Essential History | The top sights in London, Madrid and beyond
The best cultural and historical sights in London, Madrid and beyond.
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is renowned as the 'mother of all parliaments' This post is a self-guided walk through the heart of political Westminster, taking in Parliament and associated sights. The walk starts in Smith Square, Westminster, home to party HQ's, lobbyists and political associations and ends in Trafalgar Square. It will take [...]
Somerset House has an illustrious past. The site was once the home of Lord Protector Somerset then Tudor and Stuart queens of the realm before becoming the first home of the Royal Academy (1771-1836), the Royal Society (1780-1857), a London headquarters of the Royal Navy - and then a government tax and records office (1789-1985). [...]
During the fifteenth century, London’s merchants and elites supported the Yorkists in the infamous Wars of the Roses. So, in 1485, it was somewhat ‘cap in hand’ they greeted the victor of the Battle of Bosworth Field, the Lancastrian Henry Tudor - soon to become King Henry VII. Henry settled in Greenwich and embellished an [...]
The National Army Museum has recently completed a curatorial overhaul of its European collection of artefacts charting ‘Conflict in Europe’ from the 1700s to the present day. Covering territorial and balance of power disputes in continental Europe, the gallery explains the Army's role in helping maintain Britain's influence in European affairs. Waterloo artefacts - including [...]
Renowned for being the home of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane has a colourful past stretching back to the fourteenth century. Named after Sir Thomas Drury, who built a house here during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, it peaked as a select and fashionable neighbourhood in C16-17. However, one hundred years later, it had [...]
York Watergate bears evidence to the estate of York House, the London residence of the Bishop of York that stretched 400 metres from the river front north to Strand. In 1870 Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s Victoria embankment reclaimed around 100 metres of land along a two-mile stretch of the Thames, leaving the watergate marooned in what [...]
In 2019, Scotland welcomed almost 3.5 million inbound visitors who spent approximately £2.5 billion in the country. This has resulted in the UK Government earmarking £19 million to promote destinations across Scotland. The influx of visitors has helped secure the UK’s position in the top five countries globally when it comes to inbound visitor spending.Thanks to this [...]
Established in 1510, Savoy Chapel is the private chapel of Her Majesty the Queen, as the Duke of Lancaster. Its name derives from Savoy Palace, previously on this site and the residence of Peter of Savoy - the uncle of Eleanor of Provence, wife to King Henry III. Originally dedicated to St John the Baptist, [...]
Temple Church, built by the Knights Templar (whose church in Jerusalem was located where the Temple of Solomon once stood), is one of London’s oldest churches. Of its two parts, the round church (modelled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem) was consecrated in 1185 whilst the chancel was added in 1240. Most [...]
The Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London is a triumph of Royal patronage, government foresight and public sponsorship spanning back to it’s inception after the Great Exhibition of 1851. We recommend the V&A for its scale, privacy (in many galleries), great restaurants and the exhibits. The Great Exhibition (in London’s Hyde Park) was such [...]