Portal:London

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The London Portal

Panorama of modern London, taken from the Golden Gallery of St Paul's Cathedral. See Panorama of London for more panoramic images.

London Eye

London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of 8,866,180 in 2022. Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a 50-mile (80 km) estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years. Its ancient core and financial centre, the City of London, was founded by the Romans as Londinium and has retained its medieval boundaries. The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has been the centuries-long host of the national government and parliament. London grew rapidly in the 19th century, becoming the world's largest city at the time. Since the 19th century, the name "London" has referred to the metropolis around the City of London, historically split between the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent, and Hertfordshire, which since 1965 has largely comprised the administrative area of Greater London, governed by 33 local authorities and the Greater London Authority.

As one of the world's major global cities, London exerts a strong influence on world art, entertainment, fashion, commerce, finance, education, healthcare, media, science, technology, tourism, transport, and communications. Despite a post-Brexit exodus of stock listings from the London Stock Exchange, London remains a European economic powerhouse, and one of the world's major financial centres. It hosts Europe's largest concentration of higher education institutions, some of which are the highest-ranked academic institutions in the world: Imperial College London in natural and applied sciences, the London School of Economics in social sciences, and the comprehensive University College London. It is the most visited city in Europe and has the world's busiest city airport system. The London Underground is the world's oldest rapid transit system.

London's diverse cultures encompass over 300 languages. The 2023 population of Greater London of just under 10 million made it Europe's third-most populous city, accounting for 13.4% of the United Kingdom's population and over 16% of England's population. The Greater London Built-up Area is the fourth-most populous in Europe, with about 9.8 million inhabitants as of 2011. The London metropolitan area is the third-most populous in Europe, with about 14 million inhabitants as of 2016, making London a megacity. (Full article...)

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Chelsea Football Club is a professional football club based in Fulham, West London, England. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1905, the team play their home games at Stamford Bridge. The club won their first major honour, the League championship, in 1955. They won the FA Cup for the first time in 1970, won their first European honour, the Cup Winners' Cup, in 1971, and became the third English club to win the Club World Cup in 2022.

Chelsea is one of five clubs and the first English club to have won all three pre-1999 main European club competitions, the "European Treble" of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, European/UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, and UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League. They are the only club to have won all three major European competitions twice. They are the only London club to have won the Champions League and the Club World Cup. Domestically, the club has won six league titles, eight FA Cups, five League Cups, and four FA Community Shields. Internationally, they have won the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup twice each, and the FIFA Club World Cup once. In terms of overall trophies won, Chelsea is the fifth-most successful club in English football. (Full article...)

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Photo credit: David Iliff

The Tower Bridge is a bascule bridge that crosses the River Thames. It was completed in 1894 and the original hydraulic machinery still opens the bridge, although it has been modernised. The central span of 200 feet (61 m) between the towers is split into two equal bascules or leaves, which can be raised to an angle of 83 degrees to allow river traffic to pass. The high-level walkways between the towers house an exhibition on the bridge's history.

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Articles about London can be found under these categories:

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Robert of Jumièges (died between 1052 and 1055) was the first Norman Archbishop of Canterbury. He had previously served as prior of the Abbey of St Ouen at Rouen in Normandy, before becoming abbot of Jumièges Abbey, near Rouen, in 1037. He was a good friend and adviser to the king of England, Edward the Confessor, who appointed him bishop of London in 1044, and then archbishop in 1051. Robert's time as archbishop lasted only about eighteen months. He had already come into conflict with the powerful Earl Godwin and, while archbishop, made attempts to recover lands lost to Godwin and his family. He also refused to consecrate Spearhafoc, Edward's choice to succeed Robert as Bishop of London. The rift between Robert and Godwin culminated in Robert's deposition and exile in 1052.

A Norman medieval chronicler claimed that Robert travelled to Normandy in 1051 or 1052 and told Duke William of Normandy that Edward wished for him to become his heir. The exact timing of Robert's trip, and whether he actually made it, have been the subject of debate among historians. The archbishop died in exile at Jumièges sometime between 1052 and 1055. Robert commissioned significant building work at Jumièges and was probably involved in the first Romanesque building in England, the church built in Westminster for Edward the Confessor, now known as Westminster Abbey. Robert's treatment by the English was used by William as one of the justifications for his invasion of England. (Full article...)

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William Shakespeare Henry Wood Jack the Ripper Samuel Johnson Jack Sheppard Mary Wollstonecraft Noël Coward Mellitus David Bowie Alice Ayres Edgar Speyer Harold Pinter Edmund Evans Elizabeth Canning Henry Moore William Sterndale Bennett Gilbert Foliot Lilias Armstrong Laurence Olivier George Lansbury Marie Lloyd Stanley Holloway

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Selected quotation

“

London is a modern Babylon.

”

Benjamin Disraeli, Tancred (1847), Book V, Chapter 5.

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Did you know...

...that Hyde Park is larger than the Principality of Monaco and has been a Royal park since 1536.

...that Victoria Park was laid out between 1842–1846, partially on the former hunting grounds of the Bishop of London. It contains two alcoves from old London Bridge and the oldest model boat club in the world founded in the Park on 15 July 1904.

...that Battersea Park was opened in 1858. In 1951 the park was transformed into the "Festival Gardens" as part of the Festival of Britain celebrations.

...that The Beatles shot films to accompany their songs "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" in the grounds of Chiswick House.

...that the Artillery Ground was set aside in 1498 for shooting and archery and was home to the original London Cricket Club. It remains in use by the Honourable Artillery Company, who have owned this private open space since 1638.

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General images

The following are images from various London-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The "Woodcut" map of London, formally titled Civitas Londinum (c. 1561) (from History of London)
Image 2Outline of the London region (from Geography of London)
Image 3A detailed copy of John Rocque's Map of London, 1741–5 (from History of London)
Image 4The Shard (left), an icon of 21st-century London (from History of London)
Image 5Les Misérables at the Palace Theatre (from Culture of London)
Image 6Satellite image by Sentinel-2 satellite (from Geography of London)
Image 7Buckingham Palace as it appeared in the 17th century (from History of London)
Image 8Section 2 (from History of London)
Image 9Samuel Pepys, chronicler of Stuart London (from History of London)
Image 10Tourists at Buckingham Palace (from Tourism in London)
Image 11Firefighters putting out flames after an air raid during The Blitz, 1941 (from History of London)
Image 12Richard Blome's map of London (1673). The development of the West End had recently begun to accelerate. (from History of London)
Image 13Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House (from Culture of London)
Image 14People gathered in Whitehall to hear Winston Churchill's victory speech, 8 May 1945. (from History of London)
Image 15The Clock Tower of Wren's St Paul's Cathedral (from History of London)
Image 16Amy Winehouse was a singer-songwriter from Southgate, north London. (from Culture of London)
Image 17A depiction of the imprisonment of Charles, Duke of Orléans in the Tower of London, from a 15th-century manuscript. Old London Bridge is in the background (from History of London)
Image 18A medal of Constantius I capturing London (inscribed as lon) in 296 after defeating Allectus. From Beaurains treasure. (from History of London)
Image 19A Carausius coin from Londinium mint (from History of London)
Image 20Brixton Academy (from Culture of London)
Image 21Section 1 (from History of London)
Image 22The Houses of Parliament from Westminster Bridge in the early 1890s (from History of London)
Image 23London c. 1300 (from History of London)
Image 24Shaftesbury Avenue, c. 1949 (from History of London)
Image 25London as engraved by J. & C. Walker in 1845 from a map by R Creighton. Many districts in the West End were fully developed, and the East End also extended well beyond the eastern fringe of the City of London. There were now several bridges over the Thames, allowing the rapid development of South London. (from History of London)
Image 26Section 3 (from History of London)
Image 27Maughan Library, King's College London (from Culture of London)
Image 28Main entrance to the British Museum (from Culture of London)
Image 29A signpost on Parliament Square with directions for nearby attractions (from Tourism in London)
Image 30John Evelyn's plan for the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire (from History of London)
Image 31In spite of heavy traffic, several companies operate tour buses in London. (from Tourism in London)
Image 32A tourist stall selling various London and United Kingdom related souvenirs on the edge of Trafalgar Square on the Strand (from Tourism in London)
Image 33Cheapside pictured in 1909, with the church of St Mary-le-Bow in the background (from History of London)
Image 34The statue of Alfred the Great at Winchester, erected 1899 (from History of London)
Image 35A plaque in the City of London noting the re-establishment of the Roman walled city (from History of London)
Image 36Buckingham Palace in 1837, enlarged by John Nash (from History of London)
Image 37A view of London from the east in 1751 (from History of London)
Image 38The National Gallery from Trafalgar Square (from Culture of London)
Image 39Girl in costume at the Notting Hill Carnival (from Culture of London)
Image 40Tourism in London 2013 (from Tourism in London)
Image 41A silver coin of Alfred, with the legend ÆLFRED REX (from History of London)
Image 42Young people in Carnaby Street in 1966 (from History of London)
Image 43Three cultural icons of London: a K2 red telephone box, Big Ben and a red double-decker bus (from Culture of London)
Image 44John Norden's map of London in 1593. There is only one bridge across the Thames, but parts of Southwark on the south bank of the river have been developed. (from History of London)
Image 45Ogilby & Morgan's map of the City of London (1673). "A Large and Accurate Map of the City of London. Ichnographically describing all the Streets, Lanes, Alleys, Courts, Yards, Churches, Halls, & Houses &c. Actually Surveyed and Delineated by John Ogilby, His Majesties Cosmographer." (from History of London)
Image 46Tourists consulting a map near St Paul's Cathedral (from Tourism in London)

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London Boroughs

City of London † City of Westminster Kensington and Chelsea Hammersmith and Fulham Wandsworth Lambeth Southwark Tower Hamlets Hackney Islington Camden Brent Ealing Hounslow Richmond Kingston upon Thames		Merton Sutton Croydon Bromley Lewisham Greenwich Bexley Havering Barking and Dagenham Redbridge Newham Waltham Forest Haringey Enfield Barnet Harrow Hillingdon
† sui generis – not a London borough

More about London Boroughs
Category: London boroughs

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London Topics

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Transport

London has one of the oldest and largest public transport systems in the world. Many components of its transport system, such as the double-decker bus, the Hackney Carriage black taxi and the Tube, are internationally recognised symbols of London. London has a comprehensive rail network with several major railway stations, including two international train stations at St Pancras railway station and Stratford International, which connect London to mainland Europe through the Eurostar service. London also has six international airports. In addition to public transport, London is the start point for a number of motorway routes. The M25 is an orbital motorway which enables vehicles to avoid travelling through central London, and is one of the busiest motorways in Europe.