Portal:London

The LONDON PORTAL

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Introduction

London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous city in the European Union.

London is one of the world's major business, political and cultural centres. It is a leader in international finance, politics, communications, entertainment, fashion and the arts and has considerable influence worldwide. It is widely regarded as one of the world's major global cities, and has been an important settlement for nearly 2000 years.

London has an estimated population of 7.6 million (as of 2005) and a metropolitan area population of between 12 and 14 million. London has an extremely cosmopolitan population, drawing from a diverse range of peoples, cultures and religions, speaking over 300 different languages. Residents of London are referred to as Londoners.

The city is an international transport hub and a major tourist destination, counting iconic landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace amongst its many attractions, along with famous institutions such as the British Museum and the National Gallery.

London has three main central business districts: the City of London, the West End in Westminster and Canary Wharf in Docklands. The City of London is the largest financial and business district in Europe.

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Showcase Article

30 St Mary Axe is a building in London's financial district, the City of London. It is also known as the Gherkin or the Swiss-Re Tower. It is currently the second tallest tower in the City of London after Tower 42 and sixth-tallest in London overall, with a current height of 180 metres (591 ft). The building was constructed and opened in 2004 by Skanska and employs many energy-saving techniques which mean the tower only uses half the power a normal office building would.

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Showcase Picture

A London Black Cab speeds along Whitehall between 10 Downing Street and Horse Guards. Whitehall is a main thoroughfare in central London running from Parliament Square in Westminster to Trafalgar Square in Charing Cross. The area is recognised as the centre of HM Government. Whitehall was named after the Palace of Whitehall.

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Showcase Quote

“ Ah! my poor dear child, the truth is, that in London it is always a sickly season. Nobody is healthy in London, nobody can be. ”

~ Jane Austen, “Emma” (1816)

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London Boroughs

† sui generis- not a London borough

More about London Boroughs

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Did you know...

…that the Folly Theatre, which specialised in burlesque and opéra bouffe, was originally the residence for Catholic priests of the Oratory of St Philip Neri in London?
…that the Magnificent Seven are a group of 19th-century cemeteries on what were then the fringes of London?

…that Kensal Green Cemetery is the only Victorian cemetery in Britain established by an Act of Parliament with a mandate that its bodies may not be exhumed?
…that London's first non-denominational garden cemetery, at Abney Park, in Hackney, is the most important burial place in the UK of 19th-century Congregational, Baptist, Methodist and Salvation Army ministers and educationalists?
…that there were reports of a vampire haunting Highgate Cemetery (pictured) in the 1970s?
…that Beatrix Potter took the names for many of the characters in her children's books from headstones in Brompton Cemetery? (There is even a certain Peter Rabbett buried there.)

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...and did you know...

…that the Ritz Hotel in Piccadilly was the first British hotel with a private bathroom to each room?

…that the forecourt of the Savoy Hotel, Savoy Court (pictured), is the only street in the United Kingdom where vehicles are required to drive on the right?
…that the Mayfair hotel Claridge's has been called an "extension to Buckingham Palace" due to its royal connections?
…that the Langham Hotel appears in two Sherlock Holmes stories and that The Goon Show broadcasts were recorded in its ballroom?
…that Winston Churchill had a wall built for privacy between his balcony at the Dorchester Hotel and that of the room next door, which survives to this day?

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Related portals

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Transport

London has one of the oldest and most famous public transport systems, which are now all controlled by Transport for London (TfL) - a government body responsible for the transport system throughout Greater London. Its role is to implement the transport strategy for, and to manage transport services across London.

On top of TfL responsibilities, the capital is served by several major railway stations serviced by privatised rail companies, international rail travel in the form of Eurostar, and 6 international airports.

The British motorway network was designed around London, with several major motorways beginning from London. As with the rail network, this has proven to be a problem for journeys through London - the M25 London Orbital has gone some way to ease this.