{{Short description|Capital of England and the United Kingdom}} {{about|the capital city of England and the United Kingdom}} {{good article}} {{pp-vandalism|small=yes}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Use British English|date=September 2023}} {{Infobox settlement | name = London | image = {{multiple image | border = infobox | perrow = 1/3/2/1 | total_width = 290 | align = center | caption_align = center | image1 = London Skyline (125508655).jpeg | caption1 = [[River Thames]] and [[Tower Bridge]] with [[The Shard]] and [[Southwark]] (left), and [[Tower of London]] and [[City of London]] (right) | image2 = London Eye at sunset 2013-07-19.jpg | caption2 = [[London Eye]] | image3 = Westminster Abbey St Peter.jpg | caption3 = [[Westminster Abbey]] | image4 = St Paul's Cathedral Dome from One New Change - Vertical Crop.jpg | caption4 = [[St Paul's Cathedral]] | image5 = Open Happiness Piccadilly Circus Blue-Pink Hour 120917-1126-jikatu.jpg | caption5 = [[Piccadilly Circus]] | image6 = Canary Wharf.Reza 04.jpg | caption6 = [[Canary Wharf]] | image7 = Houses of Parliament in 2022 (cropped).jpg | caption7 = [[Palace of Westminster]] with [[Big Ben]] (right) }} | type = [[Capital city]] | caption = | pushpin_relief = 1 | pushpin_map = England#UK#Europe | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 8 | mapframe-marker = city | mapframe-shape = yes | mapframe-caption = Map of the [[Greater London]] administrative area, encompassing the [[City of London]] and 32 additional [[London boroughs|boroughs]] | coordinates = {{coord|51|30|26|N|0|7|39|W|region:GB|display=inline,title}} | subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Sovereign state]] | subdivision_name = United Kingdom | subdivision_type1 = {{nowrap|[[Countries of the United Kingdom|Country]]}} | subdivision_name1 = England | subdivision_type2 = [[Regions of England|Region]] | subdivision_name2 = [[Greater London|London]] | subdivision_type3 = [[Ceremonial counties of England|Ceremonial{{nbsp}}counties]] | subdivision_name3 = {{Unbulleted list | [[Greater London]] | [[City of London]] }} | subdivision_name4 = | established_title = Settled by [[Roman Empire|Romans]] | established_date = AD {{start date and age|47}}, ''as [[Londinium]]''[http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/no1poultry_molas_2007/ Number 1 Poultry (ONE 94), Museum of London Archaeology, 2013]. Archaeology Data Service, The University of York. | seat_type = Administrative HQ | seat = [[City Hall, London|City Hall]] | parts_type = [[Districts of England|Local government]] | parts = 32 [[London boroughs]], the [[City of London]] and [[Queen's Park, London|Queen's Park]] parish | government_type = [[Directly elected mayors in England|Executive mayoralty]] and [[deliberative assembly]] | governing_body = [[Greater London Authority]] | leader_title = [[Mayor of London|Mayor]] | leader_name = [[Sadiq Khan]] ([[Labour Party (UK)|L]]) | leader_title1 = [[London Assembly]] | leader_name1 = [[London Assembly constituencies|14 constituencies]] | leader_title2 = [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|UK Parliament]] | leader_name2 = [[List of Parliamentary constituencies in London|74 constituencies]] | total_type = Total{{efn|[[Greater London|London region]]}} | area_footnotes = {{UK subdivision statistics citation}} | area_total_km2 = {{UK subdivision area|GSS=E12000007}} | area_metro_km2 = 8382 | area_urban_km2 = 1738 | population_footnotes = | population_as_of = {{UK statistics year}} | population_total = {{UK subdivision population|GSS=E12000007}} | population_rank = {{Unbulleted list | [[List of cities in the United Kingdom|1st]] in the UK | [[List of European cities by population within city limits|3rd]] in Europe }} | population_density_km2 = {{UK subdivision density|GSS=E12000007}} | population_urban = 10,558,797 | population_urban_footnotes = {{nbsp}}(2021) | population_metro = 15,400,000 | population_metro_footnotes = {{efn|[[London metropolitan area]]}}{{nbsp}}(2026){{cite web |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/world/agglomerations/|title=Major agglomerations of the world|website=City Population|access-date=14 June 2026}} | population_demonyms = Londoner | demographics_type1 = Ethnicity ([[2021 United Kingdom census|2021]]) | demographics1_footnotes = {{NOMIS2021 |id=E12000007 |title=London Region |access-date=23 July 2024}} | demographics1_title1 = [[Ethnic groups in the United Kingdom|Ethnic groups]] | demographics1_info1 = {{Collapsible list | 53.8% [[White people in the United Kingdom|White]] | 20.7% [[British Asians|Asian]] | 13.5% [[Black British people|Black]] | 6.3% [[Ethnic groups in the United Kingdom|other]] | 5.7% [[Mixed (United Kingdom ethnicity category)|Mixed]] }} | demographics_type2 = Religion (2021) | demographics2_footnotes = | demographics2_title1 = [[Religion in England|Religion]] | demographics2_info1 = {{Collapsible list | 40.7% [[Religion in England#Christianity|Christianity]] | 27.1% [[Irreligion in the United Kingdom|no religion]] | 15.0% [[Islam in England|Islam]] | 5.1% [[Hinduism in England|Hinduism]] | 1.7% [[History of the Jews in England|Judaism]] | 1.6% [[Sikhism in England|Sikhism]] | 0.9% [[Buddhism in England|Buddhism]] | 1.0% [[Religion in England|other]] | 7.0% not stated }} | time_zone1 = [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]] | utc_offset = +00:00 | time_zone_DST = [[British Summer Time|BST]] | utc_offset_DST = +01:00 | postal_code_type = [[Postcodes in the United Kingdom|Postcode areas]] | postal_code = {{collapsible list |titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal; |title = 22 areas |{{postcode|E}}, {{postcode|EC}}, {{postcode|N}}, {{postcode|NW}}, {{postcode|SE}}, {{postcode|SW}}, {{postcode|W}}, {{postcode|WC}}, {{postcode|BR}}, {{postcode|CM}}, {{postcode|CR}}, {{postcode|DA}}, {{postcode|EN}}, {{postcode|HA}}, {{postcode|IG}}, {{postcode|KT}}, {{postcode|RM}}, {{postcode|SM}},{{postcode|UB}}, {{postcode|WD}}, {{postcode|TN}}, {{postcode|TW}} }} | area_code_type = [[Telephone numbers in the United Kingdom|Dialling codes]] | area_code = {{cslist | [[020]] | 01689 | 01708 | 01895 }} | custom_label1_sec1 = [[GSS coding system|GSS code]] | custom_data1_sec1 = {{Unbulleted list |E12000007 (region) |E61000001 (GLA) }} | custom_label2_sec1 = [[GeoTLD]] | custom_data2_sec1 = [[.london]] | website = {{URL|london.gov.uk}} }} '''London'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ʌ|n|d|ən}} {{Respelling|LUN|dən}}{{cite web |title=London {{!}} English meaning |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/london |website=Cambridge Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus}}}} is the [[Capital city|capital]] and [[List of urban areas in the United Kingdom|largest city]]{{efn|Although conventionally considered a city, only the ceremonial county of the [[City of London]] and the [[City of Westminster]] [[London borough|borough]] within [[Greater London]] hold [[City status in the United Kingdom|city status]].}} of [[England]] and the [[United Kingdom]], with a population of {{round|{{multiply|{{formatnum:{{UK subdivision population|GSS=E12000007}}|R}}|0.000001}}|1}}4 million people in 2025.{{Cite web |date=20 August 2026 |title=London Population 2026 |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/cities/united-kingdom/london |access-date=25 August 2026 |website=World Population Review |language=en}} [[London metropolitan area|Its wider metropolitan area]] is the largest in [[Western Europe]], with a population of 15.4 million. London stands on the [[River Thames]] in southeast England, at the head of a {{convert|50|mi|adj=on}} [[tidal estuary]] down to the [[North Sea]], and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years.{{cite web |url=http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Permanent/RomanLondon.htm |date=n.d. |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080322235536/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Permanent/RomanLondon.htm |title=Roman London |publisher=[[Museum of London]] |archive-date=22 March 2008 |url-status=dead}} Its ancient core and [[financial centre]], the [[City of London]], was founded by the [[Roman Empire|Romans]] as [[Londinium]] and has retained its medieval boundaries.{{efn|See also: [[Independent city#National capitals|Independent city § National capitals]].}}{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23518687 |title=London Government Act: Essex, Kent, Surrey and Middlesex 50 years on |work=[[BBC News]] |first=Joshua |last=Fowler |date=5 July 2013}} The [[City of Westminster]], to the west of the City of London, has been the site of [[Government of the United Kingdom|the national government]] and [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|parliament]] for centuries. London grew rapidly [[19th-century London|in the 19th century]], becoming the world's [[List of largest cities throughout history|largest city at the time]]. Since the 19th century{{cite book |last=Mills |first=AD |title=Dictionary of London Place Names |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2010 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=UWKcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA152 152]}} the name "London" has referred to the [[metropolis]] around the City of London, historically split among the [[Counties of England|counties]] of [[Middlesex]], [[Essex]], [[Surrey]], [[Kent]] and [[Hertfordshire]].{{cite news |date=25 April 2014 |title=The baffling map of England's counties |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27140505 |access-date=25 September 2021 |work=BBC News}} Since 1965 it has largely comprised the administrative area of [[Greater London]], governed by [[#Local government and services|33 local authorities]] and the [[Greater London Authority]].{{efn|The Greater London Authority consists of the [[Mayor of London]] and the [[London Assembly]]. The London Mayor is distinguished from the [[Lord Mayor of London]], who heads the [[City of London Corporation]] running the [[City of London]].}}{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Bill |title=Politics UK |last2=Kavanagh |first2=Dennis |last3=Moran |first3=Michael |last4=Norton |first4=Philip |publisher=Pearson Education |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-4058-2411-8 |location=Harlow |page=868}} As one of the world's major [[global cities]],{{cite web |title=Global Power City Index 2020 |url=http://www.mori-m-foundation.or.jp/english/ius2/gpci2/ |access-date=25 March 2021 |publisher=Institute for Urban Strategies – The Mori Memorial Foundation}}; {{cite news |author=Adewunmi |first=Bim |date=10 March 2013 |title=London: The Everything Capital of the World |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/shortcuts/2013/mar/10/london-capital-of-world-divorce-breakfast}}; {{cite web |title=What's The Capital of the World? |url=http://moreintelligentlife.co.uk/content/ideas/john-parker/what-capital-world?page=full |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922132807/http://moreintelligentlife.co.uk/content/ideas/john-parker/what-capital-world?page=full |archive-date=22 September 2013 |access-date=4 July 2013 |publisher=More Intelligent Life}}{{cite web |date=23 February 2022 |access-date=12 April 2024 |title=These are the world's top cities. Which one ranked highest for the 10th year running? |website=World Economic Forum |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/02/london-worlds-top-city/}} London exerts a strong influence on world art, [[Architecture of London|architecture]], [[Culture of London|culture]], [[London in film|cinema]], entertainment, [[commerce]], finance, [[Education in London|education]], [[Healthcare in London|healthcare]], [[Media in London|media]], science, technology, [[Tourism in London|tourism]], [[Transport in London|transport]] and communications.{{cite web |title=Leading 200 science cities |url=https://www.natureindex.com/supplements/nature-index-2021-science-cities/tables/overall|access-date=10 June 2022 |publisher=Nature}}{{cite magazine |date=14 August 2014 |title=The World's Most Influential Cities 2014 |url=https://www.forbes.com/pictures/edgl45ghmd/no-1-london |magazine=Forbes |access-date=25 March 2021}}; {{cite news |last=Dearden |first=Lizzie |date=8 October 2014 |title=London is 'the most desirable city in the world to work in', study finds |work=The Independent |location=London |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-is-the-most-desirable-city-in-the-world-to-work-in-study-finds-9779868.html |access-date=25 March 2021}} London is Europe's largest city economy{{cite news |title=When Cities Are More Economically Powerful Than Nations |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-16/top-metros-have-more-economic-power-than-most-nations |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250519075038/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-16/top-metros-have-more-economic-power-than-most-nations |archive-date=2025-05-19 |access-date=2025-09-24 |work=Bloomberg.com}} and [[Global Financial Centres Index|one of the world's major financial centres]].{{cite press release |title= London is Europe's leading economic powerhouse, says new report |url= https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/london-is-europes-leading-economic-powerhouse |access-date=5 January 2024 |publisher= Greater London Authority}} London is home to several of the world's leading academic institutions and hosts Europe's largest concentration of [[List of universities and higher education colleges in London|higher education institutions]],{{cite press release |date=20 August 2008 |url= http://www.london.gov.uk/media/press_releases_mayoral/number-international-students-london-continues-grow |title=Number of international students in London continues to grow |publisher=Greater London Authority |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101124154712/http://www.london.gov.uk/media/press_releases_mayoral/number-international-students-london-continues-grow |archive-date=24 November 2010 |url-status=dead}} comprising over 50 universities and colleges collectively enrolling more than 500,000 students in 2023.{{cite web |url= https://londonhigher.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-characteristics-of-students-in-London-higher-education-and-how-they-link-to-experience-and-outcomes-3.pdf |title= London Higher: Facts and Stats|author= |date= 2023|publisher =London Higher |access-date=12 October 2025 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241103102650/https://londonhigher.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-characteristics-of-students-in-London-higher-education-and-how-they-link-to-experience-and-outcomes-3.pdf |archive-date=3 November 2024 }} It is the [[List of cities by international visitors|most-visited city]] in Europe and has the world's [[List of busiest city airport systems by passenger traffic|busiest city airport system]].{{cite news |title= Revealed: The most crowded skies on the planet |date=27 July 2018 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/lists/the-busiest-skies-on-the-planet/ |access-date=2 December 2023 |work=The Telegraph |location= London |quote=London: Our capital's collective airport system is the busiest in the whole world. A total of 170,980,680 passengers.}} The [[London Underground]] is the world's oldest [[rapid transit]] system.{{cite web |title=London Underground |url= https://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/culture-and-heritage/londons-transport-a-history/london-underground |access-date=6 May 2022 |publisher= Transport for London }} London's diverse cultures encompass over 300 languages.{{cite web |url=http://www.cilt.org.uk/faqs/langspoken.htm |title=Languages spoken in the UK population |publisher=National Centre for Language |date=16 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924084621/http://www.cilt.org.uk/faqs/langspoken.htm |archive-date=24 September 2008 |url-status=dead}} {{cite web |url=http://www.cilt.org.uk/faqs/langspoken.htm |title=CILT, the National Centre for Languages |access-date=16 August 2007 |archive-date=13 February 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050213180755/http://www.cilt.org.uk/faqs/langspoken.htm |url-status=dead }} The 2025 population of Greater London of just over 9.8 million made it Europe's [[List of European cities by population within city limits|third-most populous city]], accounting for 13.1 per cent of the United Kingdom's population and 15.5 per cent of England's population.{{cite web |title=London, UK Metro Area Population (1950-2025) {{!}} MacroTrends |url=https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/cities/22860/london/population |access-date=23 May 2026|website=www.macrotrends.net}} The [[Greater London Built-up Area]] is the [[List of urban areas in Europe|fourth-most populous in Europe]], with about 9.8 million inhabitants as of 2011.{{cite web |date=28 June 2013 |title=2011 Census – Built-up areas |url=http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/articles/747.aspx |access-date=29 March 2021 |website=nomisweb.co.uk |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics|ONS]]}}{{cite web |title=Demographia World Urban Areas, 15th Annual Edition |url=http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf |publisher=[[Demographia]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207210003/http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf |archive-date=7 February 2020 |date=April 2019 |access-date=13 February 2016 |url-status=dead}} The London metropolitan area is the [[List of metropolitan areas in Europe|third-most-populous in Europe]], with about 15 million inhabitants as of 2025, making London a [[megacity]].{{efn|According to the [[Eurostat|European Statistical Agency]] (Eurostat), London had the largest [[Larger Urban Zones|Larger Urban Zone]] in the EU. Eurostat uses the sum of the populations of the contiguous urban core and the surrounding commuting zone as its definition.}}{{cite web |url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=met_pjanaggr3&lang=en |title=Metropolitan Area Populations |publisher=Eurostat |date=18 June 2019 |access-date=4 December 2019}}{{cite web |date=15 October 2015 |title=The London Plan (March 2015) |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/planning/london-plan/current-london-plan/london-plan-chapter-two-londons-places/policy-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222082331/https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/planning/london-plan/current-london-plan/london-plan-chapter-two-londons-places/policy-22 |archive-date=22 December 2016 |access-date=13 February 2026 |publisher=Greater London Authority}} Landmarks include the [[Tower of London]], [[Westminster Abbey]], [[Buckingham Palace]], the [[London Eye]], [[Piccadilly Circus]], [[St Paul's Cathedral]], [[Tower Bridge]] and [[Trafalgar Square]]. The city [[List of museums in London|has the most museums]], art galleries, libraries and [[List of London venues|cultural venues]] in the UK, including the [[British Museum]], the [[National Gallery]], the [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]], [[Tate Modern]], the [[British Library]] and numerous [[West End theatre]]s.{{cite news |last=Blackman |first=Bob |url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=207&story=E8821201275286&title=West+End+Must+Innovate+to+Renovate%2C+Says+Report |title=West End Must Innovate to Renovate, Says Report |access-date=15 November 2010 |work=What's on Stage |date=25 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430190446/http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=207&story=E8821201275286&title=West+End+Must+Innovate+to+Renovate%2C+Says+Report |archive-date=30 April 2011 |location=London |url-status=dead}} [[Sport in London|Annual sporting events]] include the [[FA Cup Final]] (held at [[Wembley Stadium]]), the [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon Tennis Championships]] and the [[London Marathon]]. It became the first city to host three [[Summer Olympic Games]] upon hosting the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] after previously hosting in [[1908 Summer Olympics|1908]] and [[1948 Summer Olympics|1948]].{{cite press release |date=6 July 2005 |title=IOC elects London as the Host City of the Games of the XXX Olympiad in 2012 |url=http://www.olympic.org/media?calendartab=1&articleid=52922 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111017100349/http://www.olympic.org/media?calendartab=1&articleid=52922 |archive-date=17 October 2011 |access-date=3 June 2006 |publisher=[[International Olympic Committee]]}} {{TOC limit|limit=3}} ==Etymology== {{main|Etymology of London|l1 = Etymology of ''London''}} The name ''London'' is attested in the first century AD, usually in the [[Latinisation of names|Latinised]] form {{lang|la|[[Londinium]]}}.{{cite book |last=Mills |first=Anthony David |title=A Dictionary of London Place Names |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2001 |isbn=9780192801067 |pages=139|oclc=45406491}} Modern scientific analyses of the name must account for the origins of the different forms that are found in early sources, such as [[Latin]] {{lang|la|Londinium}}, [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|Lunden}}, and [[Welsh language|Welsh]] {{lang|cy|Llundein}}, with reference to the known developments over time of sounds in those different languages. The name came into these languages from [[Common Brittonic|Common Brythonic]]; the lost Celtic form of the name was most likely {{lang|cel-x-proto|*Londonjon}}.{{cite journal |last1=Bynon |first1=Theodora |year=2016 |title=London's Name |journal=Transactions of the Philological Society |volume=114 |issue=3 |pages=281–97 |doi=10.1111/1467-968X.12064}} Until 1889, the name "London" applied officially only to the [[City of London]], but since then it has also denoted the [[County of London]] and [[Greater London]].{{cite book |last=Mills |first=David |title=A Dictionary of London Place Names |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2001 |isbn=978-0192801067 |page=140 |oclc=45406491}} ==History== {{main|History of London}} {{For timeline|Timeline of London}} ===Prehistory=== In 1993 remains of a [[Bronze Age]] bridge were found on the south River Thames [[foreshore]], upstream from [[Vauxhall Bridge]].{{cite web |title=First 'London Bridge' in River Thames at Vauxhall |date=27 May 2015 |url=https://exploring-london.com/tag/vauxhall-bridge/ |access-date=18 December 2023 }} Two of the timbers were [[Radiocarbon dating|radiocarbon dated]] to 1750–1285 BC. In 2010 foundations of a large timber structure, dated to 4800–4500 BC,{{cite web |title=London's Oldest Prehistoric Structure |url=http://www.bajrfed.co.uk/bajrpress/londons-oldest-prehistoric-structure/ |publisher=BAJR |access-date=19 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707053946/http://www.bajrfed.co.uk/bajrpress/londons-oldest-prehistoric-structure/ |archive-date=7 July 2018 |url-status=live |date=3 April 2015}} were found on the Thames' south foreshore downstream from Vauxhall Bridge.{{cite web |last=Milne |first=Gustav |title=London's Oldest Foreshore Structure! |url=http://www.thamesdiscovery.org/frog-blog/london-s-oldest-find-discovered-at-vauxhall |website=Frog Blog |publisher=Thames Discovery Programme |access-date=15 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430002236/http://www.thamesdiscovery.org/frog-blog/london-s-oldest-find-discovered-at-vauxhall |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=live}} Both are located on the south bank of the Thames, where the now-underground [[River Effra]] flows into the Thames. ===Roman London=== {{main|Londinium}} {{multiple image | align = right | direction = vertical | header = | width = 215 | image1 = Stelalondon.jpg | caption1 = Inscription from [[Londinium]], held at the Museum of London, with the Romans' first mention of the ''Londiniensi'' ('Londoners') | image2 = London Wall fragment.jpg | caption2 = A surviving section of the 3rd-century [[London Wall]] behind [[Tower Hill]] }} Despite the evidence of scattered [[Celtic Britons|Brythonic]] settlements in the area, the first major settlement was founded by the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] around AD 47, about 4 years after their invasion of AD 43.{{cite book |title=Roman London |last=Perring |first=Dominic |year=1991 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-0-203-23133-3 |page=1}} This only lasted until about AD 61, when the [[Iceni]] tribe led by [[Boudica|Queen Boudica]] stormed it and burnt it to the ground.{{cite web |title=British History Timeline - Roman Britain |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/timeline/romanbritain_timeline_noflash.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430191143/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/timeline/romanbritain_timeline_noflash.shtml |archive-date=30 April 2011 |access-date=7 June 2008 |publisher=[[BBC]]}} The next planned incarnation of [[Londinium]] prospered, superseding [[Colchester]] as the principal city of the [[Roman province]] of [[Roman Britain|Britannia]] in 100. At its height in the 2nd century, Roman London had a population of about 60,000.{{cite book |title=London Civic Theatre: City Drama and Pageantry from Roman Times to 1558 |first=Anne |last=Lancashire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QajvxgbH59QC&pg=PA19 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2002 |page=19 |isbn=978-0-521-63278-2}} ===Anglo-Saxon and Viking-period London=== {{main|Anglo-Saxon London}} With the early-5th-century collapse of Roman rule, the walled city of Londinium was effectively abandoned, although [[Roman civilisation]] continued around [[St Martin-in-the-Fields]] until about 450.{{cite web |title=The last days of Londinium |url=http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Past/MissingLink/Themes/TML_themes_Londinium.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108092449/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Past/MissingLink/Themes/TML_themes_Londinium.htm |archive-date=8 January 2009 |access-date=31 March 2013 |website=[[Museum of London]]}} From about 500 an [[Anglo-Saxon]] settlement known as [[Anglo-Saxon London|Lundenwic]] developed slightly west of the old Roman city.{{cite web |url=http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Past/MissingLink/Themes/TML_themes_Lundenwic.htm |title=The early years of Lundenwic |publisher=The [[Museum of London]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080610043903/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Past/MissingLink/Themes/TML_themes_Lundenwic.htm |archive-date=10 June 2008 |url-status=dead}} By about 680 the city had become a major port again, but there is little evidence of large-scale production. From the 820s repeated [[Viking]] assaults brought decline.{{cite web |url=https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/viking_attacklist.html?showall=1 |title=Viking Attacks |access-date=19 January 2016 |last1=Wheeler |first1=Kip |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101055729/https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/viking_attacklist.html?showall=1 |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=dead}} The Vikings applied [[Danelaw]] over much of [[East of England|eastern]] and [[northern England]] from 886; The ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' records that Alfred "refounded" London that year. This involved the abandonment of Lundenwic and a revival of life and trade within the old [[London Wall|Roman walls]]. London then grew slowly until a dramatic increase in about 950.{{cite encyclopedia |last=Vince |first=Alan |year=2001 |title=London |editor=Lapidge, Michael |editor2=Blair, John |editor3=Keynes, Simon |editor4=Scragg, Donald |encyclopedia=The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England |publisher=Blackwell |isbn=978-0-631-22492-1}} By the 11th century, London was clearly the largest town in England. [[Westminster Abbey]], rebuilt in [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] style by King [[Edward the Confessor]], was one of the grandest churches in Europe. [[Winchester]] had been the capital of [[History of Anglo-Saxon England|Anglo-Saxon England]], but from this time, London became the main forum for foreign traders and the base for defence in time of war. In the view of [[Frank Stenton]]: "It had the resources, and it was rapidly developing the dignity and the political self-consciousness appropriate to a national capital."{{cite book |last=Stenton |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Stenton |year=1971 |title=Anglo-Saxon England |pages=538–539 |publisher=Oxford University Press |edition=3rd |isbn=978-0-19-280139-5}} ===Middle Ages=== [[File:Westminster Abbey by Canaletto, 1749.jpg|thumb|[[Westminster Abbey]], as seen in this painting ([[Canaletto]], 1749), is a [[World Heritage Site]] and one of London's oldest buildings.]] After winning the [[Battle of Hastings]], [[William the Conqueror|William, Duke of Normandy]], was crowned [[King of England]] as William I in the newly completed [[Westminster Abbey]] on Christmas Day 1066.{{cite web |last=Ibeji |first=Mike |date=17 February 2011 |title=History – 1066 – King William |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/normans/1066_06.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090922053048/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/normans/1066_06.shtml |archive-date=22 September 2009 |access-date=29 March 2021 |publisher=BBC}} He built the [[Tower of London]] to intimidate the inhabitants.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/architecture_02.shtml |title=A History of British Architecture — White Tower |last=Tinniswood |first=Adrian |author-link=Adrian Tinniswood |publisher=BBC |access-date=5 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213124332/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/architecture_02.shtml |archive-date=13 February 2009 |url-status=live}} In 1097 [[William II of England|William II]] began building [[Westminster Hall]], near the abbey. It became the basis of a new [[Palace of Westminster]].{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/history/building.cfm |title=UK Parliament — Parliament: The building |date=9 November 2007 |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=27 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311032051/http://www.parliament.uk/about/history/building.cfm |archive-date=11 March 2008 |url-status=dead}} In the 12th century the institutions of [[central government]], which had followed the royal English court around the country, grew in size and sophistication and became increasingly fixed, for most purposes at Westminster, although the royal treasury came to rest in the Tower of London. While the City of Westminster developed into a true governmental capital, its distinct neighbour, the City of London, remained England's largest city and principal commercial centre and flourished under its own unique administration, the [[City of London Corporation|Corporation of London]]. In 1100, its population was some 18,000; by 1300, it had grown to nearly 100,000.{{cite book |last1=Schofield |first1=John |last2=Vince |first2=Alan |author2-link=Alan Vince |title=Medieval Towns: The Archaeology of British Towns in Their European Setting |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-8264-6002-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qu7QLC7g7VgC&pg=PA26 |page=26}} With the [[Black Death]] in the mid-14th century, London lost nearly a third of its population.{{cite web |last=Ibeji |first=Mike |date=10 March 2011 |title=BBC – History – British History in depth: Black Death |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/black_01.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430191039/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/black_01.shtml |archive-date=30 April 2011 |access-date=3 November 2008 |publisher=BBC}} London was the focus of the [[Peasants' Revolt]] in 1381.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/richard_ii_king.shtml |title=Richard II (1367–1400) |publisher=BBC |access-date=12 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430191132/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/richard_ii_king.shtml |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=live}} London was a centre of England's [[History of the Jews in England (1066–1290)|Jewish population]] before [[Edict of Expulsion|their expulsion]] by [[Edward I of England|Edward I]] in 1290. Violence against Jews occurred in 1190, when it was rumoured that [[Richard I of England|Richard I]] had ordered their massacre after some of their leaders had presented themselves at his coronation.{{cite web |last=Jacobs |first=Joseph |year=1906 |title=England |url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5764-england |website=[[Jewish Encyclopedia]] }}{{Citation |last=Flori |first=Jean |title=Richard Coeur de Lion: le roi-chevalier |date=1999 |place=Paris |publisher=Biographie Payot |language=fr |pages=94–95 |isbn=978-2-2288-9272-8}} In 1264, during the [[Second Barons' War]], [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester|Simon de Montfort]]'s rebels killed 500 Jews while attempting to seize records of debts.{{cite book |last=Mundill |first=Robin R. |work=Continuum |ol=24816680M |isbn=978-1-84725-186-2 |location=London |title=The King's Jews |url=https://archive.org/details/kingsjewsmoneyma00mund |lccn=2010282921 |oclc=466343661 |year=2010 |pages=88–99}} ===Early modern=== The [[English Reformation|Reformation]] produced a shift to [[Protestantism]]. Much property passed into private ownership, accelerating business in the city.{{cite book |last=Pevsner |first=Nikolaus |title=London – The Cities of London and Westminster |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |edition=2nd |volume=1 |publication-date=1 January 1962 |pages=48 |asin=B0000CLHU5}} In 1475 the [[Hanseatic League]] set up a trading base.{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Steelyard, Merchants of the}} [[Woollen]] cloth was shipped undyed from 14th- and 15th-century London to the [[Low Countries]].{{cite book |last=Pounds |first=Normal J. G. |title=An Historical Geography of Europe 450 B.C.–A.D. 1330 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=1973 |isbn=9781139163552 |pages=430 |doi=10.1017/CBO9781139163552}} The reopening of the Netherlands to English shipping in January 1565 spurred a burst of commercial activity.{{cite book |last=Ramsay |first=George Daniel |title=The Queen's Merchants and the Revolt of the Netherlands (The End of the Antwerp Mart, Vol 2) |publisher=[[Manchester University Press]] |year=1986 |isbn=9780719018497 |pages=1 & 62–63}} [[Mercantilism]] grew and monopoly traders such as the [[East India Company]] were founded as trade expanded to the [[New World]]. London became the main [[North Sea]] port, with migrants from England and abroad. The population rose from about 50,000 in 1530 to about 225,000 in 1605. [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] built his [[Globe Theatre]] in [[Southwark]] in 1599. Stage performances halted when [[Puritan]] authorities [[London theatre closure 1642|shut down the theatres]] in the 1640s.{{cite news |title=From pandemics to puritans: when theatre shut down through history and how it recovered |url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/long-reads/from-pandemics-to-puritans-when-theatre-shut-down-through-history-and-how-it-recovered |access-date=22 June 2022 |website=The Stage.co.uk}} The ban was lifted during [[Stuart Restoration|the 1660 Restoration]]; London's oldest theatre, [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane|Drury Lane]], opened in 1663.{{cite news |title=London's 10 oldest theatres|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/galleries/Londons-oldest-theatres/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/galleries/Londons-oldest-theatres/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=27 June 2022 |work=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}} By the end of the Tudor period in 1603, London was still compact. There was an assassination attempt on [[James I of England|James I]] in Westminster, in the [[Gunpowder Plot]] of 5 November 1605.{{cite book |title=James I |last=Durston |first=Christopher |year=1993 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-0-415-07779-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/jamesi0000durs/page/59 59] |url=https://archive.org/details/jamesi0000durs/page/59}} In 1637 the government of [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] attempted to reform London's administration; the Corporation made "The Great Refusal", explaining the City of London's unique governmental status.{{cite journal |last=Doolittle |first=Ian |year=2014 |title='The Great Refusal': Why Does the City of London Corporation Only Govern the Square Mile? |journal=The London Journal |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=21–36 |doi=10.1179/0305803413Z.00000000038 |s2cid=159791907}} In the [[English Civil War]], most Londoners supported the [[Roundhead]]s. After an advance by the [[Cavaliers]] in 1642, culminating in the battles of [[Battle of Brentford (1642)|Brentford]] and [[Battle of Turnham Green|Turnham Green]], London was surrounded by [[Lines of Communication (London)|a defensive perimeter wall]].{{cite web |last=Flintham |first=David |title=London |url=http://www.fortified-places.com/london/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116190923/http://www.fortified-places.com/london/ |archive-date=16 January 2009 |access-date=28 March 2021 |website=Fortified Places}} The fortifications failed their only test when the [[New Model Army]] entered London in 1647.Harrington, Peter (2003). ''English Civil War Fortifications 1642–51'', Volume 9 of Fortress, 9, Osprey Publishing, {{ISBN|1-84176-604-6}}. [https://books.google.com/books?id=dKwKIiqAnlkC&pg=PA57 p. 57]{{cite book |title=The English Civil War: A contemporary account (v. 1) |publisher=Caliban Books |others=Wencelaus Hollar (Illustrator), Christopher Hill (Introduction) |isbn=978-1850660316 |editor-last=Razzell |editor-first=Peter |publication-date=1 January 1996 |editor-last2=Razzell |editor-first2=Edward}}{{cite book |last=Gardiner |first=Samuel R. |title=History of the Great Civil War, 1642-1649 |date=18 December 2016 |publisher=Forgotten Books |isbn=978-1334658464 |volume=3 |publication-date=16 July 2017 |pages=218}} London suffered the [[Great Plague of London|Great Plague]] of 1665–1666, killing some 100,000 people, a fifth of the population.{{cite web |url=http://urbanrim.org.uk/plague%20list.htm |title=A List of National Epidemics of Plague in England 1348–1665 |publisher=Urban Rim |date=4 December 2009 |access-date=3 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508010316/http://urbanrim.org.uk/plague%20list.htm |archive-date=8 May 2009 |url-status=dead}} In 1666, the [[Great Fire of London|Great Fire]] destroyed much of the wooden-built city.{{cite book |last=Pepys |first=Samuel |author-link=Samuel Pepys |title=The Diary of Samuel Pepys |volume=45: August/September 1666 |date=2 September 1666 |publisher=Univ of California Press |orig-year=1893 |editor=[[Mynors Bright]] (decipherer) |editor2=[[Henry B. Wheatley]] |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4167/pg4167.html |isbn=978-0-520-22167-3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130813025236/http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4167/pg4167.html |archive-date=13 August 2013 |url-status=live}} Rebuilding took over 10 years, supervised by the polymath [[Robert Hooke]].{{cite web |last=Schofield |first=John |date=17 February 2011 |title=BBC – History – British History in depth: London After the Great Fire |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/after_fire_01.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410000142/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/after_fire_02.shtml |archive-date=10 April 2009 |access-date=29 March 2021 |publisher=BBC}} In 1710, [[Christopher Wren]]'s masterpiece [[St Paul's Cathedral]] was completed, replacing its medieval predecessor, lost in the Great Fire. Its dome dominated the [[London skyline]] for centuries, inspiring [[William Blake]], whose 1789 poem "[[Holy Thursday (Songs of Innocence)|Holy Thursday]]" mentions 'the high dome of Pauls'.{{cite news |title=William Blake lights up London Skyline |url=https://www.tate.org.uk/press/press-releases/william-blake-lights-london-skyline |access-date=15 June 2024 |work=Tate}} During the [[Georgian era]] new districts such as [[Mayfair]] were formed in the west, while new bridges encouraged development in [[South London]]. In the east, the [[Port of London]] expanded downstream, while the [[financial centre]] matured.{{cite news |title=Amsterdam and London as financial centers in the eighteenth century |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/financial-history-review/article/abs/amsterdam-and-london-as-financial-centers-in-the-eighteenth-century1/8B23F8D271B1BCD05594064523600E85 |access-date=4 July 2022 |work=Cambridge University Press|archive-date=11 March 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250311201823/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/financial-history-review/article/abs/amsterdam-and-london-as-financial-centers-in-the-eighteenth-century1/8B23F8D271B1BCD05594064523600E85}} In 1762 [[George III of Great Britain|George III]] acquired [[Buckingham Palace|Buckingham House]]. During the 18th century London was dogged by crime,''Hell on Earth, or the Town in an Uproar'' (anon., London 1729). Jarndyce Autumn Miscellany catalogue, London: 2021. and the [[Bow Street Runners]] were established in 1750 as a professional police force.{{cite web |year=2001 |title=PBS – Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street|url=https://www.pbs.org/kqed/demonbarber/madding/thieftaker.html |access-date=28 March 2021 |publisher=PBS}} Epidemics during the 1720s and 30s saw most children born in the city die before reaching their fifth birthday.{{cite web |last=Harris |first=Rhian |date=5 October 2012 |title=History – The Foundling Hospital |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/foundling_01.shtml |access-date=28 March 2021 |publisher=BBC}} Growing [[literacy]] and printed papers made news widely available; [[Fleet Street]] became the centre of the British press, and Londoners debated in [[coffeehouse]]s. [[Napoleon]]'s invasion of [[Amsterdam]] led many financiers to relocate to London and the first London international issue was arranged in 1817. The [[Royal Navy]] became the world's leading war fleet, acting as a deterrent to economic adversaries. Following an 1838 fire, the [[Royal Exchange, London|Royal Exchange]] was rebuilt in 1844. The 1846 repeal of the [[Corn Laws]], meant to weaken Dutch economic power, enabled London to overtake Amsterdam as the leading international financial centre.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yor4DAAAQBAJ |title=Finance Masters: A Brief History of International Financial Centers in the Last Millennium |last=Coispeau |first=Olivier |date=2016 |publisher=World Scientific |isbn=978-981-310-884-4}} File:Siege of London (MS 1168).jpg|The [[House of Lancaster|Lancastrian]] siege of London in 1471 is attacked by a [[House of York|Yorkist]] sally. File:London - John Norden's map of 1593.jpg|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. File:Great Fire London.jpg|The [[Great Fire of London]] destroyed much of the city in 1666. File:Edward Angelo Goodall04.jpg|[[St Paul's Cathedral]] (painted by [[Edward Angelo Goodall|Edward Goodall]] in 1850) was completed in 1710. ===Late modern and contemporary=== The [[Industrial Revolution]] saw unprecedented [[urbanisation]].{{cite news |last1=White |first1=Matthew |title=The rise of cities in the 18th century |url=https://www.bl.uk/georgian-britain/articles/the-rise-of-cities-in-the-18th-century |access-date=11 June 2022 |agency=British Library |archive-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522225623/https://www.bl.uk/georgian-britain/articles/the-rise-of-cities-in-the-18th-century |url-status=dead }}{{cite conference |title=Trends in urbanisation |year=1993|author=Christopher Watson|editor1=K.B. Wildey |editor2=Wm H. Robinson |conference=Proceedings of the First International Conference on Urban Pests |citeseerx=10.1.1.522.7409}} London was the world's [[List of largest cities throughout history|largest city from about 1831 to 1925]], with a population density of 132 per acre (325 per hectare).{{cite web |title=London: The greatest city |url=http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/i-m/london4.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419104109/http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/i-m/london4.html |archive-date=19 April 2009 |access-date=25 March 2021 |publisher=Channel 4}} [[Harding, Howell & Co.]] on [[Pall Mall, London|Pall Mall]] was one of the first [[department store]]s, alongside many [[Hawker (trade)|street seller]]s. The [[London Underground]], the world's first [[Rapid transit|urban rail network]], was created in response to [[traffic congestion]].{{cite news |title=A short history of world metro systems – in pictures |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2014/sep/10/-sp-history-metro-pictures-london-underground-new-york-beijing-seoul |access-date=3 March 2024 |work=The Guardian}} Overcrowding led to [[cholera]] epidemics, claiming 14,000 lives in 1848, and 6,000 in 1866.{{cite web |author=Brown, Robert W. |url=http://www.uncp.edu/home/rwb/london_19c.html |title=London in the Nineteenth Century |publisher=University of North Carolina at Pembroke |access-date=13 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230164544/http://www.uncp.edu/home/rwb/london_19c.html |archive-date=30 December 2011}} A modern [[History of water supply and sanitation#Sewer systems|sewage system]] was created by the [[Metropolitan Board of Works]];{{cite news |title=Story of cities #14: London's Great Stink heralds a wonder of the industrial world |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/apr/04/story-cities-14-london-great-stink-river-thames-joseph-bazalgette-sewage-system |access-date=18 April 2025 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}} it diverted waste to the Thames Estuary, and by the 1890s used biological [[Sewage treatment#History|treatment of sewage]] to oxidise the waste.{{cite journal |last=Hamlin |first=Christopher |title=William Dibdin and the Idea of Biological Sewage Treatment |journal=Technology and Culture|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |date=1988 |volume=29 |issue=2 |pages=189–218 |doi=10.1353/tech.1988.0136 |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/889247|url-access=subscription }}{{cite news |title=London Sewers - Seven Wonders |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/england/sevenwonders/london/sewers_mm/index.shtml |access-date=18 April 2025 |publisher=BBC}} The Metropolitan Board of Works oversaw infrastructure expansion in the capital and some surrounding counties.{{cite book |last=Pennybacker |first=Susan D. |title=Vision for London, 1889–1914 |date=2005 |publisher=Routledge |page=18}} In 1894, [[J. Lyons and Co.|Lyons]] opened their first [[Chain store|chain]] of teashops in [[Piccadilly]].{{cite news |title=Bawden and battenberg: the Lyons teashop lithographs |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/jul/12/bawden-battenberg-lyons-teashops-lithographs |access-date=27 June 2022 |work=The Guardian}} Tearooms became popular meeting places for women from the suffrage movement.{{cite news |title=Taking Tea and Talking Politics: The Role of Tearooms|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/womens-history/suffrage/taking-tea-and-talking-politics/ |access-date=27 June 2022 |work=Historic England}} [[Westminster Abbey]] and [[St Paul's Cathedral]] were bombed in the 1912–14 [[suffragette bombing and arson campaign]].{{cite web |title=Suffragettes, violence and militancy |url=https://www.bl.uk/votes-for-women/articles/suffragettes-violence-and-militancy |website=British Library |access-date=9 October 2021 |archive-date=10 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910203912/https://www.bl.uk/votes-for-women/articles/suffragettes-violence-and-militancy |url-status=dead }} [[File:LondonBombedWWII full.jpg|thumb|A bombed-out London street during [[the Blitz]] in 1940]] {{anchor|German air attacks}} London was [[German strategic bombing during World War I|bombed by the Germans]] in the [[First World War]]. During the [[Second World War]], [[the Blitz]] killed over 30,000 Londoners, destroying many buildings.{{cite web |date=18 May 2016 |title=Bomb-Damage Maps Reveal London's World War II Devastation |url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/history/bomb-damage-maps-reveal-londons-world-war-ii-devastation.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430155359/http://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/history/bomb-damage-maps-reveal-londons-world-war-ii-devastation.aspx |archive-date=30 April 2017 |access-date=18 June 2017 |website=nationalgeographic.com.au}} The tomb of [[the Unknown Warrior]] was created in Westminster Abbey on 11 November 1920{{cite web |url=https://www.nam.ac.uk/press/buried-among-kings-story-unknown-warrior |title=Buried Among Kings: The Story of the Unknown Warrior |website=Nam.ac.uk |publisher=National Army Museum |access-date=15 April 2023}} and [[The Cenotaph]], in [[Whitehall]], was unveiled on the same day; it is the focus the [[National Service of Remembrance]] held annually on [[Remembrance Sunday]].{{cite web |last1=Vaughan-Barratt |first1=Nick |title=Remembrance |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/entries/0c66fc02-abf2-31e0-9867-cc306b16d3c9 |website=BBC Blogs |date=4 November 2009 |publisher=BBC |access-date=15 April 2023}} The [[1948 Summer Olympics]] were held at the original [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]], while London was still recovering from the war.{{cite magazine |last=Ronk |first=Liz |date=27 July 2013 |title=LIFE at the 1948 London Olympics |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |url=https://time.com/3877686/1948-london-summer-olympics-life-photos/|url-status=live |access-date=18 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530005852/http://time.com/3877686/1948-london-summer-olympics-life-photos/ |archive-date=30 May 2015}} From the 1940s, London became home to many immigrants, primarily from [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] countries such as Jamaica, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan,{{cite book |last1=Hibbert |first1=Christopher |title=The London Encyclopaedia |last2=Weinreb |first2=Ben |last3=Keay |first3=Julia |last4=Keay |first4=John |publisher=[[Pan Macmillan]] |others=Photographs by Matthew Weinreb |year=2010 |isbn=9781405049252 |edition=3rd |page=428}} making London one of the most [[Multiracialism|multiracial]] cities in the world. In 1951 the [[Festival of Britain]] was held on the [[South Bank]].{{cite news |year=2008 |title=1951: King George opens Festival of Britain |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/3/newsid_2481000/2481099.stm |access-date=18 June 2017}} The [[Great Smog]] of 1952 led to the [[Clean Air Act 1956]], which ended the "[[pea soup fog]]s" which had earned London the nickname the "Big Smoke".{{cite web |last=Breen |first=Matt |title=Most Googled: why is London called the 'Big Smoke'? |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/blog/most-googled-why-is-london-called-the-big-smoke-011317 |access-date=29 November 2022 |website=[[Time Out London]] |date=13 January 2017}} In the mid-1960s, London became a centre for worldwide [[youth culture]], exemplified by the [[Swinging London]] sub-culture of the [[King's Road]], [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]] and [[Carnaby Street]].{{cite book | title=Swinging City: A Cultural Geography of London 1950–1974 | publisher=Routledge | author=Rycroft, Simon | year=2016 | pages=87 | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I5O1CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT87 | chapter=Mapping Swinging London| isbn=9781317047346 }} The role of trendsetter revived in the [[punk rock|punk]] era.{{cite book |author=Bracken |first=Gregory B. |title=Walking Tour London: Sketches of the city's architectural treasures... Journey Through London's Urban Landscapes |publisher=Marshall Cavendish International |year=2011 |isbn=9789814435369 |page=10}} In 1965 London's political boundaries were expanded in response to the city's growth, and a new [[Greater London Council]] was created.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-35716693 |title=The rise and fall of the GLC |last=Webber |first=Esther |date=31 March 2016 |website=BBC Newsmaccess-date=18 June 2017}} During [[the Troubles]] in [[Northern Ireland]], London was hit by bomb attacks by the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] beginning in 1973. These attacks lasted for two decades, starting with the [[Old Bailey bombing]].{{cite web |last=Godoy |first=Maria |date=7 July 2005 |title=Timeline: London's Explosive History |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4734400 |access-date=25 March 2021 |publisher=NPR}} Greater London's population declined after the Second World War, from an estimated peak of 8.6 million in 1939 to around 6.8 million in the 1980s.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-31082941 |title=London's population hits 8.6m record high |work=BBC News |date=2 February 2015 |access-date=19 June 2017}} By January 2015 Greater London's population had increased again to 8.63 million.{{cite web |title=Population Growth in London, 1939–2015 |url=http://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/population-change-1939-2015/resource/0a026346-960e-49e6-b968-a386d2cfe55f |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219160246/http://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/population-change-1939-2015/resource/0a026346-960e-49e6-b968-a386d2cfe55f |archive-date=19 February 2015 |url-status=dead |website=London Datastore |publisher=Greater London Authority |access-date=7 July 2015 }} [https://londondatastore-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/dataset/population-change-1939-2015/historical%20population%201939-2015.pdf Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315011004/https://londondatastore-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/dataset/population-change-1939-2015/historical%20population%201939-2015.pdf |date=15 March 2023 }} The principal ports for London moved downstream to [[Port of Felixstowe|Felixstowe]] and [[Port of Tilbury|Tilbury]], with the [[London Docklands]] area becoming a focus for regeneration.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/28/canary-wharf-timeline-london-building-docklands-thatcher |title=Canary Wharf timeline: from the Thatcher years to Qatari control |last=Zolfagharifard |first=Ellie |date=14 February 2014 |website=The Guardian |access-date=19 June 2017}} {{convert|2|mi|km}} east of central London, the [[Thames Barrier]] was completed in 1982 to protect London against tidal surges from the [[North Sea]].{{cite journal |last=Kendrick |first=Mary |author-link=Mary Kendrick |date=1988 |title=The Thames Barrier |journal=Landscape and Urban Planning |volume=16 |issue=1–2 |pages=57–68 |doi=10.1016/0169-2046(88)90034-5 |bibcode=1988LUrbP..16...57K }} The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986, leaving London with no central administration until the creation of the [[Greater London Authority]] in 2000.{{cite news |year=2008 |title=1986: Greater London Council abolished |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/31/newsid_2530000/2530803.stm |access-date=20 June 2017}} To mark the 21st century the [[Millennium Dome]], the [[London Eye]] and the [[Millennium Bridge (London)|Millennium Bridge]] were constructed.{{cite web |url=http://www.building.co.uk/millennium-projects-10-years-of-good-luck/5001637.article |title=Millennium projects: 10 years of good luck |last=Ijeh |first=Ike |date=25 June 2010 |website=building.co.uk |access-date=20 June 2017}} On 7 July 2005, three London Underground trains and a double-decker bus were bombed in [[7 July 2005 London bombings|a series of terrorist attacks]]. In 2008 ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine hailed London as one of the world's three most influential [[global cities]].{{cite book |title=International Handbook of Globalization and World Cities |publisher=[[Edward Elgar Publishing]] |year=2015 |isbn=9781785360688 |editor-last=Derudder |editor-first=Ben |page=422 |editor-last2=Hoyler |editor-first2=Michael |editor-last3=Taylor |editor-first3=Peter J. |editor-last4=Witlox |editor-first4=Frank}} In terms of international connectedness, as of 2024, London was one of two cities worldwide classified as an "Alpha++" city by the [[Globalization and World Cities Research Network]].{{cite web |title=World Cities 2024 |url=https://gawc.lboro.ac.uk/gawc-worlds/the-world-according-to-gawc/world-cities-2024/ |access-date=8 July 2025 |website=GaWC-US}} ==Administration== ===Local government and services=== {{main|Local government in London|History of local government in London|List of heads of London government}} [[File:Siemens Crystal Building, London.jpg|thumb|left|[[City Hall, London|City Hall]] seen across Royal Victoria Dock, headquarters of the [[Greater London Authority]] (GLA) since 2022]] The administration of London is formed of two tiers: a citywide, strategic tier coordinated by the [[Greater London Authority]] (GLA), and a local tier with 33 local administrations.{{cite web |title=Who runs London – Find Out Who Runs London and How |url=http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/who-runs-london|access-date=28 March 2021 |website=[[London Councils]] }} The GLA consists of the [[mayor of London]], who has [[executive powers]], and the [[London Assembly]], which scrutinises the mayor's decisions and can accept or reject the mayor's annual budget proposals. The GLA is responsible for most of London's transport system through [[Transport for London]] (TfL), overseeing the city's police and fire services, and setting a strategic vision for London through the [[London Plan]].{{cite web |title=The essential guide to London local government |url=https://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/who-runs-london/essential-guide-london-local-government |publisher=London Councils |access-date=19 June 2023 |archive-date=6 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406212109/https://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/who-runs-london/essential-guide-london-local-government |url-status=dead }} The headquarters of the GLA is [[City Hall, London|City Hall]] in [[Newham]]. The mayor since 2016 has been [[Sadiq Khan]] of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]].{{cite news |title=London Elections 2016: Results |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2016/london/results |access-date=7 May 2016}} [[File:City coat of arms, Holborn Viaduct (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Coat of arms of the City of London|Arms of the Corporation of the City of London]] since 1381]] The local authorities are the councils of the 32 [[London boroughs]] and the [[City of London Corporation]].{{cite web |title=London Government Directory – London Borough Councils |url=http://directory.londoncouncils.gov.uk/ |access-date=29 March 2017 |website=[[London Councils]] |archive-date=8 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071108212853/http://directory.londoncouncils.gov.uk/ |url-status=dead }} They are responsible for most local services, including local planning, schools, libraries, leisure and recreation, [[social work|social services]], local roads and refuse collection.{{cite web |title=London Government |url=https://www.politics.co.uk/reference/london-government/ |publisher=politics.co.uk |access-date=19 June 2023}} Some functions, such as [[Waste disposal authorities in London|waste management]], are provided through joint arrangements. In 2009–2010 the revenue expenditure by London councils and the GLA amounted to just over £22 billion (£14.7 billion for the boroughs and £7.4 billion for the GLA).{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Local Government Financial Statistics England No.21 (2011) |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/7462/1911067.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428000713/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/7462/1911067.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=25 March 2021 |archive-date=28 April 2018}} The [[London Fire Brigade]] is the [[statute|statutory]] [[Fire service in the UK|fire and rescue service]] for Greater London, run by the [[London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority]].{{cite web |url=http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/WhoWeAre.asp |title=Who we are |publisher=London Fire Brigade |access-date=25 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429034538/http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/WhoWeAre.asp |archive-date=29 April 2011 |url-status=dead }} [[National Health Service]] [[Emergency medical services|ambulance services]] are provided by the [[London Ambulance Service|London Ambulance Service (LAS) NHS Trust]].{{cite web |url=http://www.londonambulance.nhs.uk/about_us.aspx |title=About us |publisher=London Ambulance Service NHS Trust |access-date=25 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427031902/http://www.londonambulance.nhs.uk/about_us.aspx |archive-date=27 April 2011 |url-status=dead }} The [[London Air Ambulance]] charity operates in conjunction with the LAS where required. [[HM Coastguard|His Majesty's Coastguard]] and the [[Royal National Lifeboat Institution]] operate on the [[River Thames]], under the jurisdiction of the [[Port of London Authority]] from [[Teddington Lock]] to the sea.{{cite web |title=Port of London Act 1968 (as amended) |url=http://www.pla.co.uk/Port-of-London-Act-1968 |access-date=29 March 2021 |website=[[Port of London Authority]]}} Policing in Greater London, with the exception of the [[City of London]], is provided by the [[Metropolitan Police]] ("The Met"), overseen by the mayor through the [[Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime]].{{cite web |url=http://policeauthority.org/Metropolitan/ |title=MPA: Metropolitan Police Authority |publisher=Metropolitan Police Authority |date=22 May 2012 |access-date=4 May 2013}} The [[British Transport Police]] are responsible for police services on [[National Rail]], [[London Underground]], [[Docklands Light Railway]] and [[Tramlink]] services.{{cite web |year=2021 |title=About Us |url=https://www.btp.police.uk/police-forces/british-transport-police/areas/about-us/about-us/ |access-date=28 March 2021 |website=[[British Transport Police]]}} The [[Ministry of Defence Police]] is a specialised police force in London.{{cite web |year=2017 |title=Ministry of Defence – Our Purpose |url=http://www.mod.police.uk/index.html |access-date=28 March 2021 |website=[[Ministry of Defence Police]] |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506183729/http://www.mod.police.uk/index.html |url-status=dead }} ===National government=== [[File:10 Downing Street. MOD 45155532 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[10 Downing Street]], official residence of the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] ]] London is the seat of the [[Government of the United Kingdom]]. Many government departments and the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|prime minister's]] residence at [[10 Downing Street]] are based close to the [[Palace of Westminster]], particularly along [[Whitehall]].{{cite web |title=Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/prime-ministers-office-10-downing-street |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=uk.gov}} There are 75 [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|members of Parliament]] from London; as at [[2024 United Kingdom general election|June 2024]], 59 are from the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], 9 are [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]], 6 are [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] and one constituency is held by an [[Independent politician|independent]].{{cite web |title=CBP-10009.pdf |url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-10009/CBP-10009.pdf |website=UK Parliament}} The ministerial post of [[Minister for London]] was created in 1994; it has been vacant since July 2024.{{cite news |title=Minister for London |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-for-london |access-date=5 February 2026 |website=Gov.uk}} ==Geography== {{Main|Geography of London}} ===Scope=== [[Greater London]] is one of nine [[regions of England]] and the top subdivision covering most of the [[metropolis]]. The [[City of London]] at its core once comprised the whole settlement; as its urban area grew, the [[City of London Corporation|Corporation of London]] resisted attempts to amalgamate the city with its [[suburbs]], causing "London" to be defined several ways.{{cite book |last1=Beavan |first1=Charles |last2=Bickersteth |first2=Harry|title=Reports of Cases in Chancery, Argued and Determined in the Rolls Court|publisher=Saunders and Benning |year=1865 |url=https://archive.org/details/reportscasesinc14romigoog}} [[File:London by Sentinel-2.jpg|alt=|thumb|Satellite view of London in June 2018]] Forty per cent of Greater London is covered by the [[London postal district|London post town]], in which "London" forms part of postal addresses.{{cite book |title=The Inner London Letter Post |publisher=H.M.S.O. |year=1980 |isbn=978-0-10-251580-0 |page=128}} The London telephone [[area code]] (020) covers an area similar in size to Greater London, although some outer districts are excluded and some just outside included. The London linked-number area extends 18 miles around [[Kings Cross]], see [[Director telephone system]]. The Greater London boundary has been [[List of Greater London boundary changes|aligned to the M25 motorway]] in places.{{cite web|url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si1993/Uksi_19930441_en_1.htm |title=The Essex, Greater London and Hertfordshire (County and London Borough Boundaries) Order |year=1993 |publisher=Office of Public Sector Information |access-date=6 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107231348/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si1993/Uksi_19930441_en_1.htm |archive-date=7 January 2010 |url-status=live}} Urban expansion is prevented by the [[Metropolitan Green Belt]], although the built-up area extends beyond the boundary in places, producing a separately defined [[Greater London Urban Area]]. Beyond this is the [[London commuter belt]].{{cite web |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/reports/plansd/london_regional_200104.pdf |title=London in its Regional Setting |publisher=London Assembly |access-date=6 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527193714/http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/reports/plansd/london_regional_200104.pdf |archive-date=27 May 2008 |url-status=dead}} Greater London is split for some purposes into [[Inner London]] and [[Outer London]],{{cite book |url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1963/cukpga_19630033_en_1 |title=London Government Act 1963 |year=1996 |publisher=Office of Public Sector Information |access-date=6 May 2008 |isbn=978-0-16-053895-7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817142118/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1963/cukpga_19630033_en_1 |archive-date=17 August 2010 |url-status=dead}} and by the River Thames into [[North London|North]] and [[South London|South]], with an informal [[Central London]] area. The coordinates of the nominal "centre of London", traditionally the original [[Eleanor Cross]] at [[Charing Cross]] near the junction of [[Trafalgar Square]] and [[Whitehall]], are about {{Coord|51|30|26|N|00|07|39|W|type:city(7,000,000)_region:GB}}.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/08/15/charingcross_feature.shtml |title=London — Features — Where is the Centre of London? |publisher=BBC |access-date=6 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817141948/http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/08/15/charingcross_feature.shtml |archive-date=17 August 2010 |url-status=live}} ===Status=== Within London, the City of London and the [[City of Westminster]] have [[City status in the United Kingdom|city status]]. The City of London and the remainder of Greater London are [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial counties]].{{cite web |url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1997/ukpga_19970023_en_1 |title=Lieutenancies Act 1997 |publisher=OPSI |access-date=7 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522210452/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1997/ukpga_19970023_en_1 |archive-date=22 May 2010 |url-status=dead}} [[Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England#Greater London|Greater London]] includes parts of the [[Historic counties of England|historic counties]] of [[Middlesex]], [[Kent]], [[Surrey]], [[Essex]] and [[Hertfordshire]].{{cite book |last=Barlow |first=I.M. |title=Metropolitan Government |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=1991 |isbn=9780415020992 |location=London |page=346}} Greater London has been defined as a [[Regions of England|region of England]].{{cite web |url=http://www.gos.gov.uk/gol/factgol/London/?a=42496 |title=Government Offices for the English Regions, Fact Files: London |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=4 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080124102915/http://www.gos.gov.uk/gol/factgol/London/?a=42496 |archive-date=24 January 2008}} London is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England by [[constitutional convention (political custom)|convention]].{{cite web|title=Encyclopaedia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/England|access-date=19 July 2026}} The capital of England was moved from [[Winchester]] as the [[Palace of Westminster]] developed in the 12th and 13th centuries to become the home of the [[Noble court|royal court]], and thus the nation's political capital.{{cite journal |last=Schofield |first=John |title=When London became a European capital |date=June 1999 |journal=British Archaeology |publisher=Council for British Archaeology |issue=45 |url=http://www.britarch.ac.uk/BA/ba45/ba45regs.html |access-date=6 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425074539/http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba45/ba45regs.html |archive-date=25 April 2011 |url-status=dead}} The city has four [[World Heritage Site]]s: [[Kew Gardens]]; the [[Tower of London]]; the site featuring the Palace of Westminster, the [[St Margaret's, Westminster|Church of St Margaret]], and [[Westminster Abbey]]; and the historic settlement in [[Greenwich]] where the [[Royal Observatory, Greenwich|Royal Observatory]] defines the [[Prime meridian (Greenwich)|prime meridian]] (0° [[longitude]]) and [[Greenwich Mean Time]].{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/gb |title=Lists: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List |publisher=[[UNESCO World Heritage Centre]] |access-date=26 November 2008}} ===Topography=== [[File:London from Primrose Hill May 2013.jpg|thumb|London from [[Primrose Hill]]]] Greater London has an area of {{convert|1583|km2|sqmi|order=flip}}, while the London Metropolitan Region has an area of {{convert|8382|km2|sqmi|order=flip}}.{{cite web |url=http://www.dgcl.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/a_votre_service/lu_pour_vous/les_grandes_metropol/downloadFile/attachedFile/metropolislondres.pdf?nocache=1254397828.63 |title=Metropolis: 027 London, World Association of the Major Metropolises |access-date=3 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427084411/http://www.dgcl.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/a_votre_service/lu_pour_vous/les_grandes_metropol/downloadFile/attachedFile/metropolislondres.pdf?nocache=1254397828.63 |archive-date=27 April 2011}} Modern London stands on the [[River Thames|Thames]], its primary geographical feature, a navigable river which crosses the city from the south-west to the east. The [[Thames Valley]] is a [[floodplain|flood plain]] surrounded by gently rolling hills including [[Parliament Hill, London|Parliament Hill]], [[Addington Hills]], and [[Primrose Hill]]. Historically, London grew up at the river's [[lowest bridging point]]. The Thames was once much broader and shallower with extensive wetlands; at high tide, its shores reached five times their present width.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M9qvtYYhRtAC&pg=PR11 |title=London: A History |first=Francis |last=Sheppard |page=10 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-19-285369-1 |access-date=6 June 2008}} Since the [[Victorian era]] the Thames has been [[Thames Embankment|embanked]], and many of its London [[Tributaries of the River Thames|tributaries]] now flow [[Subterranean rivers of London|underground]]. The Thames is tidal, and London is vulnerable to flooding.{{cite web |url=http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/yourenv/eff/1190084/natural_forces/flooding/?version=1&lang=_e |title=Flooding |publisher=UK [[Environment Agency]] |access-date=19 June 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060215080725/http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/yourenv/eff/1190084/natural_forces/flooding/?version=1&lang=_e |archive-date=15 February 2006 |url-status=dead}} The threat has increased because of a continuous rise in [[Tide|high water]] level caused by [[climate change]] and by the slow 'tilting' of the British Isles through [[post-glacial rebound]].{{cite news |title=Weatherwatch: The need to wake up to sea level rise in the UK |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/03/weatherwatch-sea-level-rise-uk-climate |access-date=29 May 2025 |work=The Guardian}} ===Climate=== {{main|Climate of London}} London has a temperate [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Cfb''). The average annual precipitation is about {{cvt|600|mm|link=on}}.{{cite web |title=Average Annual Precipitation by City in the US – Current Results |url=https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/US/average-annual-precipitation-by-city.php|access-date=25 March 2021 |website=currentresults.com}} Despite relatively low annual precipitation, London receives 109.6 rainy days on the {{cvt|1|mm|link=on}} threshold annually. London is vulnerable to [[climate change in the United Kingdom|climate change]], and experts are concerned that households may run out of water before 2050.{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Saphora |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/london-water-drought-climate-change-b2079811.html?amp |title=London could run out of water in 25 years as cities worldwide face rising risk of drought, report warns |newspaper=The Independent |date=16 May 2022 |access-date=5 June 2022}} Summers are generally warm, sometimes hot. London's average July high is 23.5 °C (74.3 °F). On average each year, London experiences 31 days above {{convert|25|°C|°F|1}} and 4.2 days above {{convert|30.0|°C|°F|1}}. Winters are generally cool with little temperature variation. Heavy snow is rare, but snow usually falls at least once each winter. As a large city, London has a considerable [[urban heat island]] effect,{{cite web |url=http://legacy.london.gov.uk/mayor/environment/climate-change/docs/UHI_summary_report.pdf |title=London's Urban Heat Island: A Summary for Decision Makers |publisher=Greater London Authority |date=October 2006 |access-date=29 April 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120816015955/http://legacy.london.gov.uk/mayor/environment/climate-change/docs/UHI_summary_report.pdf |archive-date=16 August 2012}} making the centre of London at times {{convert|5|C-change|0}} warmer than the suburbs and outskirts.{{cite news |last=Eden |first=Philip |date=9 June 2004 |title=Ever Warmer as Temperatures Rival France |location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1463994/Ever-warmer-as-temperatures-rival-France.html |url-status=live |access-date=25 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200326104750/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1463994/Ever-warmer-as-temperatures-rival-France.html |archive-date=26 March 2020}} {{London weatherbox}} ===Areas=== {{main|List of areas of London|London boroughs}} [[File:London (44761485915).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The [[West End theatre]] district in 2016]] Places within London are identified using area names, such as [[Mayfair]], [[Southwark]], and [[Whitechapel]]. These are informal designations, reflect the names of villages that have been absorbed by sprawl, or are superseded administrative units.{{cite web|url=http://www.historytoday.com/ad-harvey/london%E2%80%99s-boroughs|title=London's Boroughs|publisher=History Today|access-date=19 April 2023}} Since 1965, Greater London has been divided into 32 [[London borough]]s in addition to its [[London Wall|once walled]] ancient core, the City of London.{{cite web |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/london-life/city-government/boroughs.jsp |title=London boroughs — London Life, GLA |publisher=London Government |access-date=3 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213025156/http://www.london.gov.uk/london-life/city-government/boroughs.jsp |archive-date=13 December 2007 |url-status=dead}} The City of London is the main financial district,{{cite web |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/london-life/business-and-jobs/financial-centre.jsp |title=London as a financial centre |publisher=Mayor of London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106051217/http://www.london.gov.uk/london-life/business-and-jobs/financial-centre.jsp |archive-date=6 January 2008 |url-status=dead}} and [[Canary Wharf]] has developed into a new financial and commercial hub in the [[London Docklands|Docklands]]. The [[West End of London|West End]] is an area of inner [[West London]] with the main shopping and entertainment areas, including [[West End theatre]], and attracts many tourists.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1608619.stm |title=West End still drawing crowds |work=BBC News |access-date=6 June 2008 |date=22 October 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511121403/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1608619.stm |archive-date=11 May 2011 |url-status=live}} Its residential areas where properties can sell for tens of millions of pounds.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2006/apr/17/tax.g2 |title=Super Rich |date=17 April 2006 |work=The Guardian |access-date=7 June 2008 |location=London |first=James |last=Meek |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501134745/http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2006/apr/17/tax.g2 |archive-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/planningandconservation/planningpolicy/idoc.ashx?docid=bf56bda1-575c-435b-92ac-9a71625c1746&version=-1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010131732/https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/planningandconservation/planningpolicy/idoc.ashx?docid=bf56bda1-575c-435b-92ac-9a71625c1746&version=-1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 October 2016 |title=Information on latest house prices in the Royal Borough |publisher=Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/aug/08/housing-london-jump-19-per-cent-year |title=Average house prices in London jump 19 per cent in a year |first=Rupert |last=Jones |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=8 August 2014 |access-date=24 September 2014}} The [[East End of London|East End]] is the part of [[East London]] closest to the City of London. It has a high immigrant population and is one of the poorest areas of the capital.{{cite news |url=http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8487518/site/newsweek/ |date=6 July 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060829024354/http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8487518/site/newsweek/ |archive-date=29 August 2006 |title=Tomorrow's East End |work=Newsweek |author=Flynn, Emily |location=New York |url-status=dead}} It once included the main northern part of the [[Port of London]] and extensive industry. In the late 20th century, deindustrialisation and the closure of the docks brought hardship. Large redeveloped brownfield areas include [[London Riverside]] and the [[Lower Lea Valley]], which was developed into the [[Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park|Olympic Park]] for the [[London 2012 Olympic bid|2012 Olympics]]. ===Architecture=== {{Main|Architecture of London|List of tallest buildings and structures in London|List of demolished buildings and structures in London}} London's buildings are of many architectural styles and ages. Many grand houses and public buildings, such as the [[National Gallery]], are constructed from [[Portland stone]]. Some areas, particularly just west of the centre, are characterised by white [[stucco]] or whitewashed buildings. Few structures in central London pre-date the [[Great Fire of London|Great Fire]] of 1666, other than the [[Tower of London]]. Further out is the Tudor-period [[Hampton Court Palace]].{{cite book |last=Summerson |first=John |year=1969 |title=Great Palaces (Hampton Court. pp. 12–23) |publisher=Hamlyn |isbn=978-0600016823 |url=https://archive.org/details/greatpalaces0000unse |author-link=John Summerson}} The 17th-century is represented by [[Christopher Wren]] churches alongside neoclassical financial institutions such as the [[Royal Exchange, London|Royal Exchange]] and the [[Bank of England]], and the 1960s [[Barbican Estate]]. The 1939 [[Battersea Power Station]] by the river in the south-west is a local landmark, while the [[St Pancras railway station|St. Pancras]] and [[Paddington railway station|Paddington]] railway termini exemplify [[Victorian architecture]].{{cite web |url=http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Paddington_Station.html |title=Paddington Station |publisher=Great Buildings |access-date=6 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525164017/http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Paddington_Station.html |archive-date=25 May 2011 |url-status=dead}} File:Aerial Tower of London.jpg|The [[Tower of London]], a medieval castle, dating in part to 1078 File:Buckingham Palace, London - April 2009.jpg|The east wing public façade of [[Buckingham Palace]] was built between 1847 and 1850; it was remodelled to its present form in 1913. File:Trafalgar Square by Christian Reimer.jpg|[[Trafalgar Square]] and its fountains, with [[Nelson's Column]] on the right The [[Monument to the Great Fire of London]] in the City of London provides views of the surrounding area while commemorating the [[Great Fire of London]], which originated nearby. [[Marble Arch]] and [[Wellington Arch]], at the north and south ends of [[Park Lane (road)|Park Lane]], have royal connections, as do the [[Albert Memorial]] and [[Royal Albert Hall]] in [[Kensington]]. [[Nelson's Column]] in [[Trafalgar Square]] is a focal point.{{cite news |title=Nelson's Column is 16ft shorter than everybody thought |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1523653/Nelsons-Column-is-16ft-shorter-than-everybody-thought.html |date=12 July 2006 |access-date=26 April 2025 |work=The Telegraph}} Older buildings are mainly brick, commonly the yellow [[London stock brick]].{{cite news |last=Lonsdale |first=Sarah |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1&xml=/property/2008/03/27/lpgreen127.xml |title=Eco homes: Wooden it be lovely... ? |work=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=12 October 2008 |location=London |date=27 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308205754/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1&xml=/property/2008/03/27/lpgreen127.xml |archive-date=8 March 2013 |url-status=dead}} In the dense areas, most of the concentration is via medium- and high-rise buildings. London's skyscrapers, such as [[30 St Mary Axe]], [[Tower 42]], the [[Broadgate Tower]] and [[One Canada Square]], are mostly in the two financial districts, the City of London and [[Canary Wharf]]. High-rise development has been restricted since 1937 if it would obstruct [[protected view]]s of [[St Paul's Cathedral]].{{cite news |title=Protected views and tall buildings |url=https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/planning/planning-policy/protected-views-and-tall-buildings |access-date=28 June 2022 |website=City of London.gov.uk |archive-date=1 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101182326/https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/planning/planning-policy/protected-views-and-tall-buildings |url-status=dead }} There are [[Tall buildings in London|skyscrapers]] in Central London, including the 95-storey [[Shard London Bridge]], the [[List of tallest buildings in the United Kingdom|tallest building in the UK]] and Western Europe.{{cite news |title=Take a tour of The Shard's viewing platform |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-20979547 |access-date=16 June 2023 |agency=BBC}} Modern buildings include [[The Scalpel]], [[20 Fenchurch Street]], the former [[City Hall, London (Southwark)|City Hall]] in [[Southwark]], the [[Art Deco]] [[BBC Broadcasting House]], the [[Postmodernism|Postmodernist]] [[British Library]] near [[Kings Cross, London|Kings Cross]], [[No 1 Poultry]], the [[BT Tower]] and [[The O2 Arena|The O2 Arena]].{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/2788214/The-lemon-Dome-that-was-transformed-into-O2s-concert-crown.html |title=The Lemon Dome That Was Transformed into O2's Concert Crown |last=White |first=Dominic |date=15 April 2008|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=19 June 2022}} {{Wide image|Palace of Westminster from the dome on Methodist Central Hall (cropped).jpg|800px|The [[Houses of Parliament]] and [[Big Ben|Elizabeth Tower]] (Big Ben) on the right foreground, the [[London Eye]] on the left foreground and [[The Shard]] with [[Canary Wharf]] in the background; seen in September 2014}} ===Natural history=== {{see also|List of local nature reserves in Greater London}} [[File:City of London Cemetery, Newham, London England - fox 18.jpg|thumb|London has some 10,000 [[red fox]]es.]] The [[London Natural History Society]] suggests that London is "one of the World's Greenest Cities" with more than 40% green space or open water, 2000 species of flowering plant, and 120 species of fish.{{cite web |url=http://www.lnhs.org.uk/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212143739/http://www.lnhs.org.uk/Index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 February 2007 |title=Wildlife in London, England: LNHS Home page |website=lnhs.org.uk}} Over 60 species of bird nest in [[central London]], with 47 species of butterfly, 1,173 moths and more than 270 kinds of spider. London's [[wetland]] areas support nationally important populations of water birds. In 2024 there were some 3 million pigeons in London.{{cite news |title=The London Question: Are pigeons misunderstood? |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/london-city-pigeons-tiktok-misunderstood-b1191267.html |access-date=11 January 2025 |work=Evening Standard}} At least [[Ravens of the Tower of London|six ravens are kept at the Tower of London]].{{cite news |title=The Ravens at the Tower of London |url=https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Tower-Ravens/ |access-date=14 July 2025 |work=Historic UK}} London has 38 [[List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Greater London|Sites of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSIs), two [[national nature reserve (United Kingdom)|national nature reserve]]s and 76 [[List of local nature reserves in Greater London|local nature reserve]]s.{{cite web |title=London Natural History Society – Home |url=https://lnhs.org.uk/ |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=lnhs.org.uk}} [[Amphibians]] include [[smooth newt]]s, [[common frog|frogs]], [[common toad|toads]]s [[palmate newt]]s, and [[great crested newt]]s. Native reptiles such as [[slowworm]]s, [[common lizard|lizards]], [[barred grass snake|grass snakes]] and [[Vipera berus|adders]], are mostly seen only in [[Outer London]].{{cite web |last=Tuffrey |first=Laurie |date=27 July 2012 |title=London's Amphibians and Reptile Populations Mapped |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jul/27/london-amphibian-reptile-map |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102204944/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jul/27/london-amphibian-reptile-map |archive-date=2 January 2021 |access-date=25 March 2021 |work=The Guardian}} London has some 10,000 [[red fox]]es, as well as [[European hedgehog|hedgehogs]], mice, [[European rabbit|rabbits]], [[shrew]]s, [[vole]]s and [[grey squirrel]]s.{{cite web |title=Mammals|url=https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park/richmond-park-attractions/wildlife/mammals |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307135419/https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park/richmond-park-attractions/wildlife/mammals |archive-date=7 March 2020 |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=[[The Royal Parks]]}} In wilder areas of Outer London, such as [[Epping Forest]], there are also [[European hare|hare]], [[European badger|badger]], voles, [[wood mouse]], [[yellow-necked mouse]], [[European mole|mole]], shrew and [[least weasel|weasel]]. [[Eurasian otter|Otters]] are starting to return after a hundred years absent from the city.{{cite web |url=http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/topstories/946018.londons_first_wild_otter_found/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100401110428/http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/topstories/946018.londons_first_wild_otter_found/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 April 2010 |title=London's first wild otter found |first=Peter |last=Law |website=This Is Local London}} Ten of England's eighteen species of bats have been recorded in Epping Forest.{{cite web |url=http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/green-spaces/epping-forest/wildlife-and-nature/Pages/Mammals.aspx |title=Mammals |website=cityoflondon.gov.uk |access-date=16 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318070552/http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/green-spaces/epping-forest/wildlife-and-nature/Pages/Mammals.aspx |archive-date=18 March 2015 |url-status=dead}} Herds of [[Red deer|red]] and [[fallow deer]] roam in [[Richmond Park|Richmond]] and [[Bushy Park]]s. They are culled each November and February to keep their populations sustainable.{{cite news |author=Bishop |first=Rachael |date=5 November 2012 |title=Richmond Park Deer Cull Begins |work=Sutton & Croydon Guardian |location=London |url=http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/wandsworthnews/10026864.Richmond_Park_deer_cull_begins/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307135458/https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/10026864.richmond-park-deer-cull-begins/ |archive-date=7 March 2020}} Epping Forest is known for its fallow deer, which can be seen in herds to the north of the Forest. A rare population of [[melanistic]], black fallow deer is maintained at the Deer Sanctuary near [[Theydon Bois]], while [[Reeve's muntjac|muntjac]] are found in the forest. While Londoners are accustomed to birds and foxes sharing the city, urban deer have become a regular feature, and herds of fallow deer come into residential areas at night.{{cite news |date=25 February 2014 |title=In Pictures: London's Urban Deer |work=Evening Standard |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/in-pictures-londons-urban-deer-9149902.html |url-status=live |access-date=25 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301073242/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/in-pictures-london-s-urban-deer-9149902.html |archive-date=1 March 2021}} ==Demographics== {{main|Demographics of London}} [[File:Greater London population density map, 2011 census.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Population density map (%)]] London's continuous urban area held 9,787,426 people in 2011, while its [[London metropolitan area|metropolitan area]] held 15.4 million in 2025. A net 726,000 immigrants arrived in the period 1991–2001.{{cite web |last=Leppard |first=David |date=10 April 2005 |title=Immigration Rise Increases Segregation in British Cities |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article379434.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080211185641/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article379434.ece |archive-date=11 February 2008 |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=[[The Times]]}} The region's {{convert|1579|km2|sqmi|order=flip}} had a population density of {{convert|5177|PD/km2|PD/sqmi|order=flip}} more than ten times that of any other [[ITL (UK)|British region]].{{cite web |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/regional_snapshot/RS_Lon.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624195152/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/regional_snapshot/RS_Lon.pdf |archive-date=24 June 2008 |title=Population density of London: by London borough, 2006 |publisher=UK Statistics Authority |url-status=dead}} London's median age in 2018 was 36.5 years old, younger than the UK median of 40.3.{{cite web |date=20 April 2020 |title=The Age Distribution of the Population |url=https://www.trustforlondon.org.uk/data/londons-population-age/ |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702033916/https://www.trustforlondon.org.uk/data/population-age-groups/ |archive-date=2 July 2020 |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=[[Trust for London]]}} In the 2021 census, 3,575,739 people (40.6%) of London's population were [[Foreign-born population of the United Kingdom|foreign-born]].{{cite news |title=International migration, England and Wales: Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/internationalmigrationenglandandwales/census2021#:~:text=London%20has%20remained%20the%20region,had%20a%20non%2DUK%20passport |access-date=3 December 2022 |publisher=ONS}} About 56.8 per cent of children born in London in 2021 were born to a mother who was born abroad.{{cite web |title=Parents' country of birth - Office for National Statistics |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/datasets/parentscountryofbirth |access-date=14 January 2024 |website=ons.gov.uk}} ===Ethnicity=== {{main|Ethnic groups in London}} {{multiple image | caption_align = center | header_align = center | align = center | direction = horizontal | width = 200 | header = Maps of Greater London showing percentage distribution of selected ethnic groups according to the 2001-21 Census | image1 = White percentage of London from 2001 to 2021.gif | alt1 = White | caption1 = [[White people in the United Kingdom|White]] (53.8%, 2021) | image2 = Asian percentage of London from 2001 to 2021.gif | alt2 = Asian | caption2 = [[British Asian|Asian]] (20.8%, 2021) | image3 = Black percentage of London from 2001 to 2021.gif | alt3 = Black | caption3 = [[Black British people|Black]] (13.5%, 2021) }} The 2021 census reported that 53.8% of the 8,173,941 inhabitants of London were [[White people|white]]. 22.2% of Londoners were of [[British Asians|Asian]] or mixed-Asian descent, with 20.8% of full Asian descent and 1.4% of mixed-Asian heritage. [[British Indian|Indians]] accounted for 7.5% of the population, followed by [[British Bangladeshis|Bangladeshis]] and [[British Pakistanis|Pakistanis]] at 3.7% and 3.3% respectively. 15.9% of London's population were of [[Black British people|black]] or mixed-black descent.{{cite web |title=Ethnic group - Office for National Statistics |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS021/editions/2021/versions/1/filter-outputs/d2f0a39a-75b6-4995-b4bd-a5b68ff79027#get-data |access-date=5 December 2022 |website=Ons.gov.uk}} As of 2021, the majority of London's school pupils come from ethnic minority backgrounds, with only 23.9% White British.{{cite web |title=Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2022/23 |url=https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics |access-date=14 January 2024 |website=explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk}} A 2005 survey claimed that more than 300 languages were spoken in London and more than 50 non-indigenous communities had populations of more than 10,000.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/jan/21/britishidentity1 |title=Every race, colour, nation and religion on earth |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=6 May 2008 |first=Leo |last=Benedictus |date=21 January 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501134732/http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/jan/21/britishidentity1 |archive-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=live}} At the 2021 census, 78.4% of Londoners spoke English as their first language. The 5 biggest languages outside English were Romanian, Spanish, Polish, Bengali and Portuguese.{{cite web |title=Main language - Office for National Statistics |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/create/filter-outputs/bd973425-a3bd-4610-92b4-e8d77e908654 |access-date=14 January 2024 |website=ons.gov.uk}} ===Religion=== {{main|Religion in London}} {{see also|List of churches in London}} According to the [[2021 United Kingdom census|2021 Census]], the largest religious groupings were [[British Christianity|Christians]] (40.66%), followed by those of no religion (20.7%), [[Islam in London|Muslims]] (15%), no response (8.5%), [[Hinduism in the United Kingdom|Hindus]] (5.15%), Jews (1.65%), [[Sikhism in the United Kingdom|Sikhs]] (1.64%), [[Buddhism in the United Kingdom|Buddhists]] (1.0%) and other (0.8%).{{cite web|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS030/editions/2021/versions/1/filter-outputs/8f748994-2bd6-407c-b7f8-7f9d7fafbe6f| title=Religion |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] |access-date=30 November 2022}}{{cite web |url= http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-286262 |title=2011 Census, Key Statistics for Local Authorities in England and Wales |publisher=Office for National Statistics |date=11 December 2012 |access-date=4 May 2013}} London has traditionally been [[Christian]], with [[List of churches in London|many churches]], particularly in the City of London. [[St Paul's Cathedral]] in the City and [[Southwark Cathedral]] south of the river are [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] administrative centres,{{cite web |date=7 April 2008 |title=About Saint Paul's |url= http://www.stpauls.co.uk/page.aspx?theLang=001lngdef&pointerid=97320F44yHMK9hndcXZBD5sVH4m52Yc0 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080407082352/http://www.stpauls.co.uk/page.aspx?theLang=001lngdef&pointerid=97320F44yHMK9hndcXZBD5sVH4m52Yc0 |archive-date=7 April 2008 |access-date=25 March 2021 |publisher=Dean and Chapter St Paul's}} while the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]]'s main residence is [[Lambeth Palace]].{{cite web |title=Lambeth Palace Library |url=http://www.lambethpalacelibrary.org/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110430174131/http://www.lambethpalacelibrary.org/ |archive-date=30 April 2011 |access-date=27 April 2008 |website=[[Lambeth Palace Library]]}} National and royal ceremonies are shared between [[St Paul's Cathedral|St Paul's]] and [[Westminster Abbey]].{{cite web |url= http://www.westminster-abbey.org/ |title=Westminster Abbey |publisher=Dean and Chapter of Westminster |access-date=27 April 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110505083817/http://www.westminster-abbey.org/ |archive-date=5 May 2011 |url-status=live}} [[Westminster Cathedral]] is the largest [[Roman Catholic]] cathedral in [[England and Wales]].{{cite web |url= http://www.westminstercathedral.org.uk/home.html |title=Westminster Cathedral |publisher=Westminster Cathedral |access-date=27 April 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080327041736/http://www.westminstercathedral.org.uk/home.html |archive-date=27 March 2008 |url-status=dead}} There are large [[Bengali Muslim]] communities in the eastern boroughs of [[London Borough of Tower Hamlets|Tower Hamlets]] and [[London Borough of Newham|Newham]].{{cite web |date=13 February 2003 |title=Census 2001 Key Statistics, Local Authorities in England and Wales |publisher= Office for National Statistics |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm:77-211026 |url-status=live |access-date=25 March 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150825013919/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm:77-211026 |archive-date=25 August 2015}} [[London Borough of Harrow|Harrow]] and [[London Borough of Brent|Brent]] have large Hindu communities, the latter hosting [[Neasden Temple|a large Hindu temple]].{{cite web |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/05/19/hindu_london_feature.shtml |title=Hindu London |date=6 June 2005 |work=BBC London |access-date=3 June 2006 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060218161357/http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/05/19/hindu_london_feature.shtml |archive-date=18 February 2006 |url-status=live}} London is home to 44 Hindu temples. Southall is home to a Sikh community and the [[Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall]] was the largest Sikh temple outside India until [[Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara]] was built in Kent 2010.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2898761.stm |title=£17 m Sikh temple opens |date=30 March 2003 |work=BBC News |access-date=7 June 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071003094649/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2898761.stm |archive-date=3 October 2007 |url-status=live}} Most [[British Jews]] live in London, with a particular concentrations in the [[London Borough of Barnet]] and the [[London Borough of Hackney]]. Opened in 1701, [[Bevis Marks Synagogue]] in the [[City of London]] is affiliated to London's historic [[Sephardic]] Jewish community. It is the oldest continually active synagogue in Europe.{{cite news |title=London rejects 48-story skyscraper threatening UK's oldest synagogue |url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/london-rejects-48-story-skyscraper-threatening-uks-oldest-synagogue-684740 |access-date=22 June 2025 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post}} [[Stanmore and Canons Park Synagogue]] has the largest membership of any Orthodox synagogue in Europe.{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Israel/Partnerships/Regions/Kavimut/Britain+Communities/Stanmore+11.htm |publisher=The Jewish Agency for Israel |title=Stanmore |access-date=12 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426075317/http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Israel/Partnerships/Regions/Kavimut/Britain+Communities/Stanmore+11.htm |archive-date=26 April 2011 |url-status=dead}} ===Accents=== [[File:St Mary-le-Bow - geograph.org.uk - 3756403.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|Traditionally, anyone born within earshot of the bells of [[St Mary-le-Bow]] church was considered to be a true [[Cockney]].{{cite news |title=London noise 'mutes Bow Bells to endanger Cockneys' |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18570802 |access-date=7 August 2023 |publisher=BBC News}}]] [[Cockney]] is an accent heard across London, mainly spoken by [[Working class|working-class]] and [[Lower middle class|lower-middle-class]] people of East London.{{cite web |date=17 August 2012 |title=Cockney |url= https://public.oed.com/blog/cockney/ |access-date=16 April 2021 |website=Oxford English Dictionary }} [[Estuary English]] is an intermediate accent between Cockney and [[Received Pronunciation]],{{cite web |title=Estuary English Q and A – JCW |url= http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/estuary/ee-faqs-jcw.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100111062912/http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/estuary/ee-faqs-jcw.htm |archive-date=11 January 2010 |access-date=16 August 2010 |publisher=University College London}} widely spoken by people of all classes.{{cite web |title=Estuary English |url=https://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/estuary/ |access-date=16 April 2021 |publisher=University College London}} [[Multicultural London English]] is a [[multiethnolect]] in multicultural areas amongst young, working-class people from diverse backgrounds, especially Afro-Caribbean and South Asian, with Cockney influence.{{cite web |title=What is MLE? – Language and Linguistic Science |url= https://www.york.ac.uk/language/research/projects/mle/what-is-mle/ |access-date=16 April 2021 |publisher=University of York}} Received Pronunciation is the accent regarded as standard for [[British English]].{{cite book |last1=Wells |first1=John |title= Longman Pronunciation Dictionary |date=2008 |publisher=Longman |isbn=978-1-4058-8118-0 |edition=3rd |page=xix, para 2.1}} It is mainly spoken by [[Upper class|upper-class]] and [[Upper middle class|upper-middle class]] Londoners.{{cite web |title=Received Pronunciation |url=https://www.bl.uk/british-accents-and-dialects/themes/received-pronunciation |access-date=16 April 2021 |website=The British Library |archive-date=28 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728213418/https://www.bl.uk/british-accents-and-dialects/themes/received-pronunciation |url-status=dead}} ==Economy== {{main|Economy of London}} London's [[gross regional product]] in 2023 was £{{FXConvert|GBR|617.915|b|lk=on}}{{Cite web |title=Regional gross domestic product: all ITL regions |date=24 April 2024 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/datasets/regionalgrossdomesticproductallnutslevelregions |access-date=15 May 2024 |website=Office for National Statistics}} or around a quarter of [[Economy of the United Kingdom|UK GDP]].{{cite web |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/bulletins/regionaleconomicactivitybygrossdomesticproductuk/1998to2019/pdf |title=Regional economic activity by gross domestic product, UK: 1998 to 2019, UK- Office for National Statistics |first=Trevor |last=Fenton |website=ons.gov.uk}} London has five major business districts: the City, Westminster, Canary Wharf, Camden & Islington, and Lambeth & Southwark. Greater London had 27 million m2 of office space in 2001, and the City contains the most space, with 8 million m2 of office space. London has some of the highest real estate prices in the world.{{cite book |last1=Greg |first1=Clark |title=The Making of a World City London 1991 to 2021 |date=2014 |publisher=Wiley |page=141}} ===Finance=== London's finance industry is based in the [[City of London]] and [[Canary Wharf]], the two major [[Central business district|business districts]]. London took over as a major financial centre shortly after 1795 when the [[Dutch Republic]] collapsed before the Napoleonic armies. This caused many bankers established in [[Amsterdam]] to move to London. London's market-centred system grew more dominant in the 18th century. This economic strength of the city was attributed to its diversity.{{cite web |url=http://www.bartleby.com/34/2/6.html|title=Letter VI – On the Presbyterians. Letters on the English |last=Voltaire |first=François Marie Arouet de.|date=1909–1914|website=Bartleby.com|publisher=The Harvard Classics |orig-year=1734 |access-date=22 July 2017}}{{cite news |title=The Origin of Religious Tolerance: Voltaire |url=https://www.independent.org/news/article.asp?id=2095 |access-date=28 June 2023 |work=Independent Institute}} By the mid-19th century, London was the leading global financial centre; at the end of the century, over half the world's trade was financed in British currency.{{cite news |title=London - Finance |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/London/Finance |access-date=4 July 2022 |work=Encyclopaedia Britannica}} {{As of|2023|lc=n}}, London ranks second in the world rankings on the [[Global Financial Centres Index]]{{cite news |last1=Wee |first1=Denise |title=Singapore Overtakes Hong Kong in World Financial Centers Ranking|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-23/singapore-overtakes-hong-kong-in-world-financial-centers-ranking|access-date=26 July 2024|work=www.bloomberg.com}} and ranked second in A.T. Kearney's 2018 Global Cities Index.{{cite web |last1=Hales |first1=Mike |last2=Mendoza Peña |first2=Andrés |last3=Peterson |first3=Erik R.|last4=Dessibourg |first4=Nicole |title=2018 Global Cities Report – Learning from the East: Insights from China's Urban Success|url=https://atkearney.com/2018-global-cities-report |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620232225/https://www.atkearney.com/2018-global-cities-report |archive-date=20 June 2018 |access-date=20 June 2018 |website=[[A.T. Kearney]]}} Finance is London's largest industry; its [[financial export]]s make it a large contributor to the UK's [[balance of payments]]. It is the world's biggest currency trading centre, accounting for some 37% of the $5.1 trillion average daily volume.{{cite news |date=18 September 2016 |title=London's core role in euros under spotlight after Brexit vote |work=[[Reuters]] |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-global-markets-bis-britain-idUKKCN11O0C4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918105609/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-global-markets-bis-britain-idUKKCN11O0C4 |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 September 2016 |access-date=28 March 2021}} The City of London is home to the [[Bank of England]], the London Stock Exchange, and [[Lloyd's of London]] insurance market.{{cite book|last=Mantle|first=Jonathan|title=For Whom the Bell Tolls|url=https://archive.org/details/forwhombelltolls0000mant|url-access=registration|year=1992|publisher=Sinclair-Stevenson |location=London |isbn=978-1856191524 }} Over half the UK's top 100 listed companies (the [[FTSE 100]]) and over 100 of Europe's 500 largest companies have their headquarters in central London. Over 70% of the FTSE 100 are within London's metropolitan area, and 75% of [[Fortune 500]] companies have offices in London.{{cite web|date=9 June 2009|title=London Stock Exchange|url=http://www.londonstockexchange.com/en-gb/|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090609022757/http://www.londonstockexchange.com/en-gb/|archive-date=9 June 2009|access-date=27 April 2008 |website=[[London Stock Exchange]]}} File:City_of_London_skyscrapers_HDR_-_2023-03-18.jpg|The [[City of London]], one of the largest [[financial centre]]s in the world File:Paternoster Square.jpg|The [[London Stock Exchange]] at [[Paternoster Square]] and [[Temple Bar, London|Temple Bar]] File:London.bankofengland.arp.jpg|The [[Bank of England]], established in 1694, is the model on which most modern central banks are based.{{cite news |title=Bank of England |url=https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/economics/what-is-bank-of-england-boe/ |access-date=2 May 2024 |agency=Corporate Finance Institute}} ===Media and technology=== {{main|Media in London}} [[File:Broadcasting House 20160816.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Broadcasting House]], headquarters of the [[BBC]]]] Media companies are concentrated in London, and the media distribution industry is London's second most competitive sector.{{cite web |url= http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/2CAE66FB-2DD5-41A5-B916-8FFC37276059/0/BC_RS_lpuk_0511_FR.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060525075622/http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/2CAE66FB-2DD5-41A5-B916-8FFC37276059/0/BC_RS_lpuk_0511_FR.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 May 2006 |title=London's Place in the UK Economy, 2005–6 |date=November 2005 |website=Oxford Economic Forecasting on behalf of the Corporation of London |page=19 |access-date=19 June 2006}} The [[BBC]], the world's oldest national broadcaster, is a significant employer, while broadcasters including [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]], [[Channel 4]], [[Channel 5 (UK)|Channel 5]] and [[Sky UK|Sky]] have headquarters around the city. Many [[List of newspapers in the United Kingdom|national newspapers]] are edited in London; the term [[Fleet Street]] (where most national newspapers operated) remains a [[metonym]] for the British national press.{{cite book |last1=Solesbury |first1=William |title=World Cities, City Worlds |date=2018 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |page=5}} A large number of technology companies are based in London, notably in [[East London Tech City]], known as Silicon Roundabout.{{cite press release |date=10 June 2013 |title=London gets go ahead for new '.london' internet domain |url= http://www.londonandpartners.com/media-centre/press-releases/2013/130610-london-gets-go-ahead-for-new-london-internet-domain |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130614213446/http://www.londonandpartners.com/media-centre/press-releases/2013/130610-london-gets-go-ahead-for-new-london-internet-domain |archive-date=14 June 2013 |access-date=28 March 2021 |publisher= [[London & Partners]]}} As of April 2025, London is the 3rd largest game development hub in the world after [[Los Angeles]] and [[San Francisco]].{{cite web | last = Blake | first = Vikki | title = London is now the third-largest global hub for game makers after LA and San Francisco | website = GamesIndustry.biz | publisher = IGN Entertainment | date = 1 April 2025 | url = https://www.gamesindustry.biz/london-is-now-the-third-largest-global-hub-for-game-makers-after-la-and-san-francisco | access-date = 25 March 2026}} The gas and electricity distribution networks of towers, cables and pressure systems that deliver energy to consumers across the city are managed by [[National Grid plc]], [[SGN (company)|SGN]]{{cite web |title=Gas distributors |url= https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/gas/distribution-networks/gb-gas-distribution-network |publisher=Ofgem |access-date=19 January 2016 |date=20 June 2013 }} and [[UK Power Networks]].{{cite web |title=Electricity distributor |url= http://www2.nationalgrid.com/uk/Our-company/electricity/Distribution-Network-Operator-Companies/ |publisher=National Grid |access-date=19 January 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140914184550/http://www2.nationalgrid.com/uk/Our-company/electricity/Distribution-Network-Operator-Companies/ |archive-date=14 September 2014 |url-status=dead}} ===Tourism=== {{main|Tourism in London}} {{Multiple image | direction = vertical | image1 = British Museum from NE 2 (cropped).JPG | caption1 = The [[British Museum]] | image2 = Galería Nacional, Londres, Inglaterra, 2014-08-07, DD 036.JPG| | caption2 = The [[National Gallery]] }} London is a leading tourist destination. In 2015, it was the top city in the world by visitor cross-border spending, estimated at US$20.23 billion.{{cite web |last1=Hedrick-Wong |first1=Yuwa |last2=Choong |first2=Desmond |year=2015 |title=MasterCard – 2015 Global Destination Cities Index |url=https://newsroom.mastercard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MasterCard-GDCI-2015-Final-Report1.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303195105/https://newsroom.mastercard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MasterCard-GDCI-2015-Final-Report1.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=25 March 2021}} Tourism is one of London's prime industries, employing 700,000 full-time workers in 2016, and contributes £36 billion a year to the economy.{{cite web |year=2017 |title=A Tourism Vision for London |url=https://files.londonandpartners.com/l-and-p/assets/london_tourism_vision_aug_2017.pdf |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=[[London and Partners]] |pages=6–7}} The city accounts for 54% of all inbound visitor spending in the UK.{{cite web |date=22 April 2015 |title=VisitBritain |url=https://www.visitbritain.org/visitor-economy-facts |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150806112308/https://www.visitbritain.org/visitor-economy-facts |archive-date=6 August 2015 |access-date=25 March 2021}} In 2024, nine of the ten most-visited attractions in the UK were in London. The most visited attraction was the [[British Museum]] at 6,479,952 visitors, followed by the [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]], [[Windsor Great Park]], [[Tate Modern]] and the [[Southbank Centre]].{{cite web |date=21 March 2025 |title=British Museum most visited UK attraction in 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c39v2ddn4p4o |access-date=3 November 2025 |website=BBC News}} The number of hotel rooms in London in 2023 stood at 155,700 and is expected to grow to 183,600 rooms, the most of any city outside China.{{cite news |title=London Poised to Take Hotel Crown From Las Vegas |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-26/what-city-has-the-most-hotel-rooms-london-to-pass-las-vegas-tokyo?embedded-checkout=true |access-date=7 April 2024 |work=Bloomberg}} ==Transport== {{main|Transport in London}} Transport is one of the four main areas of policy administered by the [[Mayor of London]],{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/ |title=Transport for London |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=27 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104235448/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/ |archive-date=4 January 2010 |url-status=live}} but the mayor's financial control does not extend to the longer-distance rail network that enters London. In 2007, the Mayor of London assumed responsibility for some local lines, which now form the [[London Overground]] network, adding to the existing responsibility for the [[London Underground]], [[Tramlink|trams]] and [[London Buses|buses]]. The public transport network is administered by [[Transport for London]] (TfL). The lines that formed the London Underground, as well as trams and buses, became part of an integrated transport system in 1933 when the [[London Passenger Transport Board]] or ''[[London Transport (brand)|London Transport]]'' was created. Transport for London is now the statutory corporation responsible for most aspects of the transport system in [[Greater London]], and is run by a board and a commissioner appointed by the [[Mayor of London]].{{cite web |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/help/faq.jsp#transport |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019055413/http://www.london.gov.uk/help/faq.jsp |archive-date=19 October 2007 |title=How do I find out about transport in London? |publisher=Greater London Authority |access-date=5 June 2008 |url-status=dead}} ===Aviation=== {{main|Airports of London}} [[File:Heathrow Terminal 5C Iwelumo-1.jpg|thumb|[[Heathrow Airport]] is the [[List of the busiest airports in Europe|busiest airport in Europe]] as well as the [[List of busiest airports by international passenger traffic|second busiest in the world]] for international passenger traffic ([[Heathrow Terminal 5|Terminal 5]]C is pictured).]] London is a major international air transport hub with the [[List of busiest city airport systems by passenger traffic|busiest city airspace]] in the world. Eight airports use the word ''London'' in their name, but most traffic passes through six of these. Additionally, [[Airports of London|various other airports]] serve London, catering primarily to [[general aviation]] flights. * [[Heathrow Airport]], in [[London Borough of Hillingdon|Hillingdon]], West London, was for many years the [[World's busiest airport|busiest airport]] in the world for international traffic, and is the major hub of the nation's flag carrier, [[British Airways]].{{cite web|year=2020|title=Heathrow Airport Travel Report 2019|url=https://www.heathrow.com/content/dam/heathrow/web/common/documents/company/heathrow-2-0-sustainability/futher-reading/Heathrow-Airport-Travel-Report-2019.pdf|access-date=25 March 2021|website=[[Heathrow Airport]]|publisher=LHR Airports Limited|page=38}} In March 2008 its fifth terminal was opened.{{cite web |url=http://www.heathrow-airport-uk.info/heathrow-airport-terminal-5.htm |title=Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 |publisher=TMC Ltd |access-date=27 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430195211/http://www.heathrow-airport-uk.info/heathrow-airport-terminal-5.htm |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=usurped }} * [[Gatwick Airport]], south of London in [[West Sussex]], handles flights to more destinations than any other UK airport and is the main base of [[easyJet]], the UK's largest airline by number of passengers.{{cite web|title=Airline Data Annual Reports 2017|url=https://www.caa.co.uk/Data-and-analysis/UK-aviation-market/Airlines/Datasets/UK-Airline-data/2017/Airline-data-annual-reports-2017/|access-date=25 March 2021|website=[[Civil Aviation Authority]]}} * [[London Stansted Airport]], north-east of London in [[Essex]], has flights that serve the greatest number of European destinations of any UK airport and is the main base of [[Ryanair]], the world's largest international airline by number of international passengers.{{cite web |url=http://www.stanstedairport.com/about-us/london-stansted-airport-and-mag/facts-and-figures/ |title=Facts and Figures – Stansted Airport |website=stanstedairport.com}} * [[Luton Airport]], to the north of London in [[Bedfordshire]], is used by several budget airlines (especially easyJet and [[Wizz Air]]) for short-haul flights.{{cite book |url=http://www.london-luton.co.uk/en/ |title=London Luton Airport |year=1969 |publisher=London Luton Airport |access-date=27 April 2008 |isbn=978-0-11-510256-1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501023741/http://www.london-luton.co.uk/en |archive-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=dead}} * [[London City Airport]], the most central airport and the one with the shortest runway, in [[London Borough of Newham|Newham]], East London, is focused on business travellers, with a mixture of full-service short-haul scheduled flights and considerable [[business jet]] traffic.{{cite web |url=http://www.londoncityairport.com/Default.aspx |title=London City Airport — Corporate Information |publisher=London City Airport Ltd. |access-date=6 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110423115236/http://www.londoncityairport.com/Default.aspx |archive-date=23 April 2011 |url-status=dead }} * [[London Southend Airport]], east of London in Essex, is a smaller, regional airport that caters to short-haul flights on a limited, though growing, number of airlines.{{cite web |title=Londoners love our airport |date=18 May 2018 |first=Adam |last=Cornell |url-status=live |url=http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/16234556.Londoners_love_our_airport/?ref=rss |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612091241/http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/16234556.Londoners_love_our_airport/?ref=rss |archive-date=12 June 2019 |access-date=8 August 2019}} In 2017, international passengers made up over 95% of the total at Southend, the highest proportion of any London airport.{{cite web |year=2017 |title=Airport data 2017 – UK Civil Aviation Authority |url=http://www.caa.co.uk/Data-and-analysis/UK-aviation-market/Airports/Datasets/UK-Airport-data/Airport-data-2017/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226130311/https://www.caa.co.uk/Data-and-analysis/UK-aviation-market/Airports/Datasets/UK-Airport-data/Airport-data-2017/ |archive-date=26 February 2021 |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=[[Civil Aviation Authority]]}} ===Rail=== Opened in 1863, the [[London Underground]] ("the Tube") is the oldest and third-longest [[rapid transit|metro]] system in the world.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20641351 |title=Oyster card celebrates 150th Tube anniversary |work=BBC News |date=10 December 2012 |access-date=10 January 2013}}{{cite news |url=https://www.citymetric.com/transport/what-largest-metro-system-world-1361 |title=What is the largest metro system in the world? |date=5 September 2015 |work=City Metric |access-date=12 June 2018 |location=London |archive-date=12 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612085224/https://www.citymetric.com/transport/what-largest-metro-system-world-1361 |url-status=dead}} The system serves [[List of London Underground stations|272 stations]], and was formed from several private companies, including the [[City and South London Railway|world's first underground railway]], which opened in 1890.{{cite news |title=A brief history of the Underground |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/culture-and-heritage/londons-transport-a-history/london-underground/a-brief-history-of-the-underground |access-date=23 January 2023 |publisher=Transport for London}} Over 4 million journeys are made every day on the Underground network.{{cite press release |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/static/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/7103.html |title=Tube breaks record for passenger numbers |publisher=Transport for London |date=27 December 2007 |access-date=5 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427025251/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/static/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/7103.html |archive-date=27 April 2011 |url-status=dead}} The [[Docklands Light Railway]], opened in 1987, is a [[medium-capacity rail transport system|local metro system]] serving the [[London Docklands|Docklands]] and Southeast London.{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/culture-and-heritage/londons-transport-a-history/dlr |title= London's transport - a history: Docklands Light Railway (DLR) |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=17 November 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140615201803/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/culture-and-heritage/londons-transport-a-history/dlr |archive-date=15 June 2014 }} There are [[List of London railway stations|368 railway stations]] in the [[London fare zones]] on an extensive above-ground suburban railway network, especially in South London. Most rail lines run into [[London station group|the city centre's main stations]].{{cite web |url=http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/Main.php?sEvent=HomePage |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130091433/http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/Main.php?sEvent=HomePage |archive-date=30 January 2010 |title=First Capital Connect |publisher=First Capital Connect |access-date=27 April 2008 |url-status=dead}} London has Britain's busiest station by number of passengers, [[London Waterloo station|Waterloo]], with over 184 million people annually.{{cite web |url=http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1529 |title=Rail Station Usage |publisher=Office of Rail Regulation |access-date=24 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705115621/http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1529 |archive-date=5 July 2007 |url-status=live }} {{rws|Clapham Junction}} is one of Europe's busiest rail interchanges.{{cite news |title=Council looks at extension of London Underground's Northern line to Clapham Junction |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-underground-northern-line-clapham-junction-wandsworth-borough-council-b1056869.html |access-date=15 April 2023 |work=Evening Standard}} The east–west [[Elizabeth line]] opened in May 2022.{{cite news |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/crossrail-elizabeth-line-opening-date-announced-may-24-london-tube-tfl-transport-for-london-b997837.html |title=Crossrail opening date finally announced |date=4 May 2022 |access-date=4 May 2022}}{{cite web |year=2021 |title=Regional Map |url=http://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/maps/regional-map |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024104105/http://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/maps/regional-map |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 October 2010 |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=[[Crossrail]] }} It was Europe's biggest construction project, with a £15 billion projected cost.{{cite news |last=Lister |first=Richard |date=2 January 2012 |title=Crossrail's giant tunnelling machines unveiled |work=[[BBC News]]|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-16289051 |access-date=27 March 2021}} 70% of [[National Rail]] journeys start or end in London.{{cite web |year=2014 |title=Rail |url=http://londonfirst.co.uk/our-focus/londons-transport-infrastructure/rail/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407083946/http://londonfirst.co.uk/our-focus/londons-transport-infrastructure/rail/ |archive-date=7 April 2014 |access-date=5 April 2014 |website=London First}} [[London King's Cross railway station|King's Cross station]] and [[Euston railway station|Euston station]], both in London, are the starting points of the [[East Coast Main Line]] and the [[West Coast Main Line]].{{cite web |last=Smithers |first=Andrew |date=8 December 2020 |title=Great Britain National Rail Train Operators |url=https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/TOCs%20AS%20v46%20Dec%202020.pdf |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=[[National Rail]] |archive-date=23 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423051734/https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/TOCs%20AS%20v46%20Dec%202020.pdf |url-status=dead }} ''[[Flying Scotsman (train)|The Flying Scotsman]]'' express has operated between London and Edinburgh since 1862.{{cite news |title=The Flying Scotsman: How the first 100mph locomotive became the most famous train in the world |url=https://www.countrylife.co.uk/out-and-about/the-flying-scotsman-how-the-first-100mph-locomotive-became-the-most-famous-train-in-the-world-252287|access-date=22 April 2023 |magazine=[[Country Life (magazine)|Country Life]]}} The opening of the [[Channel Tunnel]] in 1994 connected London directly to the continental rail network, allowing [[Eurostar]] services to begin. Since 2007, high-speed trains link [[St Pancras railway station|St. Pancras International]] with European tourist destinations via the [[High Speed 1]] rail link and the Channel Tunnel.{{cite web |date=14 November 2007 |title=Eurostar arrives in Paris on time |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7093761.stm |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=BBC News}} The first [[Southeastern (train operating company)|high-speed domestic]] trains started in June 2009, linking [[Kent]] to London.{{cite web |url=http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/highspeed/ |title=Highspeed |publisher=Southeastern |access-date=5 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501110057/http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/highspeed/ |archive-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=dead}} There are plans for a [[High Speed 2|second high speed line]] linking London to the Midlands, North West England, and Yorkshire.{{cite web|last=|first=|date=11 February 2021|title=Phase 2a Act to bring HS2 to the north|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/phase-2a-act-to-bring-hs2-to-the-north|access-date=28 July 2022|website=gov.uk}} File:Baker Street tube station MMB 19 S Stock.jpg|The [[London Underground]], opened in January 1863, is the world's oldest and third-longest [[rapid transit]] system. File:Monument Underground Station - geograph.org.uk - 5468795.jpg|The [[London Underground#Roundel|London Underground's roundel symbol]] appeared in 1917. File:St Pancras Railway Station 2012-06-23.jpg|[[St Pancras railway station|St Pancras International]] is the main terminal for high-speed [[Eurostar]] and [[High Speed 1]] services. ===Buses, coaches and trams=== {{multiple image | footer = The [[New Routemaster]] is the spiritual successor to the [[AEC Routemaster]]. First appearing in 1947, the red double-decker bus is an emblematic symbol of London. | align = right | width = | image1 = LTZ1423-15-20240430-193650.jpg | width1 = 250 | image2 = East London Routemaster bus RM2050 (ALM 50B) heritage route 15 St Pauls 5 December 2005.jpg | width2 = 138 }} London's [[London Buses|bus network]] runs 24 hours a day with about 9,300 vehicles, over 675 bus routes and about 19,000 bus stops.{{cite web |title=What we do – Buses |url= http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/what-we-do/buses |publisher= Transport for London |access-date=5 April 2014}} In 2019, the network had over 2 billion commuter trips per year.{{cite web |date=28 October 2020 |title=Annual bus statistics: England 2019/20 |url= https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/929992/annual-bus-statistics-year-ending-march-2020.pdf |access-date=25 March 2021 |publisher=Department for Transport |page=2}} Since 2010 an average of £1.2 billion is taken in revenue each year.{{cite web |date=24 March 2021 |title=Government support for the bus industry and concessionary travel (England) (BUS05) |url= https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/bus05-subsidies-and-concessions |access-date=26 March 2021 |website=GOV.UK |type=BUS0501: Operating revenue for local bus services by revenue type, by metropolitan area status: England (ODS, 34.7KB)}} London has one of the largest wheelchair-accessible networks in the world,{{cite web |date=20 June 2017 |title=Most Accessible Cities Around The World |url= https://www.sunrisemedical.com.au/blog/world-accessible-cities |access-date=26 March 2021 |website=Sunrise Medical}} which, from 2009, became more accessible to hearing and visually impaired passengers as audio-visual announcements were introduced.{{cite news |title=Ten years of TfL's iBus has given greater independence to customers with hearing or visual impairments |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2019/april/ten-years-of-tfl-s-ibus-has-given-greater-independence-to-customers-with-hearing-or-visual-impairments |access-date=16 August 2025 |publisher=Transport for London}} An emblem of London, the red [[double-decker bus]] first appeared in the city in 1947 with the [[AEC Regent III RT]] (predecessor to the [[AEC Routemaster]]).{{cite book |last1=Blake |first1=Jim |title=London Transport Buses in the 1960s |date=2022 |publisher=Pen & Sword Books |page=9}} London's coach hub is [[Victoria Coach Station]], opened in 1932. Nationalised in 1970 and then purchased by London Transport (now [[Transport for London]]), Victoria Coach Station has over 14 million passengers a year and provides services across the UK and continental Europe.{{cite press release |title=Victoria Coach Station to remain major coach hub |url= https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2019/august/victoria-coach-station-to-remain-major-coach-hub |date=23 August 2019 |access-date=11 June 2022 |publisher= Transport for London}} A modern tram network, [[Tramlink]], serves South London.{{cite web |date=25 June 2008 |title=Statement of Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2008 |url= https://content.tfl.gov.uk/6-Statement-of-Acounts-2008.pdf |access-date=26 March 2021 |publisher= Transport for London |page=67}} ===Cars=== [[File:16-11-16-Glasgow street scene-RR2 7280 (cropped).jpg|thumb|The [[hackney carriage]] (black cab) is a common sight on London streets. Black has been its standard colour since the [[Austin FX3]] model in 1948.]] Car travel is common in the suburbs. The [[London Inner Ring Road|inner ring road]], the [[A406 road|North]] and [[A205 road|South Circular]] roads (just within the suburbs), and the outer orbital motorway (the [[M25 motorway|M25]], just outside the built-up area in most places) encircle the city and are intersected by busy radial routes, but few motorways penetrate into [[inner London]]. The M25 is the second-longest ring-road motorway in Europe at {{convert|117|mi|adj=off}} long.{{cite web |publisher=Highways Agency |date=25 June 2018 |url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/our-road-network/our-network/key-roads/m25/ |access-date=25 June 2018 |title=M25 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180626030215/http://www.highways.gov.uk/our-road-network/our-network/key-roads/m25/ |archive-date= 26 June 2018 |url-status=dead}} The [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]] and [[M1 motorway|M1]] connect London to [[Leeds]], and [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] and [[Edinburgh]].{{cite web|url=https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/roadlists/f99/1.shtml|title=SABRE - Road Lists - The First 99 - A1|website=Sabre-roads.org.uk|access-date=14 June 2023|archive-date=15 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115121242/https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/roadlists/f99/1.shtml|url-status=dead}} The [[Austin Motor Company]] began making [[hackney carriage]]s (London taxis) in 1929; the black cabs have become part of the city's tradition. Although traditionally black, some are painted in other colours or bear advertising.{{cite news |title=THE RULES: Why can London taxis choose to display advertising livery, but minicabs can't? |url=https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/the-rules-why-can-london-taxis-choose-to-display-advertising-livery-but-minicabs-can-t |access-date=18 May 2024 |agency=Taxi point}} London is notorious for traffic congestion; in 2009, the average rush hour speed was {{convert|10.6|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}.{{cite news |last1=Mulholland |first1=Hélène |title=Boris Johnson mulls 'intelligent' congestion charge system for London |url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/mar/16/boris-johnson-congestion-charge |work=The Guardian |location= London |date=16 March 2009}} In 2003, a [[London congestion charge|congestion charge]] was introduced to reduce traffic volumes in the city centre.{{cite web |url=http://theconversation.com/london-congestion-charge-what-worked-what-didnt-what-next-92478 |title=London congestion charge: what worked, what didn't, what next |last=Badstuber |first=Nicole |website=The Conversation |date=2 March 2018 |access-date=28 April 2020}} Residents of the defined zone can buy a cheaper season pass.{{cite web |url=https://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/projects/congestion/ |title=Central London Congestion Charging, England |website=Verdict Traffic |access-date=28 April 2020 |archive-date=19 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519182110/https://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/projects/congestion/ |url-status=dead }} The average number of cars entering the centre of London on a weekday was reduced from 195,000 to 125,000.Table 3 in Santos, Georgina; Button, Kenneth; Noll, Roger G. "London Congestion Charging/Comments." Brookings-Wharton Papers on Urban Affairs.15287084 (2008): 177,177–234. [[Zebra crossing]]s, the world's first marked [[pedestrian crossing]]s, appeared across London in 1951.{{cite web|title=A Short History of the Crosswalk|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/short-history-crosswalk-180965339/|access-date=22 June 2025|work=Smithsonian}} [[Low Traffic Neighbourhood]]s were introduced in 2020.{{cite news |last=Walker |first=Peter |title=Health gains of low-traffic schemes up to 100 times greater than costs, study finds |url= https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/mar/08/health-gains-of-low-traffic-schemes-up-to-100-times-greater-than-costs-study-finds |access-date=10 March 2024 |work=The Guardian |location= London |date=8 March 2024}} ===Other modes=== {{further|Cycling in London}} [[File:Belgrave Road, Victoria, London - Boris Bikes - Santander Cycles by Elliott Brown.jpg|thumb|Santander Cycle Hire, near [[Victoria, London|Victoria]] in Central London]] London's only cable car is the [[London Cable Car]], which opened in June 2012. The cable car crosses the Thames and links [[Greenwich Peninsula]] with the [[Royal Docks]] in the east of the city. It is able to carry up to 2,500 passengers per hour in each direction at peak times.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18619936 |work=BBC News |title=Thames cable car opens for passengers|date=28 June 2012|access-date=2 July 2023}} In the Greater London Area, around 670,000 people use a bicycle every day,{{cite web |year=2016 |title=Travel in London Report 9 |url=http://content.tfl.gov.uk/travel-in-london-report-9.pdf |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=Transport for London|page=143}} meaning around 7% of the total population of around 8.8 million use a bike on an average day.{{cite web |title=United Kingdom: Greater London: Boroughs – Population Statistics, Charts and Map |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/greaterlondon/ |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=citypopulation.de}} The [[Port of London]], once the largest in the world, is now only the second-largest in the United Kingdom, handling 45 million tonnes of cargo each year as of 2009. Most of this cargo passes through the [[Port of Tilbury]], outside the boundary of Greater London.{{cite web |date=10 June 2010 |title=Provisional Port Statistics 2009 |url=http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/maritime/ports/provportstats2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110203090417/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/maritime/ports/provportstats2009 |archive-date=3 February 2011 |access-date=26 April 2011 |website=[[Department for Transport]] }} London has river boat services on the Thames known as [[Thames Clippers]], which offer both commuter and tourist boat services.{{cite book |last=Steves |first=Rick|title=Rick Steves England |date=17 March 2020 |publisher=Avalon Publishing |isbn=978-1-64171-237-8}} At major piers including [[Canary Wharf Pier|Canary Wharf]], [[London Bridge City Pier|London Bridge City]], [[Battersea Power Station]] and [[London Eye Pier|London Eye]] (Waterloo), services depart at least every 20 minutes during commuter times.{{cite web |year=2021 |title=Commute Through London – Uber Boat by Thames Clippers |url=https://www.thamesclippers.com/commuters/commute-by-river |access-date=26 March 2021 |website=thamesclippers.com}} The [[Woolwich Ferry]], with 2.5 million passengers every year, is a frequent service linking the [[North Circular Road, London|North]] and [[South Circular Road, London|South Circular]] Roads.{{cite web |date=16 April 2013 |title=Woolwich Ferries celebrate 50 years of service |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/27762.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922034512/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/27762.aspx |archive-date=22 September 2013 |access-date=26 March 2021 |website=TfL}} ==Education== {{main|Education in London}} ===Tertiary education=== {{See also|List of universities and higher education colleges in London}} London is a major global centre of higher education, teaching and research and has the largest concentration of higher education institutes in Europe. According to the QS World University Rankings 2015/16, London has the greatest concentration of top class universities in the world{{cite web |date=11 September 2015 |title=QS World University Rankings® 2015/16 |url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2015#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914234029/https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2015#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search= |archive-date=14 September 2015 |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=Top Universities}} and its international student population of around 110,000 is larger than any other city in the world.{{cite web |last=Malthouse |first=Kit |date=1 January 1990 |title=Capital offer |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2013-14/world-ranking/analysis/capital-offer |access-date=27 March 2021|website=timeshighereducation.com}} In the 2022 ''[[QS World University Rankings]]'', [[Imperial College London]] is ranked No. 6 in the world, [[University College London]] (UCL) is ranked 8th, and [[King's College London]] (KCL) is ranked 37th.{{cite web |title=QS World University Rankings 2023: Top Global Universities |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2023 |access-date=19 September 2022 |website=Top Universities}} All are regularly ranked highly, with Imperial College being the UK's leading university in the [[Research Excellence Framework]] ranking 2021.{{cite web |date=12 May 2022 |title=REF 2021: Quality ratings hit new high in expanded assessment |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ref-2021-research-excellence-framework-results-announced |access-date=19 September 2022 |website=Times Higher Education }} The [[London School of Economics]] has been described as the world's leading social science institution for both teaching and research.{{cite news |last=Hipwell |first=Deirdre |date=23 September 2007 |title=London School of Economics and Political Science |work=[[The Times]] |location=London |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/sunday_times_university_guide/article2496158.ece |url-status=dead |access-date=27 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202225123/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/sunday_times_university_guide/article2496158.ece |archive-date=2 December 2008}} The [[London Business School]] is one of the world's leading business schools.{{cite news |url=http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-rankings |title=FT Global MBA Rankings |work=[[Financial Times]] |access-date=25 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504135153/http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-rankings |archive-date=4 May 2011 |url-status=live |location=London}} The city is home to three of the world's top ten performing arts schools (as ranked by the 2020 QS World University Rankings{{cite web |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2020/performing-arts |title=Performing Arts |date=25 February 2020 |website=Top Universities}}): the [[Royal College of Music]] (ranking 2nd in the world), the [[Royal Academy of Music]] (ranking 4th) and the [[Guildhall School of Music and Drama]] (ranking 6th).{{cite news |title=2022 QS World University Rankings by Subject: Performing Arts |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2022/performing-arts |access-date=26 June 2022 |website=Top Universities.com}} With {{HESA student population|INSTID=LON}} students in London and around 48,000 in [[University of London Worldwide]],{{cite web |url=https://london.ac.uk/sites/default/files/governance/university-of-london-financial-statement-2018-19.pdf |title=Financial Statements 2018–19 |publisher=University of London |access-date=1 March 2020 |page=8}} the federal [[University of London]] is the largest contact teaching university in the UK.{{cite web |year=2007|title=Table 0a – All Students by Institution, Mode of Study, Level of Study, Gender and Domicile 2005/06 |url=https://www.hesa.ac.uk/dox/dataTables/studentsAndQualifiers/download/institution0506.xls |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928044330/http://www.hesa.ac.uk/dox/dataTables/studentsAndQualifiers/download/institution0506.xls |archive-date=28 September 2007 |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=HESA}}{{cite web |title=Member institutions |url=https://london.ac.uk/ways-study/study-campus-london/member-institutions |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=University of London}} [[List of universities and higher education colleges in London|London has multiple universities]] outside the University of London system.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/may/01/universityguide.highereducation42 |title=University of the Arts London |date=1 May 2008 |work=The Guardian |access-date=27 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501135123/http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/may/01/universityguide.highereducation42 |archive-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=live |location=London}} London is home to [[United Hospitals|five major medical schools]] and many affiliated teaching hospitals. It is a major centre for biomedical research, and three of the UK's eight [[academic health science centre]]s are based in the city.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2008/aug/07/health.highereducation |title=NHS hospitals to forge £2bn research link-up with university |last=Carvel |first=John |date=7 August 2008 |work=The Guardian |access-date=6 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501140334/http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/aug/07/health.highereducation |archive-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=live |location=London}} Many biomedical and biotechnology spin out companies from these research institutions are based around the city, most prominently in [[White City, London|White City]]. Founded by [[Florence Nightingale]] at [[St Thomas' Hospital]] in 1860, the [[Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery|first nursing school]] is now part of King's College London.{{cite news |title=Florence Nightingale: The Mother of Nursing |work=National Institutes of Health|year=2015 |pmc=4557413 |last1=Karimi |first1=H. |last2=Masoudi Alavi |first2=N. |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=e29475 |pmid=26339672 }} File:University College London -quadrant-11Sept2006 (1).jpg|[[University College London]] (UCL) was established by Royal Charter in 1836. File:Imperial College London down Exhibition Road.jpg|[[Imperial College London]], a technical research university File:Centre Building, LSE from LSE Square.jpg|The [[London School of Economics]] was established in 1895. File:KCL Guys Campus1.jpg|[[King's College London]]'s [[Guy's Campus]], home to its faculty of medicine File:Royal Academy of Dramatic Art - geograph.org.uk - 2492593.jpg|[[RADA]] (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) opened in 1904. ===Primary and secondary education=== {{see also|Centre for School Design}} The majority of primary and secondary schools and further-education colleges in London are controlled by the [[London boroughs]] or otherwise state-funded. Private schools and colleges in London include [[City of London School]], [[Harrow School|Harrow]], [[St Paul's School, London|St Paul's School]], [[University College School]], [[The John Lyon School]], [[Highgate School]] and [[Westminster School]].{{cite news |title=Schools: Harrow School |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol1/pp299-302 |access-date=2 May 2024 |publisher=BHO}} ===Royal Observatory, Greenwich and learned societies=== [[File:Tourists taking pictures at Prime Meridian monument, Greenwich Observatory, London.jpg|thumb|upright=1|right|Tourists queuing to take pictures on the line of the historic [[Prime meridian (Greenwich)|prime meridian]] at the [[Royal Observatory, Greenwich]] ]] Founded in 1675, the [[Royal Observatory, Greenwich]] was established to address the problem of calculating [[longitude]] for navigation. This work featured in astronomer royal [[Nevil Maskelyne]]'s ''[[Nautical Almanac]]'' which made the Greenwich meridian the universal reference point, leading to the international adoption of Greenwich as the [[prime meridian]] (0° longitude) in 1884.{{cite book |last1=Ridpath |first1=Ian |title=A Dictionary of Astronomy |date=2012 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |page=198}} Scientific [[learned societies]] based in London include the [[Royal Society]] - the UK's national [[academy of sciences]] and the oldest national scientific institution in the world - founded in 1660.{{cite encyclopedia|title=Royal Society|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Royal-Society|access-date=23 July 2022|last=Hunter|first=Michael}} Since 1825, scientists have presented their subjects to a general audience at the [[Royal Institution Christmas Lectures]].{{cite web |title=History of the Christmas Lectures |url=http://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/history|publisher=The Royal Institution|access-date=22 April 2015}} Other learned societies in include the [[Royal Society of Arts]], the [[Royal Statistical Society]] and the [[Society of Antiquaries of London]]. ==Culture== {{main|Culture of London}} ===Leisure and entertainment=== {{see also|List of annual events in London|West End theatre}} [[File:Notting_hill_carnival.jpg|thumb|upright|left|A scene of the annual [[Notting Hill Carnival]], 2014]] According to a 2003 report, London has a quarter of the UK's leisure economy.{{cite web |title=Mayor of London – Spending Time: Londons Leisure Economy |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/economic_unit/spending_time.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031219084151/http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/economic_unit/spending_time.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 December 2003 |website=london.gov.uk |access-date=30 September 2015}} The city is one of the four [[fashion capital]]s of the world, is the world's third-busiest film production centre, presents more live comedy than any other city,{{cite web |title=20 facts about London's culture |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/arts-culture/promoting-arts-culture/20-facts-about-london-s-culture |website=London.gov.uk |access-date=30 September 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001092404/https://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/arts-culture/promoting-arts-culture/20-facts-about-london-s-culture |archive-date=1 October 2015}} and has the biggest theatre audience of any city in the world.{{cite news |title=Study puts London ahead of New York as centre for theatre |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/54e31212-17f1-11e4-b842-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/54e31212-17f1-11e4-b842-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |newspaper=[[Financial Times]] |date=30 July 2014 |access-date=30 September 2015 |first=James |last=Pickford}} Alongside [[Culture of New York City|New York]], London has been described as the cultural capital of the world.{{cite news |last=Calder |first=Simon |date=22 September 2007 |title=London, capital of the world |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/london-capital-of-the-world-766661.html |newspaper=[[The Independent]]}}{{cite web |date=17 December 2013 |title=London: a world city for culture and arts |url=https://www.anewdirection.org.uk/blog/london-a-world-city-for-culture-and-arts |website=A New Direction}}{{cite web |last=Teodorczuk |first=Tom |date=21 March 2007 |title=London is the world capital of the 21st century... says New York |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/london-is-the-world-capital-of-the-21st-century-says-new-york-7179018.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125224024/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23389580-london-is-the-world-capital-of-the-21st-century-says-new-york.do |archive-date=25 January 2012}} The entertainment district of the [[West End of London|West End]] has its focus around [[Leicester Square]] for film [[premiere]]s, and [[Piccadilly Circus]], with its giant electronic advertisements.{{cite web |url=http://www.piccadillylights.co.uk/ |title=Piccadilly Lights |publisher=Land Securities |access-date=3 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426103109/http://www.piccadillylights.co.uk/ |archive-date=26 April 2011 |url-status=dead}} It contains London's [[West End theatre|theatre district]] and [[Chinatown, London|Chinatown]] district. [[Agatha Christie]]'s ''[[The Mousetrap]]'', the world's longest-running play, has performed in the West End [[List of the longest-running West End shows#List|since 1952]].{{cite news |title=The Mousetrap at 60: why is this the world's longest-running play? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/nov/20/mousetrap-60-years-agatha-christie |access-date=20 July 2022 |work=The Guardian}} Opera and ballet are performed at the [[Royal Opera House]], the [[London Coliseum]], [[Sadler's Wells Theatre]] and the [[Royal Albert Hall]].{{cite web |url=http://www.yourlondon.gov.uk/visiting/topic.jsp?topicid=6482&search_title=Theatres+and+concert+halls |title=Theatres and concert halls |publisher=Your London |access-date=6 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080124185332/http://www.yourlondon.gov.uk/visiting/topic.jsp?topicid=6482&search_title=Theatres%2Band%2Bconcert%2Bhalls |archive-date=24 January 2008 |url-status=dead}} London was the centre of [[music hall]]s such as the [[Hackney Empire]].{{cite book |last1=Morrison |first1=Kevin A. |title=Encyclopedia of London's East End |date=2023 |publisher=McFarland |pages=97–98}} [[File:Restaurante The Swan, Londres, Inglaterra, 2014-08-11, DD 113.jpg|thumb|[[Shakespeare's Globe]] is a modern reconstruction of the Globe Theatre on the south bank of the Thames.]] [[Islington]]'s {{convert|1|mi|km}} long [[Upper Street]] has more bars and restaurants than any other British street.{{cite web |title=2001: Public houses |work=BBC History |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/local_history/city/street_03.shtml?publichouses |access-date=4 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430191354/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/local_history/city/street_03.shtml?publichouses |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=live}} Europe's busiest shopping area and England's longest shopping street is [[Oxford Street]], nearly {{convert|1|mi|km}} long.{{cite web |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/londoner/06sep/p7a.jsp |publisher=The Londoner |title=Oxford Street gets its own dedicated local police team |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930204913/http://www.london.gov.uk/londoner/06sep/p7a.jsp |date=September 2006 |access-date=19 June 2007 |archive-date=30 September 2007 |url-status=dead}} One of the world's largest retail destinations, London ranks near the top of retail sales of any city.{{cite news |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/02/17/uk-retail-major-cities-idUKLNE71G00420110217 |title=London tops world cities spending league |access-date=29 April 2011 |work=Reuters |date=17 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220031529/http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/02/17/uk-retail-major-cities-idUKLNE71G00420110217 |archive-date=20 February 2011 |url-status=dead |first=Mark |last=Potter }}{{cite news |title=London is world's shopping capital with £62billion sales |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/london-is-worlds-shopping-capital-with-ps62billion-sales-6568278.html |access-date=17 November 2023 |work=Evening Standard}} In 2017, London was ranked the top city for luxury store openings.{{cite news |title=London crowned top city for luxury store openings |url=https://uk.fashionnetwork.com/news/London-crowned-top-city-for-luxury-store-openings,1083671.html |access-date=17 November 2023 |work=Fashion Network}} [[London Fashion Week]] takes place in February and September.{{cite news |title=In Pictures: Top 10 Moments from London Fashion Week |url=https://www.ldnfashion.com/features/top-10-london-fashion-week-moments/ |access-date=18 December 2024 |work=LDN Fashion}} Gastronomic centres include [[Brick Lane]] for [[Bangladeshi cuisine|Bangladeshi]] and [[Chinatown, London|Chinatown]] for [[Chinese food]].{{cite web |url=http://www.chinatownlondon.org/ |title=Chinatown — Official website |publisher=Chinatown London |access-date=27 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501115502/http://www.chinatownlondon.org/ |archive-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |last=Sukhadwala |first=Sejal |title=How Long Have Londoners Been Eating Chinese Food For? |website=Londonist |date=12 April 2017 |url=https://londonist.com/london/how-london-got-a-taste-for-chinese-food |access-date=14 June 2020}} Around 1860, the first [[fish and chips]] shop in London opened in [[Bow, London|Bow]].{{cite news |title=Chipping away at the history of fish and chips |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20130409-chipping-away-at-the-history-of-fish-and-chips |access-date=19 June 2022 |work=BBC}} Many [[Cafe (British)|cafe]]s serve a [[full English breakfast]] all day.{{cite news |title=History Of The Traditional English Breakfast |url=https://englishbreakfastsociety.com/full-english-breakfast.html |access-date=23 July 2022 |work=English Breakfast Society}} London has five 3-[[Michelin star]] restaurants.{{cite news |title=Gordon Ramsay celebrates having three Michelin stars for 21 years |url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/gordon-ramsay-celebrates-having-three-26251935 |access-date=22 July 2022 |work=Daily Record}} Many hotels provide a traditional [[afternoon tea]] service.{{cite news |title=Afternoon Tea At Oscar Wilde's Favorite Bar |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanneshurvell/2017/11/29/afternoon-tea-at-oscar-wildes-favorite-bar/ |access-date=3 July 2022 |work=Forbes}}{{cite news |title=17 themed afternoon teas perfect for Mother's Day |url=https://www.you.co.uk/themed-afternoon-teas/ |access-date=14 July 2022 |work=You}} The nation's most popular [[biscuit]] to [[Dunking (biscuit)|dunk]] in tea, [[chocolate digestive]]s, have been manufactured in [[Harlesden]] by [[McVitie's]] since 1925.{{cite news |title=Inside the Factory: BBC documentary goes behind the scenes of west London factory churning out 80 million biscuits a day |url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/inside-factory-bbc-documentary-goes-13415002 |access-date=20 August 2022 |work=My London}} [[List of annual events in London|Annual events]] begin with the [[New Year's Day Parade]] and a fireworks display at the [[London Eye]]. The world's second largest [[street party]], the [[Notting Hill Carnival]], is held on the late [[August Bank Holiday]] each year. Traditional parades include November's [[Lord Mayor's Show]] celebrating the appointment of a new [[Lord Mayor of the City of London|Lord Mayor]], while June's [[Trooping the Colour]], a formal military pageant and [[flypast]], celebrates the [[King's Official Birthday]].{{cite web |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4820.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620233221/http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4820.asp |archive-date=20 June 2008 |title=One Queen, Two Birthdays |publisher=Royal Government |access-date=27 September 2008 |url-status=live}} The [[Boishakhi Mela]], the largest open-air Asian festival in Europe, celebrates the [[Bengali New Year]].{{cite news |url=http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2018/05/celebrate-the-bengali-new-year-this-summer-in-tower-hamlets/ |publisher=East London Lines |last=Andreou |first=Roza |title=Celebrate the Bengali New Year this summer in Tower Hamlets |date=25 May 2018}} First held in 1862, the [[Chelsea Flower Show|RHS Chelsea Flower Show]] (run by the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]) takes place in May.{{cite news |title=RHS Chelsea Flower Show |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/04_april/17/chelseapack.pdf |access-date=7 July 2022 |work=BBC}} ===LGBTQ scene=== {{main|LGBTQ culture in London}} [[File:Comptons-Of-Soho.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Comptons of Soho]] during [[Pride in London|London Pride]] in 2010]] The first [[gay bar]] in London in the modern sense was [[The Cave of the Golden Calf]], established as a [[nightclub]] in an underground location at 9 [[Heddon Street]], just off [[Regent Street]], in 1912 and "which developed a reputation for sexual freedom and tolerance of same-sex relations".{{cite book|title=London and the Culture of Homosexuality, 1885–1914 (Cambridge Studies in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture)|author=Matt Cook|isbn=978-0521089807|date=6 November 2008|publisher=Cambridge University Press |url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/londoncultureofh00matt|page=120}} While London has been an LGBT tourism destination, after [[Sexual Offences Act 1967|homosexuality was decriminalised]] in England in 1967 gay bar culture became more visible, and from the early 1970s [[Soho]] (and in particular [[Old Compton Street]]) became the centre of the [[LGBTQ culture in London|London LGBTQ community]].Olson, Donald. ''London for Dummies'' (Volume 136 of Dummies Travel). [[John Wiley & Sons]], 2 February 2010. 6th Edition. {{ISBN|0470619651}}, 9780470619650. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=vrayaSsuQbUC&pg=PA67 67]. London has been ranked among the world's most LGBTQ-inclusive cities in global indices, and is part of a wider network of globally ranked cities that attract significant international [[LGBTQ tourism]] and host major [[Pride parade|pride events]].{{Cite web |date=2018-01-24 |title=London ranked among top cities "fully open for business" on LGBT+ inclusivity and competitiveness |url=https://www.cityam.com/279373-london-ranked-among-top-cities-fully-open-business/ |access-date=2026-05-11 |website=City AM |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last=Masterson |first=Victoria |title=Which cities perform well for LGBTQ+ inclusion? |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/2022/07/lgbtq-2022-city-ratings/ |access-date=11 May 2026 |website=weforum.org}}{{Cite web |title=Tel Aviv Declared World's Best Gay Travel Destination |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/travel/2012-01-11/ty-article/tel-aviv-declared-worlds-best-gay-travel-destination/0000017f-df28-df9c-a17f-ff3837f60000 |access-date=11 May 2026 |website=haaretz.com}} ===Literature, film and television=== {{main|London in fiction|London in film|List of television shows set in London|London Television Archive}} [[File:Sherlock Holmes Museum.jpg|left|thumb|[[Sherlock Holmes Museum]] in [[Baker Street]], bearing the number 221B]] London has been the setting for many works of literature. The pilgrims in [[Geoffrey Chaucer]]'s late 14th-century ''[[The Canterbury Tales|Canterbury Tales]]'' set out for [[Canterbury]] from London. [[William Shakespeare]] spent a large part of his life living and working in London; his contemporary [[Ben Jonson]] was based there, and his play ''[[The Alchemist (play)|The Alchemist]]'' was set in the city. ''[[A Journal of the Plague Year]]'' (1722) by [[Daniel Defoe]] is a fictionalisation of the events of the 1665 [[Great Plague of London|Great Plague]]. The literary centres of London were hilly [[Hampstead]] and [[Bloomsbury]]. Writers included the diarist [[Samuel Pepys]], recording the [[Great Fire of London|Great Fire]]; [[Charles Dickens]], describing foggy, grimy [[Victorian era|Victorian]] London; and the modernist [[Virginia Woolf]].{{cite web |url=http://www.brynmawr.edu/library/speccoll/guides/london/londoninliterature.shtml |title=London in Literature |publisher=[[Bryn Mawr College]] |access-date=6 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427043832/http://www.brynmawr.edu/library/speccoll/guides/london/londoninliterature.shtml |archive-date=27 April 2011 |url-status=live}} [[Letitia Elizabeth Landon]] wrote ''Calendar of the London Seasons'' in 1834,{{wikisource inline|Calendar of the London Seasons/Calendar of the London Seasons|'Calendar of the London Seasons', by L. E. L.}} while [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] wrote the [[Sherlock Holmes]] stories. [[Robert Louis Stevenson]] narrated the ''[[Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde]]'', a [[Gothic fiction|gothic]] London novella.{{cite news |title=Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde |url=https://www.britishlibrary.cn/en/works/jekyllandhyde/ |access-date=15 June 2023 |publisher=British Library}} In 1898 [[H. G. Wells]]' [[science fiction]] novel ''[[The War of the Worlds]]'' sees London invaded by Martians.{{cite news |title=The War of the Worlds |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-War-of-the-Worlds-novel-by-Wells#ref343460 |access-date=2 August 2022 |work=Encyclopaedia Britannica}} In 1925, [[Winnie-the-Pooh]] debuted in London's ''[[The Evening News (London newspaper)|Evening News]]''.{{cite news |title=Winnie-the-Pooh goes to Harrods in new authorised AA Milne prequel |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jul/23/winnie-the-pooh-goes-to-harrods-in-new-authorised-aa-milne-prequel |access-date=23 April 2023 |work=The Guardian}} In the 1940s, [[George Orwell]] wrote essays in the ''[[Evening Standard|London Evening Standard]]'', including "[[The Moon Under Water]]" (an ideal [[pub]]).{{cite news |title=Orwell in the Evening Standard |url=https://orwellsociety.com/orwell-in-the-evening-standard/ |access-date=27 June 2022 |work=Orwell Society}} [[Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II|Wartime evacuation of children]] is depicted in [[C. S. Lewis]]'s ''[[The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]]''. In 1958 [[Michael Bond]] created the refugee [[Paddington Bear]].{{cite web|website=Paddington.com|url=http://www.paddington.com/global/about/timeline/|title=About|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817131744/http://paddington.com/global/about/timeline/|archive-date=17 August 2016}} Buckingham Palace appears in [[Roald Dahl]]'s ''[[The BFG]]''.{{cite news |title=Quentin Blake's unpublished illustrations of The BFG - in pictures |url=https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/gallery/2016/jun/24/the-bfg-quentin-blake-roald-dahl |access-date=27 July 2024 |work=The Guardian}} [[File:London July 2010 (4818942309).jpg|thumb|Opened in 1937, the [[Odeon Luxe Leicester Square|Odeon cinema]] in [[Leicester Square]] hosts European and world film premieres.]] London's film studios have produced many films including the ''[[James Bond]]'' and ''[[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]]'' series.{{cite news |title=The Harry Potter economy |url=https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2009/12/17/the-harry-potter-economy |access-date=8 July 2022 |newspaper=The Economist}}{{cite web |url=http://filmlondon.org.uk/studio-contacts |title=Film London – studio contacts |website=Filmlondon.org.uk |access-date=27 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810011712/http://filmlondon.org.uk/studio-contacts |archive-date=10 August 2017 |url-status=dead}} A [[post-production]] community is centred in [[Soho]], and London houses six of the world's largest [[visual effects]] companies, such as [[Framestore]].{{cite news |title=The UK's VFX Industry: In Profile|url=https://www.ukscreenalliance.co.uk/subpages/the-uks-vfx-industry-in-profile/ |access-date=7 July 2022 |work=UK Screen Alliance}} [[The Imaginarium]], a digital [[performance-capture]] studio, was founded by [[Andy Serkis]].{{cite web |title=Who We Are |url=http://www.theimaginariumstudios.com/who-we-are |website=The Imaginarium Studios |access-date=5 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031092554/http://www.theimaginariumstudios.com/who-we-are |archive-date=31 October 2012}} London has been the [[London in film|setting for numerous films]]. The largest cinema chain in the country, [[Odeon Cinemas]], was founded in London in 1928 by [[Oscar Deutsch]].{{cite web |title=Feature: The legacy of Oscar Deutsch's cinemas|url=https://www.theguardian.com/arts/critic/feature/0,1169,717532,00.html |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=8 July 2022}} The [[BFI IMAX]] on the [[South Bank]] is the largest cinema screen in the UK.{{cite web |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/bfi-imax-operated-bfi |title=The UK's biggest screen, BFI IMAX, to be operated by the BFI |date=13 June 2022 |publisher=BFI |access-date=28 July 2024 }} The [[British Academy Film Awards]] have been held in London since [[1st British Academy Film Awards|1949]], with the [[BAFTA Fellowship]] the Academy's highest accolade.{{cite web |url=https://heritage.bafta.org/moment/1971/the-fellowship-baftas-top-prize/60 |publisher=BAFTA |access-date=19 June 2023 |title=The Fellowship: BAFTA's top prize |archive-date=13 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513071405/https://heritage.bafta.org/moment/1971/the-fellowship-baftas-top-prize/60 |url-status=live}} Founded in 1957, the [[BFI London Film Festival]] takes place over two weeks every October.{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/global/kate-winslet-saoirse-ronan-london-film-festival-1234748238/ |title=Saoirse Ronan, Kate Winslet Drama 'Ammonite' to Close BFI London Film Festival |date=26 August 2020 |access-date=8 July 2022}} London is home to several television production companies which produce several programmes.{{cite news |title=The scribbled note that changed TV |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/oct/26/x-factor-cowell-fuller |access-date=4 October 2019 |newspaper=The Guardian}}{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/spotlight/itv-simon-cowell-talks-strong-ties-with-brit-broadcaster-1201467913/ |title=ITV: Simon Cowell Talks Strong Ties With Brit Broadcaster |publisher=Variety |date=7 April 2015}}{{cite news |title=Da Ali G Show (TV Series) |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-zteorv/da-ali-g-show/ |access-date=8 July 2022 |newspaper=[[Radio Times]]}}{{cite news |title=EastEnders Episode 1, 19/02/1985 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b053l8b7 |access-date=28 June 2023 |agency=[[BBC]]}} ===Museums, art galleries and libraries=== [[File:Kensington Museums aerial 2011 b.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left|Aerial view of [[Albertopolis]]. The [[Albert Memorial]], [[Royal Albert Hall]], [[Royal Geographical Society]], and [[Royal College of Art]] are near the top; [[Victoria and Albert Museum|V&A]] and [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]] at the lower end; [[Imperial College London|Imperial]], [[Royal College of Music]], and [[Science Museum, London|Science Museum]] in between.]] London is [[List of museums in London|home to many museums]], galleries, and other institutions, many of which are free of admission charges and are major [[tourist attraction]]s as well as playing a research role. The first to be established was the [[British Museum]] in [[Bloomsbury]], in 1753.{{cite web|title=The Life and Curiosity of Hans Sloane|url=https://www.bl.uk/events/the-life-and-curiosity-of-hans-sloane|access-date=27 March 2021|website=[[The British Library]]|archive-date=19 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119150309/https://www.bl.uk/events/the-life-and-curiosity-of-hans-sloane|url-status=dead}} Originally containing antiquities, natural history specimens, and the national library, the museum now has 7 million artefacts from around the globe. In 1824 the [[National Gallery]] was founded to house the British national collection of Western paintings and is located in [[Trafalgar Square]].{{citation |last= Liscombe |first= R. W.|year= 1980|title= William Wilkins, 1778–1839 |place= Cambridge |publisher= Cambridge University Press|pages=180–82 }} The [[British Library]] is the [[List of largest libraries|second largest library]] in the world, and the UK's [[national library]].{{cite web |last=Sen Nag |first=Oishimaya |date=5 March 2018 |title=The Largest Libraries In The World |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/5-largest-libraries-in-the-world.html |access-date=30 March 2021 |website=World Atlas-US}} Research libraries include the [[Wellcome Library]] and [[Dana Library and Research Centre|Dana Centre]], as well as [[academic library|university libraries]] like the [[British Library of Political and Economic Science]] at [[London School of Economics|LSE]], the [[Imperial College London Abdus Salam Library|Abdus Salam Library]] at [[Imperial College London|Imperial]], the [[Maughan Library]] at [[King's College London|King's]], and the [[Senate House Libraries]] at the [[University of London]].{{cite news |last=Bayley |first=Sian |date=21 February 2019 |title=Best libraries in London: The V&A, British Library, Wellcome Trust, BFI and more |work=Evening Standard |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/futurelondon/culturecity/best-libraries-in-london-wellcome-trust-british-library-canada-water-victoria-and-albert-guildhall-a4072696.html |access-date=26 March 2021}} In the 19th century, [[South Kensington]] was developed as "[[Albertopolis]]", a cultural and scientific quarter. Three major national museums are there: the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]], the [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]] and the [[London Science Museum|Science Museum]]. The [[National Portrait Gallery, London|National Portrait Gallery]] was founded in 1856 to house depictions of figures from British history; its holdings now comprise the world's most extensive collection of portraits.{{cite web |last=Cullinan (Director) |first=Nicholas |title=Organisation – National Portrait Gallery |url=http://www.npg.org.uk/about/organisation.php |access-date=26 March 2021 |website=National Portrait Gallery}} The national gallery of British art is at [[Tate Britain]], originally established as an annexe of the National Gallery in 1897. The Tate Gallery became a major centre for modern art. In 2000 this collection moved to [[Tate Modern]], a new gallery housed in the former [[Bankside Power Station]].{{cite news |title=Millennium Bridge |url=https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/442404-millennium-bridge |access-date=27 July 2022 |work=Visit London}}{{Clear}} ===Music=== [[File:Royal Albert Hall.001 - London.JPG|The [[Royal Albert Hall]] in [[South Kensington]] hosts concerts and musical events, including the classical music festival [[BBC Proms|The Proms]] which are held every summer, as well as cinema screenings of films accompanied with live orchestral music.|thumb]] London is one of the major classical and [[popular music]] capitals of the world and hosts major music corporations, such as [[Universal Music Group|Universal Music Group International]] and [[Warner Music Group]], and countless bands, musicians and industry professionals. The city contains many orchestras and concert halls, such as the [[Barbican Arts Centre]], the [[Southbank Centre]], [[Cadogan Hall]] and the [[Royal Albert Hall]]. London's two main opera houses are the [[Royal Opera House]] and the [[London Coliseum]]. Several [[conservatoire]]s are within the city: [[Royal Academy of Music]], [[Royal College of Music]], [[Guildhall School of Music and Drama]], and [[Trinity College of Music|Trinity Laban]]. The record label [[EMI]] was formed in the city in 1931, and an early employee for the company, [[Alan Blumlein]], created [[stereo sound]] that year.{{cite news|title=Early stereo recordings restored|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7537782.stm|work=[[BBC]]|access-date=28 March 2023|date=1 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807025132/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7537782.stm|archive-date=7 August 2008 | url-status=live}} The guitar amp engineer [[Jim Marshall (businessman)|Jim Marshall]] founded [[Marshall Amplification]] in London in 1962.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-17625335|title=Guitar amp pioneer Jim Marshall dies aged 88 |date=5 April 2012|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=28 May 2024}} [[File:Abbey Rd Studios.jpg|thumb|left|[[Abbey Road Studios]]]] London has numerous venues for rock and pop concerts, including the world's busiest indoor venue, [[The O2 Arena|the O2 Arena]],{{cite web |title=2015 Year End Worldwide Ticket Sales – Top 200 Area Venues |url=http://www.pollstarpro.com/files/charts2015/2015YearEndWorldwideTicketSalesTop200ArenaVenues.pdf |url-status=dead|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160517203229/http://www.pollstarpro.com/files/charts2015/2015YearEndWorldwideTicketSalesTop200ArenaVenues.pdf |archive-date=17 May 2016 |access-date=26 March 2021}} and [[Wembley Arena]], as well as many mid-sized venues, such as [[Brixton Academy]], the [[Hammersmith Apollo]] and the [[Shepherd's Bush Empire]]. Several [[music festivals]], including the [[Wireless Festival]], [[Lovebox Festival|Lovebox]], and [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]]'s [[British Summer Time (concerts)|British Summer Time]], are held in London.{{cite web |last1=Keens |first1=Oliver |last2=Levine |first2=Nick |date=11 March 2021 |title=The best music festivals in London 2021 |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/music-festivals/the-best-music-festivals-in-london?package_page=48331 |access-date=26 March 2021 |work=Time Out London}} The city is home to the original [[Hard Rock Cafe]] and the [[Abbey Road Studios]], where [[the Beatles]] recorded many of their hits.{{cite book |last1=Tow |first1=Stephen |title=London, Reign Over Me How England's Capital Built Classic Rock|date=2020 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers}}{{cite book |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2006/04/06/garycrowley_londontop40_feature.shtml |title=London's top 40 artists |date=6 April 2006 |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=9 September 2008 |isbn=978-0-89820-135-2}} London has been instrumental in the development of [[punk music]] and other genres.{{cite web |date=10 November 2015 |title=PUNK – Paris Photo Special Feature |url=https://www.michaelhoppengallery.com/news/55/#:~:text=After%20a%20brief%20stint%20managing,the%20radical%20punk%20clothing%20style. |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=Michael Hoppen Gallery}}{{cite web |url=http://www.londonbc.co.uk/history-of-music-in-london.html |title=History of music in London |publisher=The London Music Scene |access-date=2 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427023619/http://www.londonbc.co.uk/history-of-music-in-london.html |archive-date=27 April 2011 |url-status=dead}} Artists from London played a prominent role in the development of [[synth-pop]], including [[Eurythmics]], whose "[[Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)]]" was recorded in the attic of their north London home, heralding a trend for home recording methods.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rPdJDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA23 |page=23 |title=Dawn of the DAW: The Studio as Musical Instrument |last=Bell |first=Adam Patrick |date=2018 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190296629}} Many alternative artists have been based in London; others have brought a Caribbean influence.{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1983/08/02/eddy-grants-electric-rock-38/74a1753f-17b5-451b-b873-e1fd9f9237b0/|title=Eddy Grant's Electric Rock |last=Himes |first=Geoffrey |date=2 August 1983 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=19 March 2021}} London is a centre for urban music. In particular the genres [[UK garage]], [[drum and bass]], [[dubstep]], [[grime (music)|grime]] and [[UK underground rap|UK underground]] evolved in the city from the foreign genres of [[House music|house]], [[hip-hop]] and reggae, alongside local drum and bass.{{Cite news |last=McQuaid |first=Ian |date=2025-12-05 |title='Constant stimulation, dopamine overload': how EsDeeKid and UK underground rap exploded on a global scale |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/dec/05/constant-stimulation-dopamine-overload-esdeekid-uk-underground-rap-exploded-global-scale |access-date=2026-06-07 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} Music station [[BBC Radio 1Xtra]] was set up to support the rise of local [[urban contemporary]] music. The [[British Phonographic Industry]]'s annual popular music awards, the [[Brit Awards]], are held in London.{{cite web|url=https://www.brits.co.uk/history/shows/1977|title=Brit Awards History|website=Brit Awards|access-date=28 December 2019|archive-date=26 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826032516/http://www.brits.co.uk/history/shows/1977|url-status=dead}} ==Recreation== ===Parks and open spaces=== {{main|Parks and open spaces in London|Royal Parks of London}} {{see also|List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Greater London|List of local nature reserves in Greater London}} [[File:Hyde Park London from the air.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]] (with [[Kensington Gardens]] in the foreground) has been a popular public space since it opened in 1637.]] A 2013 report by the [[City of London Corporation]] said that London is the "greenest city" in Europe with 35,000 acres (14,164 hectares) of public parks, woodlands and gardens.{{cite web |last=McGlone |first=Conor |date=9 July 2013 |title=London 'greenest city' in Europe |url=https://www.edie.net/news/6/London--greenest-city--in-Europe-/ |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=edie.net}} Nearly half of London's area is green and blue spaces, featuring around 3,000 parks, over 8 million trees, and 150 nature reserves.{{cite web |title=London National Park City {{!}} London City Hall |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/environment-and-climate-change/parks-green-spaces-and-biodiversity/london-national-park-city |access-date=18 August 2025|website=www.london.gov.uk }} The largest parks in the [[Central London|central area of London]] are three of the eight [[Royal Parks of London|Royal Parks]], namely [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]] and its neighbour [[Kensington Gardens]] in the west, and [[Regent's Park]] to the north.{{cite web |url=http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington_gardens/ |title=Kensington Gardens |year=2008 |publisher=The Royal Parks |access-date=26 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527231143/http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington_gardens/ |archive-date=27 May 2010 |url-status=dead }} Hyde Park is popular for [[#Sport|sports]] and sometimes hosts open-air concerts. Regent's Park contains [[London Zoo]], the world's oldest scientific zoo.{{cite web |title=Madame Tussauds, London |url=http://www.tourist-information-uk.com/madame-tussauds.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427094710/http://www.tourist-information-uk.com/madame-tussauds.htm |archive-date=27 April 2011 |access-date=26 March 2021 |publisher=Madame Tussauds}} [[Primrose Hill]] is a popular spot from which to view the city skyline.{{cite book |last=Mills |first=David |title=Dictionary of London Place Names |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2001 |isbn=9780192801067 |oclc=45406491}} Close to Hyde Park are smaller Royal Parks, [[Green Park]] and [[St James's Park]].{{cite web |year=2008 |title=Green Park |url=http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/green_park/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090904010152/http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/green_park/about.cfm|archive-date=4 September 2009 |access-date=26 March 2021 |publisher=The Royal Parks}} Several large parks lie outside the city centre, including [[Hampstead Heath]] and the remaining Royal Parks of [[Greenwich Park]] to the southeast, and [[Bushy Park]] and [[Richmond Park]] (the largest) to the southwest.{{cite web |url=http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home/services/leisure_and_culture/parks_and_open_spaces/park_details.htm?parkId=268 |title=Park details – Hampton Court |publisher=London Borough of Richmond upon Thames |access-date=26 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826172424/http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home/services/leisure_and_culture/parks_and_open_spaces/park_details.htm?parkId=268 |archive-date=26 August 2015}} [[Crystal Palace Park]] in south-east London was laid out as a [[pleasure ground]], and, reflecting the public enthusiasm for dinosaurs that first developed in Victorian England, it contains [[Crystal Palace Dinosaurs|life-sized models of dinosaurs]].{{cite news |title=How a Victorian Dinosaur Park Became a Time Capsule of Early Paleontology |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-a-victorian-dinosaur-park-became-a-time-capsule-of-early-paleontology-180982799/ |access-date=1 March 2025 |magazine=Smithsonian}} Close to Richmond Park is [[Kew Gardens]], which has the world's largest collection of living plants.{{cite web |url=http://www.kew.org/ksheets/pdfs/k16kewhistory.pdf |title=Kew, History & Heritage |publisher=[[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] |access-date=24 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829192523/http://www.kew.org/ksheets/pdfs/k16kewhistory.pdf |archive-date=29 August 2008}} Many parks are administered by borough Councils, including [[Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets|Victoria Park]] in the [[East End]] and [[Battersea Park]] in the centre. Some more informal, semi-natural open spaces, including [[Hampstead Heath]] and [[Epping Forest]],{{cite web |url=http://217.154.230.195/NR/rdonlyres/A3CB6563-4D0D-4C35-AC7F-818C28306E79/0/OS_EF_Dogs.pdf |title=Epping Forest You & Your Dog |website=brochure |publisher=City of London |access-date=13 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704191340/http://217.154.230.195/NR/rdonlyres/A3CB6563-4D0D-4C35-AC7F-818C28306E79/0/OS_EF_Dogs.pdf |archive-date=4 July 2011}} are controlled by the [[City of London Corporation]].{{cite web |author=Ramblers |url=http://www.ramblers.org.uk/info/parks/name/c/corporationoflondon.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029232404/http://www.ramblers.org.uk/info/parks/name/c/corporationoflondon.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 October 2008 |title=Corporation of London Open Spaces |publisher=Ramblers |access-date=12 December 2011}} Hampstead Heath incorporates [[Kenwood House]], a former [[stately home]] and a popular location in the summer months when classical musical concerts are held by the lake.{{cite web |url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.00100200800k00800f |title=Kenwood House |publisher=English Heritage |access-date=26 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305202033/http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.00100200800k00800f |archive-date=5 March 2010 |url-status=live}} Epping Forest is a popular venue for various outdoor activities, including mountain biking, walking, horse riding, golf, angling, and orienteering. Three of the UK's most-visited theme parks, [[Thorpe Park]] near Staines-upon-Thames, [[Chessington World of Adventures]] in Chessington and [[Legoland Windsor Resort|Legoland Windsor]], are located within {{convert|20|mi}} of London.{{cite news |title=The best theme parks near London |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/best-theme-parks-in-and-around-london |access-date=5 January 2024 |work=Time Out}} ===Walking=== {{main|Walking in London}} {{See also|Walking in the United Kingdom}} [[File:Horse Ride, Wimbledon Common - geograph.org.uk - 692221.jpg|thumb|The Horse Ride is a [[tree tunnel]] (route overhung by trees) on the western side of [[Wimbledon Common]].]] Areas that provide for walks include [[Wimbledon Common]], [[Epping Forest]], [[Hampton Court Park]], [[Hampstead Heath]], the eight [[Royal Parks]], [[Regents Canal]] Walk, canals and disused railway tracks.{{cite web |url=http://www.innerlondonramblers.org.uk/ideasforwalks.html |title=Inner London Ramblers – Walk Ideas |first=Phil |last=Marson |website=innerlondonramblers.org.uk}} Access to canals and rivers has improved recently, including the creation of the [[Thames Path]], some {{convert|28|mi|km}} of which is within [[Greater London]], and the [[Wandle Trail]] along the [[River Wandle]].{{cite web |url=http://www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map/route/wandle-trail |title=Wandle Trail – Map |website=Sustrans}} Other [[long-distance path]]s, linking green spaces, have been created, including the [[Capital Ring]], the [[Green Chain Walk]], [[London Outer Orbital Path]] ("Loop"), [[Jubilee Walkway]], [[Lea Valley Walk]] and the [[Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Walk]]. ==Sport== {{main|Sport in London}} {{see also|Football in London|Rugby union in London}} London has hosted the [[Summer Olympic Games|Summer Olympics]] in [[1908 Summer Olympics|1908]], [[1948 Summer Olympics|1948]], and [[2012 Summer Olympics|2012]], making it the first city to host the modern Games three times. The city was host to the [[Commonwealth Games|British Empire Games]] in [[1934 British Empire Games|1934]].{{cite web |date=28 April 2011 |title=England – Introduction |url=http://www.thecgf.com/countries/intro.asp?loc=ENG |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429043207/http://www.thecgf.com/countries/intro.asp?loc=ENG |archive-date=29 April 2011 |access-date=3 November 2008 |website=[[Commonwealth Games Federation]] }} In 2017, London hosted the [[2017 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships in Athletics]] for the first time.{{cite web |last=Livingstone |first=Robert |date=11 November 2011 |title=London Defeats Doha to host 2017 International Athletics Championships |url=http://www.gamesbids.com/eng/other_news/1216135963.html |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113180038/http://www.gamesbids.com/eng/other_news/1216135963.html |archive-date=13 November 2011 |access-date=13 December 2011 |website=Gamesbids.com }} London's [[Sport in the United Kingdom#Popularity|most popular sport]] is [[association football]], with six clubs in the [[Premier League]] in the [[2026–27 Premier League|2026–27 season]]: [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], [[Brentford F.C.|Brentford]], [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]], [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]], [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]] and [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]].{{cite web |title=Barclays Premier League Clubs |url=https://www.premierleague.com/clubs |access-date=29 March 2021 |publisher=[[Premier League]] |archive-date=3 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203140113/https://www.premierleague.com/clubs/ |url-status=dead }} Five London-based teams are in the [[Women's Super League]]: [[Arsenal W.F.C.|Arsenal]], [[Chelsea F.C. Women|Chelsea]], [[London City Lionesses]], [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Women|Tottenham]] and [[West Ham United F.C. Women|West Ham United]]. Two [[Premiership Rugby]] union teams are based in Greater London: [[Harlequin F.C.|Harlequins]] and [[Saracens F.C.|Saracens]].{{cite web |url=http://www.premiershiprugby.com/clubs/index.php |title=Premiership Rugby: Clubs |publisher=Premier Rugby |access-date=5 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427075926/http://www.premiershiprugby.com/clubs/index.php |archive-date=27 April 2011 |url-status=dead}} [[Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club|Ealing Trailfinders]] and [[London Scottish F.C.|London Scottish]] play in the [[RFU Championship]]; other rugby union clubs in the city include [[Richmond F.C.|Richmond]], [[Rosslyn Park F.C.|Rosslyn Park]], [[Westcombe Park RFC|Westcombe Park]], and [[Blackheath F.C.|Blackheath]]. [[Twickenham Stadium]] in south-west London hosts home matches for the [[England national rugby union team]].{{cite press release |publisher=Twickenham Rugby Stadium |title=RFU apply for two additional concerts at Twickenham Stadium in 2007 |url=http://www.rfu.com/microsites/twickenham/index.cfm?StoryID=14822 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625050620/http://www.rfu.com/microsites/twickenham/index.cfm?StoryID=14822 |archive-date=25 June 2008 |date=3 October 2006 |url-status=dead}} While [[rugby league]] is more popular in the north of England, the sport has one professional club in London – the [[London Broncos]], while the [[Challenge Cup]] final often takes place in the city.{{cite news |title=Challenge Cup final heading to Tottenham in 2022 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/wembley-daniel-levy-white-hart-lane-covid-castleford-b1901268.html |access-date=30 January 2025 |publisher=BBC}} The [[Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon Tennis Championships]] is held at the [[All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club|All England Club]] in the south-western suburb of [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]] since 1877.{{cite web |url=http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423182334/http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/index.html |archive-date=23 April 2008 |title=Wimbledon — official website |publisher=The All England Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) |access-date=29 April 2008 |url-status=dead}} Played in late June to early July, it is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and widely considered the most prestigious.{{cite news |title=Traditional Final: It's Nadal and Federer |work=The New York Times |date=7 May 2008 |first=Christopher |last=Clarey |quote=Federer said[:] 'I love playing with him, especially here at Wimbledon, the most prestigious tournament we have.' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/05/sports/tennis/05wimbledon.html |access-date=17 July 2008}}{{cite encyclopedia |editor=Will Kaufman & Heidi Slettedahl Macpherson |encyclopedia=Britain and the Americas |title=Tennis |year=2005 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |volume=1 : Culture, Politics, and History |isbn=978-1-85109-431-8 |page=958 |quote=this first tennis championship, which later evolved into the Wimbledon Tournament ... continues as the world's most prestigious event.}} London has two [[Test cricket]] grounds which host the [[England cricket team]], [[Lord's]] (home of [[Middlesex County Cricket Club|Middlesex C.C.C.]]) and [[the Oval]] (home of [[Surrey County Cricket Club|Surrey C.C.C.]]). Lord's has hosted four finals of the [[Cricket World Cup]] and is known as the "Home of Cricket".{{cite web |title=Lord's (Cricket Grounds)|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/ground/57129.html |access-date=26 March 2021 |publisher=ESPNcricinfo}} In golf, the [[Wentworth Club]] is located in [[Virginia Water]], Surrey on the south-west fringes of London, while the closest venue to London that is used as one of the courses for [[the Open Championship]], the oldest major and tournament in golf, is [[Royal St George's Golf Club|Royal St George's]] in Sandwich, Kent.{{cite news |title=Royal St George's |url=https://www.theopen.com/venues/royal-st-georges |access-date=16 October 2023 |publisher=The Open}} The rules of modern boxing, the [[Queensberry Rules]], were formulated in London in 1867, and since then fights have taken place at [[York Hall]] (the spiritual home of British boxing), and larger arenas and stadiums across the city.{{cite news |title=Small Hall Spotlight: York Hall – a piece of living boxing history |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/62692572 |access-date=27 February 2025 |publisher=BBC}} [[Alexandra Palace]] in north London hosts the [[PDC World Darts Championship]] and the [[Masters (snooker)|Masters snooker]] tournament. Other key annual events are the mass-participation [[London Marathon]]{{cite web |url=http://www.london-marathon.co.uk/site/ |title=Flora London Marathon 2008 |publisher=London Marathon Ltd |access-date=29 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080426224024/http://www.london-marathon.co.uk/site/ |archive-date=26 April 2008 |url-status=dead}} and the [[University Boat Race]] on the Thames contested between [[Oxford University Boat Club|Oxford]] and [[Cambridge University Boat Club|Cambridge]].{{cite web |url=http://www.theboatrace.org/ |title=The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race — Official Website |publisher=The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race |access-date=29 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430162037/http://www.theboatrace.org/ |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=live}} {{multiple image | align = center | direction = horizontal | total_width = 800 | image1 = Wembley Stadium interior.jpg | caption1 = [[Wembley Stadium]], home of the England [[England national football team|men]] and [[England women's national football team|women's football team]] and the [[FA Cup Final]], has a seating capacity of 90,000. It is the UK's biggest stadium.{{cite web |title=About Wembley Stadium – What we do at Wembley Stadium |url=https://www.wembleystadium.com/about/about-wembley-stadium |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=[[Wembley Stadium]] connected by EE |archive-date=26 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200326114025/http://www.wembleystadium.com/about/about-wembley-stadium |url-status=dead }} | image2 = Centre Court Wimbledon 1.jpg | caption2 = [[Centre Court]] at [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]]. Held every June and July, Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, and the only major played on grass. | image3 = Twickenham stadium - Cup finals day - geograph.org.uk - 2966637.jpg | caption3 = [[Twickenham Stadium|Twickenham]], home of the [[England national rugby union team]], has a capacity of 82,000 seats. }} ==Notable people== {{main|Lists of people from London}} ==See also== * [[Outline of England]] * [[Outline of London]] * [[Outline of the United Kingdom]] {{Clear}} ==Notes== {{notelist|30em}} ==References== {{reflist}} ===Bibliography=== * {{cite book |last=Ackroyd |first=Peter |title=London: The Biography |publisher=Vintage |location=London |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-09-942258-7 |title-link=London: The Biography }} * {{cite book |last=Mills |first=David |title=Dictionary of London Place Names |publisher=Oxford Paperbacks |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-19-280106-7 |oclc=45406491 }} ==External links== {{sister project links|auto=yes}} * [http://www.visitlondon.com/ VisitLondon.com] – official tourism site * [http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/ Museum of London] * [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/place.aspx?region=1 London] in ''[[British History Online]]'', with links to numerous authoritative online sources * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00546w3 "London"], ''In Our Time'', BBC Radio 4 discussion with Peter Ackroyd, Claire Tomalin and Iain Sinclair (28 September 2000) * {{OSM relation|175342}} {{London history}} {{London landmarks}} {{Areas of London}} {{navboxes|title=[[Outline of London|Other articles related to London]]|list= {{Governance of Greater London}} {{Transport in London}} {{London commuter belt}} {{Universities and colleges in London}} {{Megacities}} {{Commonwealth Games Host Cities}} {{Olympic Summer Games Host Cities}} {{World Games Host Cities}} }} {{Subject bar|commons=yes|wikt=yes|n=yes|n-search=Category:London|q=yes|s=yes|b=no|voy=yes|v=yes|d=yes|d-search=Q84}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:London| ]] [[Category:British capitals]] [[Category:Capital cities in Europe]] [[Category:Greater London]] [[Category:Port cities and towns in Southern England]] [[Category:Southern England]] [[Category:1st-century establishments in Roman Britain]] [[Category:Populated places established in the 1st century]] [[Category:Capital cities in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Tech hubs]] [[Category:Megacities]]