20 Fenchurch Street is one of London’s office buildings that certainly makes a statement. Whether you appreciate its design or decry it as yet another skyscraper built without concern for the city’s skyline, it remains a very visually striking place. Its unique curves have earned it the nickname “Walkie Talkie” from fans and critics alike. […]
Laura’s London: Exploring London’s Newest Museum – The Secret Mail Rail and The Postal Museum
Mail Rail is London’s newest subterranean heritage attraction. Open from 4 September 2017; the disused postal railway tunnels have been brought back to life as a visitor ride for the first time in their 100 year history. This miniature railway was the world’s first driverless, electric railway and was never intended for passengers. While The […]
Great London Buildings – BBC Broadcasting House
Headquarters of the BBC, Broadcasting House represents the totality of the BBC’s media offerings across radio and television. Originally a building for radio programmes, the expansion in the early 2000s transformed the building into the new centre of the BBC’s activities. The BBC moved its news divisions out of Television Centre and into the new […]
Great London Buildings – One Canada Square in Canary Wharf
Located on the site of the former West India Docks, One Canada Square is not only a skyscraper that puts a stamp on the London skyline; it’s a symbol of economic revitalisation. For over a hundred years, the West India Docks were amongst the busiest ports in the city, but by the 1960s, business […]
The London Fiver – Five Interesting Pieces of Public Art in London
As John Cleese famously said in the “Michaelangelo and the Pope” sketch from Monty Python’s Flying Circus, “I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like.” Art can take many forms, some of which we may not quite understand. Regardless of whether we “get it” or not, public art has been shown […]
Great London Buildings – Oxo Tower on the Southbank
One of the architectural landmarks of South Bank, the Oxo Tower has stood by the River Thames for over a century, its distinctive lettering standing out against the borough’s skyline. Today home to shops, restaurants, and offices, its origins were actually much different. Beginning construction in the late 19th Century, Oxo Tower was finished in […]
Great Londoners – Inigo Jones – The Hero of Palladian Architecture
One of the first great architects of modern times, Inigo Jones was one of the instigators of the Palladian style of design, introducing the classical style of Venetian architect Andrea Palladio to Britain. Several of his building projects can be seen today all over the country, and many of them are found in London, where […]
Great London Buildings – The Courts of Wimbledon
Perhaps the top tennis championship in the world, Wimbledon is a British institution and one of the iconic places in London. The history of Wimbledon begins with the formation of the All England Croquet Club in 1868. The club embraced “lawn tennis” in 1875, and as the croquet craze died down, tennis became the predominant […]
Great London Buildings – The Tate Britain
The primary building in the Tate art gallery network, the Tate Britain has long been one of the pillars of British art museums. Early in its history, the Tate was known as the National Gallery of British Art from its opening in 1897 to 1932, when it became, simply, the Tate Gallery. As the Tate […]
Great Londoners: Michael Faraday – Electricity Pioneer
What we know today about electricity owes much to English scientist Michael Faraday. While his focus of studies was in the fields of chemistry and physics, he is primarily responsible for principles governing electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism, and electrolysis. These principles made it possible for transformers and generators to produce power, maglev trains to run at […]
Great Londoners – Sir Giles Gilbert Scott – Designer of the Red Phone Box
Giles Gilbert Scott may not be the first person you think of when it comes to architecture in London, but he has certainly made his mark on the city. In fact, most people might consider his greatest design to be that of Liverpool Cathedral, but they walk past his most iconic creation every day. He […]
Great London Buildings – The Palace of St. James
St. James’s Palace may not be a palace where Queen Elizabeth II actually resides, but it still holds a very important function for the government as the de facto seat of the monarchy. Even when ambassadors are received today, they are “admitted to the Court of St. James”. It also still provides a place to […]
Great London Buildings – The Tate Modern
There’s an old line from Monty Python’s Flying Circus that goes, “I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like.” Modern art may certainly seem strange to a lot of people, due to the fact that it can include just about anything, doesn’t necessarily depict traditional subjects, and can utilise some unusual […]
Great London Buildings – The Victoria & Albert Museum
Also known as the V&A, the Victoria & Albert Museum was founded in 1852 as a museum of art and design. Today, it is the largest of its kind in the world, with a permanent collection of more than 4.5 million works of art from a period of more than two thousand years. It sits […]
Great Londoners – Ken Livingstone – The First Mayor of London
Ken Livingstone has arguably been one of the most influential London mayors in the City’s history and at the very least, one of the biggest figures in London’s government in the past century. Often a controversial figure in his own Labour Party as well as with the Conservatives, he shepherded London’s destiny for several decades […]
Great London Buildings – Somerset House
One of the stateliest homes in London, Somerset House at one point was a Tudor palace and today sees use as a venue for the arts and major event location for the city. Its history began in 1547 when Edward Seymour received a land grant from his brother-in-law, King Henry VIII. Following Henry’s death, Edward […]
Great London Buildings – The Admiralty Arch
Standing like a gateway to the royal residence of Buckingham Palace, the Admiralty Arch sits at the end of the Mall abutting Trafalgar Square. Despite the name, the Arch today has actually little to do with the Royal Navy, its only tie being its close proximity to the Navy’s headquarters. Instead, the Arch originated as […]
Great London Places – Trafalgar Square
One of the most well-known spots in London, Trafalgar Square is a gathering place, demonstration locale, and a connecting point for several notable landmarks. With Nelson’s Column at its centre, the square is ringed by such important buildings as St. Matin-in-the-Fields church, Canada House, the South African High Commission, and the National Gallery. Trafalgar Square […]
Great London Buildings – Chiswick House
One of the last Neo-Palladian manor homes left in London, it is named for the area of the city in which it can be found. The original Chiswick House was a Jacobean home built in approximately 1610 and was the property of the Wardour family. It was then sold to Robert Carr, 1st Earl of […]
Great London Buildings: The Churchill War Rooms
The process of constructing the emergency centre began in 1938 when Sir Hastings Ismay ordered the Office of Works to survey Whitehall for a suitable location. That agency determined that the best place for this centre was the New Public Offices. The Office of Works concluded that the building was close to Parliament and possessed […]
Great Londoners – Harry Gordon Selfridge – The Man Behind the Department Store
One of the city’s greatest men and founders of one of its biggest department stores wasn’t actually born in the United Kingdom at all. He was born in Ripon, Wisconsin on 11 January 1858, though only stayed there for a few months until his family moved to Jackson, Michigan. It could be said that Selfridge […]
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