London

 Welcome to London, capital of England and gateway to the United Kingdom.

 Tower Bridge

Introduction

London has a long recorded history stretching back almost 2000 years to the 1st century AD when founded by the invading Romans and named Londinium. The city became pre-eminent in Roman times. After the Romans left in AD 410 London achieved importance in Saxon times under Alfred the Great (AD 849-AD 899)  a status maintained by the invading Norman-French in 1066 who constructed the Tower of London. Thereafter, London progressively grew and evolved through the medieval period and then on through the Great Plague and Great Fire, both of the 17th century. In the 19th century London was at the heart of the powerful British Empire. During WW2 London suffered extensive damage and loss of life due to enemy action. Today, London is a vibrant and prosperous commercial and administrative centre with a population of 8.2m.

Information on London

London is world class tourism destination receiving about 15.0m international visitors each year who are attracted by the history, heritage, culture, shopping, learning, architecture, pageantry, art and numerous other sights, experiences and interests. Below is summary of popular visitor experiences and destinations.

→British Library: One of world’s greatest collections of books, manuscripts, maps, stamps and sound recordings.

→British Museum: A wide collection of antiquities from prehistory to present day and covering many ancient civilisations.

→Buckingham Palace: Official residence of the British monarch. State Rooms are open to visitors.

                                                               Buckingham Palace

→Changing of the Guard: Colourful event outside Buckingham Palace.

→Chinatown: Far East themed shopping and food north from Leicester Square.

 China Town

→Churchill War Rooms: WW2 control centre from 1939 to 1945.

→Greenwich: Home to the Royal Observatory, National Maritime Museum and 19th c clipper, Cutty Sark.

→Hampton Court Palace: Dates from 16th century, a favourite of Henry VIII.

→HMS Belfast: WW2 era armoured warship moored on River Thames.

→Houses of Parliament:  Gothic style home of the U.K. Parliament completed 1870. Includes the Elizabeth Tower which is better known as ‘Big Ben’.

 

Houses of Parliament

→Imperial War Museum: Covers conflicts from WW1 through to present day.

→London Eye: The world’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel with 40 km panoramic views on a clear day.

→Madame Tussauds:  Three hundred wax figures to view.

→Museum of London: Covers London from prehistory through Roman and medieval to modern day.

→National Gallery: Houses a major collection of  Western European paintings.

→Natural History Museum: Emphasis on the natural world. Includes a special Darwin Centre.

→Oxford Street shopping: A luxury shopping destination which ranks as Europe’s busiest shopping street.

→St. Martin-in-the Fields: Iconic 18th century church which holds 350 classical music concerts each year.

→St. Paul’s Cathedral:  Designed by famous architect, Sir Christopher Wren and completed 1710.

→Science Museum: Over 12000 science related exhibits.

→Tate Britain: Home to the largest collection of British art.

→Thames River Cruise: Sightseeing from Westminster Pier passing historic and other places of interest along the river.

 

River Thames

→Tower of London: A 900 year old, multi-purpose fortress, prison, palace and garrison which is home to Britain’s Crown Jewels.

→Victoria and Albert Museum: A world-class repository of art and design featuring artifacts spanning some 3000 years.

→Westminster Abbey: Core structure is Gothic and dates from 13th century. Famous for Royal weddings and burials of monarchs and other important persons.

→London Zoo: Set in Regent’s Park and home to over 750 animal species.