We reported on this a couple weeks ago (and it was the most popular thing we've posted in months!) so we figured we would let everyone know that the Giant Harry Potter Wands are now on display on the walk to St Paul's Cathedral from the Millenium Bridge for a very limited time. Put up to coincide with the upcoming film Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Fantastic … [Read more...] about Wands At The Ready! Giant Harry Potter Wands Unveiled On Walk to St Paul’s Cathedral
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Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Marylebone
Marylebone earned its name from a church located there on the bank of a stream (also known as a “borne”), becoming first St. Mary at the Bourne and then through settle iterations before settling on the current name for the district. Part of the City of Westminster, it is naturally a very affluent part of London and certainly has many great places to visit. No matter whether … [Read more...] about Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Marylebone
Stanfords, My Favorite Bookstore in London, Is Moving From its Iconic Current Location after More than a Century
This news has gutted me. I try to take the changing face of London in stride. London is an ever-changing city that has never existed in a static state. But this one hurts. Stanfords, the iconic travel bookstore, has been based in their Long Acre Street location since 1901. Famed for their selection of maps, explorers and adventurers throughout history have bought … [Read more...] about Stanfords, My Favorite Bookstore in London, Is Moving From its Iconic Current Location after More than a Century
The London Fiver – Five of the Oldest Schools in London
In the West, organized educational institutions have been around since the Middle Ages when churches set up schools to teach future priests and administrators. Besides that, few educational institutions existed until the first universities and almost nothing for children beyond apprenticeships. Greater London has over 3,000 schools today, and some of them have foundations … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five of the Oldest Schools in London
London Alert: Introducing the London Street Sign Collection at Anglotopia Imports
We’ve been working on this one for a few months and are quite excited to finally be able to offer authentic London Metal Street Signs. We’ve picked 15 of the most popular places in London for you to choose from. Each sign is about 12×16 inches (similar in size to the metal signs we offered earlier this year) and ready to hang. Each sign is being custom made for Anglotopia … [Read more...] about London Alert: Introducing the London Street Sign Collection at Anglotopia Imports
Top Ten London: 10 Fascinating and Beautiful London Housing Estates
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
Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and Do in Holborn
Striding the boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster, Holborn is a district close to the center of London. The first documented reference to Holborn was in 959, but the district itself wasn’t created officially until 1855. It has had an interesting history from hosting one of the city’s most famous molly houses for gay men in the 18th Century, a setting for many of … [Read more...] about Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and Do in Holborn
Laura’s London: Four New Permanent Galleries at the National Maritime Museum – Here’s Our First Look!
Following a major £12.6M redevelopment project, The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich has new permanent galleries open from 20 September 2018. 1,000m2 of space in the Museum's East Wing, previously closed to visitors, has been converted to public use adding an additional 40% of gallery space. And just like the rest of the Museum, these galleries are free to visit. The … [Read more...] about Laura’s London: Four New Permanent Galleries at the National Maritime Museum – Here’s Our First Look!
The London Fiver: 5 Christmas Markets To Plan To Visit During the Holiday Season
Once we get into November, the Christmas decorations go up all around London, and the Christmas Markets come out onto the city’s streets. Unlike the usual markets selling vintage goods, food, or clothing, obviously, these are geared more towards the festive season. While some take on the normal look of market stalls, others look like little cottages decked out in lights and … [Read more...] about The London Fiver: 5 Christmas Markets To Plan To Visit During the Holiday Season
Laura’s London: A Look at the Courtauld Impressionists at The National Gallery – From Manet to Cézanne
For the first time in London for 70 years, the National Gallery is displaying major Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterworks from the Courtauld Gallery, purchased in the 1920s by Samuel Courtauld (1876–1947). These are shown alongside paintings from the National Gallery's own collection which the businessman and philanthropist financed and helped acquire. Courtauld … [Read more...] about Laura’s London: A Look at the Courtauld Impressionists at The National Gallery – From Manet to Cézanne
London Bookshop Dreams: Adventures in Buying More Books Than My Luggage Can Carry
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the Anglotopia Print Magazine is 2017. Support great long-form writing about Britain by subscribing to the Anglotopia Print Magazine. Subscribe here. Books are my favorite souvenir from my travels in England. I love picking up new books about England for my library back home. Each book is a tangible reminder of the trip and … [Read more...] about London Bookshop Dreams: Adventures in Buying More Books Than My Luggage Can Carry
Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and Do in Ealing
Once a rural Middlesex village, Ealing was swallowed up along with much of the surrounding area as London grew into the metropolis it is today. Ealing was made its own borough in 1901 and became part of Greater London in 1965. While once a sleepy community, today Ealing is alive as a commercial and event center of West London. As such, there’s much to do within the borough, … [Read more...] about Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and Do in Ealing
LONDON Alert! It’s Back! The London Underground Tube Lightbox is Back With Limited Stock!
Due to popular demand, we've brought back the London Underground Lightbox that we offered back in July. We've worked with the company in the UK and we can offer another 100 units for you all. They should ship in Mid-October. If you intend to order this as a Christmas Gift, now is a good time. However, we're hoping to do one more round of sales before Christmas. The reviews are … [Read more...] about LONDON Alert! It’s Back! The London Underground Tube Lightbox is Back With Limited Stock!
Our Official London Top 10: Our Personal Favourite Things to See and do in London
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the 2018 London Annual. Pre-orders are now open for the 2019 London Annual - your guide to London in 2018. Reserve yours here. In the 2017 London Annual, we wrote an article about the tourist traps that visitors to London should avoid. We got a good response from the article, but everyone wondered, what were some of the … [Read more...] about Our Official London Top 10: Our Personal Favourite Things to See and do in London
London Alert: Announcing the 2019 London Annual Guide to London in 2019 – Pre-orders Now Open
It’s that time of year again - time to begin our orders for the London Annual - our guide to what to see and do in London in 2019. This is our third year in producing this special publication and it has become very popular. We're taking advance orders for two weeks! This year’s London Annual will be in the same format as last year’s; it will be 128 full-color pages. It's … [Read more...] about London Alert: Announcing the 2019 London Annual Guide to London in 2019 – Pre-orders Now Open
Top Ten – Hammersmith and Fulham
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham was formed in 1965 out of the districts of Hammersmith, Fulham, and Shepherd’s Bush. All three have had very interesting histories, with Fulham having been around since the 12th Century, Hammersmith hosting one of the early Olympic Games, and Shepherd’s Bush being home to the BBC Television Service for decades. Today, the borough … [Read more...] about Top Ten – Hammersmith and Fulham
Tipsy Touring: Your Guide to London Brewery and Gin Distillery Tours
Besides tea, a couple of drinks that are endemic to Britain's identity are ale and gin. Ale is a combination of yeast, hops, and barley that is warm fermented and there are many different types of beer you can make from it depending on the amount and types of ingredients. Gin, on the other hand, is a spirit developed from juniper berries. Both beverages not only have a … [Read more...] about Tipsy Touring: Your Guide to London Brewery and Gin Distillery Tours
Ten Interesting Facts about the Notting Hill Carnival
Most Mardi Gras celebrations, or Carnival as its known in Central and South America, take place prior to the season of Lent in February. Notting Hill’s Carnival is a little different, however, happening in August instead. And while other Carnivals are about getting out your excesses ahead of Lenten period, Notting Hill’s event is more a celebration of the Caribbean cultures … [Read more...] about Ten Interesting Facts about the Notting Hill Carnival
Site News: A New Look and a New Logo for Londontopia
Just a quick housekeeping post to let everyone know that the paint is a little fresh here at Londontopia. After nearly 5 years with the same design, we've given Londontopia a design refresh. The old design was perfectly fine, but the site was starting to look a little dated compared to current web standards. So, we've redesigned it to make a little easier to read across … [Read more...] about Site News: A New Look and a New Logo for Londontopia
Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Chelsea
One-half of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Chelsea is a fairly posh area of London (see: massive understatement) that’s been an important part of London since the first Synod of Chelsea in 787 AD. It later became the property of the Crown when King Henry VIII acquired it in 1536. From that point on, its association with the monarch made it a fashionable area to … [Read more...] about Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Chelsea
Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and Do in Pimlico
Pimlico, like many areas of London, was mostly farmland for centuries until the city’s expansion in the 1800s made it a desirable place to live. The district’s closeness to the Houses of Parliament led to it becoming a center of political activity beginning in the 20th Century, but it has largely remained a residential district with few major tourist attractions. However, … [Read more...] about Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and Do in Pimlico
Exploring Down Street Tube Abandoned Station: Churchill’s Secret Wartime Bunker
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
Useful Map Alert: The Wonderful World of Off-Peak – Free Maps of Attractions Along Each Tube Line
Transport for London has launched a new marketing program to encourage people to travel the Tube network during its off-peak hours. This is so that people can experience the Tube when it's less crowded, but also keep tourists off the Tube during the rush hour crunch. As part of this, they've worked with Time Out magazine to create a series of maps to showcase the most … [Read more...] about Useful Map Alert: The Wonderful World of Off-Peak – Free Maps of Attractions Along Each Tube Line
London’s Autumn Season: Ten Things to Do in London This Coming Autumn
Autumn is a wonderful time of the year just about anywhere in the world, and no more so than in London. You can believe that no matter what day it is, there’s going to be something to see and do. From street festivals to culinary celebrations, pageantry to tradition, and sport to costuming, there is much London has to offer from September through November. We have outlined … [Read more...] about London’s Autumn Season: Ten Things to Do in London This Coming Autumn
More Secret London – Twenty Hidden Places in London for You to Explore
There are plenty of places in London you may not know exist unless someone points them out. You might have to go behind a door or down an alley to find them. You may walk past them all the time without seeing what’s right in front of you. Even so, you may know about them, but not know exactly what they keep hidden from the public. Fortunately, we here at Londontopia will … [Read more...] about More Secret London – Twenty Hidden Places in London for You to Explore
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!
