London’s history

Premium

Low angle view of the Westminster Abbey

Why are British monarchs traditionally crowned in Westminster Abbey? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Premium

Visitors promenade alongside a lake with Surrey Zoological Gardens in the background, 1844 (Photo by Guildhall Library & Art Gallery/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Victorian zoos Animal attraction in the 19th century . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Premium

An illustration of the Great Fire of London, c1675. St Paul's Cathedral is seen in flames (Photo by Museum of London/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

What if... The Great Fire of London never happened? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration depicting the Great Fire of London.

Your guide to the Great Fire of London, plus 10 surprising facts

Premium

The tombstone of a Roman soldier named Vivius Marcianus.

How the Great Fire of London revealed the city’s Roman past . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Premium

Aerial view of Piccadilly Circus in London.

London history quiz Test your knowledge . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Londoners flee the city during the earthquake panic of April 1750. (Getty Images)

The earthquakes that rocked Georgian London (plus three more seismic events that shaped history)

No 10 Downing Street has been home to dozens of prime ministers (and numerous cats) since the iconic residence was first offered to Sir Robert Walpole

23 things you (probably) didn’t know about No 10 Downing Street, the official residence of Britain’s prime ministers

Premium

Thomas Williams on the HistoryExtra podcast

Ghosts of Viking London . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

People flee to boats on the River Thames to escape the Great Fire of London, September 1666.

Coffee, plague and the Great Fire: the pleasures and perils of living in Restoration London

An engraving depicting a scene of chaos at Bethlem Royal Hospital

Bethlem Royal Hospital: why did the infamous Bedlam asylum have such a fearsome reputation?

great fire 4

Great Fire of London quiz – how much do you know?

Photograph of John Snow in 1856

The Broad Street cholera outbreak: how bad was it and how was it contained?

Actress Sarah Bernhardt, who was personally invited by Oscar Wilde to play the title role in the upcoming London premiere of his play, 'Salomé'.

6 of London theatre’s most notable historical scandals

A cartoon showing a man in a suit of armour on the moon

Q&A Did NASA really pick the brains of the Tower of London armoury when designing the first space suits?