Top 10 London

Part of the London Borough of Hackney, Haggerston is part of the East End.  The area has had a long history with London going back to before the Norman Invasion.  The Domesday book recorded the name as Hergotestane, suggesting it had been settled by the Vikings.  Once home to notorious criminals the Kray Twins, the rea is quite cosmopolitan today, featuring lovely parks, … [Read more...] about Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Haggerston

The Borough of Haringey is caught in the middle between Inner London and Outer London and often stated to belong to one or the other.  Over its history, it’s been home to the Celts, the Romans, the Saxons, and more.  As with London’s other boroughs, it was formed in 1965 with the formation of Greater London.  Today it’s home to some of London’s most famous buildings, beautiful … [Read more...] about Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Haringey

Redbridge is one of the most northeastern boroughs in Greater London, and like many of the outer boroughs, for years it was mostly farmland and manor estates before the city’s growth from the 17th Century-onwards turned it into a suburb.  While a mostly quiet part of the city, Redbridge is quite well known for its parks and sporting facilities, offering its residents pretty of … [Read more...] about Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Redbridge

One of the outermost boroughs of London, Hillingdon was formed in 1965 out of Middlesex County boroughs such as Hayes and Harlington, Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, and Yiewsley and West Drayton.  In many ways, Hillingdon serves as a gateway to London thanks to being the borough of Heathrow Airport.  Even with the planes overhead, it’s a pretty peaceful area full of large … [Read more...] about Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Hillingdon

A residential area of London since the early 19th Century, Canonbury can be a bit hard to define.  It’s never had its own council or other administrative unit, but just about always folded into Islington.  With that in mind, you might think it would be hard to find something to do in this neighborhood, but there’s always something to see in any part of London.  As a residential … [Read more...] about Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to Do in Canonbury

Part of the Borough of Southwark, Bermondsey is an area of London that for centuries did not have a large population or many homes, save for land owned by the Church or the Crown.  This began to change following the Great Fire of London when many of London’s well-to-do citizens moved here.  The population increased further beginning after this though the area became more … [Read more...] about Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Bermondsey

Balham is a neighborhood in South West London that is old enough to appear in the Domesday Book, where it was listed as Belgeham.  It was meadows and farmland for centuries until the expansion of the city engulfed it and turned it into another suburb.  Without much history of note, today, Balham offers a lot for people visiting.  Those who are into greenspace will want to visit … [Read more...] about Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Balham

The London Borough of Hounslow was one of many crafted by the London Government Act 1963 and was a combination of three other government bodies:  Brentford and Chiswick, Heston and Isleworth, and the Feltham Urban District.  Formerly home to a number of farms and large estates, several of the latter still exist in the borough as house museums and grand parks.  Of course, these … [Read more...] about Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to Do in Hounslow

The London Borough of Lewisham had its origins as far back as the 6th Century when the Jute Leof settled in the area, making it “Leofshema”.  The name then evolved into Levesham and then the Lord Manor of Lewisham by the Saxon period.  As with much of inner London, it went from pastoral estate to suburban metropolis as London expanded and the Borough of Lewisham was officially … [Read more...] about Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Lewisham

Stockwell was once part of a sprawling country estate before the expanding London turned it into a middle-class suburb in the 19th Century.  Since that time, Stockwell has seen mixed fortunes, much was rebuilt after World War II and the district became a home to several public housing estates.  Part of the larger Borough of Lambeth, Stockwell today offers plenty to see and do … [Read more...] about Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Stockwell

Most people might associate the name Paddington with a certain bear; in fact, doing the research on this article requires some modifiers to my search to specifically point out that I’m not looking for him.  However, the area from which the famous fictional character takes his name has plenty of distinction in itself.  Once a medieval parish and then a London borough, the latter … [Read more...] about Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and Do in Paddington

Stepney is a district in London with an interesting history.  Also known as Stepney Green, this area is a part of East London that blew up during the 19th Century as new residents flooded to London for work.  This new population was mostly made up of immigrants and low-income workers, shaping the district into a place largely known for poverty, a reputation that changed little … [Read more...] about Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Stepney