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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.

Big Ben

London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just over 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a 50-mile (80 km) estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for two millennia. The City of London, its ancient core and financial centre, was founded by the Romans as Londinium and retains boundaries close to its medieval ones. Since the 19th century, the name "London" has also referred to the metropolis around this core, historically split between the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent, and Hertfordshire, which largely comprises Greater London, governed by the Greater London Authority. The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has for centuries hosted the national government and parliament.

As one of the world's major global cities, London exerts a strong influence on its arts, entertainment, fashion, commerce and finance, education, health care, media, science and technology, tourism, and transport and communications. Its GDP (€801.66 billion in 2017) makes it the largest urban economy in Europe, and it is one of the major financial centres in the world. As of 2021, London had the most millionaires of any city. With Europe's largest concentration of higher education institutions, it is home to Imperial College London in natural and applied sciences, the London School of Economics in social sciences, and the comprehensive University College London. London has the busiest city airport system in the world and the London Underground is the oldest rapid transit system in the world. London is one of the most-visited cities in the world and is home to the most 5-star hotels of any city.

London's diverse cultures encompass over 300 languages. The mid-2018 population of Greater London of about 9 million made it Europe's third-most populous city, accounting for 13.4% of the population of the United Kingdom and over 16% of the population of England. The Greater London Built-up Area is the fourth-most populous in Europe with about 9.8 million inhabitants at the 2011 census. The London metropolitan area is the third-most populous in Europe with about 14 million inhabitants in 2016, granting London the status of a megacity. (Full article...)

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A 19th-century illustration of Cock Lane. The haunting took place in the three-storey building on the right.

The Cock Lane ghost was a purported haunting that attracted mass public attention in 1762. The location was a lodging in Cock Lane, a short road adjacent to London's Smithfield market and a few minutes' walk from St Paul's Cathedral. The event centred on three people: William Kent, a usurer from Norfolk; Richard Parsons, a parish clerk; and Parsons' daughter Elizabeth.

Following the death during childbirth of Kent's wife, Elizabeth Lynes, he became romantically involved with her sister, Fanny. Canon law prevented the couple from marrying, but they nevertheless moved to London and lodged at the property in Cock Lane, then owned by Parsons. Several accounts of strange knocking sounds and ghostly apparitions were reported, although for the most part they stopped after the couple moved out, but following Fanny's death from smallpox and Kent's successful legal action against Parsons over an outstanding debt, they resumed. Parsons claimed that Fanny's ghost haunted his property and later his daughter. Regular séances were held to determine "Scratching Fanny's" motives; Cock Lane was often made impassable by the throngs of interested bystanders. (Full article...)

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Credit: Samuel Davenport, after William Hogarth

Gin Lane is one of a pair of 1751 engravings by William Hogarth in support of the then-proposed Gin Act 1751. This Act of Parliament made the distillation of gin illegal in England. Whereas its pendant Beer Street shows a happy city drinking the "good" beverage of English beer, Gin Lane claims to show what would happen if people started drinking gin, a harder liquor. The scene can be identified as taking place in St Giles, a slum district of London, from the presence of St George's Church, Bloomsbury, in the background.

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Articles about London can be found under these categories:

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Alice Ayres and child

Alice Ayres (12 September 1859 – 26 April 1885) was an English nursemaid honoured for her bravery in rescuing the children in her care from a house fire. Ayres was a household assistant and nursemaid to the family of her brother-in-law and sister, Henry and Mary Ann Chandler. The Chandlers owned an oil and paint shop in Union Street, Southwark, then just south of London, and Ayres lived with the family above the shop. In 1885 fire broke out in the shop, and Ayres rescued three of her nieces from the burning building, before falling from a window and suffering fatal injury.

Britain, in the wake of the Industrial Revolution, experienced a period of great social change in which the rapidly growing news media paid increasing attention to the activities of the poorer classes. The manner of Ayres's death caused great public interest, with large numbers of people attending her funeral and contributing to the funding of a memorial. Shortly after her death, she underwent what has been described as a "secular canonisation", being widely depicted in popular culture and, although very little was known about her life, widely cited as a role model. Various social and political movements promoted Ayres as an example of the values held by their particular movement. The circumstances of her death were distorted to give the impression that she was an employee willing to die for the sake of her employer's family, rather than for children to whom she was closely related. In 1902 her name was added to the Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice and in 1936 a street near the scene of the fire was renamed Ayres Street in her honour. (Full article...)

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William Shakespeare Henry Wood Jack the Ripper Samuel Johnson Jack Sheppard Mary Wollstonecraft Noël Coward Mellitus David Bowie 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 Robert of Jumièges

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Selected quotation

“

London is a splendid place to live in for those who can get out of it.

”

George Bruce, 7th Lord Balfour of Burleigh, quoted, Sayings of the Week, The Observer, 1 October 1944.

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Did you know...

... that The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie has the longest initial run of any play in history, having played continuously in the West End since 1952?

... that St Paul's, Covent Garden is known as the "Actor's Church" and contains monuments to such famous names as Charlie Chaplin and Vivien Leigh?

... that Bram Stoker was the business manager of the Lyceum Theatre from 1878 to 1898, and based the character of Count Dracula on the actor Henry Irving?

... that the Haymarket Theatre was once managed by John Wilkes Booth's brother-in-law, who had fled the United States after Abraham Lincoln's assassination?

... that the Peacock Theatre is believed to be haunted by the ghost of a dolphin called "Flipper"?

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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 2London 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 3A medal of Constantius I capturing London (inscribed as lon) in 296 after defeating Allectus. Beaurains hoard. (from History of London)
Image 4A silver coin of Alfred, with the legend ÆLFRED REX (from History of London)
Image 5Buckingham Palace in 1837, enlarged by John Nash (from History of London)
Image 6John 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 7Young people in Carnaby Street in the 1960s (from History of London)
Image 8A Carausius coin from Londinium mint. (from History of London)
Image 9Les Misérables at the Palace Theatre (from Culture of London)
Image 10Ogilby & 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 11Samuel Pepys, chronicler of Stuart London (from History of London)
Image 12A depiction of the imprisonment of Charles, Duke of Orléans, in the Tower of London from a 15th-century manuscript. (from History of London)
Image 13Tourists at Buckingham Palace. (from Tourism in London)
Image 14Section 3 (from History of London)
Image 15Three cultural icons of London: a K2 red telephone box, Big Ben and a red double-decker bus (from Culture of London)
Image 16Shaftesbury Avenue, c. 1949 (from History of London)
Image 17Richard Blome's map of London (1673). The development of the West End had recently begun to accelerate. (from History of London)
Image 18The Houses of Parliament from Westminster Bridge in the early 1890s (from History of London)
Image 19In spite of heavy traffic, several companies operate tour buses in London. (from Tourism in London)
Image 20A tourist stall selling various London and United Kingdom related souvenirs on the edge of Trafalgar Square on the Strand. (from Tourism in London)
Image 21A detailed copy of John Rocque's Map of London, 1741–5. (from History of London)
Image 22A plaque in the City of London noting the re-establishment of the Roman walled city (from History of London)
Image 23Tourists consulting a map near St Paul's Cathedral. (from Tourism in London)
Image 24London c. 1300 (from History of London)
Image 25A signpost on Parliament Square with directions for nearby attractions (from Tourism in London)
Image 26The statue of Alfred the Great at Winchester, erected 1899 (from History of London)
Image 27Outline of the London region (from Geography of London)
Image 28Tourism in London 2013 (from Tourism in London)
Image 29Cheapside pictured in 1909, with the church of St Mary-le-Bow in the background. (from History of London)
Image 30The Shard, an icon of 21st century London (from History of London)
Image 31A view of London from the east in 1751 (from History of London)
Image 32Firefighters putting out flames after an air raid during The Blitz, 1941. (from History of London)
Image 33Section 1 (from History of London)
Image 34Buckingham Palace as it appeared in the 17th century (from History of London)
Image 35The Clock Tower of Wren's St Paul's Cathedral (from History of London)
Image 36Maughan Library, King's College London (from Culture of London)
Image 37Amy Winehouse was a singer-songwriter from Southgate, north London. (from Culture of London)
Image 38Satellite image by Sentinel-2 satellite (from Geography of London)
Image 39Section 2 (from History of London)
Image 40John Evelyn's plan for the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire (from History of 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

London-related topics

History

Politics

London government	Mayor of London Greater London Authority London Assembly The 32 London Boroughs City of London Corporation Ken Livingstone London Development Agency City Hall London Plan Metropolitan Board of Works Greater London Council London County Council
UK government in London	Downing Street MI5 SIS (MI6) Middlesex Guildhall Palace of Westminster Palace of Whitehall Portcullis House Somerset House War Office Whitehall

Geography

Attractions

Historic	Barbican Estate Covent Garden Leicester Square Mayfair Palace of Westminster Piccadilly Circus St Paul's Cathedral Tower Bridge Tower of London Trafalgar Square Westminster Abbey
Royal	Buckingham Palace Clarence House Hampton Court Palace Horse Guards Parade Kensington Palace The Mall St James's Palace
Modern	8 Canada Square 22 Bishopsgate 30 St Mary Axe Canary Wharf Citigroup Centre London Eye Millennium Bridge The O2 Arena Millennium Dome One Canada Square The Shard Tower 42 Wembley Stadium
Retail	Bond Street Carnaby Street Harrods Harvey Nichols Knightsbridge Liberty Oxford Street Regent Street Selfridges Tottenham Court Road
Monuments	Albert Memorial Cenotaph Cleopatra's Needle Monument to the Great Fire Nelson's Column more ...

Civic

Culture

Economy

Education

Museums
and galleries

League teams
(tiers 1–4)

1	Arsenal Brentford Chelsea Crystal Palace Fulham Tottenham Hotspur West Ham United
2	Millwall Queens Park Rangers
3	Charlton Athletic
4	AFC Wimbledon Leyton Orient Sutton United

Non-league teams
(tiers 5–8)

5	Barnet Bromley Dagenham & Redbridge Wealdstone
6	Dulwich Hamlet Hampton & Richmond Borough Welling United
7	Carshalton Athletic Corinthian-Casuals Cray Wanderers Enfield Town Haringey Borough Harrow Borough Hayes & Yeading United Hendon Hornchurch Kingstonian Wingate & Finchley
8	Barking Bedfont Sports Cray Valley Paper Mills Hanwell Town Northwood Romford Sutton Common Rovers Tooting & Mitcham United Uxbridge VCD Athletic

Rivalries

London derbies

Cup competitions

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.

Westminster.tube.station.jubilee.arp.jpg

Transport in London

Companies and
organisations

Transport for
London (TFL)

London Underground	Night Tube Bakerloo Central Circle District Hammersmith & City Jubilee Metropolitan Northern Piccadilly Victoria Waterloo & City
London Rail	Docklands Light Railway Elizabeth line London Overground North London East London South London West London Gospel Oak to Barking Lea Valley Romford–Upminster Watford DC Tramlink Crossrail construction project, Crossrail 2, proposed
Other	London Cable Car Buses Night buses Coach station Cycle hire Dial-a-Ride London River Services London Streets Source London Taxi and Private Hire office

Bus operators

River operators

Train operators

Other

Airports

Within London	City Heathrow London Heliport Military: Northolt Private: Biggin Hill
Outside London	Gatwick Luton Southend Stansted

Major stations

Central area	Baker Street Bank/Monument Blackfriars Bond Street Cannon Street Charing Cross City Thameslink Elephant & Castle Euston Farringdon Fenchurch Street King's Cross Liverpool Street London Bridge Marylebone Moorgate Oxford Circus Paddington St Pancras International Tottenham Court Road Vauxhall Victoria Waterloo Waterloo East Westminster
Other	Barking Canary Wharf Clapham Junction Ealing Broadway East Croydon Finsbury Park Heathrow Stations Highbury & Islington Lewisham London City Airport Putney Richmond Stratford Surbiton Sutton Wimbledon

Roads

Motorways	M1 M4 M11 M25 London Orbital Former: M41 (West Cross Route) A40(M) (Westway) A102(M) (East Cross Route)
Ring roads	London Inner Ring Road North Circular Road South Circular Road
Charging	Congestion charge Low emission zone Ultra Low Emission Zone