For ten weeks each summer we get to go inside Buckingham Palace and see the State Rooms while the Queen is away at Balmoral (Scotland). There’s also a special exhibition included and this year, to mark the 70th birthday of The Prince of Wales, the Summer Opening of Buckingham Palace includes a special display of […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The New Piccadilly Circus Billboard: A Review
In this article, I’m going to review a billboard. But not just any billboard, the most famous billboard in the world. Well, in London at least. I’m talking about, of course, the new electronic billboard that has replaced the previous iconic billboards at the heart of Piccadilly Circus. First some terminology – in Britain they […]
Great London Buildings – Banqueting House
Once part of the Palace of Whitehall, today Banqueting House is all the remains of this once-great royal palace. Today it is a museum while the rest of Whitehall has been rebuilt as government offices. Banqueting House is important to London for several reasons, including its architectural notoriety and the kings and queens that once […]
Great London Buildings – The Old BBC Television Centre
Now a symbol of London’s ever-changing nature as new development takes over; Television Centre was once home to the UK’s most beloved dramas, comedies, and cultural programs. It was constructed specifically to be the BBC’s first dedicated television broadcasting studios and would oversee the news and such memorable shows as Blue Peter, Doctor Who, Top […]
Great London Buildings – Heron Tower
Bishopsgate certainly has its own contributions to London’s skyline including the Gherkin and the Leadenhall Building. Rounding out the trio is 110 Bishopsgate, better known as Heron Tower (and also known as Salesforce Tower). Finished in 2010, the tower has gained a number of claims to fame including being the tallest building in the financial […]
Great London Buildings – Tower 42
One of the jewels of post-war skyscrapers in London, Tower 42 (once known as NatWest Tower) remains the third highest building in the City of London and the eighth highest in the Greater London area. Interestingly enough, it was actually the very first skyscraper in the City of London. While taller buildings such as Centrepoint, […]
London Alert: The Iconic Lights in Piccadilly Circus Have Been Turned Back On!
We reported earlier this year that the iconic billboards in Piccadilly Circus were being switched off for refurbishment. Many Londonphiles were very disappointed to hear this as it meant that tons of tourist photos would be ruined by scaffolding and hoardings. This was the longest stretch of time the lights were turned off since The […]
Spooky London: Ten of the Allegedly Most Haunted Places in London
This month we’ve covered haunted castles and haunted places in the United Kingdom, but with the exception of the Tower of London, we’ve deliberately left out the nation’s largest city. As you might figure from the Tower of London’s history, London itself has plenty of haunted places from pubs to palaces. The ghosts include famous […]
Great London Buildings – 20 Fenchurch Street – Home of the Public Sky Garden
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. […]
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 Future Building Developments in London That Will Change It
Cities are always growing, always changing. While we work to preserve the history of graded structures, we also need new developments to meet the city’s needs for transport, business, housing, and more. Lots of proposals never come off the drawing board, but those that do begin construction promise to change the city’s fate. There are […]
Ten Interesting Facts and Figures about the Shard – The Tallest Building in the UK
Threading the skies over London like a great glass needle, the Shard is one of the city’s newest and most striking skyscrapers. Completed in 2013, it has 95 floors and stands at 1,106 feet, making it also the tallest structure in the city and the whole of the United Kingdom. In the short time that […]
The London Fiver – Five of London’s Oldest Hotels
It used to be that travelers’ only accommodations were the pubs and inns located all over the city. As the coaching inns grew in their grandeur and desire to cater to wealthy clients, they transformed into the first hotels, and then into luxury hotels during the later Victorian period. Many of the earliest hotels were […]
London Trip Planning: Ten of the Best Views of London
A great view can be absolutely breathtaking. Whether looking out over the distance on the ground or observing everything below when you’re high in the sky, a different look at a place can help give you a new perspective on a place. Every city has some pretty fantastic spots from which to view it, and […]
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 […]
Not Falling Down: Ten of London’s Beautiful Bridges and Their Fascinating Histories
Bridges don’t just connect places, but they connect people. Since the earliest days of civilisation, we’ve used them to access new areas, trade with the people there, and travel further than we once thought imaginable. With a city such as London situated on the River Thames, bridges are a necessity, and thousands of people cross […]
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!
