Essential History | The people, places and events that have shaped our history and culture
The people, places and events that have shaped our history and culture
Historical locations, people and buildings in London
William Morris was an influential designer and one of the leaders of the Arts and Crafts movement - that started in Britain before becoming a world-wide phenomenon. This is the house where the movement started. 'Arts and Crafts' rejected plain mass produced household furniture and fittings in favour of ambitious, creative and bespoke designs for [...]
Every day of the week in London, there are two guard changing ceremonies that display the splendour of Britain’s constitutional monarchy against a backdrop of historic royal palaces. One guard changing is located at ‘Horse Guards’, off Whitehall, and the other takes place outside Buckingham Palace. Both ceremonies happen at 11am, except on Sunday when [...]
The Virginia Quay Settlers Monument, on the north shore of the River Thames, marks the embarkation point of the first English settlers of North America. This was where Captains Christopher Newport and John Smith set sail in December 1606 - some 14 years before the Mayflower set sail two miles further upstream. There were three ships [...]
Discover the site of London's Roman Forum - and the secrets of the Victorian Leadenhall Market today. Designed and created by Sir Horace Jones in 1881, Leadenhall Market is one of the three markets he built for the City of London. It was built on the site of the Roman Basilica and Forum (some ruins [...]
In Covent Garden, is the world's best museum of public transportation. This is the London Transport Museum. We can be sure of this, because London holds a series of world firsts; the first underwater tunnel for mass-transit purposes in 1840, the earliest underground railway in 1863, the earliest electrified underground line in 1890 and the [...]