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Welcome to London Architecture,
database of London
architectural styles, architects and regions
872
London buildings and monuments | |
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Historical architecture |
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Museums
There are over 240 museums in London, England, a
number of them in Museum Mile. The British compulsion to collect
artifacts means that Britain has the best museums in the world - we had
a whole empire to plunder. Below is a shortlist of the main museums, but
whatever your interest, from 17th Century fans, to fan engines, there's
a museum specifically catering to your taste. And virtually all of them
are free.... |
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Palaces
London is famous for its magnificent palaces
whose history is intimately intertwined with the history of Great
Britain. This section gives brief details about London's famous
palaces. |
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Theatres
The majority of London's commercial "theatre
land" is situated around Shaftesbury Avenue, the Strand and nearby
streets in the West End. The theatres are receiving houses, and
often feature transfers of major productions from the Royal National
Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company. (See the article "West End
theatre", and see also the category Theatre companies in London).
The following list also includes the major non-commercial theatres
in London, many of which are to be found beyond the West End. |
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Hotels
There is no official registry of hotel rooms
in London, but the estimated the number of hotel rooms in Greater
London in 2000 was put at 101,269. According to figures produced in
support of London's 2012 Olympic bid, there were more than 70,000
three to five star hotel rooms within 10 kilometres of This is
comparing figures since 1981. The main concentration of luxury
hotels is in the West End, especially in Mayfair. London's five star
hotels are quite small on average by international standards. |
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Churches
Although many churches were entirely or partly
lost to 19th-century demolitions and to bombing in the Second World
War, London's remaining churches are renowned worldwide for their
historical and architectural value. Today, London's greatest
concentrations of historic churches and cathedrals are in the City
of London and the neighbouring City of Westminster. A number of the
churches are mentioned in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons.
Unless noted otherwise, this list of churches belong to the Anglican
church. |
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Monuments
A great many monuments pay homage to people and events
in the city. The Monument
in the City of London provides views of the surrounding area while
commemorating the Great Fire of London, which originated nearby.
Marble Arch and Wellington Arch, at the north and south ends of Park
Lane respectively, have royal connections, as do the
Albert Monument and Royal Albert Hall in
Kensington. Nelson's Column
is a nationally-recognised monument in Trafalgar Square, one of the
focal points of the centre. |
Special Features |
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top ten london
London has so many great places to see it's
hard to know which are the true 'must sees'. It's always good to get
recommendations from friends who have visited London recently, so
here are my top ten tourist attractions in London. |
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nineteenth century London
By 1800 London had already become the
largest single city in the world, but by mid-century it had doubled
again to reach 2,362,000 souls. And the souls it did contain were
from an increasingly wide world. Lascar and Chinese communities
sprang up among the docks, while the Irish population grew to number
hundreds of thousands. In 1841 less than two thirds of the capital's
inhabitants had been born there. Jews, Blacks, Chinese, Indians,
Poles, Frenchmen and Italians were common figures on the streets of
London. Some national groups monopolised aspects of the capital's
life, like Italian organ grinders and Jewish used clothes merchants. |
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Contemporary architecture |
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Modern
A London almost unknown to the average visitor, has
given its architects a virtually free hand to express their talent. As
architects are not afraid to transfer their ideas in their purest state, the
result is an extroverted and extraordinary blending of historic and modern. |
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In the suburbs... |
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Housing
London is not characterised by any particular
architectural style, having accumulated its buildings over a long
period of time. Few structures predate the Great Fire of 1666,
notable exceptions including the
Tower of London,
Westminster Abbey,
Banqueting House
and several scattered Tudor survivors in the City. |
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Parks
London is well endowed with open spaces. Green
space in central London consists of five Royal Parks, supplemented
by a number of small garden squares scattered throughout the city
centre. Open space in the rest of the city is dominated by the
remaining three Royal Parks and many other parks and open spaces of
a range of sizes, run mainly by the local London boroughs, although
other owners include the National Trust and the Corporation of
London. |
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Utilities
Other notable modern buildings include
London City Hall
in Southwark with its distinctive ovular shape, the British Library
in Somers Town, the Great Court of the
British Museum,
and the striking
Millennium Dome
next to the Thames east of Canary Wharf. The disused (but soon to be
rejuvenated) 1933
Battersea Power Station
by the river in the southwest is a local landmark, whilst some
railway termini are excellent examples of Victorian architecture,
most notably
St. Pancras Station
and
Paddington (at
least internally). |
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Bridges
Thirty-four bridges span the Thames. The
oldest is London Bridge, which was originally made from wood. In
1209 it was replaced by a stone bridge with shops and houses along
its sides. This was followed by a granite bridge in 1831, and the
present concrete bridge in 1973. |
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Public
Buildings
London's generally low-rise nature makes these
skyscrapers and others such as One Canada Square and its neighbours
at Canary Wharf and the BT Tower in Fitzrovia very noticeable from a
distance. High-rise development is restricted at certain sites if it
would obstruct protected views of
Saint Paul's Cathedral.
Nevertheless, there are plans for more skyscrapers in central
London, including the 72-story "Shard of Glass", which will be one
of the tallest buildings in Europe. |
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More......... |
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This month's featured building |
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Leadenhall Markets
1881 Sir Horace Jones |
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The market dates back to the fourteenth century. It is open
from 07:00-16:00 Monday to Friday, and sells fresh food;
among the vendors there are cheesemongers, butchers and
fishmongers.
The ornate roof structure, painted green, maroon and cream, and
cobbled floors of the current building, designed in 1881 by
Sir Horace Jones (who was also the architect of Billingsgate
and Smithfield Markets), make the building a tourist
attraction. It was used to represent the area of London near
the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley in the film Harry Potter
and the Philosopher's Stone. It is also popular among local
city workers specifically from the nearby Lloyd's of London
building.
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