Clerkenwell is one of the oldest parishes in London, having existed since the Middle Ages. It was here that London’s parish clerks would perform biblical morality plays in a performance venue called a “well.” This gave the area the name “Clerken (or Clerks) Well.” It has had a varied history from being home to monastic […]
Laura’s London: A Look Behind the Scenes of the New Royal Academy of Arts Renovations Opening This Weekend
The Royal Academy of Arts is hardly new. In fact, it’s celebrating it’s 250th anniversary this year. But to mark the occasion the RA has undergone an enormous transformation and expansion. And the new Royal Academy is opening on Saturday 19 May 2018. About The Royal Academy The RA was founded in 1768 by a […]
Londontopia Magazine: LAST CALL For The First Issue – Quantities are VERY Limited!
We’re wrapping up the final designs of Issue #1 of the Londontopia Magazine and it’s looking really good. However, we need a final tally on what to order from the printer. Printing is our most expensive cost in this endeavor so to get the best price, we have to order the right amount. Between initial subscriptions […]
London Getting a New Road Tunnel Under the Thames in Greenwich By 2023
Today in London infrastructure news, London is getting a new road tunnel in Greenwich. The Silvertown Tunnel will link the Royal Docks north of the river with the Greenwich Peninsula in the south. It is hoped that the new tunnel will reduce congestion in the Blackwell Tunnel. As any traveler who’s been stuck in traffic for […]
Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and do in Camden Town
Giving the Borough of Camden its name, Camden Town derives its name from Camden Place, the estate of the First Earl of Camden. As London grew to encompass this district, Camden Town has transformed into one of the quaintest tourist spots in the whole city. You can find just about everything including great treat food, […]
Tube of the Imagination: A Guide to Fictional Underground Stations
It’s a common practice in literature and media to create fake places for your stories. Maybe the real ones aren’t available or are poorly suited to your movie or show. Perhaps no real place exists that can meet the needs of your story, yet you want everything to be grounded in reality. Being a major […]
London Annual 2018: Top 10 London Bookshops For the Book Lover
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the 2018 London Annual, and while this special publication is now sold out, you can support great long-form writing about London by subscribing to the Londontopia Print Magazine, debuting in June 2018. Full details here. London is the capital of good bookshops. And while there are dozens of […]
Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and Do in Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is perhaps the closest London gets to a respite district. Away from the hustle and bustle of places like Kensington, Westminster, and the City of London, life moves at a slightly different pace. There’s fewer things to attract the bulk of tourists in this district, but that does not mean there isn’t anything […]
Guest Post: Ten Amazing Secret Locations to Discover in London!
Editor’s Note: This guest post was written by Matt and Jess, guides from Fun London Tours. They’ve been an advertiser on Londontopia for several years and runs some great tours on offer for visitors to London. Vist their website here and use coupon code: TOPIA20 to save 20% off your tour! By Fun London Tours […]
The London Fiver – Five of the Best Game and Entertainment Centers in London
Everyone enjoys playing video games, whether it’s old school Pac Man or newer team-based games such as Overwatch. There are plenty of options for gaming fun in London from those who just want an arcade machine for some single-player action to big-time eSports competitions. Other gaming opportunities even offer you the chance to fully immerse […]
First Statue in Parliament Square of a Women Unveiled Today – Suffragist Leader Millicent Fawcett
History was made today in Parliament Square, located directly across from the Palace of Westminster. For 200-years great leaders have been honoured with a statue in front of the Houses of Parliament. Lincoln, Churchill, Gandhi, Mandela are just a few of the names. But one thing all those names had in common was that they […]
London Theatre: First Look at The Moderate Soprano Starring Roger Allam and Nancy Carroll
I’m getting very excited about this play which has just started at the Duke of York Theatre. I’m a big fan of Roger Allam – I love him in Endeavour – so I’ve booked a ticket to see it when I’m over covering Harry’s Wedding. A series of pictures was recently released by the producers – […]
Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and Do in Brixton
A part of London that is further from the touristy-sections, the London district of Brixton in the Borough of Lambeth is mostly a residential community. Additionally, it is one of the more diverse parts of the city, with a large Caribbean community that has contributed to Brixton’s culture. There may not seem to be much […]
The London Fiver – Five Doctor Who Landmarks To Visit in London
Doctor Who has been one of the UK’s greatest shows since it premiered in 1963. Over the course of its history, much of the show’s action has occurred in London, from the first episode up to last season. Plenty of well-known London landmarks have appeared on Doctor Who as a consequence and at least one […]
Westminster Abbey Gets a New Tower
Westminster Abbey is a living building. It’s been constructed, altered and added to over its over 1,000 years of history. It is not a static building, stuck in time. And the big news is that Westminster Abbey has officially added a new tower to the building. The newly named Weston Tower, so named after the […]
Laura’s London: Go Yonda Car Tours of London – A Cool New Self-Driving Tour of London
Yonda – with the slogan ‘go Yonda’ – is London’s only self-drive sightseeing experience. The cars are small Smart cars (two and four-seaters available) installed with an easy-to-follow virtual guide that helps customers navigate London’s streets while seeing the sights. Smart Cars The two-seater Smart cars are convertible (so you can really get closer to London weather!) […]
The London Fiver – Five Ancient Ruins in London to Visit That Haven’t Been Swept Away By Time
London is an ancient city. Even before the Romans established their settlement of Londonium, people had lived in the area. However, the Romans were the first to erect permanent structures here, some of which have survived today as ruins, hiding amongst the buildings that succeeded them and today’s skyscrapers. Of course, not all of these […]
Introducing the New Londontopia Print Magazine – Order Your Copy Now – Quantities Very Limited
We’ve been working on this in secret and now we’re ready for the big reveal. Introducing The Londontopia Print Magazine. Did you know that there isn’t a magazine on the US market dedicated completely to London? We thought this was odd, so now that we’ve got two years of magazine experience under our belts with […]
Trafalgar Square: The Fourth Plinth Has a New Artwork – Replica of Statue Destroyed by ISIS
Goodbye, giant Thumb’s Up, hello Lamassu. The fourth plinth is one of the best public art projects in London. Every few years, a new artwork is put on display on the empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square (empty for a statue that was never made). It’s prime place directly in front of the National Gallery is a […]
London Alert: Next Schedule of Hidden London Tours Revealed – Tickets Go On Sale April 6th
Hidden London tours are some of our favorites. We’ve been on two – in fact planned two trips around them. They’re an excellent opportunity to explore bits of London that are normally closed off to visitors. You can read about one of our tours here. I received an email this morning outlining the next schedule […]
Great Londoners: Joseph Bazalgette – The Man Who Ended The Great Stink
Joseph Bazalgette may not be a name that immediately comes to mind when you think of the city’s greatest citizens, but people use his biggest contribution every day–the sewer system. During the 19th Century, he was London’s chief engineer for the Metropolitan Board of Works and used his position to ease the city’s sanitation […]
The London Fiver – Five of the Most Expensive Apartment Buildings in London
Living in the city is hard. It’s also expensive. A common criticism of most cities is that home prices, and apartment rents are only getting more expensive. A city like London can certainly fit the bill when it comes to high rent prices. Of course, in a city full of movie stars, politicians, businessmen, and […]
Laura’s London: New Digger Deeper and Crossrail Secrets Exhibitions at the London Transport Museum
The London Transport Museum in Covent Garden has a new permanent gallery exploring the history of tunneling and a new temporary exhibition about Crossrail opening on 23 March 2018. Both are part of the national programme to celebrate the Year of Engineering 2018. Digging Deeper Gallery On the ground floor of the museum, this new […]
The Tube: Transport for London Reveals Fares for the Upcoming Elizabeth Line
Crossrail is coming. In fact, trains will start running on the new ‘Elizabeth Line’ from December with the entire new Tube Line opening in 2019 (it’s been a project 30 years in the planning, see this article for more information). One big question that’s been up in the air, however, is what fares would be […]
Ten Interesting Facts about the Great Fire of London
On September 2, 1666, furnaces that weren’t quite out in the home of baker Thomas Farriner managed to start a fire that raged for four days and destroyed much of the City of London. The Great Fire was one of the most seminal events in London’s history. It has been recounted in dozens of works […]
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!
