London has its share of great museums, from the National Gallery to the British Museum. It even has a number of smaller, more specialty museums for toys, cartoons, advertising, and more. With so many museums throughout London, there are any number of unique and downright unusual exhibits. From signature clothing items of local celebrities to forgotten bits of London’s … [Read more...] about Ten Unusual Exhibits to See in London
London Pubs: Ten Thameside Pubs for a Pint and a View
Pubs are a dime a dozen in London, and all of them have something to offer patrons. Whether you’re looking for the oldest, the best-looking, the best food, or the best beer, you’re likely to find exactly what you want. Additionally, plenty of pubs throughout the city offer some fantastic views, including establishments along the River Thames. From the picturesque edges of … [Read more...] about London Pubs: Ten Thameside Pubs for a Pint and a View
Top 10 London: Ten More Things to Do Along the River Thames
The River Thames is the life’s blood of London. It’s along the river that the first settlements appeared in prehistory and here where the Romans established their capital for Roman Britain, leading to the city as we know it today. It should be no surprise that many of the city’s landmarks can be found not too far from its shores. These include beautiful gardens, fun … [Read more...] about Top 10 London: Ten More Things to Do Along the River Thames
Ten Interesting Facts about Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath is part of London’s colorful ecology that blends the modern urban concrete of the city with the green lusciousness of its past. The Heath, as it’s known locally, has been a part of London since ancient times and today is one of the finest green spaces in the entire city. It’s also full of conservation areas, freshwater swimming ponds, lovely monuments, and … [Read more...] about Ten Interesting Facts about Hampstead Heath
The London Fiver – Five London Locations for Beatles Fans
Sure, the Fab Four certainly got their start in Liverpool playing at venues such as The Cavern Club, but London has its own special connections to the Beatles. From the venues, they played to the places where they lived (and still live today), Beatlemania has touched virtually every part of Britain’s capital. While there is no shortage of such musical locales to see in the … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five London Locations for Beatles Fans
The London Fiver – Five Things to Look Forward to in London During 2021 Post-Pandemic
While we can agree that 2020 was a collective dumpster fire of a year, we look to 2021 with a renewed sense of hope now that the COVID-19 vaccine is among us. As the vaccine continues to be meted out to the citizens of the US and UK, there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel of lockdown restrictions in London. With that sense of hope comes the possibility that some … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five Things to Look Forward to in London During 2021 Post-Pandemic
Ten More Interesting Facts About Hyde Park
Created in 1637, Hyde Park is by far the largest of the four Royal Parks in London at 350 acres. In a previous piece, we covered such interesting facts surrounding its memorials, Speakers Corner, and its former use as a hunting grounds for King Henry VIII. Of course, these are not all the fascinating details and realities about the city’s biggest park. Join us as we delve … [Read more...] about Ten More Interesting Facts About Hyde Park
Ten Interesting Facts about Kensington Gardens
While Kensington Gardens are open to the public, there was a time when this wasn’t so. The gardens were originally part of Kensington Palace, a royal residence that was once home to King William III and Queen Mary II (now home to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge). Today, Kensington Gardens are one of four Royal Parks in London along with Regent’s Park, St. James’s Park, Hyde … [Read more...] about Ten Interesting Facts about Kensington Gardens
Exploring Agatha Christie’s London – Places to See for Mystery Fans!
One of the most prolific mystery writers of all time, Agatha Christie wrote as many as 75 works over her career and created such well-know characters as Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. Many of her stories featuring both characters and other literary sleuths she created largely take place in London. These works rely on places familiar to most readers as well as locales that … [Read more...] about Exploring Agatha Christie’s London – Places to See for Mystery Fans!
The Fiver – Five More London Dystopian Films
Like the gray clouds that often hang over London, the genre of dystopian fiction permeates the atmosphere of British film. British cinema is able to devise all manner of bad futures, including environmental disasters, dictatorial governments, nuclear horror—you name it. And since the rest of the world understands how bad things can get when they happen in major cities, these … [Read more...] about The Fiver – Five More London Dystopian Films
Ten More Interesting Facts about Regent’s Park
Another green space that was once the personal property of King Henry VIII, by the 19th Century it was transformed by landscape architect John Nash into the public park it is today. Last time we wrote about Regent’s we covered such interesting stories as its zoological history, the view from Primrose Hill, and the ties to the 2012 Olympic Games. However, the fascinating … [Read more...] about Ten More Interesting Facts about Regent’s Park
Ten Interesting Facts about St. James’s Park
In the heart of Westminster, St. James’s Park is a Royal Park in the truest sense. St. James’s borders Buckingham Palace on one end and 10 Downing Street on the other, with St. James’s Palace a stone’s throw from the park’s northern border. As with many of the Royal Parks, it began as the personal property of King Henry VIII which was later developed under King James I and … [Read more...] about Ten Interesting Facts about St. James’s Park
A Brief History of London’s Buses
London’s buses are an iconic symbol of the city. The red double-decker isn’t seen as heavily in any other part of the world and they are as much a part of London as the Tower Bridge, Parliament, and Buckingham Palace. Of course, these buses known as the Routemaster weren’t the first to offer transport for Londoners. buses on the streets of this great metropolis stretch back … [Read more...] about A Brief History of London’s Buses
Top 10 London: Top Ten Shopping Centers in London
So you’ve traveled all the way to London—and you want to go to the mall. Well, while London certainly has many a great market, arcade, and high street, you’ll be glad to know that shopping malls aren’t exclusively American. London has plenty of its own great shopping centers that offer a British take on the mall experience. Visitors to one of these shopping centers may find … [Read more...] about Top 10 London: Top Ten Shopping Centers in London
The London Fiver – Five Collector Toy Shops
They say you’re only as old as you feel. For many of us, growing up meant going to the toy store to look, but not take anything home. Now that we’re adults, we like to indulge ourselves in collecting, and there are plenty of stores in London that cater to this demographic. Unlike Harrods, Selfridges, or even Hamleys, the stores below cater to the young and the old, often … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five Collector Toy Shops
London Identity: Just What is a Londoner Anyway?
We all live somewhere, and while we don’t often think about it, that place has a capacity to identify us. Rightly or wrongly, the perception of a place gives an identity not only to the city itself but all who live in it. Additionally, we develop a community identity that may self-identify us, but how does this apply to Londoners? Given the size of Greater London, do the … [Read more...] about London Identity: Just What is a Londoner Anyway?
The London Fiver – Five London Christmas Songs
The holidays are certainly a time for new songs to hit the airwaves. When you turn on the radio, you’re bound to hear a mix of old and new Christmas singles across all genres. The United Kingdom is certainly no different and every once-in-a-while, you’ll see a British Christmas song that involves London. These songs can be entirely about London or simply make reference to … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five London Christmas Songs
The London Fiver – Five London Invasion Films
Invaders certainly aren’t an unknown for Britain’s capital. For hundreds of years, Angles, Saxons, Vikings, and Normans marched upon the city, imposing their laws and will on the populace. Of course, in the hundreds of years since the Normans conquered the UK in 1066, the city’s invaders have been fictional. From the Martians in War of the Worlds to Count Dracula, fears of … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five London Invasion Films
Nights out in London: Top Ten Underground Bars For a Cocktail
Now, when we say underground, we’re not talking about bars you’ve never heard of before, but bars that are literally underground. London is full of places to drink that exist below the city’s streets. They’re in building basements, under railway arches, disguised behind more conventional establishments, or even converted from long-abandoned uses. They have atmospheres that … [Read more...] about Nights out in London: Top Ten Underground Bars For a Cocktail
The London Fiver – Five London Christmas Movies
Christmas movies are one of the joys of the holiday. Whether you’re going to see one in a theater, on television, DVD, or a streaming service, there are plenty of options for holiday cinema. The locations of films can certainly vary from the big city to small-town America, and London has its own share of holiday classics. These films range from classic adaptations to modern … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five London Christmas Movies
The Bard’s Town: Shakespeare in London
William Shakespeare is regarded as one of the greatest literary figures in English history and quite possibly the greatest playwright in the world. Interestingly enough, for a man who spent the entirety of his life in England and London (and of course, Stratford-on-Avon), most of his plays seem to be set elsewhere. Italy, Scotland, Denmark, and other parts of Europe provide … [Read more...] about The Bard’s Town: Shakespeare in London
The London Fiver – Five London Romantic Comedies
In troubling and lonely times, a good romantic comedy can help you feel better about life. London has been the setting of dozens of romantic comedy films over the years, and we have covered some others in the past. If you’ve already gotten through the previous ten, have a look at these five romantic comedies set in one of the world’s biggest cities. Each of these films … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five London Romantic Comedies
The London Fiver – Five Sci-Fi Films Set in London
England is arguably the home of science-fiction thanks to Mary Shelley and her novel Frankenstein, so it stands to reason that London would be a prime location for the setting of many sci-fi films. However, most of the genre’s movies that take place in the city seem to fall into either being about an alien invasion of a dystopian future. Yet there still manage to be a great … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five Sci-Fi Films Set in London
The London Fiver – Five of London’s Oldest Breweries
Ale has had a long history in the United Kingdom. By some accounts, it even predates the Romans as some historians evidence that the Romans often enjoyed a Celtic ale or two during their occupation of Great Britain. By the Medieval period, ale was mostly brewed on the premises of the inns and later taverns in which it was sold. The introduction of hops meant a new drink was … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five of London’s Oldest Breweries
The Fiver – Five More Tudor Buildings in London
Last year we covered some of the buildings that remain in London from the Tudor architectural style. Popular from the end of the medieval period through the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (for whom there is a subset of this design style), the Tudor style is characterized by hammer-beam roofs, long chimneys, timber framing, and brick masonry. While in the past we covered such … [Read more...] about The Fiver – Five More Tudor Buildings in London