London is the biggest city in the UK and one of the biggest cities in Europe and the Northern Hemisphere. I visited city in November 2004 and I’ll never forget that trip. It was an eye-opening experience for me (even though it rained on most of the days I was there). I just loved the city’s energy, seeing some historic sites and landmarks and interacting with people who lived and worked in the city.
London has probably changed a lot since I visited all those years ago, but the fact that the city has a rich culture and history hasn’t really changed. All the historically significant buildings are still standing.
I could probably do a 101 Facts piece about London, but I honestly don’t want to bore you with a whole bunch of facts that you probably already know. So I decided to summarize it instead.
Here are 20 Interesting Facts you might not have known about London
1. Black Cab Drivers have to complete “The Knowledge” Test before they can start driving in London
In order for a person to become a black cab driver, they must complete this rigorous test. This involves memorizing every single street in London. Some cab drivers spend two to four years to learn them all. Potential cab drivers must master 320 basic routes, 25,000 streets and about 20,000 landmarks and places of interest within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross.
2. More than 1.35 billion passengers used the London Underground in a single year before the pandemic
The London Underground (referred to by locals as “The Tube”) has been around since 1863, when the world’s first underground railway opened between Paddington and Farringdon. The network contains 402 kilometers of track, 451 escalators, 202 passenger lifts and 4 moving walkways, and roughly a third of its stations are step-free.
3. Jimi Hendrix gave his last public performance in London in 1970
Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club on Frith Street was the site of Jimi Hendrix’s last public appearance, an informal jam in September 1970. Eric Burdon, whose band Eric Burdon and War were playing there, invited him to join. Hendrix died two days later.
4. Stone Masons enjoyed dinner on top of Nelson’s Column before it was completed
On 23 October 1843, 14 stonemasons who had worked on Nelson’s Column held a dinner party on the platform at the top, just before the statue of Admiral Horatio Nelson was hoisted into place. The column in Trafalgar Square was completed in 1843 and stands 51 meters (169 feet) tall.
5. The original medieval London Bridge was in use for more than 600 years
The current crossing (which opened to traffic in 1973) is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. This bridge replaced a 19th-century stone-arched bridge. (which had replaced the 600 year old medieval stone structure).
The medieval stone structure was superseded by a series of timber bridges (which were built by the Romans). Guy Fawkes and William Wallace’s heads were displayed here on spikes as a warning to wannabe troublemakers.
6. All Hallows-by-the-Tower claims to be the oldest church in the City of London
The church is traditionally dated to 675 AD, although historians note there is little firm evidence for that date. Its undercroft features Roman pavement dating back to the 2nd century AD. The earliest record of an organ at All Hallows is one by Anthony Duddyngton from 1521.
7. During World War 2, London hosted the governments-in-exile of at least seven countries
The city was a safe haven for governments of countries that were occupied by Nazi Germany. These included Poland, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg and Czechoslovakia, with Greece and Yugoslavia also having governments-in-exile there.
8. The Tower of London housed a polar bear in the 13th Century
In 1251 the King of Norway gave Henry III the bear. The bear was tied to a long chain so it could swim in the river Thames and catch fish. From the 1200s to 1835, the Tower housed a menagerie of exotic wild animals, never before seen in London. The Tower was originally constructed by William The Conqueror in the 11th Century.
9. It has been illegal to drink alcohol while using the public transport system since 2008
On the day before the law passed, thousands of people took a train ride on the Circle Line to ride in a circle for hours while drinking booze.
10. The Times New Roman typeface was created for The Times of London in the early 1930s
The newspaper commissioned it after being criticized as “badly printed and typographically antiquated.” Typographer Stanley Morison led the project. It remains one of the most popular and influential typefaces in history, and it was the default font in Microsoft Word for many years.
BONUS FACTS:
11. 30 St Mary Axe was completed in December 2003 and opened in April 2004. This commercial skyscraper is informally known as “The Gherkin.”
12. Whitechapel was the centre of the London Jewish community in the 19th and early 20th century. It was also the location of the infamous 11 Whitechapel murders (1888–91). Some of these murders were attributed to the mysterious serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.
13. The Monument to the Great Fire of London stands 202 feet tall, which is exactly the distance from where the fire started in a bakery on Pudding Lane.
14. Inside Nelson’s Column is a spiral staircase of 311 steps leading to a small platform just beneath the statue’s feet.
15. The four bronze lions at the base of Nelson’s Column weren’t added until 1867, decades after the column was completed.
16, In the hot summer of 2013, the “Walkie Talkie” skyscraper acted like a giant magnifying glass and scorched things on the street below, including a parked car.
17. The Tube is the world’s first underground railway, opening in 1863.
18. “Big Ben” is actually the name of the bell, not the clock tower. The tower was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012.
19, London has four UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London, the Palace of Westminster area, Kew Gardens and Maritime Greenwich.
20. Jimi Hendrix lived at 23 Brook Street in 1970, right next door to the house where the composer Handel lived in the 1700s.
It’s a fact that London has grown quite a bit since it’s been first settled. Check out this drone footage below to give you an idea of how the city looks like today:
Well, there you have it, some interesting facts that you might not known about London. If you’ve found this interesting, feel free to share it with your friends. If you have another fact to share, feel free to comment below.
Watch this space for updates in the Facts category on Running Wolf’s Rant.
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