Founded in the 18th century, the Foundling Hospital was the first children's home in Britain. After much campaigning, sea captain and philanthropist Thomas Coram opened the doors in 1739 to care for babies at risk of abandonment. 18th Century London Hospitals In 1700 the only medical hospitals in London were the Royal Hospitals of St Bartholomew and St Thomas. There were … [Read more...] about London Long Read: The Fascinating History of the Foundling Hospital – London’s First Children’s Home
London Histories
Laura’s London: Exploring Copped Hall – A Stunning Abandoned Stately Home in Epping Forest
During lockdown, I've been enjoying getting to know Epping Forest. It's truly vast and stretches across northeast London and out into the Essex countryside. A friend gave me a tip to find a disused stately home that had been left empty but was now being renovated. Copped Hall is near to Epping in Essex. It is an 18th-century mansion situated on high ground at the end of a … [Read more...] about Laura’s London: Exploring Copped Hall – A Stunning Abandoned Stately Home in Epping Forest
London Histories: A Look Number 10 Downing Street – Home of Britain’s Prime Ministers – Long Read
Inspiration for new articles comes from many places, and this one was inspired by a bar of soap. No, really. I'll explain that connection below. It got me thinking about this seat of power that is both the home and workplace for the British Prime Minister. Number 10 Downing Street is a terraced Georgian building off Whitehall, and a short walk away from the Houses of … [Read more...] about London Histories: A Look Number 10 Downing Street – Home of Britain’s Prime Ministers – Long Read
London Histories: Your Complete Guide to Beatles London
The Beatles have lots of London connections, including where they have lived, recorded and performed. I've lived close to many of these locations and had no idea the world's most famous band had been in the area. (The Beatles even performed at my local cinema in 1964!) Let's have a look at the neighbourhoods they knew well. Bloomsbury Royal National Hotel The Beatles … [Read more...] about London Histories: Your Complete Guide to Beatles London
London Histories: A History of All of London’s Royal Parks
There are eight royal parks in London that are royal because the lands have been owned by Kings and Queens. Most have been used as hunting grounds, so I thought it would be interesting to find out more about each park. Knowing you can take a stroll or stop for a picnic on a location once frequented by marauding royal hunters certainly adds to the sense of history in … [Read more...] about London Histories: A History of All of London’s Royal Parks
Laura’s London: A History of Hyde Park – Long Read
While it is a wonderful place for a walk, Hyde Park is also used for major concerts and the annual Winter Wonderland. But the park has a long history that includes reviews of troops, encampments, duels, highway robberies, executions and more. One of London's eight royal parks, Hyde Park is in central London and adjoins Kensington Gardens. Its borders start from the west of … [Read more...] about Laura’s London: A History of Hyde Park – Long Read
LONDON UNDER: Exploring Hidden London’s Abandoned Charing Cross Station
London Transport Museum has a really interesting selection of ‘Hidden London’ tours that give us occasional access to tunnels and stations on the London transport network that are no longer in operational use. The ‘Charing Cross: Access All Areas’ tour looks at the out of service Jubilee line platforms and construction tunnels left over from the excavation of the Jubilee line … [Read more...] about LONDON UNDER: Exploring Hidden London’s Abandoned Charing Cross Station
London History: A Special Look at Cleopatra’s Needle on the Victoria Embankment
Did you know, London has an ancient Egyptian obelisk on display? It's not in a museum or a private collection. It's actually alongside the River Thames in central London so you may have seen it and not realised its significance. Cleopatra's Needle on the Victoria Embankment, near the Golden Jubilee Bridges, has a twin in New York's Central Park. (And those two have a … [Read more...] about London History: A Special Look at Cleopatra’s Needle on the Victoria Embankment
Buck House: A History of Buckingham Palace – Long Read
Editor's Note: You're going to want to brew a cuppa and read this one! While it has a much longer history, Buckingham Palace only became the London residence of Britain's sovereigns in 1837. The Palace is the administrative headquarters of the monarchy and the royal family. (The Queen refers to Buckingham Palace as "the office" as it's where she works rather than … [Read more...] about Buck House: A History of Buckingham Palace – Long Read
A Guide to London’s Underground Abandoned Ghost Stations
There are 270 functioning stations across the 249 miles of Transport for London network. But more interesting to us for this article are the 40+ Overground and Underground stations still in existence that are no longer used for travel. Some people refer to these simply as abandoned stations and others use the name 'ghost stations' (my preferred name choice). All refer to … [Read more...] about A Guide to London’s Underground Abandoned Ghost Stations
London Long Read: A History of London’s 35 Bridges Over The Thames
Did you know, there are 35 bridges over The Thames in London? No, me neither so this was a really interesting article to research. From Hampton Court Bridge in the west (just within the Greater London boundary) through to Tower Bridge there are road bridges, railway bridges and footbridges too. Have a read through, admire the photos, then let us know which is your favourite. … [Read more...] about London Long Read: A History of London’s 35 Bridges Over The Thames
London Bridge is Falling Down… A History of London Bridge and Where To Find ‘Old’ London Bridge
London Bridge is falling down, Falling down, falling down. London Bridge is falling down, My fair lady. The popular nursery rhyme would have you believe that the river crossing here has had some issues. But as there has been a bridge over The Thames at this location for 2,000 years it's unsurprising that it has had to be replaced a few times. (The rumour from the nursery … [Read more...] about London Bridge is Falling Down… A History of London Bridge and Where To Find ‘Old’ London Bridge
London’s Piazza: A History of Covent Garden – From Market to Tourist Mecca
Covent Garden is popular with both locals and visitors but it wasn't always the way. The area was home to aristocracy before it became a centre of commerce. And while it is a cool hangout today, there was a time when you wouldn't want to stop here day or night. The elegant piazza and market with street cobbles and the arched market buildings hint at the rich heritage. From … [Read more...] about London’s Piazza: A History of Covent Garden – From Market to Tourist Mecca
Out of Austerity: The Festival of Britain 1951 – A History and Examination
The 1951 Festival of Britain was a post-war state-sponsored exhibition. At the time, rationing continued and austerity gripped the nation. London was shabby, rundown and gloomy so this bright and playful spectacular was a 'tonic for the nation' to promote the feeling of recovery. The city was scarred with bombsites and buildings hadn't been painted for ten years so the Festival … [Read more...] about Out of Austerity: The Festival of Britain 1951 – A History and Examination
City of London Postman’s Park – London’s Special Memorial to Everyday Heroes
The City of London has over 150 open spaces from city gardens to pocket parks. Many are former graveyards, and Postman's Park fits that category. It is a shady garden with plenty of benches to stop with your takeaway lunch and enjoy the calm away from the City streets. It's also a pleasant cut-through from King Edward Street to St Martin' s-le-Grand, close to the Museum of … [Read more...] about City of London Postman’s Park – London’s Special Memorial to Everyday Heroes
London History: The East End Match Girls’ Strike of 1888
In nineteenth-century London, labour was cheap and expendable. The Industrial Revolution brought millions of people from the country to the cities as agricultural mechanisation took away their jobs. With so many wanting (and needing) a job, there was little incentive for industrialists to treat their workforce well. At this time, London's East End was notorious as a place of … [Read more...] about London History: The East End Match Girls’ Strike of 1888
Another London Mapping Wonder: Taking a Close Look at MacDonald Gill’s 1914 London Wonderground Map
Do you remember the days when we stood waiting for a train before we had mobile phones to distract us? Some read the paper and some simply stared into space daydreaming and avoiding eye contact with any strangers. Back in the early twentieth century, Frank Pick from the London Underground had the idea to commission a detailed illustrative map for passengers on platforms to … [Read more...] about Another London Mapping Wonder: Taking a Close Look at MacDonald Gill’s 1914 London Wonderground Map
A London Mapping Wonder: A Guide to the London Theatreland Map of 1915
Back in 2015, I redecorated my dining room to include a feature wall section with a London Theatreland map from 1915. (This is the wallpaper – as an aside, I got the self-adhesive version so it was really easy to hang.) One hundred years after the map was published for London Underground, I got to admire it in large-scale at home. For a less permanent version, you can get … [Read more...] about A London Mapping Wonder: A Guide to the London Theatreland Map of 1915
STRAWBERRY HILL HOUSE: London’s Gothic Revival Masterpiece
Created by Horace Walpole as his summer retreat riverside villa, Strawberry Hill House is Britain’s finest example of Georgian Gothic Revival architecture. After a £10 million repair and restoration programme, twenty rooms now appear as Walpole left them when he died at the end of the eighteenth century. Throughout his 50 years at Strawberry Hill, between 1747 and 1797, Horace … [Read more...] about STRAWBERRY HILL HOUSE: London’s Gothic Revival Masterpiece
HIDDEN LONDON: The Lost Tunnels of Euston Station
London Transport Museum’s ‘Hidden London’ tours are great to know about as you get access to tunnels and stations on the London transport network that are not usually open to the public. In Londontopia magazine issue #1 I reported back about the hidden tunnels at Charing Cross station. So it was a treat to join another tour, this time at Euston station. This one was a treat … [Read more...] about HIDDEN LONDON: The Lost Tunnels of Euston Station
THE ALBERT MEMORIAL: A Close-up Look at Victoria’s Tribute to Her Prince
When Queen Victoria's husband died unexpectedly, it was not just the monarch that mourned as the nation too was consumed with grief along with a certain amount of guilt at not having appreciated Prince Albert and everything he had done. A grand and complex memorial was built to place Albert in the centre of arts and sciences of the 1860s. PRINCE ALBERT Prince Albert of … [Read more...] about THE ALBERT MEMORIAL: A Close-up Look at Victoria’s Tribute to Her Prince
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!