Category: London

The Tate Modern has an imposing position opposite St. Paul’s Cathedral along the Thames River and is situated within a converted power station. It is free to the public and the modern art displays change quite frequently. Immediately outside is the Millennium Bridge. Britain’s national museum of international modern art is known as the Tate Modern and is, with Tate Online, Tate St. Ives, Tate Liverpool, and Tate Britain are simply known as Tate. The Tate galleries are housed in the former Bankside Power Station, which was built in two…

If you’re interested in the history of London then the Museum of London is the place to visit. The museum displays some of its amazing wealth of material in their collections in its seven permanent galleries. The history of London from the prehistoric to the present day is documented in the Museum of London. The museum is near the Barbican Center and is part of the Barbican building complex. It is within a few minutes’ walk of St. Paul’s Cathedral and overlooks the Roman city wall remains. It is near…

Westminster Abbey is built upon what was once Thorney Island which is a marshy retreat from the City of London. In 604 AD, St. Paul’s was founded in the city of London by Ethelbert, uncle of the king of the East Saxons. Royals later followed the pattern. King Edgar gave land for a church, and several kings, including Ethelred and Canute, donated relics. In 960, St. Dunstan endowed a place for a dozen monks. But it is to one man that we owe the marvelous church that we see today.…

St. Martin-in-the-Fields parish church sits on the north east corner of Trafalgar Square. The church has large white steeple which was built in 1721 by James Gibbs, and was used as an example for numerous churches, particularly in the U.S. It was the first church built in the 13th century and is the fourth church on this site. The church managed to survive the Great Fire of London, which did not reach as far as the City of Westminster. Never the less it was replaced with a new building which…

Trafalgar Square is famous for the huge number of pigeons that flock there. The centerpiece of Trafalgar Square is Nelsons Column which was built to honor Lord Nelson after his victory over the French during The Battle of Trafalgar on the 21st of October in 1805. During the famous battle which took place off the Spanish coast Nelson was fatally wounded. His body was taken back to London and buried in the St. Paul’s Cathedral. Over 20 years later the statue was built and currently stands over 185 feet high.…

Although many believe it to be so, Big Ben is in fact not the name of the famous London clock but rather it is name of the 13 ton bell which is inside it. The bell can be found in St. Stephen’s Tower at the northern end of the Houses of Parliament. The bell itself is relatively young in comparison to the houses of parliament. In 1859, the year it was completed, it was the largest bell in the United Kingdom. The tower, which holds the bell, is also called…

Although its location is thought to have been very near the present one very little is known about the earliest London Bridge. The second bridge, which existed during Saxon times, was the bridge that became world famous in the nursery rhyme London Bridge is falling down. It did in fact fall down in 1014. The original stone bridge was constructed in 1176. The present London Bridge was built in 1967 and is more than 100 feet wide.

Buckingham Palace currently serves as the administrative headquarters of the monarch and has been the official London residence of Britain’s Royalty since 1837. Although in use for the many official events and receptions held by The Queen, the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace are open to visitors every year. Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms including 78 bathrooms, 92 offices, 188 staff bedrooms, 53 Royal and guest bedrooms, and 19 State rooms. The building is 24 meters tall, 120 meters deep and 108 meters long across the front. The Palace is…

The Tower of London has been the home of every Monarch from William the Conqueror, in the 11th century, to Henry the VIII, in the 16th century. It has also been the Royal Observatory, the Royal Menagerie, and the site of the Royal mint. The Tower of London is notorious for being the scene of too many executions to count, including the second wife of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and for its prison. Young Prince Edward V and his brother were imprisoned in the Bloody Tower on their uncles’ orders.…