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 […]
New London Street Slang – Fun British Slang
English is a forever evolving language. It changes the most on the streets of London as the various ethnicities that have settled in London co-mingle their native languages with English. Interesting things result from this. There are new words all the time, old words are brought back into fasion, some words now mean the opposite […]
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 […]
Voice & Vote – Women’s Place in Parliament Exhibition at the Palace of Westminster
I hope you saw The London Annual 2018 as I had a feature in the magazine about Vote 100 marking the centenary of the Representation of the People Act 1918 which gave most men and some women the vote for the first time. There have been events all year to celebrate this 100 year anniversary […]
Travel Alert: Reminder – Big Ben is Still Covered in Scaffolding and Will Ruin Your Tourist Pictures Until 2021
I was reading the Sunday Times yesterday, as one does, and came across an amusing article that then made me irritated. Apparently, there are lots of people who still don’t know that Big Ben/Elizabeth is covered in scaffolding right now and will remain so until at least 2021. As a result, tourists are leaving negative […]
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 […]
Exhibition Alert: My Visit to the New James Cook Exhibition at the British Library – Review
On my final day in England for my trip over to cover the Royal Wedding, I decided to pop into London and visit an exhibition I really didn’t want to miss. The British Library just launched a new exhibition about the voyages of James Cook, putting them into context and showcasing the discoveries he and […]
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 […]
London Theatre Reviews: The Moderate Soprano Starring Nancy Carroll and Roger Allam – Review
I’m a big fan of the British actor Roger Allam so when a press release came across my inbox earlier this year announcing that he was performing in a play on the West End this spring, my interest was immediately piqued. Especially since I was currently in the middle of binge-watching Endeavour. The play in […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 – […]
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 […]
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!
