020 8077 8968The British capital is one of the most renowned cities in the world. It is home to a number of world famous landmarks and according to the latest studies in the most popular tourist destination on the planet. However, despite its fame, there are many things that people, even locals don’t know about London.
The capital is more intriguing than you thought
- London was founded by the Romans in 43 AD. At the time the settlement was known as Londinium. In fact, throughout the centuries, the city has had several names including:
- Lundenwic
- Lowonidonjon
- Plowonida
- Londinion
- Westminster Palace also known as the Houses of Parliament has a total of eight bars, which offer the cheapest ale in the English capital. Another interesting fact about Westminster Palace is that it is built right by the river in order to stop angry mobs from surrounding it from all sides.
- The famous clock tower adjacent to the Houses of Parliament isn’t called Big Ben as most people believe. The structure is known as Elizabeth Tower (formerly Clock Tower) while Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of clock.
- Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, gifted the copyright of Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital, a children’s healthcare facility in the district of Bloomsbury. The famous Scottish author didn’t have children of his own, so he made sure that all royalties related to his work were received by the hospital in order to have sufficient funds to help their patients.
- Savoy Court is an entrance road, which leads to the world famous Savoy Hotel, which throughout the years has received a multitude of notable guests and hosted an abundance of award shows. It is the only street in Great Britain where the traffic is on the right side.
A city of the rich
London is inhabited by over 70 billionaires. This makes the British capital home to one of the richest populations in the world.- The smallest statue in London depicts two tiny mice eating cheese. It is located on Philpot Lane and commemorate two builders of the Monument of the Great Fire of London who fell during its construction after arguing about a sandwich. They blamed one another about the missing snack when it was actually taken by mice, which at the time had infested the area.
- Chiswick House is the best-preserved Neo-Palladian edifice in London. It was designed by Lord Burlington and dates back to the first half of the 18th century. It is situated in the district of Chiswick, which is currently one of the city’s most desirable areas. A testament to this is the fact that people are constantly moving to the district by using cost effective removal services in Chiswick by Removals Team.
- Cock Lane didn’t obtain its name due to any links with poultry. The street name originates from the fact that it was the only licensed thoroughfare for prostitution during medieval times.
- The Christmas tree that is displayed at Trafalgar Square is from Norway. Every year, the people of Norway give a tree to the British people in order to demonstrate their gratefulness for their coalition during World War II.