London’s history

St Paul's Cathedral photographed through the smoke after a night when the German air force bombed London

Second World War

"War's greatest picture"? Inside the night St Paul's Cathedral survived the Blitz

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

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

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.

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

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.

Aerial view of Piccadilly Circus in London.

London history quizTest 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). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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

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

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 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?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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&ADid NASA really pick the brains of the Tower of London armoury when designing the first space suits?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Between 1613 and 1754, a legal loophole meant that on-the-spot marriages could be carried out in an area surrounding the Fleet Debtors’ Prison known as the ‘Liberties of the Fleet’. (Photo by Getty Images)

General History

10 things you (probably) didn’t know about the history of London

In c1500, the young Thomas Cromwell travelled from his humble Putney home to the great cities of Italy, as shown in our illustration. The connections he established on the Italian peninsula would prove key to his meteoric rise to power back in England. (Illustration by Sarah Young for BBC History Magazine)

Thomas Cromwell: the best Italian in all England. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The opening ceremony of London’s Tower Bridge on 30 June 1894. The bridge became a symbol of London’s importance as a global maritime hub (Photo by Francis Frith/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Britain's imperial landmarks: The empire on our doorsteps

Ross Poldark in London in the BBC's drama. The capital city was described in contemporary magazines and newspapers as the "vortex of dissipation", says Hannah Greig. (Image Credit: BBC/Mammoth Screen/Robert Viglasky)

From politics to pleasure gardens: the real history behind Poldark's 18th-century London. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A 19th-century cricket match at the Kennington Oval. (Photo by Popperfoto/Getty Images)

10 things you didn’t know about London’s sporting history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A brief history of London tourism since 1800. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration of a public execution at Newgate, London, late 18th century. (Photo by Museum of London/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

The LibraryA deadly obsession in Victorian London. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Tower Bridge: Uncovering the history of a London landmark. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Jane Austen and Tudor London. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Six-Day War and the Great Fire of London. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A London slum family stood in a street with all their possessions following eviction, c1901. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Life in 19th-century slums: Victorian London’s homes from hell

Shakespeare’s Globe. (Loop Images/UIG via Getty Images)

Touring London with Shakespeare, Dickens and Oscar Wilde: 7 must-see literary landmarks. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Accidental explosions: gunpowder in Tudor and Stuart London. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An engraving by Wenceslaus Hollar depicting Old St Paul's on fire during the Great Fire of London, 1666. Frantic efforts to fight the flames quickly turned into an equally fevered search for a scapegoat. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images)

The Library1666: when London burned with rage. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.