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Great Londoners – Geoffrey Chaucer

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Geoffrey Chaucer was one of the greatest contributors to English literature with his work The Canterbury Tales.  However, being a writer and poet was only part of what he did during his remarkable life.  Chaucer was a Renaissance man before the term was even coined, serving as a bureaucrat, courtier, diplomat, astronomer, and philosopher.  Part of what makes him one of the most … [Read more...] about Great Londoners – Geoffrey Chaucer

The Regency Period in London

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The Regency Period for Britain is one that begins with King George III’s temporary madness and the appointment of Prince George (later King George IV) as Prince Regent in 1811.  This period marked the final and permanent case of the king’s mental illness from which he did not recover.  Depending on who you ask, the period either technically ends once George III died in 1820 or … [Read more...] about The Regency Period in London

Exploring Down Street Tube Abandoned Station: Churchill’s Secret Wartime Bunker

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Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Issue #6 of the Anglotopia Print Magazine in 2016. Support great long-form writing about Britain by subscribing to the Anglotopia Print Magazine today. You can subscribe here. London’s abandoned Tube stations have a special aura about them. It’s hard to believe that in a city of eight million people, some tube stations were … [Read more...] about Exploring Down Street Tube Abandoned Station: Churchill’s Secret Wartime Bunker

London and the Industrial Revolution

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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, which was arguably the … [Read more...] about London and the Industrial Revolution

The Fiver – Five of London’s Oldest Theaters

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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 to modern productions.  We’ve managed to … [Read more...] about The Fiver – Five of London’s Oldest Theaters

Voice & Vote – Women’s Place in Parliament Exhibition at the Palace of Westminster

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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 but as this is about the right to vote it's fitting that the one you should really want … [Read more...] about Voice & Vote – Women’s Place in Parliament Exhibition at the Palace of Westminster

How London Changed During the Victorian Period

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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 meet it.  While London’s prosperity grew, the divides … [Read more...] about How London Changed During the Victorian Period

London Annual: Ten of the Oldest Businesses in London

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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 that most shops and restaurants would even come into being.  Some … [Read more...] about London Annual: Ten of the Oldest Businesses in London

Exhibition Alert: My Visit to the New James Cook Exhibition at the British Library – Review

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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 his crews made (and the damage they wrought). As someone interested in … [Read more...] about Exhibition Alert: My Visit to the New James Cook Exhibition at the British Library – Review

The London Fiver – Five Major Scientific Discoveries Made in London

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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 are very well-known, while others might surprise you to know.  Each of the … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five Major Scientific Discoveries Made in London

Laura’s London: Exploring Clapham South Subterranean Shelter – Hidden London – From the Blitz to the Windrush

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We all know there are tube train tunnels under London's streets, and we could guess there are some service tunnels for pipes, but it's still always a surprise to head down underground and find enough space for a village to live safely below. And that's what there is at the Clapham South Subterranean Shelter. This deep-level shelter had room for 8,000 people, and it only took … [Read more...] about Laura’s London: Exploring Clapham South Subterranean Shelter – Hidden London – From the Blitz to the Windrush

The Tube: A History of the London Underground

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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 options for … [Read more...] about The Tube: A History of the London Underground

Fit for a Queen: A Traveler’s Guide to Royal London

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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 into a new population centre for his kingdom.  It was from … [Read more...] about Fit for a Queen: A Traveler’s Guide to Royal London

The London Fiver – Five Ancient Ruins in London to Visit That Haven’t Been Swept Away By Time

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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 buildings are Roman, and some of … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five Ancient Ruins in London to Visit That Haven’t Been Swept Away By Time

Great Londoners: Joseph Bazalgette – The Man Who Ended The Great Stink

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  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 problems.  Bazalgette's efforts had a range of … [Read more...] about Great Londoners: Joseph Bazalgette – The Man Who Ended The Great Stink

Ten Interesting Facts about the Great Fire of London

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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 including Samuel Pepys’s Diary and led to a major construction project that included … [Read more...] about Ten Interesting Facts about the Great Fire of London

Power Hungry: The History of Supplying London with Power

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Generating power has been a necessity in Britain for longer than most people would think.  Firewood was replaced with charcoal as early as the Roman Occupation and coal mining was a major source of fuel by the 13th Century.  Coal provided the primary energy source for hundreds of years after that, powering the first steam engines of the Industrial Revolution as well as heating … [Read more...] about Power Hungry: The History of Supplying London with Power

We Don’t Need No Water – The 1834 Palace of Westminster Fire

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The Palace of Westminster, otherwise known as the meeting place of Parliament, is one of the grandest buildings in the United Kingdom.  However, the building that stands here now is less than 200 years old, replacing another grand palace that had stood since medieval times.  The first Palace of Westminster was a royal residence for Canute the Great from 1016 to 1035.  Then … [Read more...] about We Don’t Need No Water – The 1834 Palace of Westminster Fire

The London Fiver – Five Important Places in London’s Music History

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Cities are full of music, from buskers in the streets to famous artists in their recording studios.  London certainly has its own pedigree when it comes to be the best musical acts of the last few centuries, and with performance venues from the Royal Albert Hall to the Marquee Club, you can believe it has an awesome history for music.  Some of music’s most memorable moments … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five Important Places in London’s Music History

London Fog: London and the Great Smog of 1952 – The True Story

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Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Issue #6 of the Anglotopia Magazine in 2017. Support great long from writing about UK Travel, Culture, and History by subscribing to the Anglotopia Print Magazine. As Christmas drew near in London in 1952, a strange phenomenon like something out of a Quatermass story became all too real for the city’s residents. Under a … [Read more...] about London Fog: London and the Great Smog of 1952 – The True Story

Westminster Abbey To Get New Dedicated Museum

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Westminster Abbey, the place where Britain's kings and queens have been crowned for almost a thousand years will be home to London's newest museum later this year. From Travel GBI: Known as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries, the space will display more than 300 historic and artistic treasures from the abbey’s collection to tell the 1,000-year history of the building. … [Read more...] about Westminster Abbey To Get New Dedicated Museum

Laura’s London: New Exhibition Report – Charles II: Art and Power at the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace

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After over a decade of austere Cromwellian rule, the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 led to a resurgence of the arts in England. The court of Charles II became the centre for the patronage of leading artists and the collecting of great works of art. This served not only as decoration for the royal apartments but also as a means of glorifying the restored monarchy and … [Read more...] about Laura’s London: New Exhibition Report – Charles II: Art and Power at the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace

Ten Interesting Facts and Figures about Maritime Greenwich

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Greenwich, London is an area of London just south-east of the City of London.  It’s first mentioned in a Saxon charter in 918 as “Grenowic” or “green settlement.”  As London grew and prospered, Greenwich eventually became an area dedicated to maritime pursuits, eventually becoming the home of the Royal Navy College and the Royal Observatory.  This history is on display at the … [Read more...] about Ten Interesting Facts and Figures about Maritime Greenwich

London Alert: Hidden London Tours Bookings Open Next Week! Exploring Tunnels, Bomb Shelters and More!

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We've been on several Hidden London Tours and they're a great way to experience London in a unique way. We've done tours of two abandoned Tube Stations and I considered them highlights amongst all my travel to London. The thing is, they're hard to get tickets for because they're so popular. You can read about our tour of Aldwych here. So, Hidden London sent out an email … [Read more...] about London Alert: Hidden London Tours Bookings Open Next Week! Exploring Tunnels, Bomb Shelters and More!

Black and White and Red All Over – How London’s Newspapers Covered Jack the Ripper

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In 1888, a terror gripped London as a mysterious series of grisly murders took place in Whitechapel.  Dubbed “Jack the Ripper”, the mysterious killer murdered five prostitutes in the area and his identity was never discovered, even with Scotland Yard developing several new crimefighting techniques.  London found itself in a near-panic over the killings, though that wasn’t as … [Read more...] about Black and White and Red All Over – How London’s Newspapers Covered Jack the Ripper

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