Essential London | The top sights in London and beyond
The best cultural and historical sights in London and beyond.
This is part one of a two-part article on one of London’s best places to live. The article covers the sights to see in Clapham, South West London. You’ll discover compelling facts about the area, its residents and renowned architecture. Plus, an awesome selection of pubs and cafes to visit! Introduction Clapham is perhaps best [...]
Here is a pub-walk through one of London's most historical and well-heeled residential areas. Mayfair, named after its raucous annual fair, was purpose-built during the mid to late-1700's. Many wealthy residents moved here from Soho - where they had lived after the devastating Great Fire of London of 1666. Sir Richard Grosvenor engaged Thomas Barlow [...]
The history of Hatfield House starts in 1485, when the Bishop of Ely (Cambridgeshire) constructed Hatfield Palace, today called the Old Palace. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536-41), Hatfield Palace was acquired by King Henry VIII, passed down in sequence to his children; Edward, Mary and Elisabeth and then inherited by King James I [...]
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is renowned world-wide as being the 'mother of all parliaments' This post is a self-guided walk through the heart of political Westminster. The walk starts in Smith Square, Westminster, home to party HQ's, lobbyists and political associations and ends in Trafalgar Square. It will take you around three hours, [...]
Essential London has published 'Essential Clapham' - a pocket guide to this popular area in south-west London. It's a guide to the history of Clapham and the best cultural, historical and social (e.g. leisure venues, pubs and cafes) sights that you can see and visit today. Showcasing modern-day London-living through 100 pages and 90 original [...]
Soho is a well-known district of the City of Westminster in London. This article describes 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 of [...]
Nonsuch Park is named after the 'unequalled' palace built for King Henry VIII in 1538. Nonsuch Palace was the first great Renaissance building in England taking nine years to build and costing £24,000, a phenominal sum at that time. The palace passed to King Edward VI and then Queen Mary I, who sold it to [...]
In 1896, Charlie Chaplin, his mother and brother presented themselves at the door of the Lambeth Workhouse in south London. Charlie’s father had left them and with no secure earnings they were destitute. Making matters worse, Charlie’s mother, Hannah, also suffered from mental problems. Over the next few years, the family passed in, and out, [...]
Hampton Court Palace was the home of England's most famous king from 1529 until his death in 1547. With sixty acres of gardens and 750 acres of parkland, it was King Henry VIII's weekend and summer retreat from London. The palace was occupied by monarch's of the Stuart and Hanoverian Royal Houses up until 1737. [...]
One of London’s finest country homes is only a few miles west of central London. Chiswick House was the centre of highly select gatherings of the Earl of Burlington’s family and friends in the 1730’s. And around fifty years later it served the same purpose for the Duke of Devonshire and his sparkling (very ‘modern’) [...]