Historical locations, people and buildings in London
Bermondsey is a thriving business and social area on the south side of the River Thames. It found prominence as the location of Bermondsey Abbey in the middle ages. The abbey was dissolved during Tudor times and the area developed into the centre of London's leather processing industry. Many of the street names bear witness to [...]
In Brook Street, Mayfair there is an extraordinary couple of houses - turned into a museum. Numbers 23 and 25 were homes to two musicians 200 years apart; Jimi Hendrix in London and the house of George Frideric Handel! Handel House G F Handel was born in Germany in 1685. He moved to London age [...]
The Saatchi gallery is one of London’s premier contemporary art galleries. It is based in an impressive Grade 2* listed building opened in 1801 as a school for children of soldiers’ widows. From 1892 it served as the Duke of York’s Military School and in 1911 was re-named the Duke of York’s Barracks and became [...]
Hertford House The Wallace Collection is a national museum of fine art. It is based in Hertford House, an original London townhouse from the 18th century and one of the best art museums in London, off the beaten track. The museum is situated in Manchester Square, just north of Oxford Street and has a stunning [...]
Vauxhall is an area in central London on the south side of the River Thames. It is also the site of some of the oldest in-situ structures in London. Just to the west of Vauxhall Bridge, on the south side of the river, you can see the remains of a Bronze Age bridge or [...]
Soho is a well-known district of the City of Westminster in London. This article will describe how Soho evolved into the epicentre of London’s entertainment scene. Soho is thought to take its name from the hunting cries used when it was a royal hunting park belonging to King Henry VIII, who hunted here with members [...]
The chances are you’ll come across Shakespeare at least once during your visit to London. You might even visit the Globe Theatre for a performance. Here’s a primer on how Shakespearean theatre started in London. Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 and spent the greatest part of his working life in London - living [...]
This post describes a group of buildings near 'Cheapside' in the City of London; an area well-known as being associated with medieval London. The area is also the site of the world's first national postal service that was established in the early part of the eighteenth century. The Royal Mail was originally established in Tudor [...]
