Autumn is a wonderful time of the year just about anywhere in the world, and no more so than in London. You can believe that no matter what day it is, there’s going to be something to see and do. From street festivals to culinary celebrations, pageantry to tradition, and sport to costuming, there is […]
About John Rabon
More Secret London – Twenty Hidden Places in London for You to Explore
There are plenty of places in London you may not know exist unless someone points them out. You might have to go behind a door or down an alley to find them. You may walk past them all the time without seeing what’s right in front of you. Even so, you may know about them, […]
The London Fiver – Five Movies That Make Modern London Look Beautiful
Scenery porn is a phrase used to describe camera shots in films and TV programmes that take a long view of the landscape. Any production that films in a city certainly isn’t immune to it and London has a lot to show off. With that in mind, cinematographers certainly love to linger on shots of […]
Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and Do in Richmond Upon Thames
The London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames is one of the greenest places in all of London, with great tracks of parkland existing alongside homes, businesses, and historic landmarks. This creates a wonderful mix of urban culture and natural splendor that makes it a top destination in the city. Of course, this also gives tourists […]
London and the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution changed the world forever. The coming of mechanized production marked a shift from a mostly agrarian society to a technological one. That shift also brought a population migration from the country to urban areas, resulting in an explosion in city populations and a strain on infrastructure. This was most evident in London, […]
Top Ten London Top 10 Things to See and Do on the South Bank
When the City of London put heavy restrictions on such entertainments as the theater and bear baiting during the Medieval Period, everything that was now illegal or frowned upon decided to move across the Thames River to South Bank. Now home to both legal and reputable forms of entertainment, South Bank offers visitors a lot […]
The London Fiver – Five London Bars Based on Television and Film To Visit
There are literally hundreds of pubs and bars all over London, and while many have a great British charm to them, sometimes you might be looking for something different. If you’re anything like me, you love movies and TV shows. You also love an immersive experience from your favorites in both mediums. As it so […]
Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and Do in Wimbledon
One of the best-known districts’s in London, Wimbledon’s name is synonymous with the tennis championship that takes place there every year. In history, Wimbledon has been inhabited since the Iron Age and has quite a relationship with the aristocracy, including King Richard II, before the creation of the London and South Western Railway led to […]
Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and Do in Belgravia
One of the more affluent areas of London, Belgravia of the Middle Ages was a vastly different place known as Five Fields in which it was likely you’d find yourself poor courtesy of a thief or highwayman. The area’s reputation changed once King George III moved into what was then Buckingham House and a row […]
Streets of London: Amusing London Street Names
Street names can be funny things. Most often the name originates from long ago and the original meaning behind the name was lost. People forget the person it was named for, or the trade that was located there has since moved on. Still, the names remain and their meaning often becomes something new and hilarious. […]
The Fiver – Five of London’s Oldest Theaters
London is home to one of the best theater districts outside of Broadway. Most can be found throughout the city’s West End in Westminster and Camden. Naturally, being the center of the drama world means that the West End is also home to London’s oldest still-standing theaters, grand palaces built to house everything from Shakespeare […]
Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and Do in Vauxhall
Part of the Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth, Vauxhall came about from one of King John’s loyal servants, Falkes de Breauté, who owned a house in the area that was called Falke’s Hall. As the industrial revolution took hold in England, the ward became a mixture of industrial and residential. The area’s industry led to the […]
How London Changed During the Victorian Period
The 19th Century was a time of great change for Britain, and especially its capital of London. Some of London’s most iconic landmarks were constructed during this time or altered to a look that we recognize today. In the midst of the effects of the Industrial Revolution, the population exploded, and the city grew to […]
London Annual: Ten of the Oldest Businesses in London
People have been exchanging money for goods for centuries, and London has seen some kind of commerce since the Romans first built the city as we know it. Most companies that we know of today, however, are fairly recent inventions in the grand scheme of things. It wouldn’t be until the 17th or 18th Centuries […]
The London Fiver – Five Major Scientific Discoveries Made in London
Progress in science is one way by which we may judge a society, and London is a city that certainly has made a lot of progress over the centuries. Some of the greatest discoveries in biology, physics, chemistry, and medicine have been made on the streets and in the laboratories of London. Some of them […]
The London Fiver – Five of the Best Bakeries for Cookies in London
Cookies in the United Kingdom are not so different from those in the United States. Most Americans might think that all cookies are “biscuits” in Britain, but these two baked goods have very different meanings. While a “biscuit” is harder and crunchier, while a cookie is meant to be soft and chewie. Cookies can be […]
London’s Fate: Visions of a Future London in Film and Television
The future is bright—sometimes. Science-fiction is a genre that reaches into the future to make suppositions about what’s to come or what could happen. Since the earliest days of the genre, London has played a role in stories such as War of the Worlds and with the advent of film and later television, these tales […]
The Tube: A History of the London Underground
The world’s first underground railway, the London Underground was constructed as a response to the city’s rapid growth during the 19th Century. Today, it is the 11th-busiest subway system on the planet with 1.379 billion passengers using it from 2016-2017. Its tunnels stretch for 249 miles throughout London, often overlapping and giving passengers plenty of […]
Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in the Earl’s Court Area
Like many parts of Greater London, Earl’s Court was once farmland before the growth of the city enveloped the district thanks to the expansion of the Metropolitan District Railway. Post World War II saw a large influx of immigrants from Poland, Australia, and New Zealand to the district and is still referred to as “Kangaroo […]
Fit for a Queen: A Traveler’s Guide to Royal London
London has been a seat of power since the Romans made it their capital in 50 A.D. After they abandoned the settlement in the 5th Century, it would not become a seat of leadership again until Alfred the Great retook control in 886, rebuilding the fortifications, adding new defenses, and transforming the old Roman city […]
Summer in the City: Top Ten Things to Do in London This Summer
When the sun is out the fun is out in London. The city has a lot going on normally, but things really kick up a notch once summer temperatures rise. The summer months tend to be the time when you’ll see the most festivals and outdoor events going on in London including a number of […]
Londontopia is simply the website for people who love London. It was founded by Jonathan & Jackie Thomas from Anglotopia.net as a place to post articles solely focused on London and its environs. Keep up with all the latest London news at Londontopia! This site is geared towards people who love to visit London and our primary audience is North American but everyone is welcome!
