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Buckingham Palace, Wimbledon, Notting Hill, Westminster Abbey, and the West End—none of these iconic landmarks are actually part of the City of London. Don’t think we’re joking: While they’re all within the broader region known as London (specifically Greater London), the City of London is a tiny area, home to just 7,400 residents [PDF] (along with 300,000 daily commuters), squeezed into a space only slightly larger than a square mile. In contrast, Greater London is home to 8.6 million people spread across 32 boroughs, with the City of London acting as the 33rd. Inside its ancient boundaries, you’ll find St. Paul’s Cathedral, Leadenhall Market, and the famous Gherkin Tower. The City also has its own mayor, the “Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of the City of London.” Keep reading for more interesting facts about the UK’s bustling capital city.
1. The City of London’s origins trace back to 43 CE, when the Romans arrived in Britain and founded Londinium, strategically placed where the Thames River was narrow enough for a bridge. Londinium replaced Colchester as the capital of Britannia in the 2nd century, but by the 5th century, it had been entirely deserted.
2. Various bridges have crossed the River Thames connecting the City of London to Southwark, but the medieval London Bridge, which stood for 600 years, famously fell multiple times—specifically in 1281, 1309, 1425, and 1437. While the rhyme’s origins can be traced to a Nordic saga, it was during these turbulent times that “my fair lady” was added, mocking Queen Eleanor for using bridge tolls for personal expenses instead of investing them into necessary repairs.
3. The land where Buckingham Palace now stands, covering 828,821 square feet, was once a mulberry garden intended to breed silkworms for King James I in the 1600s. Unfortunately, his staff planted the wrong type of mulberry trees. Today, the Queen’s official residence in London boasts 775 rooms, which include 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, 78 bathrooms, 514 doors, and 760 windows.
4. Every morning—yes, even on Christmas Day—the gravel in Buckingham Palace’s forecourt is meticulously “dragged” to clean and smooth it. Two additional inspections are conducted each day to ensure there is no litter. The goal is to maintain a perfectly pristine appearance of the forecourt at all times.
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5.
Beneath the bustling city, numerous lost rivers and canals lie forgotten. As the population expanded, many of these were repurposed into sewers. One example is the River Fleet in Smithfield, which was used by butchers to dispose of animal carcasses. However, the former River Effra’s banks were transformed into The Oval, now home to the Surrey County Cricket Club.
6. The London Beer Flood occurred on October 17, 1814, when a massive wooden vat of beer, standing three stories high, ruptured at the Henry Meux and Co. brewery. The resulting tidal wave of beer tragically claimed the lives of eight people.
7. The term 'Big Ben' actually refers to the Great Bell housed in the Palace of Westminster, not to the clock or the tower itself. This enormous 13.7-ton bell chimes in the musical note E. Inside the belfry, there are also four quarter bells that ring at G sharp, F sharp, E, and B. Notably, none of these bells swing; they are struck by hammers instead.
8. So, what’s the real name of the tower? While Victorian journalists dubbed it St. Stephen’s Tower and most people call it the Clock Tower, the 315-foot-tall structure was officially renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012, in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II during her Diamond Jubilee.
9. Harrods department store in Knightsbridge is home to an impressive array of 330 departments, including unique areas like the 'Perfumery Hall,' 'Toy Kingdom,' and 'Great Writing Room.' Each year, it welcomes around 15 million visitors across its seven floors, covering 4.5 acres.
10. Forget relying on GPS: For over 150 years, London taxi drivers (also known as Hackney carriage drivers) have had to pass The Knowledge to earn a license. This challenging test requires them to memorize every route within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross [PDF], including 25,000 streets and 20,000 landmarks. Most cabbies take between two to four years to master it.
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11.
Wimbledon, the tennis Grand Slam tournament held on grass, hosts the largest catering operation of any annual sporting event in Europe. During the 2015 tournament, a staggering 28,000 bottles of champagne were served, along with 150,000 bottles of water, 235,000 glasses of British Pimm’s, and 350,000 cups of tea and coffee. Food offerings included 190,000 sandwiches, 32,000 portions of fish and chips, 142,000 servings of English strawberries, and 6,000 stone-baked pizzas.
12. Charles Dickens' “town house,” located at 48 Doughty Street in Bloomsbury, is now the Charles Dickens Museum, showcasing over 100,000 items related to the famous 19th-century writer. Visitors can enjoy special events such as candlelight tours that bring the house to life as Dickens experienced it, and even taxidermy workshops, which, according to the museum’s warning, are “not for the faint hearted.”
13. Although William Shakespeare believed that all the world’s a stage, his favorite venue was London’s Globe Theater. The first play he performed there was likely Julius Caesar in 1599 [PDF]. However, on June 29, 1613, a cannon misfired during a performance of Henry VIII, and the theater was consumed by flames in less than two hours. It was rebuilt but closed by the Puritans in 1642. The current Globe Theater, the Third Globe, was opened in 1993, thanks to the efforts of American actor/director Sam Wanamaker [PDF].
14. The only truly independent market in London is Borough Market, a site with a rich history dating back to the 11th century. A blue plaque at the market proudly declares it as “London’s oldest fruit and veg market,” a title “voted by the people” of Southwark.
15. Known worldwide, Abbey Road is the crosswalk where The Beatles famously posed for their 1969 album cover. Located on a busy street, cars often have to halt while tourists take their iconic photos in the middle of the road. Abbey Road Studios now has a live cam pointed at the famous intersection.
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The London Eye, located on the south bank of the Thames, is often mistaken for a Ferris wheel, but it is technically “the world’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel,” according to a London Eye press release [PDF]. Standing at 443 feet, it was once the tallest Ferris wheel in the world when it opened on the final day of the 20th century, earning it the nickname the Millennium Wheel. Since then, taller wheels have been built in places like China, Singapore, and Las Vegas. The Eye has featured in films like Wimbledon and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. For $552, you can experience a private ride in a Cupid’s Capsule, complete with a bottle of Pommery Brut Royal Champagne and a box of Hotel Chocolat Pink Champagne truffles.
17. London holds a significant place in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, being home to both the British Ministry of Magic and Diagon Alley. However, Rowling herself was born 110 miles away, in Yate. A different double-initialed female author from the British capital is 50 Shades of Grey author EL James.
18. In southeast London’s Shooters Hill district of Woolwich, there’s a street named Ha-Ha Road. Some say it was named because locals would laugh at those falling into the ditch that once ran alongside it. The locals, however, got a taste of irony when the road was closed from July 7 to September 19 in 2012, during the shooting events of the Olympics and Paralympics at the nearby Royal Artillery Barracks.
19. Despite its name, only 45 percent of the London Underground, which first opened in 1863 and now carries 1.3 billion passengers each year, is actually underground.
20. The invention of fish and chips in the East End around 1860 is credited to 13-year-old Joseph Malin, a young genius. Coming from a rug-weaving family, Joseph’s family began making fries to supplement their income, and he decided to pair them with fried fish from a nearby shop. The business continued until the 1970s. Today, the longest-running chippie (British term for fish-and-chip shop) is Rock and Sole Plaice in Covent Garden, which opened in 1871. A regular order there now costs $21.80.
Cecil Lee, Flickr // CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
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Another young man who ventured out from his family’s weaving business was Thomas Twining, who established the renowned Twining of London tea company over 300 years ago. The shop he purchased in 1706, originally Tom’s Coffee Shop, distinguished itself by serving tea in addition to coffee. This shop is still in operation at 216 Strand.
22. Crime, it seems, has its rewards: Among the more intriguing and eerie spots in London are The Clink Prison Museum, The London Dungeon, and the Crime Museum exhibit at the Museum of London.
23. Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne, born in London, has been known to help struggling students by occasionally covering their rent. “I get letters from people trying to go to drama school and needing to pay their rent,” he shared with GQ. “And so that's something I occasionally do. It's impossibly expensive to live in London.”
24. In 2016, London was named the best city for volunteering in Europe, largely thanks to Team London, a program initiated by Mayor Boris Johnson, which boasts 120,000 active volunteers, with half of them being children and young people.
25. The iconic blue door that Hugh Grant famously opened for Julia Roberts in the 1999 movie Notting Hill is located at 280 Westbourne Park Road. The original door, which had been chipped over time, was auctioned off at Christie’s for around $8000 in 1999. At one point, the door was painted black to discourage tourists, but the current owners have restored it to its blue color. Nearby shops even sell tote bags featuring the iconic “The Blue Door.”
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