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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
Introducing the New Londontopia Print Magazine – Order Your Copy Now – Quantities Very Limited
We’ve been working on this in secret and now we’re ready for the big reveal. Introducing The Londontopia Print Magazine. Did you know that there isn’t a magazine on the US market dedicated completely to London? We thought this was odd, so now that we’ve got two years of magazine experience under our belts with […]
The London Fiver – Five of the Most Expensive Apartment Buildings in London
Living in the city is hard. It’s also expensive. A common criticism of most cities is that home prices, and apartment rents are only getting more expensive. A city like London can certainly fit the bill when it comes to high rent prices. Of course, in a city full of movie stars, politicians, businessmen, and […]
Power Hungry: The History of Supplying London with Power
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 […]
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 […]
Ten Interesting Facts and Figures about Maritime Greenwich
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. […]
City on the Edge of Tomorrow – London as a Smart City
Technology is ever-changing, and its applications are always increasing, offering a wide range of benefits. With that in mind, municipalities all over the world are out to incorporate new technology in order to improve the lives of their citizens. The use of information and communications technology and Internet of Things technology can provide a large […]
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 […]
The London Fiver – Five Uniquely London Immersive Experiences To Try On Your Next Visit
It’s one thing to simply walk through an old building, see a play, or have dinner in a great restaurant, but it’s another event entirely when you find yourself immersed in the experience. Today, many patrons want to feel like a part of something rather than just being a spectator, and the city of London […]
The London Fiver – Five of the Best Riverside Pubs To Have a Pint
London’s pubs are one of the most charming aspects of the city. They get even better when you can find one next to the Thames River. Many of the city’s pubs are right on the river and offer a magnificent view of the flowing waters and the ships that traverse the Thames. It can […]
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 […]
London Icon: A History of Harry Beck’s Iconic Tube Map
KEY FACTS Designed by Harry Beck in 1932 Set a style for transport maps around the world As instantly recognisable as the Union Jack Beck received little credit for his work during his lifetime London’s history is filled with historical figures who were just doing a job or once had an idea that turned into […]
The Great London Taxi App Review Round-up – We Test All The Apps and Give Our Verdict
Mobile apps have changed the way many of us travel in London. They’ve enriched trips and made them better. One way they’ve made them better is getting a ride when you need one. Apps like Uber and Lyft have changed the game in many major cities for taxis. The problem is that in London, there […]
Advert Lights in Piccadilly Circus Shut Off Until Autumn – First Time in Many Years
If you pass through Piccadilly Circus after today, you will be presented with an unusual sight. The adverts that have adorned a building in the circus have been switched off. No, it’s not a sudden change of heart that advertising is terrible. It’s part of a major renovation of the sign. From the BBC: The billboard, […]
Londonism: Clapham Common Tube Station Overtaken by Cats
Now, this is a lovely news story. Clapham Common Tube Station in London has been overtaken by cats. Citizens Advertising Takeover Service (CATS) ran a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to raise funds to remove all the ads in a Tube Station and replace them with pictures of cats. They were a success and now the […]
Ten Interesting Facts and Figures About the Greater London Authority
At one point prior to Thatcher, the 32 London boroughs and the City of London were joined in their government functions first as the County of London from 1889 to 1965, then the Greater London Council from 1965 until 1986. During Margaret Thatcher’s government, it was decided to bring London’s government under Parliamentary control and […]
Great London Buildings – 10 Downing Street – The London Home of the Prime Minister
Long as it has been amongst the symbols of governmental power in the United Kingdom, “Number 10” as it is known, is also one of the most iconic residences for a world leader. The history of the building itself is just as fascinating as those Prime Ministers who resided within and the historical actions of […]
Elizabeth Tower (aka Big Ben) Comes to Lego
I’m a huge fan of LEGO – I received the Lego Tower Bridge as a gift a few years ago and loved putting it together. Now we Londonphiles have a new set to put together – a new model of Elizabeth Tower (aka Big Ben) along with part of the Palace of Westminster. Here are […]
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!
