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City of London Attractions
Listed below are attractions in City of London:
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This fine statue stands at the centre of Whittington Gardens at the heart of London's financial district. Entitled 'Magiter Equitum' the piece was commissioned especially by the Italian government as a gift to the British people as a sign...
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This fine statue was designed by Jonathan Kenworthy, a prominent British sculptor. Like many of the pieces in central London, the artwork was paid for by a local company as a way of making the city an artistic and...
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This fine sculpture is located at the centre of Festival Gardens in the shadow of St. Paul's Cathedral in the centre of London's financial district. Designed by the great sculptor George Ehrlich, the piece is one of his more...
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This bronze statue of Queen Victoria stands at the middle of the road on the northern entrance to Blackfriars Bridge. One of the greatest queen's in the history of England, Victoria is particularly closely associated with the industrial revolution,...
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This gallery is located on the edge of the City of London, close to the vibrant artistic community of Shoreditch. It is housed in a converted warehouse building and the collection within makes up one of the finest photographic...
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This museum is dedicated to the former Russian president before the Russian Revolution in 1917. The interesting and extensive collection brings together a great many of the famous politicians personal artefacts and puts them on display. You can...
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Alfred Harmsworth was one of the early pioneers of print media in the United Kingdom and one of the architects of the idea of the newspaper district of Fleet Street. Harmsworth served in an important role as director of UK...
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This City of London church has some of the oldest features of any church in the area. The church was founded in 675, and an arch from that original building still remains. However, the building contains an even older piece...
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Only the tower remains from this perpendicular style church, which was demolished in 1870. The church’s name comes from the word ‘Staniggecherch’ which means ‘Stone Church’. There has been a church on the site as far back as the 15th...
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Founded in 675AD, this Saxon church is one of the oldest and best preserved in this area of the city. The church has had the gruesome undertaking of dealing with a great many beheaded bodies such as Thomas Moore,...
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The All Hallows church is tucked up next to the ancient London Wall. The current church was built in 1765, and was designed by George Dance the Younger. Like many of the churches in the area, it had to be...
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The Association of Art Historians was formed in 1974; the primary purpose of the group being to provide support to, and help with the studies of people involved in Art History. The centre at the headquarters for the organisation...
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The Baltic Exchange is an attraction signposted in the City not least because of its centrality to London’s commercial history. From humble beginnings in the eighteenth century in coffee houses, the association of merchants and shippers came to dominate...
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The Bank of England is so central to London’s identity, it even has an underground station named after it. Founded in 1694 as the government’s banker and debt-manager, the “Old Lady of Threadneedle Street” has since then stood at...
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The Barbican Art Gallery is host to a wide variety of cutting-edge exhibitions and is open every day of the week throughout the year. It is situated within the massive Barbican complex and is easily accessible via the tube...
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Located in the historic North Wing of the famous old hospital, this museum is staffed by volunteers and tells the story of one of the most famous hospitals in the world. There is a range of diverse exhibits for...
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Bride Court Arcade is a small shopping precinct tucked away off Fleet Street and New Bridge Street in the heart of the City of London. The facility is home to a few small independent shops and cafes selling a...
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The Bridewell Theatre is renowned for presenting new musical theatre and drama, as well as evening shows the theatre offers Lunchbox Theatre to people working or visiting in the area. Located in an old Victorian swimming pool just five minutes...
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The Bridewell Theatre is a small theatre facility tucked away on a side street close to Fleet Street. The theatre aims to help new writers and directors get their productions on the stage and has a small but loyal following...
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This collection is dedicated to the history of one of the most fascinating humanitarian organisations in the world, the British Red Cross. The organisation has been saving lives around the world on the battlefield, in areas that require humanitarian...
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The Broadgate Circle is an attractive, modern and well-designed circle of shops, restaurants and bars serving City workers and travellers. In the winter months it takes on an additional complexion as it hosts a temporary open-air ice-skating rink, an...
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The Christ Church Newgate was originally built by the Franciscans, who having settled in the poor area decided to build a grand place of worship. They started the building in 1306, and at over 300 feet long it was one...
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This grand old Catholic Church is one of many interesting places of worship situated in and around the City of London. This church stands out because of its interesting terracotta colour and amazing architectural attention to detail particularly around...
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The City Temple was built in 1874, and was designed to replace a non-conformist place of worship. It is situated next to St Andrew’s in Holborn. The church is perhaps most famous for the events that occurred within its walls...
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This house can be described as a shrine to the English language, for it was here that Dr. Samuel Johnson worked for many years to compile the first comprehensive English dictionary which was published in 1755. Dictionary Johnson, as...
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The Dutch Church dates back as far as 1550, when the King gave the Dutch refugees permission to use the Austin Friars nave to build a Protestant church. This church is in fact the oldest Dutch-language church in the world,...
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The Family Records Centre is based in the heat of London and is one of the most important resources that many call upon when they are embarking on research into their own, and other families that have lived in Britain....
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Festival Gardens are a beautiful set of cultured gardens at the heart of the City of London, the capital's financial district. The gardens are close to St. Paul's Cathedral and area therefore extremely popular with visitors to the great...
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An oasis of landscaped green in the hustle and bustle of the city, Finsbury Circus Garden provides an idea spot for a lunchtime picnic thanks to dozens of public benches. In the centre of the garden lies a beautifully...
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On this site, just a few feet from Fleet Street Henry White oversaw the putting together of the very first edition of the Sunday Times, a newspaper that would become one of the best known in the world and one...
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A member of the Royal Society, George Graham lived in the late 17th and early 18th Century. His primary business was in clock making and he was known at the time for making some of the most fascinating and...
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The Guildhall, home of the Corporation of London, is usually open to visitors, free of charge, when it is not being used for state occasions. It is the only non-religious stone building left intact since before the Great Fire...
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The original Guildhall Art Gallery was burned down in an air raid in 1941. The new gallery, opened in 1999, in the Guildhall Yard, has an enlightened policy of displaying a manageable 250 works of art at a time,...
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The Guildhall Library caries a fascinating selection of ancient texts and documents that date back over a thousand years. Amongst the fascinating collection are many of the scripts and ledgers of Lloyds of London, the ship insurance brokers, and...
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HMS Belfast was launched in 1938 and served throughout the Second World War, and took an important role in the Normandy Landings. After the war she supported United Nations forces in Korea and remained in service with the Royal Navy...
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This amazingly well preserved office front shows the interesting history of Fleet Street in a tangible sense. Of course for well over a century the street was the home of all the major newspapers in the country and the...
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This fine statue stands at the centre of Old Charge Court in the heart of the City of London. Designed by Michael Ayrton, a well known British sculptor, the piece depicts the mythological character who flew too close to...
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There are four remaining Inns of Court, with this picture being taken near the Middle Temple. The courts have been around since the 14th century. The names of the Inns of Court are derived from the Knight’s Templar who occupied...
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The Lloyds building is one of the most famous and controversial buildings in the City of London. It is the headquarters of the Lloyds insurance syndicates and exists primarily as a place of business. However, it provides such...
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Ludgate Circus has a great deal of historical significance because it has always acted as the geographical point where the City of London ends and the City of Westminster begins. Close to Fleet Street and Blackfriars, Ludgate Circus is...
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Mansion House is the official private residence of the Lord Mayor of London. Situated just outside Bank underground station, it has a Palladian façade, and six magnificent Corinthian-style columns. Its state rooms include the 30 metre long Egyptian...
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Admiral Arthur Phillip was a celebrated British naval officer and a colonial administrator. Phillip is probably most famous for his role as the first European administrator to be sent to Australia after its colonisation. He was made governor...
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This footbridge famously became known as the Wobbly Bridge when it first opened because the footfall of the people crossing caused the bridge to sway. The wobble was quickly fixed and the bridge is now a popular part of the...
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This very moving monument entitled 'Blitz' was commissioned by the National Fire-fighters Memorial Trust in 1990 to commemorate all those firemen who have lost their lives in the cause of duty. It was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth...
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No 1 Poultry is a striking affair, designed in 1988 by James Stirling, although not built until a decade later. It contains clear allusions to its predecessor, the Victorian Mappin and Webb building, once one of the most photographed...
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This small but well appointed garden is situated about a minutes walk away from St. Paul's Cathedral at the heart of the City of London. Although not a famous or particularly well known garden area, the court has nice...
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The Royal Exchange is one of the most imposing sights in the City of London. Founded in 1566 by Sir Thomas Gresham in an attempt to compete with the dominant Antwerp market, the Exchange was awarded its...
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This church is another building which was bombed during the war, and the tower alone now sits uncomfortably in the middle of a traffic island in Wood Street. The tower is perpendicular in style, although of a more elegant design...
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The St Andrews Church at Holborn was one of the few churches to survive the Great Fire, but Wren rebuilt it anyway. It is one of Wren’s largest churches, due to the fact that the parish it had to serve...
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This strangely named church is so called because it was once overshadowed by the Cornhill Maypole. The church dates back to around, 1530, with the Maypole being destroyed some twenty years later. Located in St Mary Axe, the area was...
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There has been a church on this site as far back as the 12th Century, although the current name was not adopted until around the 15th Century. Such a pairing of Saint names is quite rare, with St Anne being...
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The Church of St Bartholomew the Great is one of the oldest places of worship in London. It was founded as far back as 1123, by a courtier of Henry I, Rahere. Rahere also founded the nearby St Bart’s hospital....
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This church is located within the grounds of the famous St Bart’s hospital, which is the oldest hospital in London. The building was originally built elsewhere and was moved to the site in 1184. Famous names associated with the church...
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St Botolph without Aldersgate was built in the 18th Century, and is built out of red brick. This simply designed church has a garden that is known as Postman’s Park, due to the Post Office occupying a large site nearby...
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St Botolph is the English patron saint of travellers, and this is one of three churches in the City of London to bear his name. The famous writer Daniel Defoe was married here in 1683. During some of his writings...
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There has been a church on this site before the Battle of Hastings, although the current building was completed in 1729. Designed by James Gold, the church was built to replace the previous building after it became unsafe in 1724....
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St Bride’s Church is one of Wren’s most famous, and is known for its extremely tall spire, which stands at over 220 feet. The church is widely believed to the inspiration behind traditional wedding cakes, when a pastry cook called...
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St Clement is the patron saint of seamen, which he became due to the fact he was martyred by being cast into the sea with an anchor around his neck. Records suggest there has been a church on the site...
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St Dunstan’s Church in Fleet Street was built in 1831 by the architect John Shaw and his son, although there has been church here as far back as the 10th Century. It is believed that perhaps St Dunstan himself or...
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The terrorist explosion in Bishopsgate of 1993 was just a few yards away from Saint Ethelburga’s Church. A man was killed in the incident, and many tens more injured. It was thought that the devastation caused by the...
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St Ethelburga’s is one of London’s smallest churches, being only 56 feet long and 30 feet wide. Unfortunately, the church was almost completely destroyed by an IRA bomb in 1993, although it has since been rebuilt using many of the...
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The first church on this site was built in the 14th Century, but was rebuilt again in the 17th Century. The current church dates back from that time, but it has been altered much since then, mainly during Victorian times....
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The church of St Helen at Bishopsgate has had a complicated history, which dates back to the 13th Century when a nunnery was built on the site. The church was originally made up of two medieval churches joined together. The...
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Another one of the oddly named churches in the City, the name Garlickhythe is derived from the ‘hythe’ or ‘jetty’ where garlic was brought in when the church was on the bank of the Thames. There has been a church...
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This is one of the most multi purpose churches in the area, functioning as a regular church, an exhibition space and the home of the Industrial Christian Fellowship. The building itself dates back from two different times, with the tower...
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St Lawrence Jewry is the official Church of the Corporation of London and dates back to the 12th Century. The church was one of the most expensive ever built by Wren, and was completed in 1687. Sadly, like so many...
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This church is admired for its impressive steeple, which is topped by a large octagonal lantern. Until modern buildings dwarfed the tower it was regarded as one of the most noteworthy sights to be seen from the river. The churchyard...
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St Margaret Lothbury is the parish church to the Bank of England, and has an impressive white stone tower. The church was built by Sir Christopher Wren and was completed in 1686. The church is known for its interior, which...
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This church marked a departure in style for Wren, with its very plain and simple design. The church is named after the local factory than produced pattens, which were objects that were used to raise your height a few inches...
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If you want to find one of Wren’s churches that shows how pretty some of his designs were, and also one that has been largely unaltered since it was built in 1686, then St Mary Abchurch is the place to...
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The Church of St Mary Aldermary has existed in some form on the site for over 900 years. The name ‘Aldermary’ is usually thought to mean that it is the oldest of the churches of St Mary in the area....
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This church was founded by the Saxon noble Wulfnoth on the site of a Roman Temple dedicated to Concord. One of the few churches not to have been built by Wren, it is one of the most famous architectural structures...
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The church of St Mary at Hill is near Billingsgate, and is often known as the fishermen’s church. The church, like so many in the City, was built by Wren, although the tower is of a later design, being finished...
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Some people believe this to be the most stunning of all of the Wren churches in the City. It has an intricately wrought stone tower, topped by a 9 feet long dragon statue. The church is famous for its ‘Bow...
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This is another City church associated with Wren, but the main tower of it was designed by one of his pupils, Nicholas Hawksmoor. The rest of the church is by Wren, and it is often referred to as his ‘last...
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Despite its name, St Michael’s does not have any connections with royalty. The ‘Royal’ title comes from the fact that wine merchants in the area used to buy a lot of wine from the vineyards of La Réole in France....
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St Olave Jewry was built by Sir Christopher Wren, but now only the tower remains after the rest of the church was pulled down in 1888. This was done to sell off land, and the proceeds used to build a...
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This large, red brick church was built by Christopher Wren and was completed in the late 1680’s. The church’s tower is topped with a dome, as well as a St Peter’s key ten feet long. The building is a reminder...
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The famous Captain John Smith was buried in this church in 1631. The church is also associated with Newgate prison, and the unsavoury business of executions. The church houses a hand-bell that was used to round up and wake prisoners...
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This church was built by Wren, and is noted for its incredibly beautiful interior. The church was used by Wren as an experiment for his designs for St Paul’s Cathedral, and has the distinctive dome added to the traditional English...
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This church is named after a rarely known saint, St Vedast. The ‘alias’ is the English version of his name. St Vedast was a 5th Century Bishop of Arras, and was known for converting Clovis. The current church was built...
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St. Bartholomew’s Hospital was founded in 1123 by a monk named Rahere. The museum tells the story of this renowned institution, celebrates its achievements and explains its place in the history of medical science and education. On display are...
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The Parish of St. Mary Moorfields is steeped in history, the original church having served as pro-Cathedral to Cardinal Wiseman before London’s Catholics had established Westminster Cathedral. The present Church , near Liverpool Street station, is highly unusual in...
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St. Paul’s Cathedral is first and foremost a place of Christian worship. Some will come to pray. Some will come for concerts and recitals, for public lectures, and for exhibitions. Some will come to see the building and explore its...
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St. Paul's Churchyard Gardens are located just opposite the great cathedral that was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The gardens are beautifully maintained and feature a wonderful selection of plant life that one wouldn't expect to see so close...
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This statue of Queen Anne is one of the most famous sights around St. Paul's Cathedral. Often framed in photographs of the great Cathedral, the statue stands directly outside the entrance hall. Anne was the last monarch of...
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Swiss Re Tower has rapidly become one of the most famous landmarks in the world, featuring in tourist brochures and on posters of London all over the world. Few Londoners or visitors know its real name and it is...
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T.P. O'Connor is quite rightly honoured with a monument on the most famous historic newspaper street in the world. He lived in the late 19th and early 20th Century and is often accredited with being the first 'modern' journalist....
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The City of London School is one of the oldest and most prestigious academic institutions in the capital with a history that dates back to the 15th Century. The school was founded on one simple principle, to offer education...
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Ludgate is of extreme historical importance. Once the City of London was surrounded by a great stone wall that marked its boundary but also protected those who lived and worked within the walls from aggressive armies. Ludgate was...
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Tower 42 is the tallest building in the City of London, and until the construction of Canary Wharf, was the tallest building in Britain. Long known as the NatWest tower, the skyscraper is cleverly designed to form the shape...
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Begun by William the Conqueror in 1078, the Tower of London has served as a royal residence, fortress, mint, armoury and more imfamously as a place of execution. Now as the nation’s leading historic visitor attraction, this spectacular fortress on...
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Wallspace is located within the historic All Hallows Church on the site of the old London Wall that would have once surrounded the City of London. The purpose of the gallery is to explore the relationships between art and...
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Watling Street Gardens is a small green area that is beautifully kept close to the centre of London's financial district. The garden is extremely popular with local office workers and tourists alike because of its peace and tranquillity, a...
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Whittington Gardens is a small but beautiful place of peace and tranquillity at the heart of London's financial district. Named after Dick Whittington, the most famous Lord Mayor of London, the gardens are managed by the local authority and...
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Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese was built in 1667 after the Great Fire of London. There has been a pub on the site since the 1530’s, and it has a lot of history associated with it. Many famous people have been...
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| Any distances shown here are a guide only based on general road information. |
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