your time familiarising yourself with the area. Have a look at how the junction of Green Lanes and Seven Sisters Road works, take a look down Woodberry Grove and Woodberry Down, making a mental note of the junctions and any restrictions you see. Referring back to the last section, and the diagram used to show you how to set yourself up to leave the point, you will now hopefully be able to leave Manor House Station heading in the right direction for the run.
Take in the visual information as you make every turn and also try to make a mental note of points, roads, junctions and restrictions you pass along the way. Just saying things to yourself along the likes of “forced right from Highbury Grove into St Paul’s Road” or “Alwyne Castle pub opposite the junction of Highbury Grove”; will put that information somewhere into the depths of your brain, and will go some way to helping you recall it when it’s needed. It won’t always get you out of trouble, but every little helps! It’s incredible how much of your acquired knowledge is taken in subconsciously.
Upon arriving at Gibson Square, take some time to familiarise yourself with the area. Look at all the connecting roads and restrictions in the immediate vicinity. If you are collecting points at this early stage then this will become a by-product of your points collection. But if you aren’t, then it’s wise to spend 10-20 minutes just riding around and taking in your surroundings. You will find that there is a bit more going on in this area compared to the area around Manor House Station, so you may want to spend a bit more time here than you did before you started the run.
Just try to absorb this visual information. It’s not a requirement to take notes at this early stage as they probably won’t make much sense to you when you refer back to them. Visual memory is key at this time. Trying to do too much too soon will feel overwhelming when it comes to revising what you have learnt so far. Just make sure you get yourself from A to B with the subsequent ability to recite the route you have just completed.
When calling over your first run, you will be reading abbreviated directions but calling them as the word they represent, along with full road names. Don’t speed yourself up by missing out directions or shortening road names. You will lose points for doing this in an appearance, so start as you mean to go on. Recite run number one as follows;
“Leave on left Green Lanes,
Right Brownswood Road,
Left Blackstock Road,
Forward Highbury Park,
Forward Highbury Grove,
Right Saint Paul’s Road,
Left Canonbury Road,
Right Highbury Corner,
Left Upper Street,
Right Barnsbury Street,
Left Milner Square,
Forward Milner Place,
Gibson Square Facing.”
The following abbreviations are used throughout the Blue Books;
L on L / LOL: Leave on Left - Leaving from a fixed position/point on your left
L on R / LOR: Leave on Right - Leaving from a fixed position/point on your right
L/By L: Leave by Left - Leaving from a road where the only feasible option is to turn left
L/By R: Leave by Right - Leaving from a road where the only feasible option is to turn right
L/By F: Leave by Forward - Leaving from a road where the only feasible option is to go forward
L/By: Leave by - Leaving from a road or junction with more than one feasible option
L: Left
R: Right
F:Forward
Comply: Comply a complex junction or roundabout
X: Cross a substantial or staggered road junction - optional in many cases
B/L: Bear Left
B/R: Bear Right
SDOL: Set down on left
SDOR: Set down on Right
Facing: When the point is situated in front of your set-down position
You will also come across combinations of the above abbreviations, but they will be pretty self explanatory.
Optional calls are found throughout the Knowledge. The “X” is considered optional in many cases but shows the examiner that you are aware of a deviation in the junction, or that the road you are crossing is substantial. Some examples are explained below;
From Great Windmill Street into Lexington Street there is a slight left to right movement across Brewer Street. It would be unwise to call;
“Left Brewer Street, Right Lexington Street”
…as this could be misconstrued as a left turn into oncoming traffic onto Brewer Street. So we use the “X” direction to signify our awareness of the shape of the junction, but that what we are doing is completely legal. We word the call as follows if heading South West along Shaftesbury Avenue;
“Right (or left) Great Windmill Street,
Cross Brewer Street,
Forward Lexington Street…”
Similar junctions would be Stroud Green Road into Blackstock Road, and crossing between Palmer Place & Drayton Park in both directions.
You can also use the “X” in the case of the call being minimal in nature, for example the link run between Gloucester Road Station & Cornwall Gardens. We only need to use Gloucester Road for this link run, but we cross the substantial junction of Cromwell Road in the process. This would be considered optional, but is written as such to help you judge the locational relationship between the two points of interest.
So, back to Gibson Square; you can now run the link from Gibson Square to Thornhill Square in the same fashion, and every subsequent run from here on in. If you are doing the runs first and points afterwards, don’t make any notes other than any changes to your runs that may have occurred between them being written and you running them. If you are collecting points, refer to the next section to read about the most efficient way to collect points and keep intuitive information about them for your revision. If you are using the books on this website, you will start to collect points from blue book 2 onwards as this method allows you time to find your feet without overwhelming yourself. It also allows you to feel an early sense of progression, meaning you will be more likely to stick with the Knowledge.
Pointing
There are literally tens of thousands of points of interest (POI’s) within the six-mile radius. Recent changes to the knowledge curriculum mean that students need to learn around 6000 POI’s inside the radius, and a small number of important points outside the radius, such as The All England Lawn Tennis Club (Wimbledon Championships) & London City Airport.
Our aim is not only to learn the whereabouts of these points, but also how to legally set down and leave them in a taxi. You need to establish the closest position to the entrance of a point of interest to drop off or pick up a passenger. In most cases this will be on the road directly outside. Some points will require you to judge the closest sensible & accessible place to set down or pick up due to them being located in pedestrianised areas, shopping arcades, parkland, restricted roads or high security areas. You may not be able to gain access to some high security points of interest on the knowledge. However, a polite word with the security officers, telling them you are studying to be a cabbie, will be enough to glean some information about setting these points in a taxi; for example, being granted access to a premises if you have a resident on board.
A point of interest on the knowledge is deemed as anywhere a passenger could ask you to take them to. To quote the TfL “Guide to Learning the Knowledge of London”;
“To achieve the required standard to be licensed as an ‘All London’ taxi driver you will need a thorough knowledge, primarily of the area within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross.
You will need to know: all the streets; housing estates; parks and open spaces; government offices and departments; financial and commercial centres; diplomatic premises; town halls; registry offices; hospitals; places of worship; sports stadiums and leisure centres; airline offices; stations; hotels; clubs; theatres; cinemas; museums; art galleries; schools; colleges and universities; police stations and headquarters buildings; civil, criminal and coroner’s courts; prisons; and places of interest to tourists.”
This list isn’t exhaustive either. We could add to that; fire stations and ambulance stations; squares; mews; events centres; bars and public houses; piers; supermarkets, city farms, bus garages and train depots; monuments and statues; cemeteries; libraries; and apartment blocks.
This information is now outdated to a degree, due to the new list of points that examiners are required to ask, but all these types of points are represented on the list at some point.
Something to consider if you’re feeling like learning over 6000 points is a daunting task; many of these POI’s will have exactly the same, or very similar “set-down & leave” information attached to them as their neighbouring POI’s. For example, Balthazar Restaurant & Dirty Martini Cocktail Bar in Covent Garden will both be set down on the left on Russell Street. We can also leave all these points from the taxi rank in Russell Street, or simply “leave on right Russell Street”.
So, what is pointing and how do we “point”?
Pointing, in Knowledge of London terms, is what we do to acquire knowledge of the location of points of interest, and learning how to access them from any direction and also leave them in any direction. Thorough pointing from the start is key to making your life easier further down the line. You will visit POI’s, take down the relevant notes, and maybe revisit the area a few months or even a year or so later to point the neighbouring POI’s, to find that you have already solidified the set-down and leave sequences due to them being the same or very similar to the point you visited in the past.
fig.2
When we point, we make a note of the whereabouts of the entrance to the POI, usually the main entrance. In some cases a point may have multiple entrances, but for now, we’ll deal with main entrances. We work out the point’s compass position first of all, let’s use the example from the compass section; the Kent Hall Hotel (fig.2), which is on the South East (SE) side of Seven Sisters Road. That's all well and good, but Seven Sisters Road is a very long road; “how do I remember which part of the road it is on?”. The next step is to make a note of the first available left and right turns when leaving the point in both directions. Look at the example below and we will then dissect each bit of information to explain its relevance.
Kent Hall Hotel - Seven Sisters Road (SE)
L on L
First left - L Blackstock Road or forced B/L Isledon Road
First right - L Blackstock Road, R Rock Street, R St Thomas’s Road, R Seven Sisters Road, L Stroud Green Road
L on R
First left - L Green Lanes
First Right - R Woodberry Down, R Woodberry Grove, F Lordship Road, L Manor Road / R Lordship Park
So we have the road name & compass position which is South East, written as “SE”;
“Kent Hall Hotel - Seven Sisters Road (SE)”
Next we have the leave sequences for leaving on the left - the POI being on your left hand side when riding away from it; and as long as you have understood the information in the compass lesson; you will know that leaving on the left from a SE situated point means that your initial heading will be SW (South West). We also can’t get a direct right turn onto the next useful road (we’ll get onto what constitutes as “useful” shortly) so we work out the sequence of roads needed to get on to it. In this case we want to get onto Stroud Green Road, but to achieve this we have to work our way around a partial one way system to come back on ourselves for around 100 yards to then turn left into Stroud Green Road. Of course we write this sequence as a call-over sequence;
“L on L
First left - L Blackstock Road or forced B/L Isledon Road
First right - L Blackstock Road, R Rock Street, R St Thomas’s Road, R Seven Sisters Road, L Stroud Green Road”
Notice that we have included a second left turn option after Blackstock Road. This tells us that we are not forced into Blackstock Road, but that we can also continue on Seven Sisters Road and that we are forced to bear left into Isledon Road. While this is not the “first left” it is very useful to note these bits of information down. You don’t have to limit yourself to the first left and right turns if you feel additional information will be useful.
You may notice that the first available left turn isn’t actually Blackstock Road; in fact there are several available left turns after leaving the point on the left before we get to Blackstock Road. The reason we don’t need to make a note of these roads is because they are not useful to us when leaving this point as they don’t allow us to continue further. In this case, these are all “no through roads” or what we know these days as being part of a “low traffic neighbourhood” or “LTN”. So there is no need to put these roads on your notes for this point. Any road that doesn’t allow continuation of your route should be omitted from your notes. This is why Blackstock Road is the first “useful” left turn for this point.
Leaving on the right - the POI being on your right hand side when riding away from it; you come to the junction of Seven Sisters Road and Green Lanes. Your first available left turn is Green Lanes which eventually takes you in a northbound direction, but you can’t turn right here, so your first available right (as dodgy as it looks, it’s completely legal) is Woodberry Down. You may prefer to note down Woodberry Grove as your first useful right turn if you feel that turning right here could cause a hazard, but it’s not necessary. If it’s legal, it’s acceptable. We then continue to add the following roads to the sequence as this will help us link our points to the Blue Book runs which in turn will allow us to form a route when calling “Point-to-Point”.
“L on R
First left - L Green Lanes
First Right - R Woodberry Down, R Woodberry Grove, F Lordship Road, L Manor Road / R Lordship Park”
And this is the main reason for noting down sequences of roads. Ideally we want to get ourselves onto another road we know well, that will help us call a route between the point in question, and any other point in the radius. The issue we have early on is that we aren’t sure whether these roads will appear further down the line on our Blue Books. To overcome this problem, simply write your sequence to the nearest “Oranges & Lemons”. You will encounter almost every orange or lemon coloured road (on the Premier A-Z map) whilst running the Blue Books, so joining your leave and set-down sequences to these roads will ensure that you have enough information to call a run from this point. If you don’t take down enough information, you may well be able to “pull” the point (which is the term we use to say we have located a POI), but may not have enough knowledge of the surrounding roads and junctions to leave it legally, or at all. In this instance, we have linked our sequence to the left turn into Manor Road, or the right turn into Lordship Park.
Be aware, there are a small number of orange and lemon roads that are no longer as useful as the A-Z suggests, but you will find this out when you are out and about studying London.
When making notes on setting a point, it’s simply a matter of following the same process, but this time finding the routes to approach the point from all directions. We note down the best possible sequences to be able to legally set down the point. In the case of the Kent Hall Hotel, we know that we can leave and set down this point on the left or right, so we work out the sequences to do this as follows;
from Green Lanes, L or R Seven Sisters Road, SDOL
from Stroud Green Road, L Seven Sisters Road, SDOR
from Blackstock Road, L Rock Street, R St Thomas’s Road, R Seven Sisters Road, SDOR
We don’t need to go into as much detail as the leave sequences because we just know that Seven Sisters Road is our target from all directions, and you will extend your knowledge of the further away sections of this road throughout your journey on the Knowledge. Plus we have already established the position of the point in relation to Green Lanes, so we know that the “L or R” from Green Lanes into Seven Sisters Road is from either direction on Green Lanes to take the South West heading on Seven Sisters Road to set-down the point.
“What about more complex points?”
Not all points are as simple as the Kent Hall Hotel. Some points can only be set down from one direction, for example if they are on a one-way street, or if there is a central reservation. For these points you will need to go into more detail. But remember, that detail is likely to be the same or very similar for other points you come across eventually, so the sequences you are revising will be easily adapted to the new point.
Let’s look at the “His Majesty’s Theatre”.
fig.3 - note; diagram was produced when the theatre was named “Her Majesty’s Theatre”. The name changes depending on whether we have a King or Queen!)
fig.3
The theatre is located on the South West (SW) side of Haymarket. The diagram shows several potential leave sequences for this point. These sequences cover leaving the point in all directions so that you can leave this point and head towards any other point in the radius. You can only leave on the right from this point (L on R) due to Haymarket being a one way street. When you arrive at the junction with Pall Mall and Pall Mall East you then have the option to head North East or South West, with further directional options shortly after this. Note down all potential leave sequences to get you heading in any possible direction.
It may seem like a lot of information for one POI, but this information can be utilised again for a number of other POI’s. The Theatre Royal on the opposite side of Haymarket will have the same leave sequences, the only difference is that you leave on the left (L on L) instead of the right. You also have points on Suffolk Place and Suffolk Street such as the Haymarket Hotel and the Embassy of the Philippines that will link into the same leave sequences, as you are eventually forced left onto Haymarket after leaving these points.
Making notes on setting these points follows the same process of finding routes from each direction to eventually set them down. Again, this information can be shared with numerous POI’s with only slight adjustments to the ends of the sequences.
The following examples will show you what information to note down and how the information can be shared with other POI’s;
Her Majesty’s Theatre - Haymarket (SW)
SDOR / L on R only
Leave North / North East - L on R Haymarket, L Pall Mall East, L Whitcomb Street, R Orange Street, L Charing Cross Road
Leave North West - L on R Haymarket, R Pall Mall, R Waterloo Place, F Regent Street
SD from South East - Cockspur Street, R Pall Mall East, L Whitcomb Street, L Panton Street, L Haymarket, SDOR
SD from South West - Pall Mall, L Waterloo Place, R Jermyn Street, R Haymarket, SDOR
Embassy of the Philippines - Suffolk Street (NE)
SDOR / LOL only
Leave North / North East - L on L Suffolk Street, R Suffolk Place, L Haymarket, L Pall Mall East, L Whitcomb Street, R Orange Street, L Charing Cross Road
Leave North West - L on L Suffolk Street, R Suffolk Place, L Haymarket, R Pall Mall, R Waterloo Place, F Regent Street
SD from South East - Cockspur Street, R Pall Mall East, L Suffolk Street, SDOR
SD from South West - Pall Mall, F Pall Mall East, L Suffolk Street, SDOR
Notice that the Leave sequences are for only N, NE & NW and the set-down sequences are from SE & SW (which also covers S) - This is to minimise you having to note down excess information. Within the leave sequences for N, NE & NW you already have the roads to take you in the Southern directions. Likewise, in your set-down sequences you have the approaches from the Northern directions. Also notice the shared information between the two points of interest. Consistent revision of these sequences will eventually make calling runs to and from these points very easy. You will also find that a result of calling over these sequences gives you practice of calling straight through this area. For example, calling a run from St James’s Palace to Wyndham’s Theatre would link some parts of these sequences together as follows;
St James’s Palace
L on L Marlborough Road
F Marlborough Gate
Comply Pall Mall Roundabout
L/By Pall Mall
F Pall Mall East
L Whitcomb Street
R Orange Street
L Charing Cross Road
SDOR Wyndham’s Theatre
The section in bold is written in your combined notes for Her Majesty’s Theatre and the Embassy of the Philippines. The ability to link them together is a key part of calling point-to-point, which is covered later in the book.
“So what makes a point worth pointing?”
Anything in London can be considered a point of interest. However, students now only need to learn POI’s from the list issued by TfL. What you need to do to begin with is focus your attention on those points being asked most by the examiners. This information is available from Wizann knowledge school for a small monthly fee via their intuitive app, providing you with information on how many times a POI has been asked, along with helpful tools such as “Bike Lists” to help you plan your pointing sessions.
Points such as Paddington Station or Millwall FC are among the most commonly asked points. We will already know of their whereabouts seeing as they are points on the blue book runs. You will find that many of the beginning and end points of the Blue Book runs are among the most popular points asked on the Knowledge. There are 640 start and end points on the blue books, plus many of the roads you encounter on your runs are among the list of points that examiners are allowed to ask you.
We can initially focus our attention on the “most asked” points, as these will be the ones that we will be commonly asked on 56’s. You will of course have some of the lesser asked points come up on 56’s, but now there is a set list of points to learn, examiners will be expecting you to know them all by the time you are on the latter stages of 56’s going on to 28’s.
If you follow the method shown on this website, you will have collected over 2000 POI’s by the time you finish the blue book runs, plus most of the roads in the points list. This means your focus from then on is to complete the list of points and to be working on your “point to point” calling - which is detailed further along.
When recording points, we can use notebooks, tablets, a pointing app and a host of other recording methods that you may find intuitive. Everyone is different, some people may find that writing the information by hand in a notebook helps it to sink in more than pressing a couple of buttons on an app. But the downside to this is the quantity of notebooks you will amass during your Knowledge journey, not to mention the difficulty of looking up points when you need to revise a specific one.
Flashcard apps such as “Flashcards Deluxe” are very useful for recording points. You can record them in different flashcard decks, perhaps split up by postcode area (W1, SE16, SW6, etc) or as categories such as Embassies, Government Buildings & Museums. I recommend postcode areas, as some POI’s may come under more than one category and it could get confusing for you when looking up a specific point. The postcodes are set for each POI and easy enough to record. The flashcard apps also allow you to create more than one card for a POI, so the first card is the point, the second card is the location and the third card contains your leave and set-down sequences, allowing you to easily revise them. It will also allow you to sort them in alphabetical order for ease of looking up a point.
Using the Wizann app to record which points you have visited is definitely a wise choice. The deeper you get into pointing, you will be questioning whether you have visited some POI’s in the past. Using the intuitive toggles on the app, you can easily say whether you have been to a point or not. The app also lets you make notes, but perhaps slightly more restrictive than writing your own notes on a flashcard app.
Physical flashcards have often been used, but again, you will amass a huge amount of cards over your time on the Knowledge, so only consider this option if you feel that physically writing and holding these cards is more beneficial to you in getting the information to stick.
Also consider having your revision material as mobile as possible. Physical flashcards or notebooks aren’t easy to carry around with you, while a tablet with your apps is obviously easy enough to take with you to work or anytime you happen to be away from home while on the Knowledge. The ability to take your revision material everywhere you go is definitely something to think about.
You may wish to trial some of these methods to see what works best for you. But don’t dwell too long on it; make a decision as soon as possible and stick with it going forward.
Point-to-Point
“Point-to-point” is the practice of calling over runs between any two points of interest in London, using the current level of knowledge that you have acquired to get from the start point to the end point legally and as directly as possible. Honing your point-to-point skills is vital to ensuring success on your appearances.
Point-to-point can be done alone or with a call-over partner. Your questions can be totally random; or thought-out to help your call-over partner with specific areas; or they can be from “the sheets”, which are provided to you by Wizann knowledge school for a small subscription fee; listing the daily questions that are asked by examiners.
An example of a basic point-to-point question would be;
Fleet Street to Portman Mews South
All this question is asking you to do is call a section of the Blue Book run from Blackfriars Station to Bryanston Street. The difference being that you leave from Fleet Street and finish at Portman Mews South. You would answer this question as follows;
Fleet Street
L/By Chancery Lane
L Carey Street
R Serle Street
L & R Lincoln’s Inn Fields
L Remnant Street
R Kingsway
L High Holborn
F Princes Circus
F St Giles High Street
R Earnshaw Street
L New Oxford Street
F St Giles Circus
F Oxford Street
F Oxford Circus
F Oxford Street
R Orchard Street
Portman Mews South on Left
Notice that we use the “L/By” call when leaving Fleet Street and turning into Chancery Lane. This is because we can turn left or right into Chancery Lane from Fleet Street, so there is no strict way of leaving. There is no harm in calling “L/By L” or “L/By R” as these are both legal calls and anything legal is accepted.
More advanced questions come in all shapes and sizes, from runs with complex turn-arounds to runs that cover the entire radius such as the two examples below;
Dockhead Fire Station to Strand Palace Hotel
London Wetland Centre to Lea Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre
The first run incorporates points with restrictions on leaving and setting down, meaning you have to call a sequence of roads that get you away from Dockhead Fire Station and heading in the right direction, which in the case of this question is West, with some North West movement. To do this you have to initially head East as it is the only option when leaving the point and coming to the junction of Jamaica road. Likewise we have to approach Strand Palace Hotel from the West if you wish to set-down at the main entrance, but you are approaching from the East and South East initially, so a turn-around is required to set-down. The turn-around means you end up North of the point, having to work your way around to the Western side to approach it. You can call this run as follows;
Dockhead Fire Station
L on L Wolseley Street
R Parker’s Row
B/R Dockhead
L Jamaica Road
R Abbey Street
R Druid Street
F Crucifix Lane
F St Thomas Street
L Borough High Street
R Southwark Street
R Thrale Street
R Southwark Bridge Road
F Queen Street Place
L Upper Thames Street
F Blackfriars Underpass
F Victoria Embankment
R Temple Place
L Surrey Street
F Melbourne Place
L Aldwych
R Kingsway
L Kemble Street
F Russell Street
L Wellington Street
R & L Exeter Street
L Strand
SDOL Strand Palace Hotel
The sections in bold are what we call “turn-arounds” or “spins”. The roads in between make up the directional portion of the answer. There are a number of ways you call the directional part of this run which will come down to your own personal preference, but knowing the direction you are heading in is key to being able to think of a route.
Getting to grips with direction comes from plenty of practice and penning-up your blue books & point-to-point runs on a daily basis. You will start to see the directional relationships between different parts of the map. In this example, you are South of the river, however, the point is very much to the East of Central London. Many people get confused with the generalisation that anything South of the river is considered “South London”. What you need to be able to do is ignore this generalisation and focus on the compass direction of these areas. Once you do this you will see that you are to the East of the map and the majority of the run is heading West & North West, with occasional Northbound movements to cross the river and position yourself to set down the point.
The second question has points that are relatively easy to leave and set-down, but the run covers a large area of the radius. Ideally we need to find the most direct route between these two points of interest, taking into account that the Thames forms a natural obstruction if you were to draw a straight line from the start point to the end point. To get an accurate straight line between any two points, simply use a length of string with blu-tack at the ends and stretch it tightly across your map between the two points. Obviously, before we string-up the run, we need to think of an answer. We can’t head North or East initially, so getting away from the point is the first priority. We also need to cross the river at some point. The first crossing we come to is Putney Bridge, a bridge that follows the same direction as our run heading, so this is a good choice to get us past the obstruction.
Now we need to think of roads that carry us in that North East direction. New Kings Road & King’s Road do a lot of the work here. Fairly straight and perfect for our direction. Once we are in Central London, it’s a case of finding sequences of roads that carry on that North East movement for the most part. The Mall, Strand & Charterhouse Street all do this, so it’s simply a matter of linking them together. Once we are further East, we have to start “stepping” up the map with roads that are predominantly Eastbound or Northbound. Finally, Well Street, Cassland Road & Ruckholt Road all follow the North East movement again to finish this question.
Notice we mention only a small selection of roads. For long lines like this, it’s wise to use “bullet points” to build your run, once you have the confidence to comfortably call between them. Furthermore, if you are struggling to see a way to begin the run, attempt to work backwards from the end point (but with the thought of using roads that you can legally use to approach it) so that you can essentially shorten the run. If you can do this from both directions then that’s even better. King’s Road gets you to Sloane Square, and working backwards to Mare Street will then give you a route to think of between Sloane Square & Mare Street. You have halved the length of the run already. Using bullet points and working forwards & backwards is key to being able to think of long runs like this one.
Once you have called your answer, you can then pen it up and use the string to see how you fared. Your first attempt may not be the best, so attempt to pen up the correct line and have a go at calling it. Practice makes perfect with point-to-point. Don’t expect to be great at it overnight, it takes many, many hours of practice to hone your ability to call point-to-point.
London Wetland Centre
L on R Queen Elizabeth Walk
L Rocks Lane
L Mill Hill Road
F Lower Richmond Road
L Putney Bridge
F Putney Bridge Approach
R New Kings Road
F King’s Road
Comply Sloane Square
L/By Cliveden Place
F Eaton Gate
F Eaton Square
F Hobart Place
F Lower Grosvenor Place
L Buckingham Palace Road
F Buckingham Gate
L Spur Road
Comply Queen Victoria Memorial
L/By The Mall
F Admiralty Arch
F The Mall
Comply King Charles I Island
L/By Trafalgar Square East Side
R Duncannon Street
L Strand
L Aldwych
L Strand
F Fleet Street
L Fetter Lane
F New Fetter Lane
F Holborn Junction
F Charterhouse Street
F Charterhouse Square
F Carthusian Street
L Aldersgate Street
F Goswell Road
R Old Street
R & L Old Street Junction
R Old Street
F Hackney Road
L Cambridge Heath Road
F Mare Street
R Well Street
F Cassland Road
R Wick Road
B/L East Cross Route Slip
F East Cross Route
B/L Lea Interchange Slip
F Ruckholt Road
SDOL Lea Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre
(fig.4)
When you are at the map stringing and penning your run, you will notice that the string doesn’t follow the route from the start point to the end point. It does however follow the route once we have reached Putney Bridge. This is sometimes referred to as a “moving line”. The river Thames, large parks and some areas with no thoroughfare will require you to think of a moving line. Essentially, there will be a river crossing or junction that you have to get to before you can start taking a direct route towards the end point. The map above (fig.4) shows the string line in red, the moving line in blue and the route in black.
Notice how on this particular run, the route “hugs” the moving line from Putney Bridge to Fetter Lane. It then traverses the line to reach the end point. Not every run will hug the line as tightly as this, and some may not traverse the line at all. Your aim is to keep as close to the line as possible, whilst not traversing it so much that you are adding distance to the route. Also bear in mind that the moving line can move more than once on a run.
For example, if travelling from Marlborough Gate to Piccadilly Circus (fig.5), the string line cuts through the Western corner of St James’s Square. The first instance of the moving line (1) simply starts from the junction of Pall Mall Roundabout and St James’s Street. We can rule out St James’s Street as an option due to the no right turn into Piccadilly. So we continue North East along Pall Mall from Pall Mall Roundabout.
(fig.5)
The second moving line (2) starts from the South West junction of Pall Mall & St James’s Square, and cuts straight through the square from the South corner to the North corner. However, using St James’s Square for this route would cover more distance than if you go via Waterloo Place, because you have to comply the square and exit via Charles II Street. Your moving line now goes from the South West junction of Pall Mall & St James’s Square to the junction of Waterloo Place and Charles II Street (3); this is because your best conceivable route has no choice but to use or pass these two junctions. When you pen-up all available options, you will visibly be able to see that going via Waterloo Place gives you the shortest route. This diagram just shows a very basic example of how traversing the string line at every opportunity isn’t always necessary.
Use the string when there are multiple options and it’s not completely obvious which option is the shortest. There will be times when you pen up various options and the shortest route is clearly visible, other times it won’t be as clear, in which case the string and moving line techniques will help you decide.
Below is a set of questions for you to attempt, based on your current level. Starting point-to-point as early as possible is key to not only being well versed in the practice, but also to break up the monotony of calling over your Blue Books. As important as Blue Books are, there is no denying that calling them over every day can become extremely irritating! Break it up a bit with these practice questions.
Please note that you will have a good chance of being able to call-over these point-to-point questions if you are using the blue book runs from this website and are completing and calling over the link runs in addition to the main runs. If not, then you will either struggle to pull the points or link the lines together. Feel free to share your attempts on the WhatsApp group. The questions are devised to be attempted after completion of a set number of runs and this information is included after each question.
Fitzjohn’s Avenue to Ritz Hotel (for students on Blue Book run 008)
Hint: You will need to understand the relationship between Baker Street and Portman Square to call this run. How you enter and exit Fitzhardinge Street on runs 007a & 007b will give you an idea of the relationship between these two roads.
West Ham Station to Hanover Gate Gate (for students on Blue Book run 018)
Hint: This run won’t look great on the map, but is testing your ability to link Blue Book runs together.
Sumner Street to Morval Road (for students on Blue Book run 035)
Hint: You will need to finish this run at a point you haven’t finished at before.
Cranmer Terrace to Sydenham Hill (for students on Blue Book run 045)
Hint: You now have to attempt to link Blue Book runs that aren’t in Blue Book order.
Barbican to Stepney High Street (for students on Blue Book run 053)
Hint: More linking of runs that aren’t in Blue Book order.
Cromwell Gardens to Replingham Road (for students on Blue Book run 067)
Hint: This run requires you to use a turn-around to be able to complete it based on your current level of knowledge.
Grandison Road to Henchman Street (for students on Blue Book run 072)
Hint: This might not look pretty on the map but will test your ability to link runs over a longer distance and pull roads within Blue Book runs as the start and finish points.
Meadway Gate to Burgoyne Road (for students on Blue Book run 081)
Hint: This question involves linking some of the more complex lines you have learnt.
Bloomsbury Hotel to Battersea Library (for students on Blue Book run 085)
Hint: This question now includes POI’s that you are collecting in addition to doing the runs. It will show how well you have pointed the points in question, using the guidance in the “Pointing” section. If you have pointed Battersea Library properly, you will be able to call this run legally and direct.
Alwyne Square to Oslo Court (for students on Blue Book run 92)
Hint: Testing your points knowledge and your ability to link consecutive runs together using sections of Blue Book runs you have learnt previously to bridge the gaps.
Limehouse Police Station to Honor Oak Park Station (for students up to run 098)
Hint: Turn-arounds at each end of the run requiring you to have solid knowledge of the two points.
No more hints! Try to complete these questions as and when you complete the Blue Book runs. These questions vary in difficulty and can incorporate any number of runs and links. Some will incorporate points from the Blue Book that will require difficult turnaround sequences. This is to see if you are taking down enough information about POI’s when making your notes.
Broad Lane to Royal Veterinary College (for students up to run 121)
Carmelite Monastery to Belsize Library (for students up to run 133)
Novotel West to Mount Ephraim Road (for students up to run 146)
St James’s Park Station to Ladbroke Square (for students up to run 168)
Sylvia Young Theatre School to Bermondsey Station (for students up to run 178)
Schonfeld Square to Royal Courts of Justice (for students up to run 200)
Hammersmith Hospital to Sloane Club (for students up to run 216)
O2 Arena to Putney Library (for students up to run 227)
Rocket PH (W3) to Arsenal FC (for students up to run 250)
St George’s Hospital to Westfield Shopping Centre (W12) (for students up to run 268)
Radisson Blu Edwardian Grafton Hotel to National Army Museum (for students up to run 274)
Stationers Park to Hampstead School (for students up to run 290)
Clapham Picture House to Clifton Nurseries (for students up to run 310)
You can create your own questions by picking two POI’s at random from the ones you have collected and attempting to call a run between them. Starting basic point-to-point early on will prepare you for the more complex questions that come on the daily sheets. It will mean that by the time you have completed your Blue Books, you will already be well versed in tackling point-to-point questions and will be ready for appearances upon completion of your stage 2 examination.
By the time you are on Blue Book 3 (runs 161 onwards) start to receive the daily sheets and work with a call-over partner to practise basic point-to-point using the questions asked at Knowledge HQ. You won’t be able to complete all the questions, but start by attempting 56 level questions. If you don’t know the point, simply go from the road it’s on. If you don’t know the road, look it up and then go from the closest point or road that you do know. This early practice will prepare you well for appearances. If you leave out calling point-to-point until you are due to take appearances, you may struggle with the concepts and when you’re under pressure in that chair you won’t be able to show the best of your knowledge.
Always make sure you have completed your daily Blue Book calling before venturing onto this early point-to-point practice. Don’t let it get in the way of calling your blue book, no matter how tempting it may be!
Restrictions
Questioning restrictions is always a big part of the Knowledge. “Can we turn left out of Soho Street?” or “Can we right out of Dockhead?”. In most cases when a restriction is being questioned, the signage can be ambiguous or technically illegal. Unfortunately this is something out of our control and we have to make what we can of it. In general, I would advise to always ask an examiner before attempting something that could be brought into question.
The following list of questionable manoeuvres have been confirmed by Knowledge HQ as to whether you can or cannot call them in an appearance. Again, it’s always advised to fully confirm and describe your intentions with an examiner before you give them your answer.
Soho Street - Confirmed that you CAN turn left out of Soho Street onto Oxford Street coming from Soho Square.
Dockhead - Due to the current ambiguous nature of the signage, you are advised to NOT call the right turn from Dockhead onto Jamaica Road. The left turn is allowed.
Stockwell Terrace - Confirmed that you CAN turn left into Stockwell Terrace from Clapham Road.
Cathcart Road - You are NOT allowed to cross Redcliffe Gardens on Cathcart Road. You are forced left at this junction.
Portland Place Slip / Queens Gate Slips / Ponsford Street Slip - All these slip roads ARE ALLOWED as legal u-turns and should be called as follows;
… Portland Place
R Portland Place Slip
R Portland Place
… Queens Gate
R Queens Gate Slip
R Queens Gate
… Ponsford Street
R Ponsford Street Slip
R Ponsford Street
Make your intentions clear before calling your answer.
Marylebone Station - leaving and setting down. You ARE allowed to leave on the Left and call the Right turn into Melcombe Place (past the Landmark Hotel) when leaving Marylebone Station; and you ARE allowed to pass the Landmark Hotel and call Right into Harewood Avenue then Right into Melcombe Place to set it down.
Berkeley Square Slip - You ARE allowed to call the Right into the Berkeley Square Slip to comply the square when leaving the Sexy Fish restaurant.
King Edward VII Gallery - You are NOT allowed to leave this point on the left.
Ned Hotel - leaving and setting down. You are advised to set down on Poultry BEFORE the restriction signs and communicate with the examiner that you are doing this.
Lower Thames Street / Cross Lane Slip - You CAN use the Cross Lane Slip to go from Eastbound to Westbound on Lower Thames Street. You should call this as follows;
… Lower Thames Street
R & R Cross Lane Slip
L Lower Thames Street
This manoeuvre is also used to set the old Custom House building and to access Water Lane.
School Streets - All “school street” restrictions CAN BE IGNORED when calling, but you also won’t be penalised for avoiding them during their times of operation. These restrictions should not be confused with other time restrictions such as Bishopsgate, Bank Junction, Tottenham Court Road, Covent Garden & the various market restrictions. These restrictions MUST be adhered to. You can usually differentiate school street restrictions from other types of restriction by the timings. School street restrictions will generally be during school start and finish times.
Leicester Square - When entering Leicester Square, the following WILL be accepted and is fully dependant on which point you are accessing;
Enter via Cranbourn Street and exit via Irving Street (for example when setting down or leaving the Hampshire Hotel).
Left into Panton Street from Whitcomb Street (for example when setting down the Londoner Hotel). You can also leave from the same point and continue forward on Panton Street or turn left into Whitcomb Street. It is NOT advised to call Right into Panton Street when travelling Northbound on Whitcomb Street due to the ambiguous nature of the junction.
St Martin’s Street - You can use the Northern section to set down & leave from points around the Southern side of Leicester Square.
Wardour Street - Left in from Coventry Street & forward into Whitcomb Street; set down/leave before the restrictions at the China Town gate (for example when setting down or leaving China Town).
Little Newport Street - It is advised NOT to pass the junction of Lisle Street & Leicester Court when setting points around the Northern side of Leicester Square such as Prince Charles Cinema.
Covent Garden - Access to points on Tavistock Street (West of Wellington Street) and Southampton Street is allowed for both setting down & leaving. No thoroughfare is allowed.
Please note that Southampton Street can be used to set down & leave points only before 11am. After this time you are expected to set down & leave from the closest legal alternative.
Tavistock Street is considered to be two-way movement West of Wellington Street despite ambiguous signage at various points. Again, not as a through route but access only.
Low emissions or zero emissions vehicle streets can be called through due to us now having access to a zero emission capable taxi; for example Singer Street in Shoreditch.
You may come across various other types of restrictions such as “No Public Service Vehicles” and various weight limit restrictions. A taxi falls into the same weight class as a car and is therefore not subject to any weight limits within the Knowledge area, and they are not classed as a public service vehicle; these are things like bin lorries and council waste disposal trucks.
More recently we have had to deal with “Low Traffic Neighbourhoods” or “LTNs”. These restrictions are currently managed by local councils, and as such are subject to different rules. The LTN’s in Islington, Hackney and Camden for example are strictly forbidden for use by taxis. However, the ones located in the Sands End area of Hammersmith & Fulham council area allow taxi access, and further planned LTN’s in the area will hopefully follow suit.
Call-over Partners
It is important to have call-over partners while on the Knowledge. It’s not necessary at the early stages, but when you start calling point-to-point, you may want to think about finding a call-over partner who is at a similar stage. Sharing the weight of the Knowledge can be a massive help. You may even find it beneficial to find a call-over partner who has been studying different Blue Books or using a different method, as they will have inevitably picked up different things to you, and vice versa. You will learn from each other and bounce off each other. In many cases, your call-over partners become friends for life, so finding someone you get along with is also important!
Don’t restrict yourself to calling over in person. While you can’t really beat being in the same room as your call-over partner, it isn’t always workable, so think about calling-over via Zoom or WhatsApp calls, or even over the phone. Also, don’t limit yourself to having a single call-over partner. It might be that someone only has availability to call with you once or twice a week, so try to fit them in with one or two others if possible.
Finding someone at a similar stage to you is ideal, as you are both working towards similar goals. If you can find someone to call-over with you who is at a more advanced stage then do not pass up the opportunity to call with them as you will undoubtedly learn from them.
Work with your call-over partners to improve your fluency in calling point-to-point. If you are not fluent with your Blue Books then you will struggle to be fluent calling point-to-point. So make sure your Blue Book fluency is up to scratch and carry that ability with you into calling point-to-point with your call-over partner.