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
Here is a glittering portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn - that you can see at the National Portrait Gallery. Elizabeth I lived from 1533-1603 and reigned from 1558-1603. This portrait was by an unknown English artist in c.1600 and is known as 'The Coronation portrait' - because [...]
This is one of a collection of buildings in Whitehall that was the centre of British naval power from the mid-1700's to the 1960's. It is officially called the Admiralty Extension, and is on Horse Guards. Completed in 1904, it was the workplace of Ian Flemming; creator of James Bond (and Chitty Chitty Bang [...]
Think you can only visit the interior of Buckingham Palace during the summer months? In fact you can visit The Queen's Gallery all year round. It may not have the magnificence of the State Rooms, but it's actually inside the Palace and shows artworks from the Queen's vast 'Royal Collection'. It's a privately owned collection; [...]
We took a tour last week of Spencer House in central London. Spencer House was built by John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer; an ancestor of Princess Diana! The family still own the freehold, but the meticulous refurbishment is down to Jacob, Lord Rothschild, of the banking dynasty, undertaken during the 1980’s. It's a Palladian villa [...]
Back from a visit to the reconstructed 'Temple of Mithras' in London - an original Roman temple from around 250 AD. A blow-away experience of sound, light and atmospheric effects. Followers believed the god was responsible for the cosmos and male fertility - an important deity in Roman times. Also on display are around 600 [...]