This year, Britain’s Remembrance Sunday coincides with the Centenary of the Armistice, marking the end of World War I. Events will take place throughout the country on Sunday 11th November. In London, commemorations will concentrate on Whitehall and at the Cenotaph monument. As is traditional we will remember the fallen in all conflicts. [...]
In the north east corner of Grosvenor Square is a little-known and rather unique piece of American history. Here is the home of the 1st American Minister to Great Britain! You may not immediately know who that was? He was later to become the 2nd President of the United States. It is John Adams. He [...]
The British Empire relied on British Naval Power as a sign of strength; keeping the trade routes open and supporting the growth of the Empire. This article describes five buildings, around the government district known as Whitehall, that were key to British Naval Power. It describes why they were built and some the people and [...]
The new US Embassy building in London opened in January 2018. But why was a new building necessary - and was it really a bad deal for the US tax payer? Public access to the surrounding grounds has been possible since early summer 2018. We went for a first visit. The former US Embassy in [...]
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 [...]
That’s what Margaret Thatcher called the City of London Guildhall - in comparison to the United Kingdom's national parliament; itself often called the mother of all parliaments. Near Gresham Street in the City of London (the City), the Guildhall has been the centre of municipal government in the City since medieval times. In fact, it [...]
A centrepiece of remembrance The Cenotaph in Whitehall is truly special. It, more than any other monument, has been embraced by the people of the United Kingdom as their monument. This article covers how the Cenotaph in Whitehall came about - and why it is so special. The 11 November 1918 was Armistice Day; when [...]
The ‘Darkest Hour’; directed by Joe Wright and starring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill is an account of Churchill’s early days as Prime Minister, machinations in 'Whitehall' and the Dunkirk evacuation. The film is set over one month in May 1940. It concludes with success at Dunkirk and Britain resolved to stand strong over Nazi [...]
Yesterday, the UK celebrated the 100th anniversary of the signing of the 'Representation of the People Act 1918'. This was the Act that gave many women the vote for the first time. The anniversary was reported widely in the media and to mark the occasion an exhibition of life-sized images of the central figures of [...]
This is a painting of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington by Sir Thomas Lawrence. It is an oil on canvas painted in 1829. In this portrait, Wellington’s commanding gaze evokes his resolve in defeating his critics, of which there were many at this time. His troops called him ‘old nosey’ and he called them [...]
