London Beyond Sight is a rather special resource. The audio guide was built to help the visually impaired explore London, but it has enough depth and originality to appeal to Londoners and visitors of every stripe. Its 40 audio files describe locations as varied as the Cenotaph and the river at Brentford, by way of West London Synagogue and the Pineapple pub in Kentish Town.
Well-known names such as Barbara Windsor, Loyd Grossman and Sir Derek Jacobi provide insights about their favourite places. Some of the choices are inspired. Siobhan Davies picks the tower cranes of King's Cross, currently assembling a new district behind the station. She compares the stresses and weight loads on the cranes to those on a dancer's body, using descriptive, visual language to aid those who can't see so clearly. Sir Tony Robinson, meanwhile, chooses a humble post box in Maida Vale.
The site is put together by charity VocalEyes, which provides audio access to the arts for blind and partially sighted people. All the descriptions are also available as written documents.
