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History of London

London has a history dating back over 2,000 years. During this time, it has grown to become one of the most significant financial and cultural capitals in the world. It has experienced plague, devastating fire, civil war, aerial bombardment, terrorist attacks, and widespread rioting. The City of London is its historic core and today is its primary financial district, though it now represents a tiny part of the wider metropolis of Greater London. Header image: Shutterstock.com

18th century drawings of the Georgian period of fashion

Georgian Fashion
An ancient map of London, UK

From Anglo-Saxons to a Norman Invasion
A photograph of two Metropolitan Police officers in London

Formation of the Metropolitan Police
The 1951 'Festival of Britain' emblem, designed by Abram Games

Festival of London
A view of London's Docklands in the modern age

Expanding London's Docks
A photograph of Three Mills, the former working mills on the River Lea in the East End of London

East End - Land of the Cockney
An illustration of Charles Dickens in his study at Gad's Hill Place.

Charles Dickens - Victorian Author
A photograph of Buckingham Palace, London, UK

Buckingham Palace
7/7 bombings

7/7 London Bombings
A football game being played at Wembley for the 1948 London Olympic Games

1948 London Olympics
A photograph of a modern day gin and tonic drink

18th Century Gin Craze
A large barge situated at Walbrook Wharf next to the River Thames

The hidden legacy of London's lost rivers
A large drumming group at Notting Hill Carnival

The History of Notting Hill Carnival
Cartoon from 1858 depicting Death rowing through the River Thames

The Great Stink: London's unbearable summer of 1858