Things You Did Not Know About London

Have you ever stopped to think about how amazing London actually is? It is one of the largest, oldest, multi-cultural and rich cities in the world. Millions of people want to live here and if you already do – no matter whether it has been so your whole life or you have paid the people from the man and van company just last week – you are lucky. But do you really know where you are currently based at? We have complied a number of facts about London that will definitely make you appreciate the capital even more:

• The largest palace in Britain, the Palace of Westminster, is a synonym of both Houses of Parliament. It also has eight bars, six restaurants, a thousand rooms, a hundred staircases, eleven courtyards, one hair salon, and a shooting range.
• By the way, dying in the same Palace of Westminster is prohibited by law.
• Edmund Spencer is buried in the so called Poets’ corner in Westminster Abbey. There is a theory that his grave contains hundreds of unpublished works written by his admirers who placed them inside during the burial ceremony. One of them was William Shakespeare.
• Big Ben is not the name of the clock tower. It is actually the bell inside it.
• Most names of London streets are pretty conventional. But there are also such as Ha Ha Road in Greenwich, Hooker’s Road in Walthamstow, Quaggy Walk in Blackheath, and Cyclops Mews and Uamvar Street in Limehouse. And of course, Cock Lane, which is next to the Holborn Viaduct, bears its name because it was the only street licensed for prostitution in the Middle Ages.
• A Jimmy Hendrix museum is soon to be found at 23 Brook Street, because the famous musician used to live here for quite some time. His last gig was at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club on Frith Street.
• The Charles Dickens museum at 48 Doughty Street is in the only house where the writer once lived still to stand in London.
• The Beatles recorded the White Album, and David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust at the Trident Studios, off Wardour Street.
• On the Embankment there is an ancient Egyptian obelisk standing known as the Cleopatra Needle. According to some sources, under its foundations there is a time capsule buried in the 1870s, which contains “cigars, a razor, a portrait of Queen Victoria, copies of 10 daily newspapers, and pictures of 12 “English beauties of the day”.
• Pubs are one of the things London is best known for. All their names are very colorful, but the prize for weirdest pub name in the capital definitely goes to I Am the Only Running Footman.
• Even though the London Underground is in fact called Underground, over 50% of it runs above the ground.
• The Millennium Dome, now called 02 Arena, is the largest building of its kind anywhere in the world. It can fit the Pyramid of Giza under its dome.

About the Author:

Kim Jacobs

Kim Jacobs is a removals coordinator with over 11 years of experience as part of the Get man and van team and other firms in the home and office relocation industry in London. Before joining our company, Kim has worked in various logistical and transportation companies and institutions such as Transport for London, The Removals Ombudsman, and has coordinated moving projects with some of the biggest suppliers of various goods such as IKEA, HomeBase, Amazon, Sainsbury's and others. While working as a chief removals coordinator, Kim also enjoys sharing her expertise with others through writing in our blog.