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Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and Do Along The River Thames

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Lifeblood to London, the River Thames enabled the earliest settlements to take place in prehistoric England, giving way to the Romans who would formally establish the city.  The Thames has unquestionably been a major player in London’s history over the years, providing the citizens with water, serving as a means of transport to goods and people, and even responsible for the … [Read more...] about Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and Do Along The River Thames

The Sounds of London – From the BBC Archive

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A couple weeks ago, we discovered this archive. The BBC has released thousands of recordings from their sound archive for free to the public to reuse. I've done a search through the archive and found a ton of great recordings of London. One of the things I love the most about London is the sounds. London is a noisy city, but many of its sounds are unique to London. The Tube has … [Read more...] about The Sounds of London – From the BBC Archive

Alexandra Palace’s East Wing Opens To the Public After £27 Million Restoration – See Images of the New Interiors!

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It's so lovely to see London's iconic buildings get a new lease of life after restoration. The latest building in London to get the treatment is Alexandra Palace. While not really a 'palace' in the palace sense, Alexandra Palace has been a destination for entertainment since it was built in the Victorian Era. It's most famous as the place where the BBC started broadcasting … [Read more...] about Alexandra Palace’s East Wing Opens To the Public After £27 Million Restoration – See Images of the New Interiors!

Unbuilt London: Fun Look at Bonkers London Projects That Never Happened

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London has had many projects that never took off the ground. They were either ridiculous, impractical or too expensive. But it sure has created some interesting planning applications and proposals throughout London's history. The folks over at Barratt Homes have taken the historical proposals and did some photoshop magic to imagine what these plans would look like in modern … [Read more...] about Unbuilt London: Fun Look at Bonkers London Projects That Never Happened

Iconic Battersea Power Station to Get Great Glass Elevator in Its Chimney Offering 360 Degree Views of London from 2021

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No, Willy Wonka isn't building a chocolate factory in London. Battersea Power Station, made famous by the iconic Pink Floyd's album cover and then became more famous as a white elephant changing hands several times, is to get a new tourist attraction. They're going to put a glass elevator in one of the smokestacks and offer travelers a chance to get 360-degree unobstructed … [Read more...] about Iconic Battersea Power Station to Get Great Glass Elevator in Its Chimney Offering 360 Degree Views of London from 2021

Top Ten London: 10 Fascinating and Beautiful London Housing Estates

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Since the Victorian period, the British government and local councils have taken it upon themselves to ensure that housing was provided to the working classes.  Part of this was out of concern for the health of lower-income persons who were often packed into slums as well as being a progressive step toward municipal planning.  In the wake of destruction caused by the London … [Read more...] about Top Ten London: 10 Fascinating and Beautiful London Housing Estates

Exhibition Alert: Laura Visits the 2018 Summer Opening of Buckingham Palace – Prince Charles’s Favorites in the Royal Collection

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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 over 100 works of art personally selected by His Royal … [Read more...] about Exhibition Alert: Laura Visits the 2018 Summer Opening of Buckingham Palace – Prince Charles’s Favorites in the Royal Collection

New London Street Slang – Fun British Slang

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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 of what they used to mean. It’s all very … [Read more...] about New London Street Slang – Fun British Slang

Streets of London: Amusing London Street Names

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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.  Enjoy these twenty-five London streets with funny names and … [Read more...] about Streets of London: Amusing London Street Names

London’s Fate: Visions of a Future London in Film and Television

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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 portraying London’s future have always been popular.  Most of … [Read more...] about London’s Fate: Visions of a Future London in Film and Television

Introducing the New Londontopia Print Magazine – Order Your Copy Now – Quantities Very Limited

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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 Anglotopia Magazine, today we’re launching a dedicated London … [Read more...] about Introducing the New Londontopia Print Magazine – Order Your Copy Now – Quantities Very Limited

The London Fiver – Five of the Most Expensive Apartment Buildings in London

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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 royals, there are plenty of people willing to pay for the richest … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five of the Most Expensive Apartment Buildings in 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

The New Piccadilly Circus Billboard: A Review

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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 don’t really use the word billboard. It’s a … [Read more...] about The New Piccadilly Circus Billboard: A Review

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

City on the Edge of Tomorrow – London as a Smart City

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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 number of service … [Read more...] about City on the Edge of Tomorrow – London as a Smart City

The London Fiver – Five Interesting Future Building Developments in London That Will Change It

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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 presently a wide array of proposed and … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five Interesting Future Building Developments in London That Will Change It

The London Fiver – Five Uniquely London Immersive Experiences To Try On Your Next Visit

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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 has many immersive opportunities that throw visitors into the deep end.  … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five Uniquely London Immersive Experiences To Try On Your Next Visit

The London Fiver – Five of the Best Riverside Pubs To Have a Pint

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  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 be hard to pick only one of these great watering holes.  They’re all gorgeous on the … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five of the Best Riverside Pubs To Have a Pint

Ten Interesting Facts and Figures about the Shard – The Tallest Building in the UK

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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 it has been a part of London, the Shard has made more of an impression than … [Read more...] about Ten Interesting Facts and Figures about the Shard – The Tallest Building in the UK

London Icon: A History of Harry Beck’s Iconic Tube Map

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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 something bigger than they ever intended. Henry C … [Read more...] about London Icon: A History of Harry Beck’s Iconic Tube Map

The Great London Taxi App Review Round-up – We Test All The Apps and Give Our Verdict

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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 was an already entrenched and well respected Taxi trade that resisted these changes. The … [Read more...] about The Great London Taxi App Review Round-up – We Test All The Apps and Give Our Verdict

Advert Lights in Piccadilly Circus Shut Off Until Autumn – First Time in Many Years

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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, which has displayed electrical advertisements for … [Read more...] about Advert Lights in Piccadilly Circus Shut Off Until Autumn – First Time in Many Years

Londonism: Clapham Common Tube Station Overtaken by Cats

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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 cats are now 'live' in the station on all the advertising … [Read more...] about Londonism: Clapham Common Tube Station Overtaken by Cats

Ten Interesting Facts and Figures About the Greater London Authority

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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 its various functions carried out by … [Read more...] about Ten Interesting Facts and Figures About the Greater London Authority

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