London

{{Short description|Capital of England and the United Kingdom}} {{about|the capital city of England and the United Kingdom}} {{good article}} {{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}  {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Use British English|date=September 2023}} {{Infobox settlement | name = London | image_skyline = {{multiple image | border = infobox | perrow = 1/3/2/1 | total_width = 290 | align = center | caption_align = center | image1 = London Skyline (125508655).jpeg | caption1 = River Thames and Tower Bridge with The Shard and Southwark (left), and Tower of London and City of London (right) | image2 = London Eye at sunset 2013-07-19.jpg | caption2 = London Eye | image3 = Westminster Abbey St Peter.jpg | caption3 = Westminster Abbey | image4 = St Paul's Cathedral Dome from One New Change - Vertical Crop.jpg | caption4 = St Paul's Cathedral | image5 = Open Happiness Piccadilly Circus Blue-Pink Hour 120917-1126-jikatu.jpg | caption5 = Piccadilly Circus | image6 = Canary Wharf.Reza 04.jpg | caption6 = Canary Wharf | image7 = Houses of Parliament in 2022 (cropped).jpg | caption7 = Palace of Westminster with Big Ben (right) }} | settlement_type = Capital city | image_caption =  | pushpin_map_caption = Location within England##Location within the United Kingdom##Location within Europe | pushpin_relief = 1 | pushpin_map = England#UK#Europe | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 8 | mapframe-marker = city | mapframe-shape = yes | mapframe-caption = Map of the Greater London administrative area, encompassing the City of London and 32 additional boroughs | coordinates = {{coord|51|30|26|N|0|7|39|W|region:GB|display=inline,title}} | subdivision_type = Sovereign state | subdivision_name = United Kingdom | subdivision_type1 = {{nowrap|Country}} | subdivision_name1 = England | subdivision_type2 = Region | subdivision_name2 = London | subdivision_type3 = Ceremonial{{nbsp}}counties | subdivision_name3 = {{Unbulleted list | Greater London | City of London }} | subdivision_name4 = | established_title = Settled by Romans | established_date = AD {{start date and age|47}}, ''as Londinium''<ref name="auto1">[http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/no1poultry_molas_2007/ Number 1 Poultry (ONE 94), Museum of London Archaeology, 2013]. Archaeology Data Service, The University of York.</ref> | seat_type = Administrative HQ | seat = City Hall, Newham | parts_type = Local government | parts = 32 London boroughs, the City of London and Queen's Park parish  | government_type = Executive mayoralty and deliberative assembly | governing_body = Greater London Authority | leader_title = Mayor | leader_name = Sadiq Khan (L) | leader_title1 = London Assembly | leader_name1 = 14 constituencies | leader_title2 = UK Parliament | leader_name2 = 74 constituencies  | total_type = Total{{efn|London region}} | area_footnotes = <ref name="ONS mid-year pop est">{{UK subdivision statistics citation}}</ref> | area_total_km2 = {{UK subdivision area|GSS=E12000007}} | area_metro_km2 = 8382 | area_urban_km2 = 1738  | population_footnotes = <ref name="ONS mid-year pop est" /> | population_as_of = {{UK statistics year}} | population_total = {{UK subdivision population|GSS=E12000007}} | population_rank = {{Unbulleted list | 1st in the UK | 3rd in Europe }} | population_density_km2 = {{UK subdivision density|GSS=E12000007}} | population_urban = 9,787,428 | population_urban_footnotes = {{nbsp}}(2011)<ref name="urbanpopulation"/> | population_metro = 15,100,000 | population_metro_footnotes = {{efn|London metropolitan area}}{{nbsp}}(2025)<ref name="CityPopulation.de show">{{cite web |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/world/agglomerations/|title=Major agglomerations of the world|website=City Population|access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref> | population_demonyms = Londoner  | demographics_type1 = Ethnicity (2021) | demographics1_footnotes = <ref name="2021 Nomis">{{NOMIS2021 |id=E12000007 |title=London Region |access-date=23 July 2024}}</ref> | demographics1_title1 = Ethnic groups | demographics1_info1 = {{Collapsible list | 53.8% White | 20.7% Asian | 13.5% Black | 6.3% other | 5.7% Mixed }}  | demographics_type2 = Religion (2021) | demographics2_footnotes = <ref name="2021 Nomis"/> | demographics2_title1 = Religion | demographics2_info1 = {{Collapsible list | 40.7% Christianity | 27.1% no religion | 15.0% Islam | 5.1% Hinduism | 1.7% Judaism | 1.6% Sikhism | 0.9% Buddhism | 1.0% other | 7.0% not stated }}  | timezone1 = GMT | utc_offset = +00:00 | timezone_DST = BST | utc_offset_DST = +01:00  | postal_code_type = Postcode areas | postal_code = {{collapsible list |titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal; |title = 22 areas |{{postcode|E}}, {{postcode|EC}}, {{postcode|N}}, {{postcode|NW}}, {{postcode|SE}}, {{postcode|SW}}, {{postcode|W}}, {{postcode|WC}}, {{postcode|BR}}, {{postcode|CM}}, {{postcode|CR}}, {{postcode|DA}}, {{postcode|EN}}, {{postcode|HA}}, {{postcode|IG}}, {{postcode|KT}}, {{postcode|RM}}, {{postcode|SM}},{{postcode|UB}}, {{postcode|WD}}, {{postcode|TN}}, {{postcode|TW}} }} | area_code_type = Dialling codes | area_code = {{cslist | 020 | 01689 | 01708 | 01895 }} | blank1_name = GSS code | blank1_info = {{Unbulleted list |E12000007 (region) |E61000001 (GLA) }} | blank2_name = GeoTLD | blank2_info = .london | website = {{URL|london.gov.uk}} }} '''London'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ʌ|n|d|ən}}, {{Respelling|LUN|dən}}<ref>{{cite web |title=London {{!}} English meaning |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/london |website=Cambridge Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus}}</ref>}} is the capital and largest city{{efn|Although conventionally considered a city, only the ceremonial county of the City of London and the City of Westminster borough within Greater London hold city status.}} of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of {{round|{{multiply|{{formatnum:{{UK subdivision population|GSS=E12000007}}|R}}|0.000001}}|1}} million people in {{UK subdivision statistics year}}.<ref name="ONS mid-year pop est" /> Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 15.1 million.<ref name="CityPopulation.de show"/> London stands on the River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a {{convert|50|mi|adj=on}} tidal estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years.<ref name="london_001">{{cite web |url=http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Permanent/RomanLondon.htm |date=n.d. |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080322235536/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Permanent/RomanLondon.htm |title=Roman London |publisher=Museum of London |archive-date=22 March 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Its ancient core and financial centre, the City of London, was founded by the Romans as Londinium and has retained its medieval boundaries.{{efn|See also: Independent city § National capitals.}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23518687 |title=London Government Act: Essex, Kent, Surrey and Middlesex 50 years on |work=BBC News |first=Joshua |last=Fowler |date=5 July 2013}}</ref> The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has been the site of the national government and parliament for centuries. London grew rapidly in the 19th century, becoming the world's largest city at the time. Since the 19th century<ref name="Mills2">{{cite book |last=Mills |first=AD |title=Dictionary of London Place Names |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2010 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=UWKcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA152 152]}}</ref> the name "London" has referred to the metropolis around the City of London, historically split among the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent and Hertfordshire.<ref name="baffling">{{cite news |date=25 April 2014 |title=The baffling map of England's counties |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27140505 |access-date=25 September 2021 |work=BBC News}}</ref> Since 1965 it has largely comprised the administrative area of Greater London, governed by 33 local authorities and the Greater London Authority.{{efn|The Greater London Authority consists of the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. The London Mayor is distinguished from the Lord Mayor of London, who heads the City of London Corporation running the City of London.}}<ref name="politics_uk2">{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Bill |title=Politics UK |last2=Kavanagh |first2=Dennis |last3=Moran |first3=Michael |last4=Norton |first4=Philip |publisher=Pearson Education |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-4058-2411-8 |location=Harlow |page=868}}</ref>

As one of the world's major global cities,<ref>{{cite web |title=Global Power City Index 2020 |url=http://www.mori-m-foundation.or.jp/english/ius2/gpci2/ |access-date=25 March 2021 |publisher=Institute for Urban Strategies – The Mori Memorial Foundation}}; {{cite news |author=Adewunmi |first=Bim |date=10 March 2013 |title=London: The Everything Capital of the World |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/shortcuts/2013/mar/10/london-capital-of-world-divorce-breakfast}}; {{cite web |title=What's The Capital of the World? |url=http://moreintelligentlife.co.uk/content/ideas/john-parker/what-capital-world?page=full |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922132807/http://moreintelligentlife.co.uk/content/ideas/john-parker/what-capital-world?page=full |archive-date=22 September 2013 |access-date=4 July 2013 |publisher=More Intelligent Life}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=23 February 2022 |access-date=12 April 2024 |title=These are the world's top cities. Which one ranked highest for the 10th year running? |website=World Economic Forum |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/02/london-worlds-top-city/}}</ref> London exerts a strong influence on world art, architecture, culture, cinema, entertainment, commerce, finance, education, healthcare, media, science, technology, tourism, transport and communications.<ref>{{cite web |title=Leading 200 science cities |url=https://www.natureindex.com/supplements/nature-index-2021-science-cities/tables/overall|access-date=10 June 2022 |publisher=Nature}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=14 August 2014 |title=The World's Most Influential Cities 2014 |url=https://www.forbes.com/pictures/edgl45ghmd/no-1-london |magazine=Forbes |access-date=25 March 2021}}; {{cite news |last=Dearden |first=Lizzie |date=8 October 2014 |title=London is 'the most desirable city in the world to work in', study finds |work=The Independent |location=London |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-is-the-most-desirable-city-in-the-world-to-work-in-study-finds-9779868.html |access-date=25 March 2021}}</ref> London is Europe's largest city economy<ref>{{cite news |title=When Cities Are More Economically Powerful Than Nations |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-16/top-metros-have-more-economic-power-than-most-nations |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250519075038/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-16/top-metros-have-more-economic-power-than-most-nations |archive-date=2025-05-19 |access-date=2025-09-24 |work=Bloomberg.com}}</ref> and one of the world's major financial centres.<ref name="London.gov.uk">{{cite press release |title= London is Europe's leading economic powerhouse, says new report |url= https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/london-is-europes-leading-economic-powerhouse |access-date=5 January 2024 |publisher= Greater London Authority}}</ref> London is home to several of the world's leading academic institutions and hosts Europe's largest concentration of higher education institutions,<ref name="london2">{{cite press release |date=20 August 2008 |url= http://www.london.gov.uk/media/press_releases_mayoral/number-international-students-london-continues-grow |title=Number of international students in London continues to grow |publisher=Greater London Authority |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101124154712/http://www.london.gov.uk/media/press_releases_mayoral/number-international-students-london-continues-grow |archive-date=24 November 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> comprising over 50 universities and colleges collectively enrolling more than 500,000 students in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://londonhigher.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-characteristics-of-students-in-London-higher-education-and-how-they-link-to-experience-and-outcomes-3.pdf |title= London Higher: Facts and Stats|author= |date= 2023|publisher =London Higher |access-date=12 October 2025 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241103102650/https://londonhigher.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-characteristics-of-students-in-London-higher-education-and-how-they-link-to-experience-and-outcomes-3.pdf |archive-date=3 November 2024 }}</ref> It is the most-visited city in Europe and has the world's busiest city airport system.<ref name="Busiest skies">{{cite news |title= Revealed: The most crowded skies on the planet |date=27 July 2018 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/lists/the-busiest-skies-on-the-planet/ |access-date=2 December 2023 |work=The Telegraph |location= London |quote=London: Our capital's collective airport system is the busiest in the whole world. A total of 170,980,680 passengers.}}</ref> The London Underground is the world's oldest rapid transit system.<ref>{{cite web |title=London Underground |url= https://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/culture-and-heritage/londons-transport-a-history/london-underground |access-date=6 May 2022 |publisher= Transport for London }}</ref>

London's diverse cultures encompass over 300 languages.<ref name=london_006>{{cite web |url=http://www.cilt.org.uk/faqs/langspoken.htm |title=Languages spoken in the UK population |publisher=National Centre for Language |date=16 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924084621/http://www.cilt.org.uk/faqs/langspoken.htm |archive-date=24 September 2008 |url-status=dead}} {{cite web |url=http://www.cilt.org.uk/faqs/langspoken.htm |title=CILT, the National Centre for Languages |access-date=16 August 2007 |archive-date=13 February 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050213180755/http://www.cilt.org.uk/faqs/langspoken.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The 2025 population of Greater London of just over 9.8 million made it Europe's third-most populous city, accounting for 13.1 per cent of the United Kingdom's population and 15.5 per cent of England's population.<ref name="2025 population">{{cite web |title=London, UK Metro Area Population (1950-2025) {{!}} MacroTrends |url=https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/cities/22860/london/population |access-date=23 May 2026|website=www.macrotrends.net}}</ref> The Greater London Built-up Area is the fourth-most populous in Europe, with about 9.8 million inhabitants as of 2011.<ref name="urbanpopulation">{{cite web |date=28 June 2013 |title=2011 Census – Built-up areas |url=http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/articles/747.aspx |access-date=29 March 2021 |website=nomisweb.co.uk |publisher=ONS}}</ref><ref name="Demographia">{{cite web |title=Demographia World Urban Areas, 15th Annual Edition |url=http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf |publisher=Demographia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207210003/http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf |archive-date=7 February 2020 |date=April 2019 |access-date=13 February 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The London metropolitan area is the third-most-populous in Europe, with about 15 million inhabitants as of 2025, making London a megacity.{{efn|According to the European Statistical Agency (Eurostat), London had the largest Larger Urban Zone in the EU. Eurostat uses the sum of the populations of the contiguous urban core and the surrounding commuting zone as its definition.}}<ref name="appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu show">{{cite web |url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=met_pjanaggr3&lang=en |title=Metropolitan Area Populations |publisher=Eurostat |date=18 June 2019 |access-date=4 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="gla-plan-2015">{{cite web |date=15 October 2015 |title=The London Plan (March 2015) |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/planning/london-plan/current-london-plan/london-plan-chapter-two-londons-places/policy-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222082331/https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/planning/london-plan/current-london-plan/london-plan-chapter-two-londons-places/policy-22 |archive-date=22 December 2016 |access-date=13 February 2026 |publisher=Greater London Authority}}</ref>

Landmarks include the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge and Trafalgar Square. The city has the most museums, art galleries, libraries and cultural venues in the UK, including the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum, Tate Modern, the British Library and numerous West End theatres.<ref>{{cite news |last=Blackman |first=Bob |url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=207&story=E8821201275286&title=West+End+Must+Innovate+to+Renovate%2C+Says+Report |title=West End Must Innovate to Renovate, Says Report |access-date=15 November 2010 |work=What's on Stage |date=25 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430190446/http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=207&story=E8821201275286&title=West+End+Must+Innovate+to+Renovate%2C+Says+Report |archive-date=30 April 2011 |location=London |url-status=dead}}</ref> Annual sporting events include the FA Cup Final (held at Wembley Stadium), the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and the London Marathon. It became the first city to host three Summer Olympic Games upon hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics.<ref name="IOC">{{cite press release |date=6 July 2005 |title=IOC elects London as the Host City of the Games of the XXX Olympiad in 2012 |url=http://www.olympic.org/media?calendartab=1&articleid=52922 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111017100349/http://www.olympic.org/media?calendartab=1&articleid=52922 |archive-date=17 October 2011 |access-date=3 June 2006 |publisher=International Olympic Committee}}</ref> {{TOC limit|limit=3}}

==Etymology==

The name ''London'' is attested in the first century AD, usually in the Latinised form {{lang|la|Londinium}}.<ref name=":2">{{cite book |last=Mills |first=Anthony David |title=A Dictionary of London Place Names |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2001 |isbn=9780192801067 |pages=139|oclc=45406491}}</ref> Modern scientific analyses of the name must account for the origins of the different forms that are found in early sources, such as Latin {{lang|la|Londinium}}, Old English {{lang|ang|Lunden}}, and Welsh {{lang|cy|Llundein}}, with reference to the known developments over time of sounds in those different languages. The name came into these languages from Common Brythonic; the lost Celtic form of the name was most likely {{lang|cel-x-proto|*Londonjon}}.<ref name="auto">{{cite journal |last1=Bynon |first1=Theodora |year=2016 |title=London's Name |journal=Transactions of the Philological Society |volume=114 |issue=3 |pages=281–97 |doi=10.1111/1467-968X.12064}}</ref>

Until 1889, the name "London" applied officially only to the City of London, but since then it has also denoted the County of London and Greater London.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mills |first=David |title=A Dictionary of London Place Names |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0192801067 |page=140 |oclc=45406491}}</ref>

==History==

===Prehistory===

In 1993 remains of a Bronze Age bridge were found on the south River Thames foreshore, upstream from Vauxhall Bridge.<ref name="Denison">{{cite web |title=First 'London Bridge' in River Thames at Vauxhall |date=27 May 2015 |url=https://exploring-london.com/tag/vauxhall-bridge/ |access-date=18 December 2023 }}</ref> Two of the timbers were radiocarbon dated to 1750–1285 BC.<ref name="Denison"/> In 2010 foundations of a large timber structure, dated to 4800–4500 BC,<ref>{{cite web |title=London's Oldest Prehistoric Structure |url=http://www.bajrfed.co.uk/bajrpress/londons-oldest-prehistoric-structure/ |publisher=BAJR |access-date=19 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707053946/http://www.bajrfed.co.uk/bajrpress/londons-oldest-prehistoric-structure/ |archive-date=7 July 2018 |url-status=live |date=3 April 2015}}</ref> were found on the Thames' south foreshore downstream from Vauxhall Bridge.<ref name="Milne">{{cite web |last=Milne |first=Gustav |title=London's Oldest Foreshore Structure! |url=http://www.thamesdiscovery.org/frog-blog/london-s-oldest-find-discovered-at-vauxhall |website=Frog Blog |publisher=Thames Discovery Programme |access-date=15 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430002236/http://www.thamesdiscovery.org/frog-blog/london-s-oldest-find-discovered-at-vauxhall |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Both are on the south bank of the Thames, where the now-underground River Effra flows into the Thames.<ref name="Milne"/>

===Roman London===

{{multiple image | align = right | direction = vertical | header = | width = 215 | image1 = Stelalondon.jpg | caption1 = Inscription from Londinium, held at the Museum of London, with the Romans' first mention of the ''Londiniensi'' ('Londoners') | image2 = London Wall fragment.jpg | caption2 = A surviving section of the 3rd-century London Wall behind Tower Hill }}

Despite the evidence of scattered Brythonic settlements in the area, the first major settlement was founded by the Romans around AD 47,<ref name="auto1"/> about 4 years after their invasion of AD 43.<ref name="roman">{{cite book |title=Roman London |last=Perring |first=Dominic |year=1991 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-0-203-23133-3 |page=1}}</ref> This only lasted until about AD 61, when the Iceni tribe led by Queen Boudica stormed it and burnt it to the ground.<ref name="london_010">{{cite web |title=British History Timeline - Roman Britain |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/timeline/romanbritain_timeline_noflash.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430191143/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/timeline/romanbritain_timeline_noflash.shtml |archive-date=30 April 2011 |access-date=7 June 2008 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

The next planned incarnation of Londinium prospered, superseding Colchester as the principal city of the Roman province of Britannia in 100. At its height in the 2nd century, Roman London had a population of about 60,000.<ref>{{cite book |title=London Civic Theatre: City Drama and Pageantry from Roman Times to 1558 |first=Anne |last=Lancashire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QajvxgbH59QC&pg=PA19 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2002 |page=19 |isbn=978-0-521-63278-2}}</ref>

===Anglo-Saxon and Viking-period London===

With the early-5th-century collapse of Roman rule, the walled city of Londinium was effectively abandoned, although Roman civilisation continued around St Martin-in-the-Fields until about 450.<ref>{{cite web |title=The last days of Londinium |url=http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Past/MissingLink/Themes/TML_themes_Londinium.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108092449/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Past/MissingLink/Themes/TML_themes_Londinium.htm |archive-date=8 January 2009 |access-date=31 March 2013 |website=Museum of London}}</ref> From about 500 an Anglo-Saxon settlement known as Lundenwic developed slightly west of the old Roman city.<ref name=london_011>{{cite web |url=http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Past/MissingLink/Themes/TML_themes_Lundenwic.htm |title=The early years of Lundenwic |publisher=The Museum of London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080610043903/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Past/MissingLink/Themes/TML_themes_Lundenwic.htm |archive-date=10 June 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> By about 680 the city had become a major port again, but there is little evidence of large-scale production. From the 820s repeated Viking assaults brought decline.<ref name="Viking Attacks">{{cite web |url=https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/viking_attacklist.html?showall=1 |title=Viking Attacks |access-date=19 January 2016 |last1=Wheeler |first1=Kip |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101055729/https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/viking_attacklist.html?showall=1 |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Vikings applied Danelaw over much of eastern and northern England from 886; The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' records that Alfred "refounded" London that year. This involved the abandonment of Lundenwic and a revival of life and trade within the old Roman walls. London then grew slowly until a dramatic increase in about 950.<ref name="blackwell">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Vince |first=Alan |year=2001 |title=London |editor=Lapidge, Michael |editor2=Blair, John |editor3=Keynes, Simon |editor4=Scragg, Donald |encyclopedia=The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England |publisher=Blackwell |isbn=978-0-631-22492-1}}</ref>

By the 11th century, London was clearly the largest town in England. Westminster Abbey, rebuilt in Romanesque style by King Edward the Confessor, was one of the grandest churches in Europe. Winchester had been the capital of Anglo-Saxon England, but from this time, London became the main forum for foreign traders and the base for defence in time of war. In the view of Frank Stenton: "It had the resources, and it was rapidly developing the dignity and the political self-consciousness appropriate to a national capital."<ref>{{cite book |last=Stenton |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Stenton |year=1971 |title=Anglo-Saxon England |pages=538–539 |publisher=Oxford University Press |edition=3rd |isbn=978-0-19-280139-5}}</ref>

===Middle Ages===

[[File:Westminster Abbey by Canaletto, 1749.jpg|thumb|Westminster Abbey, as seen in this painting (Canaletto, 1749), is a World Heritage Site and one of London's oldest buildings.]]

After winning the Battle of Hastings, William, Duke of Normandy, was crowned King of England as William I in the newly completed Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066.<ref name="london_015">{{cite web |last=Ibeji |first=Mike |date=17 February 2011 |title=History – 1066 – King William |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/normans/1066_06.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090922053048/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/normans/1066_06.shtml |archive-date=22 September 2009 |access-date=29 March 2021 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> He built the Tower of London to intimidate the inhabitants.<ref name=london_016>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/architecture_02.shtml |title=A History of British Architecture — White Tower |last=Tinniswood |first=Adrian |author-link=Adrian Tinniswood |publisher=BBC |access-date=5 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213124332/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/architecture_02.shtml |archive-date=13 February 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1097 William II began building Westminster Hall, near the abbey. It became the basis of a new Palace of Westminster.<ref name=london_017>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/history/building.cfm |title=UK Parliament — Parliament: The building |date=9 November 2007 |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=27 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311032051/http://www.parliament.uk/about/history/building.cfm |archive-date=11 March 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the 12th century the institutions of central government, which had followed the royal English court around the country, grew in size and sophistication and became increasingly fixed, for most purposes at Westminster, although the royal treasury came to rest in the Tower of London. While the City of Westminster developed into a true governmental capital, its distinct neighbour, the City of London, remained England's largest city and principal commercial centre and flourished under its own unique administration, the Corporation of London. In 1100, its population was some 18,000; by 1300, it had grown to nearly 100,000.<ref name=london_019>{{cite book |last1=Schofield |first1=John |last2=Vince |first2=Alan |author2-link=Alan Vince |title=Medieval Towns: The Archaeology of British Towns in Their European Setting |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-8264-6002-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qu7QLC7g7VgC&pg=PA26 |page=26}}</ref> With the Black Death in the mid-14th century, London lost nearly a third of its population.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ibeji |first=Mike |date=10 March 2011 |title=BBC – History – British History in depth: Black Death |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/black_01.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430191039/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/black_01.shtml |archive-date=30 April 2011 |access-date=3 November 2008 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> London was the focus of the Peasants' Revolt in 1381.<ref name=london_020>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/richard_ii_king.shtml |title=Richard II (1367–1400) |publisher=BBC |access-date=12 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430191132/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/richard_ii_king.shtml |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

London was a centre of England's Jewish population before their expulsion by Edward I in 1290. Violence against Jews occurred in 1190, when it was rumoured that Richard I had ordered their massacre after some of their leaders had presented themselves at his coronation.<ref name="Jacobs">{{cite web |last=Jacobs |first=Joseph |year=1906 |title=England |url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5764-england |website=Jewish Encyclopedia }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Flori |first=Jean |title=Richard Coeur de Lion: le roi-chevalier |date=1999 |place=Paris |publisher=Biographie Payot |language=fr |pages=94–95 |isbn=978-2-2288-9272-8}}</ref> In 1264, during the Second Barons' War, Simon de Montfort's rebels killed 500 Jews while attempting to seize records of debts.<ref name=Mundill2010>{{cite book |last=Mundill |first=Robin R. |work=Continuum |ol=24816680M |isbn=978-1-84725-186-2 |location=London |title=The King's Jews |url=https://archive.org/details/kingsjewsmoneyma00mund |lccn=2010282921 |oclc=466343661 |year=2010 |pages=88–99}}</ref>

===Early modern===

The Reformation produced a shift to Protestantism. Much property passed into private ownership, accelerating business in the city.<ref name="pevsner">{{cite book |last=Pevsner |first=Nikolaus |title=London – The Cities of London and Westminster |publisher=Penguin Books |edition=2nd |volume=1 |publication-date=1 January 1962 |pages=48 |asin=B0000CLHU5}}</ref> In 1475 the Hanseatic League set up a trading base.<ref name=EB>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Steelyard, Merchants of the}}</ref> Woollen cloth was shipped undyed from 14th- and 15th-century London to the Low Countries.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pounds |first=Normal J. G. |title=An Historical Geography of Europe 450 B.C.–A.D. 1330 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1973 |isbn=9781139163552 |pages=430 |doi=10.1017/CBO9781139163552}}</ref> The reopening of the Netherlands to English shipping in January 1565 spurred a burst of commercial activity.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ramsay |first=George Daniel |title=The Queen's Merchants and the Revolt of the Netherlands (The End of the Antwerp Mart, Vol 2) |publisher=Manchester University Press |year=1986 |isbn=9780719018497 |pages=1 & 62–63}}</ref> Mercantilism grew and monopoly traders such as the East India Company were founded as trade expanded to the New World. London became the main North Sea port, with migrants from England and abroad. The population rose from about 50,000 in 1530 to about 225,000 in 1605.<ref name=pevsner/> Shakespeare built his Globe Theatre in Southwark in 1599. Stage performances halted when Puritan authorities shut down the theatres in the 1640s.<ref>{{cite news |title=From pandemics to puritans: when theatre shut down through history and how it recovered |url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/long-reads/from-pandemics-to-puritans-when-theatre-shut-down-through-history-and-how-it-recovered |access-date=22 June 2022 |website=The Stage.co.uk}}</ref> The ban was lifted during the 1660 Restoration; London's oldest theatre, Drury Lane, opened in 1663.<ref>{{cite news |title=London's 10 oldest theatres|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/galleries/Londons-oldest-theatres/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/galleries/Londons-oldest-theatres/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=27 June 2022 |work=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> By the end of the Tudor period in 1603, London was still compact. There was an assassination attempt on James I in Westminster, in the Gunpowder Plot of 5 November 1605.<ref name=london_023>{{cite book |title=James I |last=Durston |first=Christopher |year=1993 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-0-415-07779-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/jamesi0000durs/page/59 59] |url=https://archive.org/details/jamesi0000durs/page/59}}</ref> In 1637 the government of Charles I attempted to reform London's administration; the Corporation made "The Great Refusal", explaining the City of London's unique governmental status.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Doolittle |first=Ian |year=2014 |title='The Great Refusal': Why Does the City of London Corporation Only Govern the Square Mile? |journal=The London Journal |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=21–36 |doi=10.1179/0305803413Z.00000000038 |s2cid=159791907}}</ref>

In the English Civil War, most Londoners supported the Roundheads. After an advance by the Cavaliers in 1642, culminating in the battles of Brentford and Turnham Green, London was surrounded by a defensive perimeter wall.<ref name="fortified">{{cite web |last=Flintham |first=David |title=London |url=http://www.fortified-places.com/london/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116190923/http://www.fortified-places.com/london/ |archive-date=16 January 2009 |access-date=28 March 2021 |website=Fortified Places}}</ref> The fortifications failed their only test when the New Model Army entered London in 1647.<ref>Harrington, Peter (2003). ''English Civil War Fortifications 1642–51'', Volume 9 of Fortress, 9, Osprey Publishing, {{ISBN|1-84176-604-6}}. [https://books.google.com/books?id=dKwKIiqAnlkC&pg=PA57 p. 57]</ref><ref name="fortified"/><ref>{{cite book |title=The English Civil War: A contemporary account (v. 1) |publisher=Caliban Books |others=Wencelaus Hollar (Illustrator), Christopher Hill (Introduction) |isbn=978-1850660316 |editor-last=Razzell |editor-first=Peter |publication-date=1 January 1996 |editor-last2=Razzell |editor-first2=Edward}}{{cite book |last=Gardiner |first=Samuel R. |title=History of the Great Civil War, 1642-1649 |date=18 December 2016 |publisher=Forgotten Books |isbn=978-1334658464 |volume=3 |publication-date=16 July 2017 |pages=218}}</ref> London suffered the Great Plague of 1665–1666, killing some 100,000 people, a fifth of the population.<ref name=london_024>{{cite web |url=http://urbanrim.org.uk/plague%20list.htm |title=A List of National Epidemics of Plague in England 1348–1665 |publisher=Urban Rim |date=4 December 2009 |access-date=3 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508010316/http://urbanrim.org.uk/plague%20list.htm |archive-date=8 May 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1666, the Great Fire destroyed much of the wooden-built city.<ref name="Samuel Pepys' Diary">{{cite book |last=Pepys |first=Samuel |author-link=Samuel Pepys |title=The Diary of Samuel Pepys |volume=45: August/September 1666 |date=2 September 1666 |publisher=Univ of California Press |orig-year=1893 |editor=Mynors Bright (decipherer) |editor2=Henry B. Wheatley |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4167/pg4167.html |isbn=978-0-520-22167-3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130813025236/http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4167/pg4167.html |archive-date=13 August 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> Rebuilding took over 10 years, supervised by the polymath Robert Hooke.<ref name="london_026">{{cite web |last=Schofield |first=John |date=17 February 2011 |title=BBC – History – British History in depth: London After the Great Fire |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/after_fire_01.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410000142/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/after_fire_02.shtml |archive-date=10 April 2009 |access-date=29 March 2021 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

In 1710, Christopher Wren's masterpiece St Paul's Cathedral was completed, replacing its medieval predecessor, lost in the Great Fire. Its dome dominated the London skyline for centuries, inspiring William Blake, whose 1789 poem "Holy Thursday" mentions 'the high dome of Pauls'.<ref>{{cite news |title=William Blake lights up London Skyline |url=https://www.tate.org.uk/press/press-releases/william-blake-lights-london-skyline |access-date=15 June 2024 |work=Tate}}</ref> During the Georgian era new districts such as Mayfair were formed in the west, while new bridges encouraged development in South London. In the east, the Port of London expanded downstream, while the financial centre matured.<ref name='Finance Hub'>{{cite news |title=Amsterdam and London as financial centers in the eighteenth century |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/financial-history-review/article/abs/amsterdam-and-london-as-financial-centers-in-the-eighteenth-century1/8B23F8D271B1BCD05594064523600E85 |access-date=4 July 2022 |work=Cambridge University Press|archive-date=11 March 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250311201823/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/financial-history-review/article/abs/amsterdam-and-london-as-financial-centers-in-the-eighteenth-century1/8B23F8D271B1BCD05594064523600E85}}</ref> In 1762 George III acquired Buckingham House. During the 18th century London was dogged by crime,<ref>''Hell on Earth, or the Town in an Uproar'' (anon., London 1729). Jarndyce Autumn Miscellany catalogue, London: 2021.</ref> and the Bow Street Runners were established in 1750 as a professional police force.<ref>{{cite web |year=2001 |title=PBS – Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street|url=https://www.pbs.org/kqed/demonbarber/madding/thieftaker.html |access-date=28 March 2021 |publisher=PBS}}</ref> Epidemics during the 1720s and 30s saw most children born in the city die before reaching their fifth birthday.<ref>{{cite web |last=Harris |first=Rhian |date=5 October 2012 |title=History – The Foundling Hospital |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/foundling_01.shtml |access-date=28 March 2021 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> Growing literacy and printed papers made news widely available; Fleet Street became the centre of the British press, and Londoners debated in coffeehouses. Napoleon's invasion of Amsterdam led many financiers to relocate to London and the first London international issue was arranged in 1817. The Royal Navy became the world's leading war fleet, acting as a deterrent to economic adversaries. Following an 1838 fire, the Royal Exchange was rebuilt in 1844. The 1846 repeal of the Corn Laws, meant to weaken Dutch economic power, enabled London to overtake Amsterdam as the leading international financial centre.<ref name="auto2">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yor4DAAAQBAJ |title=Finance Masters: A Brief History of International Financial Centers in the Last Millennium |last=Coispeau |first=Olivier |date=2016 |publisher=World Scientific |isbn=978-981-310-884-4}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=170 heights=170> File:Siege of London (MS 1168).jpg|The Lancastrian siege of London in 1471 is attacked by a Yorkist sally. File:London - John Norden's map of 1593.jpg|Map of London in 1593. There is only one bridge across the Thames, but parts of Southwark on the south bank of the river have been developed. File:Great Fire London.jpg|The Great Fire of London destroyed much of the city in 1666. File:Edward Angelo Goodall04.jpg|St Paul's Cathedral (painted by Edward Goodall in 1850) was completed in 1710. </gallery>

===Late modern and contemporary===

The Industrial Revolution saw unprecedented urbanisation.<ref name="Sales">{{cite news |last1=White |first1=Matthew |title=The rise of cities in the 18th century |url=https://www.bl.uk/georgian-britain/articles/the-rise-of-cities-in-the-18th-century |access-date=11 June 2022 |agency=British Library |archive-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522225623/https://www.bl.uk/georgian-britain/articles/the-rise-of-cities-in-the-18th-century |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite conference |title=Trends in urbanisation |year=1993|author=Christopher Watson|editor1=K.B. Wildey |editor2=Wm H. Robinson |conference=Proceedings of the First International Conference on Urban Pests |citeseerx=10.1.1.522.7409}}</ref> London was the world's largest city from about 1831 to 1925, with a population density of 132 per acre (325 per hectare).<ref name="london_030">{{cite web |title=London: The greatest city |url=http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/i-m/london4.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419104109/http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/i-m/london4.html |archive-date=19 April 2009 |access-date=25 March 2021 |publisher=Channel 4}}</ref> Harding, Howell & Co. on Pall Mall was one of the first department stores, alongside many street sellers.<ref name="Sales"/> The London Underground, the world's first urban rail network, was created in response to traffic congestion.<ref>{{cite news |title=A short history of world metro systems – in pictures |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2014/sep/10/-sp-history-metro-pictures-london-underground-new-york-beijing-seoul |access-date=3 March 2024 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> Overcrowding led to cholera epidemics, claiming 14,000 lives in 1848, and 6,000 in 1866.<ref>{{cite web |author=Brown, Robert W. |url=http://www.uncp.edu/home/rwb/london_19c.html |title=London in the Nineteenth Century |publisher=University of North Carolina at Pembroke |access-date=13 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230164544/http://www.uncp.edu/home/rwb/london_19c.html |archive-date=30 December 2011}}</ref> A modern sewage system was created by the Metropolitan Board of Works;<ref>{{cite news |title=Story of cities #14: London's Great Stink heralds a wonder of the industrial world |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/apr/04/story-cities-14-london-great-stink-river-thames-joseph-bazalgette-sewage-system |access-date=18 April 2025 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> it diverted waste to the Thames Estuary, and by the 1890s used biological treatment of sewage to oxidise the waste.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hamlin |first=Christopher |title=William Dibdin and the Idea of Biological Sewage Treatment |journal=Technology and Culture|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |date=1988 |volume=29 |issue=2 |pages=189–218 |doi=10.1353/tech.1988.0136 |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/889247|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=London Sewers - Seven Wonders |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/england/sevenwonders/london/sewers_mm/index.shtml |access-date=18 April 2025 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> The Metropolitan Board of Works oversaw infrastructure expansion in the capital and some surrounding counties.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pennybacker |first=Susan D. |title=Vision for London, 1889–1914 |date=2005 |publisher=Routledge |page=18}}</ref> Lyons opened the first of their chain of teashops in Piccadilly in 1894.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bawden and battenberg: the Lyons teashop lithographs |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/jul/12/bawden-battenberg-lyons-teashops-lithographs |access-date=27 June 2022 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> Tearooms became popular meeting places for women from the suffrage movement.<ref>{{cite news |title=Taking Tea and Talking Politics: The Role of Tearooms|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/womens-history/suffrage/taking-tea-and-talking-politics/ |access-date=27 June 2022 |work=Historic England}}</ref> Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral were bombed in the 1912–14 suffragette bombing and arson campaign.<ref>{{cite web |title=Suffragettes, violence and militancy |url=https://www.bl.uk/votes-for-women/articles/suffragettes-violence-and-militancy |website=British Library |access-date=9 October 2021 |archive-date=10 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910203912/https://www.bl.uk/votes-for-women/articles/suffragettes-violence-and-militancy |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:LondonBombedWWII full.jpg|thumb|A bombed-out London street during the Blitz in 1940]]

{{anchor|German air attacks}} London was bombed by the Germans in the First World War. During the Second World War, the Blitz killed over 30,000 Londoners, destroying many buildings.<ref>{{cite web |date=18 May 2016 |title=Bomb-Damage Maps Reveal London's World War II Devastation |url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/history/bomb-damage-maps-reveal-londons-world-war-ii-devastation.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430155359/http://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/history/bomb-damage-maps-reveal-londons-world-war-ii-devastation.aspx |archive-date=30 April 2017 |access-date=18 June 2017 |website=nationalgeographic.com.au}}</ref> The tomb of the Unknown Warrior was created in Westminster Abbey on 11 November 1920<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nam.ac.uk/press/buried-among-kings-story-unknown-warrior |title=Buried Among Kings: The Story of the Unknown Warrior |website=Nam.ac.uk |publisher=National Army Museum |access-date=15 April 2023}}</ref> and The Cenotaph, in Whitehall, was unveiled on the same day; it is the focus the National Service of Remembrance held annually on Remembrance Sunday.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Vaughan-Barratt |first1=Nick |title=Remembrance |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/entries/0c66fc02-abf2-31e0-9867-cc306b16d3c9 |website=BBC Blogs |date=4 November 2009 |publisher=BBC |access-date=15 April 2023}}</ref> The 1948 Summer Olympics were held at the original Wembley Stadium, while London was still recovering from the war.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Ronk |first=Liz |date=27 July 2013 |title=LIFE at the 1948 London Olympics |magazine=Time |url=https://time.com/3877686/1948-london-summer-olympics-life-photos/|url-status=live |access-date=18 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530005852/http://time.com/3877686/1948-london-summer-olympics-life-photos/ |archive-date=30 May 2015}}</ref> From the 1940s, London became home to many immigrants, primarily from Commonwealth countries such as Jamaica, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hibbert |first1=Christopher |title=The London Encyclopaedia |last2=Weinreb |first2=Ben |last3=Keay |first3=Julia |last4=Keay |first4=John |publisher=Pan Macmillan |others=Photographs by Matthew Weinreb |year=2010 |isbn=9781405049252 |edition=3rd |page=428}}</ref> making London one of the most multiracial cities in the world. In 1951 the Festival of Britain was held on the South Bank.<ref>{{cite news |year=2008 |title=1951: King George opens Festival of Britain |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/3/newsid_2481000/2481099.stm |access-date=18 June 2017}}</ref> The Great Smog of 1952 led to the Clean Air Act 1956, which ended the "pea soup fogs" which had earned London the nickname the "Big Smoke".<ref>{{cite web |last=Breen |first=Matt |title=Most Googled: why is London called the 'Big Smoke'? |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/blog/most-googled-why-is-london-called-the-big-smoke-011317 |access-date=29 November 2022 |website=Time Out London |date=13 January 2017}}</ref>

Starting in the mid-1960s, London became a centre for worldwide youth culture, exemplified by the Swinging London sub-culture of the King's Road, Chelsea and Carnaby Street.<ref>{{cite book | title=Swinging City: A Cultural Geography of London 1950–1974 | publisher=Routledge | author=Rycroft, Simon | year=2016 | pages=87 | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I5O1CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT87 | chapter=Mapping Swinging London| isbn=9781317047346 }}</ref> The role of trendsetter revived in the punk era.<ref>{{cite book |author=Bracken |first=Gregory B. |title=Walking Tour London: Sketches of the city's architectural treasures... Journey Through London's Urban Landscapes |publisher=Marshall Cavendish International |year=2011 |isbn=9789814435369 |page=10}}</ref> In 1965 London's political boundaries were expanded in response to the city's growth, and a new Greater London Council was created.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-35716693 |title=The rise and fall of the GLC |last=Webber |first=Esther |date=31 March 2016 |website=BBC Newsmaccess-date=18 June 2017}}</ref> During the Troubles in Northern Ireland, London was hit from 1973 by bomb attacks by the Provisional Irish Republican Army. These attacks lasted for two decades, starting with the Old Bailey bombing.<ref name=bombings>{{cite web |last=Godoy |first=Maria |date=7 July 2005 |title=Timeline: London's Explosive History |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4734400 |access-date=25 March 2021 |publisher=NPR}}</ref> Greater London's population declined after the Second World War, from an estimated peak of 8.6 million in 1939 to around 6.8 million in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-31082941 |title=London's population hits 8.6m record high |work=BBC News |date=2 February 2015 |access-date=19 June 2017}}</ref> By January 2015 Greater London's population had increased again to 8.63 million.<ref name="gla-pop-2015">{{cite web |title=Population Growth in London, 1939–2015 |url=http://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/population-change-1939-2015/resource/0a026346-960e-49e6-b968-a386d2cfe55f |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219160246/http://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/population-change-1939-2015/resource/0a026346-960e-49e6-b968-a386d2cfe55f |archive-date=19 February 2015 |url-status=dead |website=London Datastore |publisher=Greater London Authority |access-date=7 July 2015 }} [https://londondatastore-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/dataset/population-change-1939-2015/historical%20population%201939-2015.pdf Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315011004/https://londondatastore-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/dataset/population-change-1939-2015/historical%20population%201939-2015.pdf |date=15 March 2023 }}</ref> The principal ports for London moved downstream to Felixstowe and Tilbury, with the London Docklands area becoming a focus for regeneration.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/28/canary-wharf-timeline-london-building-docklands-thatcher |title=Canary Wharf timeline: from the Thatcher years to Qatari control |last=Zolfagharifard |first=Ellie |date=14 February 2014 |website=The Guardian |access-date=19 June 2017}}</ref> {{convert|2|mi|km}} east of central London, the Thames Barrier was completed in 1982 to protect London against tidal surges from the North Sea.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Kendrick |first=Mary |author-link=Mary Kendrick |date=1988 |title=The Thames Barrier |journal=Landscape and Urban Planning |volume=16 |issue=1–2 |pages=57–68 |doi=10.1016/0169-2046(88)90034-5 |bibcode=1988LUrbP..16...57K }}</ref>

The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986, leaving London with no central administration until the creation of the Greater London Authority in 2000.<ref>{{cite news |year=2008 |title=1986: Greater London Council abolished |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/31/newsid_2530000/2530803.stm |access-date=20 June 2017}}</ref> To mark the 21st century the Millennium Dome, the London Eye and the Millennium Bridge were constructed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.building.co.uk/millennium-projects-10-years-of-good-luck/5001637.article |title=Millennium projects: 10 years of good luck |last=Ijeh |first=Ike |date=25 June 2010 |website=building.co.uk |access-date=20 June 2017}}</ref> On 7 July 2005, three London Underground trains and a double-decker bus were bombed in a series of terrorist attacks.<ref name=bombings/> In 2008 ''Time'' magazine hailed London as one of the world's three most influential global cities.<ref>{{cite book |title=International Handbook of Globalization and World Cities |publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing |year=2015 |isbn=9781785360688 |editor-last=Derudder |editor-first=Ben |page=422 |editor-last2=Hoyler |editor-first2=Michael |editor-last3=Taylor |editor-first3=Peter J. |editor-last4=Witlox |editor-first4=Frank}}</ref> In terms of international connectedness, as of 2024, London was one of two cities worldwide classified as an "Alpha++" city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.<ref>{{cite web |title=World Cities 2024 |url=https://gawc.lboro.ac.uk/gawc-worlds/the-world-according-to-gawc/world-cities-2024/ |access-date=8 July 2025 |website=GaWC-US}}</ref>

==Administration==

===Local government and services===

{{main|Local government in London|History of local government in London|List of heads of London government}}

[[File:Siemens Crystal Building, London.jpg|thumb|left|City Hall seen across Royal Victoria Dock, headquarters of the Greater London Authority (GLA) since 2022]]

The administration of London is formed of two tiers: a citywide, strategic tier coordinated by the Greater London Authority (GLA), and a local tier with 33 local administrations.<ref name="london_032">{{cite web |title=Who runs London – Find Out Who Runs London and How |url=http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/who-runs-london|access-date=28 March 2021 |website=London Councils }}</ref> The GLA consists of the mayor of London, who has executive powers, and the London Assembly, which scrutinises the mayor's decisions and can accept or reject the mayor's annual budget proposals. The GLA is responsible for most of London's transport system through Transport for London (TfL), overseeing the city's police and fire services, and setting a strategic vision for London.<ref name="london_goverance">{{cite web |title=The essential guide to London local government |url=https://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/who-runs-london/essential-guide-london-local-government |publisher=London Councils |access-date=19 June 2023 |archive-date=6 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406212109/https://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/who-runs-london/essential-guide-london-local-government |url-status=dead }}</ref> The headquarters of the GLA is City Hall, Newham. The mayor since 2016 is Sadiq Khan.<ref>{{cite news |title=London Elections 2016: Results |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2016/london/results |access-date=7 May 2016}}</ref>

[[File:City coat of arms, Holborn Viaduct (cropped).jpg|thumb|Arms of the Corporation of the City of London since 1381]]

The local authorities are the councils of the 32 London boroughs and the City of London Corporation.<ref name="london_035">{{cite web |title=London Government Directory – London Borough Councils |url=http://directory.londoncouncils.gov.uk/ |access-date=29 March 2017 |website=London Councils |archive-date=8 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071108212853/http://directory.londoncouncils.gov.uk/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> They are responsible for most local services, including local planning, schools, libraries, leisure and recreation, social services, local roads and refuse collection.<ref>{{cite web |title=London Government |url=https://www.politics.co.uk/reference/london-government/ |publisher=politics.co.uk |access-date=19 June 2023}}</ref> Some functions, such as waste management, are provided through joint arrangements. In 2009–2010 the revenue expenditure by London councils and the GLA amounted to just over £22 billion (£14.7 billion for the boroughs and £7.4 billion for the GLA).<ref>{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Local Government Financial Statistics England No.21 (2011) |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/7462/1911067.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428000713/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/7462/1911067.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=25 March 2021 |archive-date=28 April 2018}}</ref>

The London Fire Brigade is the statutory fire and rescue service for Greater London, run by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.<ref name="LFB">{{cite web |url=http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/WhoWeAre.asp |title=Who we are |publisher=London Fire Brigade |access-date=25 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429034538/http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/WhoWeAre.asp |archive-date=29 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> National Health Service ambulance services are provided by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) NHS Trust.<ref name="LAS">{{cite web |url=http://www.londonambulance.nhs.uk/about_us.aspx |title=About us |publisher=London Ambulance Service NHS Trust |access-date=25 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427031902/http://www.londonambulance.nhs.uk/about_us.aspx |archive-date=27 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The London Air Ambulance charity operates in conjunction with the LAS where required. His Majesty's Coastguard and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution operate on the River Thames, under the jurisdiction of the Port of London Authority from Teddington Lock to the sea.<ref>{{cite web |title=Port of London Act 1968 (as amended) |url=http://www.pla.co.uk/Port-of-London-Act-1968 |access-date=29 March 2021 |website=Port of London Authority}}</ref>

Policing in Greater London, with the exception of the City of London, is provided by the Metropolitan Police ("The Met"), overseen by the mayor through the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://policeauthority.org/Metropolitan/ |title=MPA: Metropolitan Police Authority |publisher=Metropolitan Police Authority |date=22 May 2012 |access-date=4 May 2013}}</ref> The British Transport Police are responsible for police services on National Rail, London Underground, Docklands Light Railway and Tramlink services.<ref name="BTP">{{cite web |year=2021 |title=About Us |url=https://www.btp.police.uk/police-forces/british-transport-police/areas/about-us/about-us/ |access-date=28 March 2021 |website=British Transport Police}}</ref> The Ministry of Defence Police is a specialised police force in London.<ref>{{cite web |year=2017 |title=Ministry of Defence – Our Purpose |url=http://www.mod.police.uk/index.html |access-date=28 March 2021 |website=Ministry of Defence Police |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506183729/http://www.mod.police.uk/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===National government===

[[File:10 Downing Street. MOD 45155532 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|10 Downing Street, official residence of the Prime Minister ]]

London is the seat of the Government of the United Kingdom. Many government departments and the prime minister's residence at 10 Downing Street are based close to the Palace of Westminster, particularly along Whitehall.<ref name="london_036">{{cite web |title=Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/prime-ministers-office-10-downing-street |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=uk.gov}}</ref> There are 75 members of Parliament from London; as at June 2024, 59 are from the Labour Party, 9 are Conservatives, 6 are Liberal Democrats and one constituency is held by an independent.<ref>{{cite web |title=CBP-10009.pdf |url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-10009/CBP-10009.pdf |website=UK Parliament}}</ref> The ministerial post of Minister for London was created in 1994; it has been vacant since July 2024.<ref>{{cite news |title=Minister for London |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-for-london |access-date=5 February 2026 |website=Gov.uk}}</ref>

==Geography==

===Scope===

Greater London is one of nine regions of England and the top subdivision covering most of the metropolis. The City of London at its core once comprised the whole settlement; as its urban area grew, the Corporation of London resisted attempts to amalgamate the city with its suburbs, causing "London" to be defined several ways.<ref name="chancery">{{cite book |last1=Beavan |first1=Charles |last2=Bickersteth |first2=Harry|title=Reports of Cases in Chancery, Argued and Determined in the Rolls Court|publisher=Saunders and Benning |year=1865 |url=https://archive.org/details/reportscasesinc14romigoog}}</ref>

alt=|thumb|Satellite view of London in June 2018

Forty per cent of Greater London is covered by the London post town, in which "London" forms part of postal addresses.<ref name=london_042>{{cite book |title=The Inner London Letter Post |publisher=H.M.S.O. |year=1980 |isbn=978-0-10-251580-0 |page=128}}</ref>

The London telephone area code (020) covers an area similar in size to Greater London, although some outer districts are excluded and some just outside included. The London linked-number area extends 18 miles around Kings Cross, see Director telephone system.

The Greater London boundary has been aligned to the M25 motorway in places.<ref name=london_044>{{cite web|url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si1993/Uksi_19930441_en_1.htm |title=The Essex, Greater London and Hertfordshire (County and London Borough Boundaries) Order |year=1993 |publisher=Office of Public Sector Information |access-date=6 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107231348/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si1993/Uksi_19930441_en_1.htm |archive-date=7 January 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Urban expansion is prevented by the Metropolitan Green Belt, although the built-up area extends beyond the boundary in places, producing a separately defined Greater London Urban Area. Beyond this is the London commuter belt.<ref name=london_041>{{cite web |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/reports/plansd/london_regional_200104.pdf |title=London in its Regional Setting |publisher=London Assembly |access-date=6 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527193714/http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/reports/plansd/london_regional_200104.pdf |archive-date=27 May 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Greater London is split for some purposes into Inner London and Outer London,<ref name=london_045>{{cite book |url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1963/cukpga_19630033_en_1 |title=London Government Act 1963 |year=1996 |publisher=Office of Public Sector Information |access-date=6 May 2008 |isbn=978-0-16-053895-7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817142118/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1963/cukpga_19630033_en_1 |archive-date=17 August 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and by the River Thames into North and South, with an informal Central London area. The coordinates of the nominal "centre of London", traditionally the original Eleanor Cross at Charing Cross near the junction of Trafalgar Square and Whitehall, are about {{Coord|51|30|26|N|00|07|39|W|type:city(7,000,000)_region:GB}}.<ref name=london_039>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/08/15/charingcross_feature.shtml |title=London — Features — Where is the Centre of London? |publisher=BBC |access-date=6 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817141948/http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/08/15/charingcross_feature.shtml |archive-date=17 August 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Status===

Within London, the City of London and the City of Westminster have city status. The City of London and the remainder of Greater London are ceremonial counties.<ref name=london_049>{{cite web |url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1997/ukpga_19970023_en_1 |title=Lieutenancies Act 1997 |publisher=OPSI |access-date=7 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522210452/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1997/ukpga_19970023_en_1 |archive-date=22 May 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Greater London includes parts of the historic counties of Middlesex, Kent, Surrey, Essex and Hertfordshire.<ref name="london_050">{{cite book |last=Barlow |first=I.M. |title=Metropolitan Government |publisher=Routledge |year=1991 |isbn=9780415020992 |location=London |page=346}}</ref> Greater London has been defined as a region of England.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gos.gov.uk/gol/factgol/London/?a=42496 |title=Government Offices for the English Regions, Fact Files: London |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=4 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080124102915/http://www.gos.gov.uk/gol/factgol/London/?a=42496 |archive-date=24 January 2008}}</ref>

London is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England by convention. The capital of England was moved from Winchester as the Palace of Westminster developed in the 12th and 13th centuries to become the home of the royal court, and thus the nation's political capital.<ref name=london_060>{{cite journal |last=Schofield |first=John |title=When London became a European capital |date=June 1999 |journal=British Archaeology |publisher=Council for British Archaeology |issue=45 |url=http://www.britarch.ac.uk/BA/ba45/ba45regs.html |access-date=6 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425074539/http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba45/ba45regs.html |archive-date=25 April 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The city has four World Heritage Sites: Kew Gardens; the Tower of London; the site featuring the Palace of Westminster, the Church of St Margaret, and Westminster Abbey; and the historic settlement in Greenwich where the Royal Observatory defines the prime meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time.<ref name="london_005">{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/gb |title=Lists: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=26 November 2008}}</ref>

===Topography===

[[File:London from Primrose Hill May 2013.jpg|thumb|London from Primrose Hill]]

Greater London has an area of {{convert|1583|km2|sqmi|order=flip}}, while the London Metropolitan Region has an area of {{convert|8382|km2|sqmi|order=flip}}.<ref name=Metrop>{{cite web |url=http://www.dgcl.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/a_votre_service/lu_pour_vous/les_grandes_metropol/downloadFile/attachedFile/metropolislondres.pdf?nocache=1254397828.63 |title=Metropolis: 027 London, World Association of the Major Metropolises |access-date=3 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427084411/http://www.dgcl.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/a_votre_service/lu_pour_vous/les_grandes_metropol/downloadFile/attachedFile/metropolislondres.pdf?nocache=1254397828.63 |archive-date=27 April 2011}}</ref>

Modern London stands on the Thames, its primary geographical feature, a navigable river which crosses the city from the south-west to the east. The Thames Valley is a flood plain surrounded by gently rolling hills including Parliament Hill, Addington Hills, and Primrose Hill. Historically, London grew up at the river's lowest bridging point. The Thames was once much broader and shallower with extensive wetlands; at high tide, its shores reached five times their present width.<ref name=london_065>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M9qvtYYhRtAC&pg=PR11 |title=London: A History |first=Francis |last=Sheppard |page=10 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-19-285369-1 |access-date=6 June 2008}}</ref>

Since the Victorian era the Thames has been embanked, and many of its London tributaries now flow underground. The Thames is tidal, and London is vulnerable to flooding.<ref name=london_066>{{cite web |url=http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/yourenv/eff/1190084/natural_forces/flooding/?version=1&lang=_e |title=Flooding |publisher=UK Environment Agency |access-date=19 June 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060215080725/http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/yourenv/eff/1190084/natural_forces/flooding/?version=1&lang=_e |archive-date=15 February 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The threat has increased because of a continuous rise in high water level caused by climate change and by the slow 'tilting' of the British Isles through post-glacial rebound.<ref>{{cite news |title=Weatherwatch: The need to wake up to sea level rise in the UK |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/03/weatherwatch-sea-level-rise-uk-climate |access-date=29 May 2025 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>

===Climate===

London has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen: ''Cfb''). The average annual precipitation is about {{cvt|600|mm|link=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Average Annual Precipitation by City in the US – Current Results |url=https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/US/average-annual-precipitation-by-city.php|access-date=25 March 2021 |website=currentresults.com}}</ref> Despite relatively low annual precipitation, London receives 109.6 rainy days on the {{cvt|1|mm|link=on}} threshold annually. London is vulnerable to climate change, and experts are concerned that households may run out of water before 2050.<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Saphora |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/london-water-drought-climate-change-b2079811.html?amp |title=London could run out of water in 25 years as cities worldwide face rising risk of drought, report warns |newspaper=The Independent |date=16 May 2022 |access-date=5 June 2022}}</ref>

Summers are generally warm, sometimes hot. London's average July high is 23.5 °C (74.3 °F). On average each year, London experiences 31 days above {{convert|25|°C|°F|1}} and 4.2 days above {{convert|30.0|°C|°F|1}}. Winters are generally cool with little temperature variation. Heavy snow is rare, but snow usually falls at least once each winter. As a large city, London has a considerable urban heat island effect,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://legacy.london.gov.uk/mayor/environment/climate-change/docs/UHI_summary_report.pdf |title=London's Urban Heat Island: A Summary for Decision Makers |publisher=Greater London Authority |date=October 2006 |access-date=29 April 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120816015955/http://legacy.london.gov.uk/mayor/environment/climate-change/docs/UHI_summary_report.pdf |archive-date=16 August 2012}}</ref> making the centre of London at times {{convert|5|C-change|0}} warmer than the suburbs and outskirts.<ref>{{cite news |last=Eden |first=Philip |date=9 June 2004 |title=Ever Warmer as Temperatures Rival France |location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1463994/Ever-warmer-as-temperatures-rival-France.html |url-status=live |access-date=25 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200326104750/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1463994/Ever-warmer-as-temperatures-rival-France.html |archive-date=26 March 2020}}</ref>

===Areas===

[[File:London (44761485915).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The West End theatre district in 2016]]

Places within London are identified using area names, such as Mayfair, Southwark, and Whitechapel. These are informal designations, reflect the names of villages that have been absorbed by sprawl, or are superseded administrative units.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historytoday.com/ad-harvey/london%E2%80%99s-boroughs|title=London's Boroughs|publisher=History Today|access-date=19 April 2023}}</ref> Since 1965, Greater London has been divided into 32 London boroughs in addition to its once walled ancient core, the City of London.<ref name=london_071>{{cite web |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/london-life/city-government/boroughs.jsp |title=London boroughs — London Life, GLA |publisher=London Government |access-date=3 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213025156/http://www.london.gov.uk/london-life/city-government/boroughs.jsp |archive-date=13 December 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The City of London is the main financial district,<ref name=london_073>{{cite web |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/london-life/business-and-jobs/financial-centre.jsp |title=London as a financial centre |publisher=Mayor of London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106051217/http://www.london.gov.uk/london-life/business-and-jobs/financial-centre.jsp |archive-date=6 January 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and Canary Wharf has developed into a new financial and commercial hub in the Docklands. The West End is an area of inner West London with the main shopping and entertainment areas, including West End theatre, and attracts many tourists.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1608619.stm |title=West End still drawing crowds |work=BBC News |access-date=6 June 2008 |date=22 October 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511121403/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1608619.stm |archive-date=11 May 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Its residential areas where properties can sell for tens of millions of pounds.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2006/apr/17/tax.g2 |title=Super Rich |date=17 April 2006 |work=The Guardian |access-date=7 June 2008 |location=London |first=James |last=Meek |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501134745/http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2006/apr/17/tax.g2 |archive-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/planningandconservation/planningpolicy/idoc.ashx?docid=bf56bda1-575c-435b-92ac-9a71625c1746&version=-1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010131732/https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/planningandconservation/planningpolicy/idoc.ashx?docid=bf56bda1-575c-435b-92ac-9a71625c1746&version=-1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 October 2016 |title=Information on latest house prices in the Royal Borough |publisher=Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/aug/08/housing-london-jump-19-per-cent-year |title=Average house prices in London jump 19 per cent in a year |first=Rupert |last=Jones |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=8 August 2014 |access-date=24 September 2014}}</ref> The East End is the part of East London closest to the City of London. It has a high immigrant population and is one of the poorest areas of the capital.<ref name="East End">{{cite news |url=http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8487518/site/newsweek/ |date=6 July 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060829024354/http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8487518/site/newsweek/ |archive-date=29 August 2006 |title=Tomorrow's East End |work=Newsweek |author=Flynn, Emily |location=New York |url-status=dead}}</ref> It once included the main northern part of the Port of London and extensive industry. In the late 20th century, deindustrialisation and the closure of the docks brought hardship. Large redeveloped brownfield areas include London Riverside and the Lower Lea Valley, which was developed into the Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympics.<ref name="East End"/>

===Architecture===

{{Main|Architecture of London|List of tallest buildings and structures in London|List of demolished buildings and structures in London}}

London's buildings are of many architectural styles and ages. Many grand houses and public buildings, such as the National Gallery, are constructed from Portland stone. Some areas, particularly just west of the centre, are characterised by white stucco or whitewashed buildings. Few structures in central London pre-date the Great Fire of 1666, other than the Tower of London. Further out is the Tudor-period Hampton Court Palace.<ref>{{cite book |last=Summerson |first=John |year=1969 |title=Great Palaces (Hampton Court. pp. 12–23) |publisher=Hamlyn |isbn=978-0600016823 |url=https://archive.org/details/greatpalaces0000unse |author-link=John Summerson}}</ref> The 17th-century is represented by Christopher Wren churches alongside neoclassical financial institutions such as the Royal Exchange and the Bank of England, and the 1960s Barbican Estate. The 1939 Battersea Power Station by the river in the south-west is a local landmark, while the St. Pancras and Paddington railway termini exemplify Victorian architecture.<ref name=london_078>{{cite web |url=http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Paddington_Station.html |title=Paddington Station |publisher=Great Buildings |access-date=6 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525164017/http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Paddington_Station.html |archive-date=25 May 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=170 heights=170> File:Aerial Tower of London.jpg|The Tower of London, a medieval castle, dating in part to 1078 File:Buckingham Palace, London - April 2009.jpg|The east wing public façade of Buckingham Palace was built between 1847 and 1850; it was remodelled to its present form in 1913. File:Trafalgar Square by Christian Reimer.jpg|Trafalgar Square and its fountains, with Nelson's Column on the right </gallery>

The Monument to the Great Fire of London 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, have royal connections, as do the Albert Memorial and Royal Albert Hall in Kensington. Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square is a focal point.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nelson's Column is 16ft shorter than everybody thought |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1523653/Nelsons-Column-is-16ft-shorter-than-everybody-thought.html |date=12 July 2006 |access-date=26 April 2025 |work=The Telegraph}}</ref> Older buildings are mainly brick, commonly the yellow London stock brick.<ref name=london_077>{{cite news |last=Lonsdale |first=Sarah |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1&xml=/property/2008/03/27/lpgreen127.xml |title=Eco homes: Wooden it be lovely... ? |work=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=12 October 2008 |location=London |date=27 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308205754/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1&xml=/property/2008/03/27/lpgreen127.xml |archive-date=8 March 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the dense areas, most of the concentration is via medium- and high-rise buildings. London's skyscrapers, such as 30 St Mary Axe, Tower 42, the Broadgate Tower and One Canada Square, are mostly in the two financial districts, the City of London and Canary Wharf. High-rise development has been restricted since 1937 if it would obstruct protected views of St Paul's Cathedral.<ref name=Protected>{{cite news |title=Protected views and tall buildings |url=https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/planning/planning-policy/protected-views-and-tall-buildings |access-date=28 June 2022 |website=City of London.gov.uk |archive-date=1 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101182326/https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/planning/planning-policy/protected-views-and-tall-buildings |url-status=dead }}</ref> There are skyscrapers in Central London, including the 95-storey Shard London Bridge, the tallest building in the UK and Western Europe.<ref>{{cite news |title=Take a tour of The Shard's viewing platform |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-20979547 |access-date=16 June 2023 |agency=BBC}}</ref> Modern buildings include The Scalpel, 20 Fenchurch Street, the former City Hall in Southwark, the Art Deco BBC Broadcasting House, the Postmodernist British Library near Kings Cross, No 1 Poultry, the BT Tower and The O2 Arena.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/2788214/The-lemon-Dome-that-was-transformed-into-O2s-concert-crown.html |title=The Lemon Dome That Was Transformed into O2's Concert Crown |last=White |first=Dominic |date=15 April 2008|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=19 June 2022}}</ref>

{{Wide image|Palace of Westminster from the dome on Methodist Central Hall (cropped).jpg|800px|The Houses of Parliament and Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) on the right foreground, the London Eye on the left foreground and The Shard with Canary Wharf in the background; seen in September 2014}}

===Natural history===

[[File:City of London Cemetery, Newham, London England - fox 18.jpg|thumb|London has some 10,000 red foxes.]]

The London Natural History Society suggests that London is "one of the World's Greenest Cities" with more than 40% green space or open water, 2000 species of flowering plant, and 120 species of fish.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lnhs.org.uk/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212143739/http://www.lnhs.org.uk/Index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 February 2007 |title=Wildlife in London, England: LNHS Home page |website=lnhs.org.uk}}</ref> Over 60 species of bird nest in central London, with 47 species of butterfly, 1,173 moths and more than 270 kinds of spider. London's wetland areas support nationally important populations of water birds. In 2024 there were some 3 million pigeons in London.<ref name="Pigeon">{{cite news |title=The London Question: Are pigeons misunderstood? |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/london-city-pigeons-tiktok-misunderstood-b1191267.html |access-date=11 January 2025 |work=Evening Standard}}</ref> At least six ravens are kept at the Tower of London.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Ravens at the Tower of London |url=https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Tower-Ravens/ |access-date=14 July 2025 |work=Historic UK}}</ref> London has 38 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), two national nature reserves and 76 local nature reserves.<ref>{{cite web |title=London Natural History Society – Home |url=https://lnhs.org.uk/ |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=lnhs.org.uk}}</ref>

Amphibians include smooth newts, frogs, toadss palmate newts, and great crested newts. Native reptiles such as slowworms, lizards, grass snakes and adders, are mostly seen only in Outer London.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tuffrey |first=Laurie |date=27 July 2012 |title=London's Amphibians and Reptile Populations Mapped |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jul/27/london-amphibian-reptile-map |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102204944/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jul/27/london-amphibian-reptile-map |archive-date=2 January 2021 |access-date=25 March 2021 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>

London has some 10,000 red foxes, as well as hedgehogs, mice, rabbits, shrews, voles and grey squirrels.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mammals|url=https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park/richmond-park-attractions/wildlife/mammals |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307135419/https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park/richmond-park-attractions/wildlife/mammals |archive-date=7 March 2020 |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=The Royal Parks}}</ref> In wilder areas of Outer London, such as Epping Forest, there are also hare, badger, voles, wood mouse, yellow-necked mouse, mole, shrew and weasel. Otters are starting to return after a hundred years absent from the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/topstories/946018.londons_first_wild_otter_found/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100401110428/http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/topstories/946018.londons_first_wild_otter_found/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 April 2010 |title=London's first wild otter found |first=Peter |last=Law |website=This Is Local London}}</ref> Ten of England's eighteen species of bats have been recorded in Epping Forest.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/green-spaces/epping-forest/wildlife-and-nature/Pages/Mammals.aspx |title=Mammals |website=cityoflondon.gov.uk |access-date=16 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318070552/http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/green-spaces/epping-forest/wildlife-and-nature/Pages/Mammals.aspx |archive-date=18 March 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Herds of red and fallow deer roam in Richmond and Bushy Parks. They are culled each November and February to keep their populations sustainable.<ref name="Deer cull begins">{{cite news |author=Bishop |first=Rachael |date=5 November 2012 |title=Richmond Park Deer Cull Begins |work=Sutton & Croydon Guardian |location=London |url=http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/wandsworthnews/10026864.Richmond_Park_deer_cull_begins/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307135458/https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/10026864.richmond-park-deer-cull-begins/ |archive-date=7 March 2020}}</ref> Epping Forest is known for its fallow deer, which can be seen in herds to the north of the Forest. A rare population of melanistic, black fallow deer is maintained at the Deer Sanctuary near Theydon Bois, while muntjac are found in the forest. While Londoners are accustomed to birds and foxes sharing the city, urban deer have become a regular feature, and herds of fallow deer come into residential areas at night.<ref>{{cite news |date=25 February 2014 |title=In Pictures: London's Urban Deer |work=Evening Standard |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/in-pictures-londons-urban-deer-9149902.html |url-status=live |access-date=25 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301073242/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/in-pictures-london-s-urban-deer-9149902.html |archive-date=1 March 2021}}</ref>

==Demographics==

thumb|upright=1.3|Population density map (%)

London's continuous urban area held 9,787,426 people in 2011,<ref name="urbanpopulation"/> while its wider metropolitan area held 15.1 million in 2025.<ref name="CityPopulation.de show"/> A net 726,000 immigrants arrived in the period 1991–2001.<ref name="Immigration">{{cite web |last=Leppard |first=David |date=10 April 2005 |title=Immigration Rise Increases Segregation in British Cities |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article379434.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080211185641/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article379434.ece |archive-date=11 February 2008 |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=The Times}}</ref> The region's {{convert|1579|km2|sqmi|order=flip}} had a population density of {{convert|5177|PD/km2|PD/sqmi|order=flip}}<ref name=Metrop/> more than ten times that of any other British region.<ref name=london_087>{{cite web |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/regional_snapshot/RS_Lon.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624195152/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/regional_snapshot/RS_Lon.pdf |archive-date=24 June 2008 |title=Population density of London: by London borough, 2006 |publisher=UK Statistics Authority |url-status=live}}</ref> London's median age in 2018 was 36.5 years old, younger than the UK median of 40.3.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |date=20 April 2020 |title=The Age Distribution of the Population |url=https://www.trustforlondon.org.uk/data/londons-population-age/ |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702033916/https://www.trustforlondon.org.uk/data/population-age-groups/ |archive-date=2 July 2020 |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=Trust for London}}</ref> In the 2021 census, 3,575,739 people (40.6%) of London's population were foreign-born.<ref name="Census2021">{{cite news |title=International migration, England and Wales: Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/internationalmigrationenglandandwales/census2021#:~:text=London%20has%20remained%20the%20region,had%20a%20non%2DUK%20passport |access-date=3 December 2022 |publisher=ONS}}</ref> About 56.8 per cent of children born in London in 2021 were born to a mother who was born abroad.<ref name=":4">{{cite web |title=Parents' country of birth - Office for National Statistics |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/datasets/parentscountryofbirth |access-date=14 January 2024 |website=ons.gov.uk}}</ref>

===Ethnicity===

{{multiple image | caption_align = center | header_align = center | align = center | direction = horizontal | width = 200 | header = Maps of Greater London showing percentage distribution of selected ethnic groups according to the 2001-21 Census | image1 = White percentage of London from 2001 to 2021.gif | alt1 = White | caption1 = White (53.8%, 2021) | image2 = Asian percentage of London from 2001 to 2021.gif | alt2 = Asian | caption2 = Asian (20.8%, 2021) | image3 = Black percentage of London from 2001 to 2021.gif | alt3 = Black | caption3 = Black (13.5%, 2021) }}

The 2021 census reported that 53.8% of the 8,173,941 inhabitants of London were White. 22.2% of Londoners were of Asian or mixed-Asian descent, with 20.8% of full Asian descent and 1.4% of mixed-Asian heritage. Indians accounted for 7.5% of the population, followed by Bangladeshis and Pakistanis at 3.7% and 3.3% respectively. 15.9% of London's population were of Black or mixed-Black descent.<ref name=":5">{{cite web |title=Ethnic group - Office for National Statistics |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS021/editions/2021/versions/1/filter-outputs/d2f0a39a-75b6-4995-b4bd-a5b68ff79027#get-data |access-date=5 December 2022 |website=Ons.gov.uk}}</ref> As of 2021, the majority of London's school pupils come from ethnic minority backgrounds, with only 23.9% White British.<ref>{{cite web |title=Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2022/23 |url=https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics |access-date=14 January 2024 |website=explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk}}</ref> A 2005 survey claimed that more than 300 languages were spoken in London and more than 50 non-indigenous communities had populations of more than 10,000.<ref name="london_090">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/jan/21/britishidentity1 |title=Every race, colour, nation and religion on earth |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=6 May 2008 |first=Leo |last=Benedictus |date=21 January 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501134732/http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/jan/21/britishidentity1 |archive-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> At the 2021 census, 78.4% of Londoners spoke English as their first language. The 5 biggest languages outside English were Romanian, Spanish, Polish, Bengali and Portuguese.<ref name=":8">{{cite web |title=Main language - Office for National Statistics |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/create/filter-outputs/bd973425-a3bd-4610-92b4-e8d77e908654 |access-date=14 January 2024 |website=ons.gov.uk}}</ref>

===Religion===

According to the 2021 Census, the largest religious groupings were Christians (40.66%), followed by those of no religion (20.7%), Muslims (15%), no response (8.5%), Hindus (5.15%), Jews (1.65%), Sikhs (1.64%), Buddhists (1.0%) and other (0.8%).<ref name=census2021>{{cite web|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS030/editions/2021/versions/1/filter-outputs/8f748994-2bd6-407c-b7f8-7f9d7fafbe6f| title=Religion |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=30 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-286262 |title=2011 Census, Key Statistics for Local Authorities in England and Wales |publisher=Office for National Statistics |date=11 December 2012 |access-date=4 May 2013}}</ref> London has traditionally been Christian, with many churches, particularly in the City of London. St Paul's Cathedral in the City and Southwark Cathedral south of the river are Anglican administrative centres,<ref name="london_096">{{cite web |date=7 April 2008 |title=About Saint Paul's |url= http://www.stpauls.co.uk/page.aspx?theLang=001lngdef&pointerid=97320F44yHMK9hndcXZBD5sVH4m52Yc0 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080407082352/http://www.stpauls.co.uk/page.aspx?theLang=001lngdef&pointerid=97320F44yHMK9hndcXZBD5sVH4m52Yc0 |archive-date=7 April 2008 |access-date=25 March 2021 |publisher=Dean and Chapter St Paul's}}</ref> while the Archbishop of Canterbury's main residence is Lambeth Palace.<ref name="london_097">{{cite web |title=Lambeth Palace Library |url=http://www.lambethpalacelibrary.org/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110430174131/http://www.lambethpalacelibrary.org/ |archive-date=30 April 2011 |access-date=27 April 2008 |website=Lambeth Palace Library}}</ref> National and royal ceremonies are shared between St Paul's and Westminster Abbey.<ref name=london_098>{{cite web |url= http://www.westminster-abbey.org/ |title=Westminster Abbey |publisher=Dean and Chapter of Westminster |access-date=27 April 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110505083817/http://www.westminster-abbey.org/ |archive-date=5 May 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Westminster Cathedral is the largest Roman Catholic cathedral in England and Wales.<ref name=london_099>{{cite web |url= http://www.westminstercathedral.org.uk/home.html |title=Westminster Cathedral |publisher=Westminster Cathedral |access-date=27 April 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080327041736/http://www.westminstercathedral.org.uk/home.html |archive-date=27 March 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> There are large Bengali Muslim communities in the eastern boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Newham.<ref>{{cite web |date=13 February 2003 |title=Census 2001 Key Statistics, Local Authorities in England and Wales |publisher= Office for National Statistics |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm:77-211026 |url-status=live |access-date=25 March 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150825013919/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm:77-211026 |archive-date=25 August 2015}}</ref> Harrow and Brent have large Hindu communities, the latter hosting a large Hindu temple.<ref name=london_103>{{cite web |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/05/19/hindu_london_feature.shtml |title=Hindu London |date=6 June 2005 |work=BBC London |access-date=3 June 2006 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060218161357/http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/05/19/hindu_london_feature.shtml |archive-date=18 February 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> London is home to 44 Hindu temples. Southall is home to a Sikh community and the largest Sikh temple outside India.<ref name=london_104>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2898761.stm |title=£17 m Sikh temple opens |date=30 March 2003 |work=BBC News |access-date=7 June 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071003094649/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2898761.stm |archive-date=3 October 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> Most British Jews live in North London, especially in and around Golders Green. Opened in 1701, Bevis Marks Synagogue in the City of London is affiliated to London's historic Sephardic Jewish community. It is the oldest continually active synagogue in Europe.<ref>{{cite news |title=London rejects 48-story skyscraper threatening UK's oldest synagogue |url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/london-rejects-48-story-skyscraper-threatening-uks-oldest-synagogue-684740 |access-date=22 June 2025 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post}}</ref> Stanmore and Canons Park Synagogue has the largest membership of any Orthodox synagogue in Europe.<ref name=london_106>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Israel/Partnerships/Regions/Kavimut/Britain+Communities/Stanmore+11.htm |publisher=The Jewish Agency for Israel |title=Stanmore |access-date=12 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426075317/http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Israel/Partnerships/Regions/Kavimut/Britain+Communities/Stanmore+11.htm |archive-date=26 April 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Accents===

[[File:St Mary-le-Bow - geograph.org.uk - 3756403.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|Traditionally, anyone born within earshot of the bells of St Mary-le-Bow church was considered to be a true Cockney.<ref>{{cite news |title=London noise 'mutes Bow Bells to endanger Cockneys' |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18570802 |access-date=7 August 2023 |publisher=BBC News}}</ref>]]

Cockney is an accent heard across London, mainly spoken by working-class and lower-middle-class people of East London.<ref>{{cite web |date=17 August 2012 |title=Cockney |url= https://public.oed.com/blog/cockney/ |access-date=16 April 2021 |website=Oxford English Dictionary }}</ref> Estuary English is an intermediate accent between Cockney and Received Pronunciation,<ref>{{cite web |title=Estuary English Q and A – JCW |url= http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/estuary/ee-faqs-jcw.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100111062912/http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/estuary/ee-faqs-jcw.htm |archive-date=11 January 2010 |access-date=16 August 2010 |publisher=University College London}}</ref> widely spoken by people of all classes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Estuary English |url=https://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/estuary/ |access-date=16 April 2021 |publisher=University College London}}</ref> Multicultural London English is a multiethnolect in multicultural areas amongst young, working-class people from diverse backgrounds, especially Afro-Caribbean and South Asian, with Cockney influence.<ref>{{cite web |title=What is MLE? – Language and Linguistic Science |url= https://www.york.ac.uk/language/research/projects/mle/what-is-mle/ |access-date=16 April 2021 |publisher=University of York}}</ref> Received Pronunciation is the accent regarded as standard for British English.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wells |first1=John |title= Longman Pronunciation Dictionary |date=2008 |publisher=Longman |isbn=978-1-4058-8118-0 |edition=3rd |page=xix, para 2.1}}</ref> It is mainly spoken by upper-class and upper-middle class Londoners.<ref>{{cite web |title=Received Pronunciation |url=https://www.bl.uk/british-accents-and-dialects/themes/received-pronunciation |access-date=16 April 2021 |website=The British Library |archive-date=28 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728213418/https://www.bl.uk/british-accents-and-dialects/themes/received-pronunciation |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Economy==

London's gross regional product in 2023 was £{{FXConvert|GBR|617.915|b|lk=on}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Regional gross domestic product: all ITL regions |date=24 April 2024 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/datasets/regionalgrossdomesticproductallnutslevelregions |access-date=15 May 2024 |website=Office for National Statistics}}</ref> or around a quarter of UK GDP.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/bulletins/regionaleconomicactivitybygrossdomesticproductuk/1998to2019/pdf |title=Regional economic activity by gross domestic product, UK: 1998 to 2019, UK- Office for National Statistics |first=Trevor |last=Fenton |website=ons.gov.uk}}</ref> London has five major business districts: the City, Westminster, Canary Wharf, Camden & Islington, and Lambeth & Southwark. Greater London had 27 million m2 of office space in 2001, and the City contains the most space, with 8 million m2 of office space. London has some of the highest real estate prices in the world.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Greg |first1=Clark |title=The Making of a World City London 1991 to 2021 |date=2014 |publisher=Wiley |page=141}}</ref>

===Finance=== London's finance industry is based in the City of London and Canary Wharf, the two major business districts. London took over as a major financial centre shortly after 1795 when the Dutch Republic collapsed before the Napoleonic armies. This caused many bankers established in Amsterdam to move to London. London's market-centred system grew more dominant in the 18th century.<ref name='Finance Hub'/> This economic strength of the city was attributed to its diversity.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bartleby.com/34/2/6.html|title=Letter VI – On the Presbyterians. Letters on the English |last=Voltaire |first=François Marie Arouet de.|date=1909–1914|website=Bartleby.com|publisher=The Harvard Classics |orig-year=1734 |access-date=22 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Origin of Religious Tolerance: Voltaire |url=https://www.independent.org/news/article.asp?id=2095 |access-date=28 June 2023 |work=Independent Institute}}</ref> By the mid-19th century, London was the leading global financial centre; at the end of the century, over half the world's trade was financed in British currency.<ref>{{cite news |title=London - Finance |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/London/Finance |access-date=4 July 2022 |work=Encyclopaedia Britannica}}</ref> {{As of|2023|lc=n}}, London ranks second in the world rankings on the Global Financial Centres Index<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wee |first1=Denise |title=Singapore Overtakes Hong Kong in World Financial Centers Ranking|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-23/singapore-overtakes-hong-kong-in-world-financial-centers-ranking|access-date=26 July 2024|work=www.bloomberg.com}}</ref> and ranked second in A.T. Kearney's 2018 Global Cities Index.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hales |first1=Mike |last2=Mendoza Peña |first2=Andrés |last3=Peterson |first3=Erik R.|last4=Dessibourg |first4=Nicole |title=2018 Global Cities Report – Learning from the East: Insights from China's Urban Success|url=https://atkearney.com/2018-global-cities-report |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620232225/https://www.atkearney.com/2018-global-cities-report |archive-date=20 June 2018 |access-date=20 June 2018 |website=A.T. Kearney}}</ref>

Finance is London's largest industry; its financial exports make it a large contributor to the UK's balance of payments. It is the world's biggest currency trading centre, accounting for some 37% of the $5.1 trillion average daily volume.<ref>{{cite news |date=18 September 2016 |title=London's core role in euros under spotlight after Brexit vote |work=Reuters |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-global-markets-bis-britain-idUKKCN11O0C4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918105609/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-global-markets-bis-britain-idUKKCN11O0C4 |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 September 2016 |access-date=28 March 2021}}</ref> The City of London is home to the Bank of England, the London Stock Exchange, and Lloyd's of London insurance market.<ref>{{cite book|last=Mantle|first=Jonathan|title=For Whom the Bell Tolls|url=https://archive.org/details/forwhombelltolls0000mant|url-access=registration|year=1992|publisher=Sinclair-Stevenson |location=London |isbn=978-1856191524 }}</ref> Over half the UK's top 100 listed companies (the FTSE 100) and over 100 of Europe's 500 largest companies have their headquarters in central London. Over 70% of the FTSE 100 are within London's metropolitan area, and 75% of Fortune 500 companies have offices in London.<ref name="london_113">{{cite web|date=9 June 2009|title=London Stock Exchange|url=http://www.londonstockexchange.com/en-gb/|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090609022757/http://www.londonstockexchange.com/en-gb/|archive-date=9 June 2009|access-date=27 April 2008 |website=London Stock Exchange}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=170 heights=170> File:City_of_London_skyscrapers_HDR_-_2023-03-18.jpg|The City of London, one of the largest financial centres in the world File:Paternoster Square.jpg|The London Stock Exchange at Paternoster Square and Temple Bar File:London.bankofengland.arp.jpg|The Bank of England, established in 1694, is the model on which most modern central banks are based.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bank of England |url=https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/economics/what-is-bank-of-england-boe/ |access-date=2 May 2024 |agency=Corporate Finance Institute}}</ref> </gallery>

===Media and technology===

[[File:Broadcasting House 20160816.jpg|thumb|upright|Broadcasting House, headquarters of the BBC]] Media companies are concentrated in London, and the media distribution industry is London's second most competitive sector.<ref name="london_114">{{cite web |url= http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/2CAE66FB-2DD5-41A5-B916-8FFC37276059/0/BC_RS_lpuk_0511_FR.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060525075622/http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/2CAE66FB-2DD5-41A5-B916-8FFC37276059/0/BC_RS_lpuk_0511_FR.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 May 2006 |title=London's Place in the UK Economy, 2005–6 |date=November 2005 |website=Oxford Economic Forecasting on behalf of the Corporation of London |page=19 |access-date=19 June 2006}}</ref> The BBC, the world's oldest national broadcaster, is a significant employer, while broadcasters including ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky have headquarters around the city. Many national newspapers are edited in London; the term Fleet Street (where most national newspapers operated) remains a metonym for the British national press.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Solesbury |first1=William |title=World Cities, City Worlds |date=2018 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |page=5}}</ref>

A large number of technology companies are based in London, notably in East London Tech City, known as Silicon Roundabout.<ref>{{cite press release |date=10 June 2013 |title=London gets go ahead for new '.london' internet domain |url= http://www.londonandpartners.com/media-centre/press-releases/2013/130610-london-gets-go-ahead-for-new-london-internet-domain |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130614213446/http://www.londonandpartners.com/media-centre/press-releases/2013/130610-london-gets-go-ahead-for-new-london-internet-domain |archive-date=14 June 2013 |access-date=28 March 2021 |publisher= London & Partners}}</ref> As of April 2025, London is the 3rd largest game development hub in the world after Los Angeles and San Francisco.<ref>{{cite web | last = Blake | first = Vikki | title = London is now the third-largest global hub for game makers after LA and San Francisco | website = GamesIndustry.biz | publisher = IGN Entertainment | date = 1 April 2025 | url = https://www.gamesindustry.biz/london-is-now-the-third-largest-global-hub-for-game-makers-after-la-and-san-francisco | access-date = 25 March 2026}}</ref> The gas and electricity distribution networks of towers, cables and pressure systems that deliver energy to consumers across the city are managed by National Grid plc, SGN<ref>{{cite web |title=Gas distributors |url= https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/gas/distribution-networks/gb-gas-distribution-network |publisher=Ofgem |access-date=19 January 2016 |date=20 June 2013 }}</ref> and UK Power Networks.<ref>{{cite web |title=Electricity distributor |url= http://www2.nationalgrid.com/uk/Our-company/electricity/Distribution-Network-Operator-Companies/ |publisher=National Grid |access-date=19 January 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140914184550/http://www2.nationalgrid.com/uk/Our-company/electricity/Distribution-Network-Operator-Companies/ |archive-date=14 September 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Tourism===

{{Multiple image | direction = vertical | image1 = British Museum from NE 2 (cropped).JPG | caption1 = The British Museum | image2 = Galería Nacional, Londres, Inglaterra, 2014-08-07, DD 036.JPG| | caption2 = The National Gallery }}

London is a leading tourist destination. In 2015, it was the top city in the world by visitor cross-border spending, estimated at US$20.23 billion.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hedrick-Wong |first1=Yuwa |last2=Choong |first2=Desmond |year=2015 |title=MasterCard – 2015 Global Destination Cities Index |url=https://newsroom.mastercard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MasterCard-GDCI-2015-Final-Report1.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303195105/https://newsroom.mastercard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MasterCard-GDCI-2015-Final-Report1.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=25 March 2021}}</ref> Tourism is one of London's prime industries, employing 700,000 full-time workers in 2016, and contributes £36 billion a year to the economy.<ref>{{cite web |year=2017 |title=A Tourism Vision for London |url=https://files.londonandpartners.com/l-and-p/assets/london_tourism_vision_aug_2017.pdf |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=London and Partners |pages=6–7}}</ref> The city accounts for 54% of all inbound visitor spending in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |date=22 April 2015 |title=VisitBritain |url=https://www.visitbritain.org/visitor-economy-facts |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150806112308/https://www.visitbritain.org/visitor-economy-facts |archive-date=6 August 2015 |access-date=25 March 2021}}</ref>

In 2024, nine of the ten most-visited attractions in the UK were in London. The most visited attraction was the British Museum at 6,479,952 visitors, followed by the Natural History Museum, Windsor Great Park, Tate Modern and the Southbank Centre.<ref>{{cite web |date=21 March 2025 |title=British Museum most visited UK attraction in 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c39v2ddn4p4o |access-date=3 November 2025 |website=BBC News}}</ref> The number of hotel rooms in London in 2023 stood at 155,700 and is expected to grow to 183,600 rooms, the most of any city outside China.<ref>{{cite news |title=London Poised to Take Hotel Crown From Las Vegas |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-26/what-city-has-the-most-hotel-rooms-london-to-pass-las-vegas-tokyo?embedded-checkout=true |access-date=7 April 2024 |work=Bloomberg}}</ref>

==Transport==

Transport is one of the four main areas of policy administered by the Mayor of London,<ref name=london_121>{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/ |title=Transport for London |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=27 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104235448/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/ |archive-date=4 January 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> but the mayor's financial control does not extend to the longer-distance rail network that enters London. In 2007, the Mayor of London assumed responsibility for some local lines, which now form the London Overground network, adding to the existing responsibility for the London Underground, trams and buses. The public transport network is administered by Transport for London (TfL).<ref name="london_goverance"/>

The lines that formed the London Underground, as well as trams and buses, became part of an integrated transport system in 1933 when the London Passenger Transport Board or ''London Transport'' was created. Transport for London is now the statutory corporation responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London, and is run by a board and a commissioner appointed by the Mayor of London.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/help/faq.jsp#transport |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019055413/http://www.london.gov.uk/help/faq.jsp |archive-date=19 October 2007 |title=How do I find out about transport in London? |publisher=Greater London Authority |access-date=5 June 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Aviation===

[[File:Heathrow Terminal 5C Iwelumo-1.jpg|thumb|Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in Europe as well as the second busiest in the world for international passenger traffic (Terminal 5C is pictured).]] London is a major international air transport hub with the busiest city airspace in the world.<ref name="Busiest skies"/> Eight airports use the word ''London'' in their name, but most traffic passes through six of these. Additionally, various other airports serve London, catering primarily to general aviation flights. * Heathrow Airport, in Hillingdon, West London, was for many years the busiest airport in the world for international traffic, and is the major hub of the nation's flag carrier, British Airways.<ref name="london_135">{{cite web|year=2020|title=Heathrow Airport Travel Report 2019|url=https://www.heathrow.com/content/dam/heathrow/web/common/documents/company/heathrow-2-0-sustainability/futher-reading/Heathrow-Airport-Travel-Report-2019.pdf|access-date=25 March 2021|website=Heathrow Airport|publisher=LHR Airports Limited|page=38}}</ref> In March 2008 its fifth terminal was opened.<ref name=london_137>{{cite web |url=http://www.heathrow-airport-uk.info/heathrow-airport-terminal-5.htm |title=Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 |publisher=TMC Ltd |access-date=27 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430195211/http://www.heathrow-airport-uk.info/heathrow-airport-terminal-5.htm |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> * Gatwick Airport, south of London in West Sussex, handles flights to more destinations than any other UK airport and is the main base of easyJet, the UK's largest airline by number of passengers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Airline Data Annual Reports 2017|url=https://www.caa.co.uk/Data-and-analysis/UK-aviation-market/Airlines/Datasets/UK-Airline-data/2017/Airline-data-annual-reports-2017/|access-date=25 March 2021|website=Civil Aviation Authority}}</ref> * London Stansted Airport, north-east of London in Essex, has flights that serve the greatest number of European destinations of any UK airport and is the main base of Ryanair, the world's largest international airline by number of international passengers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stanstedairport.com/about-us/london-stansted-airport-and-mag/facts-and-figures/ |title=Facts and Figures – Stansted Airport |website=stanstedairport.com}}</ref> * Luton Airport, to the north of London in Bedfordshire, is used by several budget airlines (especially easyJet and Wizz Air) for short-haul flights.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.london-luton.co.uk/en/ |title=London Luton Airport |year=1969 |publisher=London Luton Airport |access-date=27 April 2008 |isbn=978-0-11-510256-1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501023741/http://www.london-luton.co.uk/en |archive-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> * London City Airport, the most central airport and the one with the shortest runway, in Newham, East London, is focused on business travellers, with a mixture of full-service short-haul scheduled flights and considerable business jet traffic.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.londoncityairport.com/Default.aspx |title=London City Airport — Corporate Information |publisher=London City Airport Ltd. |access-date=6 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110423115236/http://www.londoncityairport.com/Default.aspx |archive-date=23 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> * London Southend Airport, east of London in Essex, is a smaller, regional airport that caters to short-haul flights on a limited, though growing, number of airlines.<ref>{{cite web |title=Londoners love our airport |date=18 May 2018 |first=Adam |last=Cornell |url-status=live |url=http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/16234556.Londoners_love_our_airport/?ref=rss |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612091241/http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/16234556.Londoners_love_our_airport/?ref=rss |archive-date=12 June 2019 |access-date=8 August 2019}}</ref> In 2017, international passengers made up over 95% of the total at Southend, the highest proportion of any London airport.<ref>{{cite web |year=2017 |title=Airport data 2017 – UK Civil Aviation Authority |url=http://www.caa.co.uk/Data-and-analysis/UK-aviation-market/Airports/Datasets/UK-Airport-data/Airport-data-2017/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226130311/https://www.caa.co.uk/Data-and-analysis/UK-aviation-market/Airports/Datasets/UK-Airport-data/Airport-data-2017/ |archive-date=26 February 2021 |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=Civil Aviation Authority}}</ref>

===Rail===

Opened in 1863, the London Underground ("the Tube") is the oldest and third-longest metro system in the world.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20641351 |title=Oyster card celebrates 150th Tube anniversary |work=BBC News |date=10 December 2012 |access-date=10 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.citymetric.com/transport/what-largest-metro-system-world-1361 |title=What is the largest metro system in the world? |date=5 September 2015 |work=City Metric |access-date=12 June 2018 |location=London |archive-date=12 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612085224/https://www.citymetric.com/transport/what-largest-metro-system-world-1361 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The system serves 272 stations, and was formed from several private companies, including the world's first underground railway, which opened in 1890.<ref>{{cite news |title=A brief history of the Underground |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/culture-and-heritage/londons-transport-a-history/london-underground/a-brief-history-of-the-underground |access-date=23 January 2023 |publisher=Transport for London}}</ref> Over 4 million journeys are made every day on the Underground network.<ref name=london_124>{{cite press release |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/static/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/7103.html |title=Tube breaks record for passenger numbers |publisher=Transport for London |date=27 December 2007 |access-date=5 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427025251/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/static/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/7103.html |archive-date=27 April 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Docklands Light Railway, opened in 1987, is a local metro system serving the Docklands and Southeast London.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/culture-and-heritage/londons-transport-a-history/dlr |title= London's transport - a history: Docklands Light Railway (DLR) |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=17 November 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140615201803/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/culture-and-heritage/londons-transport-a-history/dlr |archive-date=15 June 2014 }}</ref>

There are 368 railway stations in the London fare zones on an extensive above-ground suburban railway network, especially in South London. Most rail lines run into the city centre's main stations.<ref name="london_127">{{cite web |url=http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/Main.php?sEvent=HomePage |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130091433/http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/Main.php?sEvent=HomePage |archive-date=30 January 2010 |title=First Capital Connect |publisher=First Capital Connect |access-date=27 April 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> London has Britain's busiest station by number of passengers, Waterloo, with over 184 million people annually.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1529 |title=Rail Station Usage |publisher=Office of Rail Regulation |access-date=24 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705115621/http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1529 |archive-date=5 July 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> {{rws|Clapham Junction}} is one of Europe's busiest rail interchanges.<ref>{{cite news |title=Council looks at extension of London Underground's Northern line to Clapham Junction |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-underground-northern-line-clapham-junction-wandsworth-borough-council-b1056869.html |access-date=15 April 2023 |work=Evening Standard}}</ref> The east–west Elizabeth line opened in May 2022.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/crossrail-elizabeth-line-opening-date-announced-may-24-london-tube-tfl-transport-for-london-b997837.html |title=Crossrail opening date finally announced |date=4 May 2022 |access-date=4 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |year=2021 |title=Regional Map |url=http://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/maps/regional-map |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024104105/http://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/maps/regional-map |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 October 2010 |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=Crossrail }}</ref> It was Europe's biggest construction project, with a £15 billion projected cost.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lister |first=Richard |date=2 January 2012 |title=Crossrail's giant tunnelling machines unveiled |work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-16289051 |access-date=27 March 2021}}</ref>

70% of National Rail journeys start or end in London.<ref>{{cite web |year=2014 |title=Rail |url=http://londonfirst.co.uk/our-focus/londons-transport-infrastructure/rail/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407083946/http://londonfirst.co.uk/our-focus/londons-transport-infrastructure/rail/ |archive-date=7 April 2014 |access-date=5 April 2014 |website=London First}}</ref> King's Cross station and Euston station, both in London, are the starting points of the East Coast Main Line and the West Coast Main Line.<ref>{{cite web |last=Smithers |first=Andrew |date=8 December 2020 |title=Great Britain National Rail Train Operators |url=https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/TOCs%20AS%20v46%20Dec%202020.pdf |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=National Rail |archive-date=23 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423051734/https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/TOCs%20AS%20v46%20Dec%202020.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''The Flying Scotsman'' express has operated between London and Edinburgh since 1862.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Flying Scotsman: How the first 100mph locomotive became the most famous train in the world |url=https://www.countrylife.co.uk/out-and-about/the-flying-scotsman-how-the-first-100mph-locomotive-became-the-most-famous-train-in-the-world-252287|access-date=22 April 2023 |magazine=Country Life}}</ref> The opening of the Channel Tunnel in 1994 connected London directly to the continental rail network, allowing Eurostar services to begin. Since 2007, high-speed trains link St. Pancras International with European tourist destinations via the High Speed 1 rail link and the Channel Tunnel.<ref>{{cite web |date=14 November 2007 |title=Eurostar arrives in Paris on time |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7093761.stm |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=BBC News}}</ref> The first high-speed domestic trains started in June 2009, linking Kent to London.<ref name="Southeastern Highspeed">{{cite web |url=http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/highspeed/ |title=Highspeed |publisher=Southeastern |access-date=5 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501110057/http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/highspeed/ |archive-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> There are plans for a second high speed line linking London to the Midlands, North West England, and Yorkshire.<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|date=11 February 2021|title=Phase 2a Act to bring HS2 to the north|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/phase-2a-act-to-bring-hs2-to-the-north|access-date=28 July 2022|website=gov.uk}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=160 heights=160> File:Baker Street tube station MMB 19 S Stock.jpg|The London Underground, opened in January 1863, is the world's oldest and third-longest rapid transit system. File:Monument Underground Station - geograph.org.uk - 5468795.jpg|The London Underground's roundel symbol appeared in 1917. File:St Pancras Railway Station 2012-06-23.jpg|St Pancras International is the main terminal for high-speed Eurostar and High Speed 1 services. </gallery>

===Buses, coaches and trams===

{{multiple image | footer = The New Routemaster is the spiritual successor to the AEC Routemaster. First appearing in 1947, the red double-decker bus is an emblematic symbol of London. | align = right | width = | image1 = LTZ1423-15-20240430-193650.jpg | width1 = 250 | image2 = East London Routemaster bus RM2050 (ALM 50B) heritage route 15 St Pauls 5 December 2005.jpg | width2 = 138 }}

London's bus network runs 24 hours a day with about 9,300 vehicles, over 675 bus routes and about 19,000 bus stops.<ref>{{cite web |title=What we do – Buses |url= http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/what-we-do/buses |publisher= Transport for London |access-date=5 April 2014}}</ref> In 2019, the network had over 2 billion commuter trips per year.<ref>{{cite web |date=28 October 2020 |title=Annual bus statistics: England 2019/20 |url= https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/929992/annual-bus-statistics-year-ending-march-2020.pdf |access-date=25 March 2021 |publisher=Department for Transport |page=2}}</ref> Since 2010 an average of £1.2 billion is taken in revenue each year.<ref>{{cite web |date=24 March 2021 |title=Government support for the bus industry and concessionary travel (England) (BUS05) |url= https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/bus05-subsidies-and-concessions |access-date=26 March 2021 |website=GOV.UK |type=BUS0501: Operating revenue for local bus services by revenue type, by metropolitan area status: England (ODS, 34.7KB)}}</ref> London has one of the largest wheelchair-accessible networks in the world,<ref name="london_131">{{cite web |date=20 June 2017 |title=Most Accessible Cities Around The World |url= https://www.sunrisemedical.com.au/blog/world-accessible-cities |access-date=26 March 2021 |website=Sunrise Medical}}</ref> which, from 2009, became more accessible to hearing and visually impaired passengers as audio-visual announcements were introduced.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ten years of TfL's iBus has given greater independence to customers with hearing or visual impairments |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2019/april/ten-years-of-tfl-s-ibus-has-given-greater-independence-to-customers-with-hearing-or-visual-impairments |access-date=16 August 2025 |publisher=Transport for London}}</ref> An emblem of London, the red double-decker bus first appeared in the city in 1947 with the AEC Regent III RT (predecessor to the AEC Routemaster).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Blake |first1=Jim |title=London Transport Buses in the 1960s |date=2022 |publisher=Pen & Sword Books |page=9}}</ref> London's coach hub is Victoria Coach Station, opened in 1932. Nationalised in 1970 and then purchased by London Transport (now Transport for London), Victoria Coach Station has over 14 million passengers a year and provides services across the UK and continental Europe.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Victoria Coach Station to remain major coach hub |url= https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2019/august/victoria-coach-station-to-remain-major-coach-hub |date=23 August 2019 |access-date=11 June 2022 |publisher= Transport for London}}</ref> A modern tram network, Tramlink, serves South London.<ref>{{cite web |date=25 June 2008 |title=Statement of Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2008 |url= https://content.tfl.gov.uk/6-Statement-of-Acounts-2008.pdf |access-date=26 March 2021 |publisher= Transport for London |page=67}}</ref>

===Cars===

[[File:16-11-16-Glasgow street scene-RR2 7280 (cropped).jpg|thumb|The hackney carriage (black cab) is a common sight on London streets. Black has been its standard colour since the Austin FX3 model in 1948.]]

Car travel is common in the suburbs. The inner ring road, the North and South Circular roads (just within the suburbs), and the outer orbital motorway (the M25, just outside the built-up area in most places) encircle the city and are intersected by busy radial routes, but few motorways penetrate into inner London. The M25 is the second-longest ring-road motorway in Europe at {{convert|117|mi|adj=off}} long.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Highways Agency |date=25 June 2018 |url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/our-road-network/our-network/key-roads/m25/ |access-date=25 June 2018 |title=M25 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180626030215/http://www.highways.gov.uk/our-road-network/our-network/key-roads/m25/ |archive-date= 26 June 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The A1 and M1 connect London to Leeds, and Newcastle and Edinburgh.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/roadlists/f99/1.shtml|title=SABRE - Road Lists - The First 99 - A1|website=Sabre-roads.org.uk|access-date=14 June 2023|archive-date=15 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115121242/https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/roadlists/f99/1.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Austin Motor Company began making hackney carriages (London taxis) in 1929; the black cabs have become part of the city's tradition.<ref name="London traditions"/> Although traditionally black, some are painted in other colours or bear advertising.<ref>{{cite news |title=THE RULES: Why can London taxis choose to display advertising livery, but minicabs can't? |url=https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/the-rules-why-can-london-taxis-choose-to-display-advertising-livery-but-minicabs-can-t |access-date=18 May 2024 |agency=Taxi point}}</ref>

London is notorious for traffic congestion; in 2009, the average rush hour speed was {{convert|10.6|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mulholland |first1=Hélène |title=Boris Johnson mulls 'intelligent' congestion charge system for London |url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/mar/16/boris-johnson-congestion-charge |work=The Guardian |location= London |date=16 March 2009}}</ref> In 2003, a congestion charge was introduced to reduce traffic volumes in the city centre.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://theconversation.com/london-congestion-charge-what-worked-what-didnt-what-next-92478 |title=London congestion charge: what worked, what didn't, what next |last=Badstuber |first=Nicole |website=The Conversation |date=2 March 2018 |access-date=28 April 2020}}</ref> Residents of the defined zone can buy a cheaper season pass.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/projects/congestion/ |title=Central London Congestion Charging, England |website=Verdict Traffic |access-date=28 April 2020 |archive-date=19 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519182110/https://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/projects/congestion/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The average number of cars entering the centre of London on a weekday was reduced from 195,000 to 125,000.<ref>Table 3 in Santos, Georgina; Button, Kenneth; Noll, Roger G. "London Congestion Charging/Comments." Brookings-Wharton Papers on Urban Affairs.15287084 (2008): 177,177–234.</ref> Zebra crossings, the world's first marked pedestrian crossings, appeared across London in 1951.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Short History of the Crosswalk|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/short-history-crosswalk-180965339/|access-date=22 June 2025|work=Smithsonian}}</ref> Low Traffic Neighbourhoods were introduced in 2020.<ref>{{cite news |last=Walker |first=Peter |title=Health gains of low-traffic schemes up to 100 times greater than costs, study finds |url= https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/mar/08/health-gains-of-low-traffic-schemes-up-to-100-times-greater-than-costs-study-finds |access-date=10 March 2024 |work=The Guardian |location= London |date=8 March 2024}}</ref>

===Other modes===

[[File:Belgrave Road, Victoria, London - Boris Bikes - Santander Cycles by Elliott Brown.jpg|thumb|Santander Cycle Hire, near Victoria in Central London]]

London's only cable car is the London Cable Car, which opened in June 2012. The cable car crosses the Thames and links Greenwich Peninsula with the Royal Docks in the east of the city. It is able to carry up to 2,500 passengers per hour in each direction at peak times.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18619936 |work=BBC News |title=Thames cable car opens for passengers|date=28 June 2012|access-date=2 July 2023}}</ref> In the Greater London Area, around 670,000 people use a bicycle every day,<ref>{{cite web |year=2016 |title=Travel in London Report 9 |url=http://content.tfl.gov.uk/travel-in-london-report-9.pdf |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=Transport for London|page=143}}</ref> meaning around 7% of the total population of around 8.8 million use a bike on an average day.<ref>{{cite web |title=United Kingdom: Greater London: Boroughs – Population Statistics, Charts and Map |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/greaterlondon/ |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=citypopulation.de}}</ref>

The Port of London, once the largest in the world, is now only the second-largest in the United Kingdom, handling 45 million tonnes of cargo each year as of 2009. Most of this cargo passes through the Port of Tilbury, outside the boundary of Greater London.<ref name="handling">{{cite web |date=10 June 2010 |title=Provisional Port Statistics 2009 |url=http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/maritime/ports/provportstats2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110203090417/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/maritime/ports/provportstats2009 |archive-date=3 February 2011 |access-date=26 April 2011 |website=Department for Transport }}</ref> London has river boat services on the Thames known as Thames Clippers, which offer both commuter and tourist boat services.<ref>{{cite book |last=Steves |first=Rick|title=Rick Steves England |date=17 March 2020 |publisher=Avalon Publishing |isbn=978-1-64171-237-8}}</ref> At major piers including Canary Wharf, London Bridge City, Battersea Power Station and London Eye (Waterloo), services depart at least every 20 minutes during commuter times.<ref>{{cite web |year=2021 |title=Commute Through London – Uber Boat by Thames Clippers |url=https://www.thamesclippers.com/commuters/commute-by-river |access-date=26 March 2021 |website=thamesclippers.com}}</ref> The Woolwich Ferry, with 2.5 million passengers every year, is a frequent service linking the North and South Circular Roads.<ref>{{cite web |date=16 April 2013 |title=Woolwich Ferries celebrate 50 years of service |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/27762.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922034512/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/27762.aspx |archive-date=22 September 2013 |access-date=26 March 2021 |website=TfL}}</ref>

==Education==

===Tertiary education===

{{See also|List of universities and higher education colleges in London}}

London is a major global centre of higher education, teaching and research and has the largest concentration of higher education institutes in Europe.<ref name="london2"/> According to the QS World University Rankings 2015/16, London has the greatest concentration of top class universities in the world<ref>{{cite web |date=11 September 2015 |title=QS World University Rankings® 2015/16 |url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2015#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914234029/https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2015#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search= |archive-date=14 September 2015 |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=Top Universities}}</ref> and its international student population of around 110,000 is larger than any other city in the world.<ref>{{cite web |last=Malthouse |first=Kit |date=1 January 1990 |title=Capital offer |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2013-14/world-ranking/analysis/capital-offer |access-date=27 March 2021|website=timeshighereducation.com}}</ref> In the 2022 ''QS World University Rankings'', Imperial College London is ranked No. 6 in the world, University College London (UCL) is ranked 8th, and King's College London (KCL) is ranked 37th.<ref>{{cite web |title=QS World University Rankings 2023: Top Global Universities |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2023 |access-date=19 September 2022 |website=Top Universities}}</ref> All are regularly ranked highly, with Imperial College being the UK's leading university in the Research Excellence Framework ranking 2021.<ref>{{cite web |date=12 May 2022 |title=REF 2021: Quality ratings hit new high in expanded assessment |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ref-2021-research-excellence-framework-results-announced |access-date=19 September 2022 |website=Times Higher Education }}</ref> The London School of Economics has been described as the world's leading social science institution for both teaching and research.<ref name="london_156">{{cite news |last=Hipwell |first=Deirdre |date=23 September 2007 |title=London School of Economics and Political Science |work=The Times |location=London |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/sunday_times_university_guide/article2496158.ece |url-status=dead |access-date=27 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202225123/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/sunday_times_university_guide/article2496158.ece |archive-date=2 December 2008}}</ref> The London Business School is one of the world's leading business schools.<ref name="ft">{{cite news |url=http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-rankings |title=FT Global MBA Rankings |work=Financial Times |access-date=25 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504135153/http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-rankings |archive-date=4 May 2011 |url-status=live |location=London}}</ref> The city is home to three of the world's top ten performing arts schools (as ranked by the 2020 QS World University Rankings<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2020/performing-arts |title=Performing Arts |date=25 February 2020 |website=Top Universities}}</ref>): the Royal College of Music (ranking 2nd in the world), the Royal Academy of Music (ranking 4th) and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (ranking 6th).<ref>{{cite news |title=2022 QS World University Rankings by Subject: Performing Arts |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2022/performing-arts |access-date=26 June 2022 |website=Top Universities.com}}</ref>

With {{HESA student population|INSTID=LON}} students in London and around 48,000 in University of London Worldwide,<ref name=External>{{cite web |url=https://london.ac.uk/sites/default/files/governance/university-of-london-financial-statement-2018-19.pdf |title=Financial Statements 2018–19 |publisher=University of London |access-date=1 March 2020 |page=8}}</ref> the federal University of London is the largest contact teaching university in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |year=2007|title=Table 0a – All Students by Institution, Mode of Study, Level of Study, Gender and Domicile 2005/06 |url=https://www.hesa.ac.uk/dox/dataTables/studentsAndQualifiers/download/institution0506.xls |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928044330/http://www.hesa.ac.uk/dox/dataTables/studentsAndQualifiers/download/institution0506.xls |archive-date=28 September 2007 |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=HESA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Member institutions |url=https://london.ac.uk/ways-study/study-campus-london/member-institutions |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=University of London}}</ref> London has multiple universities outside the University of London system.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/may/01/universityguide.highereducation42 |title=University of the Arts London |date=1 May 2008 |work=The Guardian |access-date=27 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501135123/http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/may/01/universityguide.highereducation42 |archive-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=live |location=London}}</ref>

London is home to five major medical schools and many affiliated teaching hospitals. It is a major centre for biomedical research, and three of the UK's eight academic health science centres are based in the city.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2008/aug/07/health.highereducation |title=NHS hospitals to forge £2bn research link-up with university |last=Carvel |first=John |date=7 August 2008 |work=The Guardian |access-date=6 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501140334/http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/aug/07/health.highereducation |archive-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=live |location=London}}</ref> Many biomedical and biotechnology spin out companies from these research institutions are based around the city, most prominently in White City. Founded by Florence Nightingale at St Thomas' Hospital in 1860, the first nursing school is now part of King's College London.<ref>{{cite news |title=Florence Nightingale: The Mother of Nursing |work=National Institutes of Health|year=2015 |pmc=4557413 |last1=Karimi |first1=H. |last2=Masoudi Alavi |first2=N. |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=e29475 |pmid=26339672 }}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=160 heights=160> File:University College London -quadrant-11Sept2006 (1).jpg|University College London (UCL) was established by Royal Charter in 1836. File:Imperial College London down Exhibition Road.jpg|Imperial College London, a technical research university File:Centre Building, LSE from LSE Square.jpg|The London School of Economics was established in 1895. File:KCL Guys Campus1.jpg|King's College London's Guy's Campus, home to its faculty of medicine File:Royal Academy of Dramatic Art - geograph.org.uk - 2492593.jpg|RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) opened in 1904. </gallery>

===Primary and secondary education===

The majority of primary and secondary schools and further-education colleges in London are controlled by the London boroughs or otherwise state-funded. Private schools and colleges in London include City of London School, Harrow, St Paul's School, University College School, The John Lyon School, Highgate School and Westminster School.<ref>{{cite news |title=Schools: Harrow School |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol1/pp299-302 |access-date=2 May 2024 |publisher=BHO}}</ref>

===Royal Observatory, Greenwich and learned societies=== [[File:Tourists taking pictures at Prime Meridian monument, Greenwich Observatory, London.jpg|thumb|upright=1|right|Tourists queuing to take pictures on the line of the historic prime meridian at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich ]]

Founded in 1675, the Royal Observatory, Greenwich was established to address the problem of calculating longitude for navigation. This work featured in astronomer royal Nevil Maskelyne's ''Nautical Almanac'' which made the Greenwich meridian the universal reference point, leading to the international adoption of Greenwich as the prime meridian (0° longitude) in 1884.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ridpath |first1=Ian |title=A Dictionary of Astronomy |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=198}}</ref>

Scientific learned societies based in London include the Royal Society - the UK's national academy of sciences and the oldest national scientific institution in the world - founded in 1660.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Royal Society|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Royal-Society|access-date=23 July 2022|last=Hunter|first=Michael}}</ref> Since 1825, scientists have presented their subjects to a general audience at the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of the Christmas Lectures |url=http://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/history|publisher=The Royal Institution|access-date=22 April 2015}}</ref> Other learned societies in include the Royal Society of Arts, the Royal Statistical Society and the Society of Antiquaries of London.

==Culture==

===Leisure and entertainment===

[[File:Notting_hill_carnival.jpg|thumb|upright|left|A scene of the annual Notting Hill Carnival, 2014]]

According to a 2003 report, London has a quarter of the UK's leisure economy.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mayor of London – Spending Time: Londons Leisure Economy |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/economic_unit/spending_time.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031219084151/http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/economic_unit/spending_time.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 December 2003 |website=london.gov.uk |access-date=30 September 2015}}</ref> The city is one of the four fashion capitals of the world, is the world's third-busiest film production centre, presents more live comedy than any other city,<ref>{{cite web |title=20 facts about London's culture |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/arts-culture/promoting-arts-culture/20-facts-about-london-s-culture |website=London.gov.uk |access-date=30 September 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001092404/https://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/arts-culture/promoting-arts-culture/20-facts-about-london-s-culture |archive-date=1 October 2015}}</ref> and has the biggest theatre audience of any city in the world.<ref>{{cite news |title=Study puts London ahead of New York as centre for theatre |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/54e31212-17f1-11e4-b842-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/54e31212-17f1-11e4-b842-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |newspaper=Financial Times |date=30 July 2014 |access-date=30 September 2015 |first=James |last=Pickford}}</ref> Alongside New York, London has been described as the cultural capital of the world.<ref>{{cite news |last=Calder |first=Simon |date=22 September 2007 |title=London, capital of the world |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/london-capital-of-the-world-766661.html |newspaper=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=17 December 2013 |title=London: a world city for culture and arts |url=https://www.anewdirection.org.uk/blog/london-a-world-city-for-culture-and-arts |website=A New Direction}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Teodorczuk |first=Tom |date=21 March 2007 |title=London is the world capital of the 21st century... says New York |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/london-is-the-world-capital-of-the-21st-century-says-new-york-7179018.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125224024/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23389580-london-is-the-world-capital-of-the-21st-century-says-new-york.do |archive-date=25 January 2012}}</ref>

The entertainment district of the West End has its focus around Leicester Square for film premieres, and Piccadilly Circus, with its giant electronic advertisements.<ref name="london_160">{{cite web |url=http://www.piccadillylights.co.uk/ |title=Piccadilly Lights |publisher=Land Securities |access-date=3 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426103109/http://www.piccadillylights.co.uk/ |archive-date=26 April 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> It contains London's theatre district and Chinatown district. Agatha Christie's ''The Mousetrap'', the world's longest-running play, has performed in the West End since 1952.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Mousetrap at 60: why is this the world's longest-running play? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/nov/20/mousetrap-60-years-agatha-christie |access-date=20 July 2022 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> Opera and ballet are performed at the Royal Opera House, the London Coliseum, Sadler's Wells Theatre and the Royal Albert Hall.<ref name="London's Concerts">{{cite web |url=http://www.yourlondon.gov.uk/visiting/topic.jsp?topicid=6482&search_title=Theatres+and+concert+halls |title=Theatres and concert halls |publisher=Your London |access-date=6 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080124185332/http://www.yourlondon.gov.uk/visiting/topic.jsp?topicid=6482&search_title=Theatres%2Band%2Bconcert%2Bhalls |archive-date=24 January 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> London was the centre of music halls such as the Hackney Empire.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Morrison |first1=Kevin A. |title=Encyclopedia of London's East End |date=2023 |publisher=McFarland |pages=97–98}}</ref>

[[File:Restaurante The Swan, Londres, Inglaterra, 2014-08-11, DD 113.jpg|thumb|Shakespeare's Globe is a modern reconstruction of the Globe Theatre on the south bank of the Thames.]]

Islington's {{convert|1|mi|km}} long Upper Street has more bars and restaurants than any other British street.<ref name=london_161>{{cite web |title=2001: Public houses |work=BBC History |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/local_history/city/street_03.shtml?publichouses |access-date=4 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430191354/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/local_history/city/street_03.shtml?publichouses |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Europe's busiest shopping area and England's longest shopping street is Oxford Street, nearly {{convert|1|mi|km}} long.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/londoner/06sep/p7a.jsp |publisher=The Londoner |title=Oxford Street gets its own dedicated local police team |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930204913/http://www.london.gov.uk/londoner/06sep/p7a.jsp |date=September 2006 |access-date=19 June 2007 |archive-date=30 September 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> One of the world's largest retail destinations, London ranks near the top of retail sales of any city.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/02/17/uk-retail-major-cities-idUKLNE71G00420110217 |title=London tops world cities spending league |access-date=29 April 2011 |work=Reuters |date=17 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220031529/http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/02/17/uk-retail-major-cities-idUKLNE71G00420110217 |archive-date=20 February 2011 |url-status=dead |first=Mark |last=Potter }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=London is world's shopping capital with £62billion sales |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/london-is-worlds-shopping-capital-with-ps62billion-sales-6568278.html |access-date=17 November 2023 |work=Evening Standard}}</ref> In 2017, London was ranked the top city for luxury store openings.<ref>{{cite news |title=London crowned top city for luxury store openings |url=https://uk.fashionnetwork.com/news/London-crowned-top-city-for-luxury-store-openings,1083671.html |access-date=17 November 2023 |work=Fashion Network}}</ref> London Fashion Week takes place in February and September.<ref>{{cite news |title=In Pictures: Top 10 Moments from London Fashion Week |url=https://www.ldnfashion.com/features/top-10-london-fashion-week-moments/ |access-date=18 December 2024 |work=LDN Fashion}}</ref>

Gastronomic centres include Brick Lane for Bangladeshi and Chinatown for Chinese food.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chinatownlondon.org/ |title=Chinatown — Official website |publisher=Chinatown London |access-date=27 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501115502/http://www.chinatownlondon.org/ |archive-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Sukhadwala |first=Sejal |title=How Long Have Londoners Been Eating Chinese Food For? |website=Londonist |date=12 April 2017 |url=https://londonist.com/london/how-london-got-a-taste-for-chinese-food |access-date=14 June 2020}}</ref> Around 1860, the first fish and chips shop in London opened in Bow.<ref name="London traditions">{{cite news |title=Chipping away at the history of fish and chips |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20130409-chipping-away-at-the-history-of-fish-and-chips |access-date=19 June 2022 |work=BBC}}</ref> Many cafes serve a full English breakfast all day.<ref>{{cite news |title=History Of The Traditional English Breakfast |url=https://englishbreakfastsociety.com/full-english-breakfast.html |access-date=23 July 2022 |work=English Breakfast Society}}</ref> London has five 3-Michelin star restaurants.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gordon Ramsay celebrates having three Michelin stars for 21 years |url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/gordon-ramsay-celebrates-having-three-26251935 |access-date=22 July 2022 |work=Daily Record}}</ref> Many hotels provide a traditional afternoon tea service.<ref>{{cite news |title=Afternoon Tea At Oscar Wilde's Favorite Bar |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanneshurvell/2017/11/29/afternoon-tea-at-oscar-wildes-favorite-bar/ |access-date=3 July 2022 |work=Forbes}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=17 themed afternoon teas perfect for Mother's Day |url=https://www.you.co.uk/themed-afternoon-teas/ |access-date=14 July 2022 |work=You}}</ref> The nation's most popular biscuit to dunk in tea, chocolate digestives, have been manufactured in Harlesden by McVitie's since 1925.<ref>{{cite news |title=Inside the Factory: BBC documentary goes behind the scenes of west London factory churning out 80 million biscuits a day |url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/inside-factory-bbc-documentary-goes-13415002 |access-date=20 August 2022 |work=My London}}</ref>

Annual events begin with the New Year's Day Parade and a fireworks display at the London Eye. The world's second largest street party, the Notting Hill Carnival, is held on the late August Bank Holiday each year. Traditional parades include November's Lord Mayor's Show celebrating the appointment of a new Lord Mayor, while June's Trooping the Colour, a formal military pageant and flypast, celebrates the King's Official Birthday.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4820.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620233221/http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4820.asp |archive-date=20 June 2008 |title=One Queen, Two Birthdays |publisher=Royal Government |access-date=27 September 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Boishakhi Mela, the largest open-air Asian festival in Europe, celebrates the Bengali New Year.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2018/05/celebrate-the-bengali-new-year-this-summer-in-tower-hamlets/ |publisher=East London Lines |last=Andreou |first=Roza |title=Celebrate the Bengali New Year this summer in Tower Hamlets |date=25 May 2018}}</ref> First held in 1862, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (run by the Royal Horticultural Society) takes place in May.<ref>{{cite news |title=RHS Chelsea Flower Show |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/04_april/17/chelseapack.pdf |access-date=7 July 2022 |work=BBC}}</ref>

===LGBTQ scene===

[[File:Comptons-Of-Soho.jpg|thumb|upright|Comptons of Soho during London Pride in 2010]]

The first gay bar in London in the modern sense was The Cave of the Golden Calf, established as a nightclub in an underground location at 9 Heddon Street, just off Regent Street, in 1912 and "which developed a reputation for sexual freedom and tolerance of same-sex relations".<ref>{{cite book|title=London and the Culture of Homosexuality, 1885–1914 (Cambridge Studies in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture)|author=Matt Cook|isbn=978-0521089807|date=6 November 2008|publisher=Cambridge University Press |url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/londoncultureofh00matt|page=120}}</ref> While London has been an LGBT tourism destination, after homosexuality was decriminalised in England in 1967 gay bar culture became more visible, and from the early 1970s Soho (and in particular Old Compton Street) became the centre of the London LGBTQ community.<ref name="Olson">Olson, Donald. ''London for Dummies'' (Volume 136 of Dummies Travel). John Wiley & Sons, 2 February 2010. 6th Edition. {{ISBN|0470619651}}, 9780470619650. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=vrayaSsuQbUC&pg=PA67 67].</ref> London has been ranked among the world’s most LGBTQ-inclusive cities in global indices, and is part of a wider network of globally ranked cities that attract significant international LGBTQ tourism and host major pride events.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-01-24 |title=London ranked among top cities "fully open for business" on LGBT+ inclusivity and competitiveness |url=https://www.cityam.com/279373-london-ranked-among-top-cities-fully-open-business/ |access-date=2026-05-11 |website=City AM |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Masterson |first=Victoria |title=Which cities perform well for LGBTQ+ inclusion? |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/2022/07/lgbtq-2022-city-ratings/ |access-date=11 May 2026 |website=weforum.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tel Aviv Declared World's Best Gay Travel Destination |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/travel/2012-01-11/ty-article/tel-aviv-declared-worlds-best-gay-travel-destination/0000017f-df28-df9c-a17f-ff3837f60000 |access-date=11 May 2026 |website=haaretz.com}}</ref>

===Literature, film and television===

{{main|London in fiction|London in film|List of television shows set in London|London Television Archive}}

[[File:Sherlock Holmes Museum.jpg|left|thumb|Sherlock Holmes Museum in Baker Street, bearing the number 221B]]

London has been the setting for many works of literature. The pilgrims in Geoffrey Chaucer's late 14th-century ''Canterbury Tales'' set out for Canterbury from London. William Shakespeare spent a large part of his life living and working in London; his contemporary Ben Jonson was based there, and his play ''The Alchemist'' was set in the city.<ref name="London in Literature"/> ''A Journal of the Plague Year'' (1722) by Daniel Defoe is a fictionalisation of the events of the 1665 Great Plague.<ref name="London in Literature"/>

The literary centres of London were hilly Hampstead and Bloomsbury. Writers included the diarist Samuel Pepys, recording the Great Fire; Charles Dickens, describing foggy, grimy Victorian London; and the modernist Virginia Woolf.<ref name="London in Literature">{{cite web |url=http://www.brynmawr.edu/library/speccoll/guides/london/londoninliterature.shtml |title=London in Literature |publisher=Bryn Mawr College |access-date=6 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427043832/http://www.brynmawr.edu/library/speccoll/guides/london/londoninliterature.shtml |archive-date=27 April 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Letitia Elizabeth Landon wrote ''Calendar of the London Seasons'' in 1834,<ref>{{wikisource-inline|Calendar of the London Seasons/Calendar of the London Seasons|'Calendar of the London Seasons', by L. E. L.}}</ref> while Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the Sherlock Holmes stories.<ref name="London in Literature"/> Robert Louis Stevenson narrated the ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'', a gothic London novella.<ref>{{cite news |title=Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde |url=https://www.britishlibrary.cn/en/works/jekyllandhyde/ |access-date=15 June 2023 |publisher=British Library}}</ref> In 1898 H. G. Wells' science fiction novel ''The War of the Worlds'' sees London invaded by Martians.<ref>{{cite news |title=The War of the Worlds |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-War-of-the-Worlds-novel-by-Wells#ref343460 |access-date=2 August 2022 |work=Encyclopaedia Britannica}}</ref> In 1925, Winnie-the-Pooh debuted in London's ''Evening News''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Winnie-the-Pooh goes to Harrods in new authorised AA Milne prequel |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jul/23/winnie-the-pooh-goes-to-harrods-in-new-authorised-aa-milne-prequel |access-date=23 April 2023 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> In the 1940s, George Orwell wrote essays in the ''London Evening Standard'', including "The Moon Under Water" (an ideal pub).<ref>{{cite news |title=Orwell in the Evening Standard |url=https://orwellsociety.com/orwell-in-the-evening-standard/ |access-date=27 June 2022 |work=Orwell Society}}</ref> Wartime evacuation of children is depicted in C. S. Lewis's ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''. In 1958 Michael Bond created the refugee Paddington Bear.<ref>{{cite web|website=Paddington.com|url=http://www.paddington.com/global/about/timeline/|title=About|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817131744/http://paddington.com/global/about/timeline/|archive-date=17 August 2016}}</ref> Buckingham Palace appears in Roald Dahl's ''The BFG''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Quentin Blake's unpublished illustrations of The BFG - in pictures |url=https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/gallery/2016/jun/24/the-bfg-quentin-blake-roald-dahl |access-date=27 July 2024 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>

[[File:London July 2010 (4818942309).jpg|thumb|Opened in 1937, the Odeon cinema in Leicester Square hosts European and world film premieres.]]

London's film studios have produced many films including the ''James Bond'' and ''Harry Potter'' series.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Harry Potter economy |url=https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2009/12/17/the-harry-potter-economy |access-date=8 July 2022 |newspaper=The Economist}}</ref><ref name="filmlondon">{{cite web |url=http://filmlondon.org.uk/studio-contacts |title=Film London – studio contacts |website=Filmlondon.org.uk |access-date=27 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810011712/http://filmlondon.org.uk/studio-contacts |archive-date=10 August 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> A post-production community is centred in Soho, and London houses six of the world's largest visual effects companies, such as Framestore.<ref>{{cite news |title=The UK's VFX Industry: In Profile|url=https://www.ukscreenalliance.co.uk/subpages/the-uks-vfx-industry-in-profile/ |access-date=7 July 2022 |work=UK Screen Alliance}}</ref> The Imaginarium, a digital performance-capture studio, was founded by Andy Serkis.<ref>{{cite web |title=Who We Are |url=http://www.theimaginariumstudios.com/who-we-are |website=The Imaginarium Studios |access-date=5 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031092554/http://www.theimaginariumstudios.com/who-we-are |archive-date=31 October 2012}}</ref> London has been the setting for numerous films. The largest cinema chain in the country, Odeon Cinemas, was founded in London in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch.<ref>{{cite web |title=Feature: The legacy of Oscar Deutsch's cinemas|url=https://www.theguardian.com/arts/critic/feature/0,1169,717532,00.html |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=8 July 2022}}</ref> The BFI IMAX on the South Bank is the largest cinema screen in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/bfi-imax-operated-bfi |title=The UK's biggest screen, BFI IMAX, to be operated by the BFI |date=13 June 2022 |publisher=BFI |access-date=28 July 2024 }}</ref> The British Academy Film Awards have been held in London since 1949, with the BAFTA Fellowship the Academy's highest accolade.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://heritage.bafta.org/moment/1971/the-fellowship-baftas-top-prize/60 |publisher=BAFTA |access-date=19 June 2023 |title=The Fellowship: BAFTA's top prize |archive-date=13 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513071405/https://heritage.bafta.org/moment/1971/the-fellowship-baftas-top-prize/60 |url-status=live}}</ref> Founded in 1957, the BFI London Film Festival takes place over two weeks every October.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Variety|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/global/kate-winslet-saoirse-ronan-london-film-festival-1234748238/ |title=Saoirse Ronan, Kate Winslet Drama 'Ammonite' to Close BFI London Film Festival |date=26 August 2020 |access-date=8 July 2022}}</ref> London is home to several television production companies which produce several programmes.<ref>{{cite news |title=The scribbled note that changed TV |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/oct/26/x-factor-cowell-fuller |access-date=4 October 2019 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/spotlight/itv-simon-cowell-talks-strong-ties-with-brit-broadcaster-1201467913/ |title=ITV: Simon Cowell Talks Strong Ties With Brit Broadcaster |publisher=Variety |date=7 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Da Ali G Show (TV Series) |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-zteorv/da-ali-g-show/ |access-date=8 July 2022 |newspaper=Radio Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=EastEnders Episode 1, 19/02/1985 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b053l8b7 |access-date=28 June 2023 |agency=BBC}}</ref>

===Museums, art galleries and libraries===

[[File:Kensington Museums aerial 2011 b.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left|Aerial view of Albertopolis. The Albert Memorial, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Geographical Society, and Royal College of Art are near the top; V&A and Natural History Museum at the lower end; Imperial, Royal College of Music, and Science Museum in between.]]

London is home to many museums, galleries, and other institutions, many of which are free of admission charges and are major tourist attractions as well as playing a research role. The first to be established was the British Museum in Bloomsbury, in 1753.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Life and Curiosity of Hans Sloane|url=https://www.bl.uk/events/the-life-and-curiosity-of-hans-sloane|access-date=27 March 2021|website=The British Library|archive-date=19 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119150309/https://www.bl.uk/events/the-life-and-curiosity-of-hans-sloane|url-status=dead}}</ref> Originally containing antiquities, natural history specimens, and the national library, the museum now has 7 million artefacts from around the globe. In 1824 the National Gallery was founded to house the British national collection of Western paintings and is located in Trafalgar Square.<ref>{{citation |last= Liscombe |first= R. W.|year= 1980|title= William Wilkins, 1778–1839 |place= Cambridge |publisher= Cambridge University Press|pages=180–82 }}</ref>

The British Library is the second largest library in the world, and the UK's national library.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sen Nag |first=Oishimaya |date=5 March 2018 |title=The Largest Libraries In The World |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/5-largest-libraries-in-the-world.html |access-date=30 March 2021 |website=World Atlas-US}}</ref> Research libraries include the Wellcome Library and Dana Centre, as well as university libraries like the British Library of Political and Economic Science at LSE, the Abdus Salam Library at Imperial, the Maughan Library at King's, and the Senate House Libraries at the University of London.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bayley |first=Sian |date=21 February 2019 |title=Best libraries in London: The V&A, British Library, Wellcome Trust, BFI and more |work=Evening Standard |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/futurelondon/culturecity/best-libraries-in-london-wellcome-trust-british-library-canada-water-victoria-and-albert-guildhall-a4072696.html |access-date=26 March 2021}}</ref>

In the 19th century, South Kensington was developed as "Albertopolis", a cultural and scientific quarter. Three major national museums are there: the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. The National Portrait Gallery was founded in 1856 to house depictions of figures from British history; its holdings now comprise the world's most extensive collection of portraits.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cullinan (Director) |first=Nicholas |title=Organisation – National Portrait Gallery |url=http://www.npg.org.uk/about/organisation.php |access-date=26 March 2021 |website=National Portrait Gallery}}</ref> The national gallery of British art is at Tate Britain, originally established as an annexe of the National Gallery in 1897. The Tate Gallery became a major centre for modern art. In 2000 this collection moved to Tate Modern, a new gallery housed in the former Bankside Power Station.<ref>{{cite news |title=Millennium Bridge |url=https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/442404-millennium-bridge |access-date=27 July 2022 |work=Visit London}}</ref>{{Clear}}

===Music===

[[File:Royal Albert Hall.001 - London.JPG|The Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington hosts concerts and musical events, including the classical music festival The Proms which are held every summer, as well as cinema screenings of films accompanied with live orchestral music.|thumb]]

London is one of the major classical and popular music capitals of the world and hosts major music corporations, such as Universal Music Group International and Warner Music Group, and countless bands, musicians and industry professionals. The city contains many orchestras and concert halls, such as the Barbican Arts Centre, the Southbank Centre, Cadogan Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. London's two main opera houses are the Royal Opera House and the London Coliseum.<ref name="London's Concerts"/> Several conservatoires are within the city: Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and Trinity Laban. The record label EMI was formed in the city in 1931, and an early employee for the company, Alan Blumlein, created stereo sound that year.<ref>{{cite news|title=Early stereo recordings restored|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7537782.stm|work=BBC|access-date=28 March 2023|date=1 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807025132/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7537782.stm|archive-date=7 August 2008 | url-status=live}}</ref> The guitar amp engineer Jim Marshall founded Marshall Amplification in London in 1962.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-17625335|title=Guitar amp pioneer Jim Marshall dies aged 88 |date=5 April 2012|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=28 May 2024}}</ref>

[[File:Abbey Rd Studios.jpg|thumb|left|Abbey Road Studios]]

London has numerous venues for rock and pop concerts, including the world's busiest indoor venue, the O2 Arena,<ref>{{cite web |title=2015 Year End Worldwide Ticket Sales – Top 200 Area Venues |url=http://www.pollstarpro.com/files/charts2015/2015YearEndWorldwideTicketSalesTop200ArenaVenues.pdf |url-status=dead|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160517203229/http://www.pollstarpro.com/files/charts2015/2015YearEndWorldwideTicketSalesTop200ArenaVenues.pdf |archive-date=17 May 2016 |access-date=26 March 2021}}</ref> and Wembley Arena, as well as many mid-sized venues, such as Brixton Academy, the Hammersmith Apollo and the Shepherd's Bush Empire.<ref name="London's Concerts"/> Several music festivals, including the Wireless Festival, Lovebox, and Hyde Park's British Summer Time, are held in London.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Keens |first1=Oliver |last2=Levine |first2=Nick |date=11 March 2021 |title=The best music festivals in London 2021 |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/music-festivals/the-best-music-festivals-in-london?package_page=48331 |access-date=26 March 2021 |work=Time Out London}}</ref> The city is home to the original Hard Rock Cafe and the Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles recorded many of their hits.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tow |first1=Stephen |title=London, Reign Over Me How England's Capital Built Classic Rock|date=2020 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2006/04/06/garycrowley_londontop40_feature.shtml |title=London's top 40 artists |date=6 April 2006 |publisher=BBC |access-date=9 September 2008 |isbn=978-0-89820-135-2}}</ref>

London has been instrumental in the development of punk music and other genres.<ref>{{cite web |date=10 November 2015 |title=PUNK – Paris Photo Special Feature |url=https://www.michaelhoppengallery.com/news/55/#:~:text=After%20a%20brief%20stint%20managing,the%20radical%20punk%20clothing%20style. |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=Michael Hoppen Gallery}}</ref><ref name="Scene">{{cite web |url=http://www.londonbc.co.uk/history-of-music-in-london.html |title=History of music in London |publisher=The London Music Scene |access-date=2 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427023619/http://www.londonbc.co.uk/history-of-music-in-london.html |archive-date=27 April 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Artists from London played a prominent role in the development of synth-pop, including Eurythmics, whose "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" was recorded in the attic of their north London home, heralding a trend for home recording methods.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rPdJDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA23 |page=23 |title=Dawn of the DAW: The Studio as Musical Instrument |last=Bell |first=Adam Patrick |date=2018 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190296629}}</ref> Many alternative artists have been based in London; others have brought a Caribbean influence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1983/08/02/eddy-grants-electric-rock-38/74a1753f-17b5-451b-b873-e1fd9f9237b0/|title=Eddy Grant's Electric Rock |last=Himes |first=Geoffrey |date=2 August 1983 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=19 March 2021}}</ref> London is a centre for urban music. In particular the genres UK garage, drum and bass, dubstep, and grime evolved in the city from the foreign genres of house, hip hop and reggae, alongside local drum and bass. Music station BBC Radio 1Xtra was set up to support the rise of local urban contemporary music. The British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards, the Brit Awards, are held in London.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brits.co.uk/history/shows/1977|title=Brit Awards History|website=Brit Awards|access-date=28 December 2019|archive-date=26 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826032516/http://www.brits.co.uk/history/shows/1977|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Recreation==

===Parks and open spaces=== {{main|Parks and open spaces in London|Royal Parks of London}}

{{see also|List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Greater London|List of local nature reserves in Greater London}}

[[File:Hyde Park London from the air.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Hyde Park (with Kensington Gardens in the foreground) has been a popular public space since it opened in 1637.]] A 2013 report by the City of London Corporation said that London is the "greenest city" in Europe with 35,000 acres (14,164 hectares) of public parks, woodlands and gardens.<ref>{{cite web |last=McGlone |first=Conor |date=9 July 2013 |title=London 'greenest city' in Europe |url=https://www.edie.net/news/6/London--greenest-city--in-Europe-/ |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=edie.net}}</ref> Nearly half of London's area is green and blue spaces, featuring around 3,000 parks, over 8 million trees, and 150 nature reserves.<ref>{{cite web |title=London National Park City {{!}} London City Hall |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/environment-and-climate-change/parks-green-spaces-and-biodiversity/london-national-park-city |access-date=18 August 2025|website=www.london.gov.uk }}</ref>

The largest parks in the central area of London are three of the eight Royal Parks, namely Hyde Park and its neighbour Kensington Gardens in the west, and Regent's Park to the north.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington_gardens/ |title=Kensington Gardens |year=2008 |publisher=The Royal Parks |access-date=26 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527231143/http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington_gardens/ |archive-date=27 May 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Hyde Park is popular for sports and sometimes hosts open-air concerts. Regent's Park contains London Zoo, the world's oldest scientific zoo.<ref name="Tussauds">{{cite web |title=Madame Tussauds, London |url=http://www.tourist-information-uk.com/madame-tussauds.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427094710/http://www.tourist-information-uk.com/madame-tussauds.htm |archive-date=27 April 2011 |access-date=26 March 2021 |publisher=Madame Tussauds}}</ref> Primrose Hill is a popular spot from which to view the city skyline.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mills |first=David |title=Dictionary of London Place Names |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2001 |isbn=9780192801067 |oclc=45406491}}</ref> Close to Hyde Park are smaller Royal Parks, Green Park and St James's Park.<ref>{{cite web |year=2008 |title=Green Park |url=http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/green_park/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090904010152/http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/green_park/about.cfm|archive-date=4 September 2009 |access-date=26 March 2021 |publisher=The Royal Parks}}</ref> Several large parks lie outside the city centre, including Hampstead Heath and the remaining Royal Parks of Greenwich Park to the southeast, and Bushy Park and Richmond Park (the largest) to the southwest.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home/services/leisure_and_culture/parks_and_open_spaces/park_details.htm?parkId=268 |title=Park details – Hampton Court |publisher=London Borough of Richmond upon Thames |access-date=26 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826172424/http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home/services/leisure_and_culture/parks_and_open_spaces/park_details.htm?parkId=268 |archive-date=26 August 2015}}</ref> Crystal Palace Park in south-east London was laid out as a pleasure ground, and, reflecting the public enthusiasm for dinosaurs that first developed in Victorian England, it contains life-sized models of dinosaurs.<ref>{{cite news |title=How a Victorian Dinosaur Park Became a Time Capsule of Early Paleontology |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-a-victorian-dinosaur-park-became-a-time-capsule-of-early-paleontology-180982799/ |access-date=1 March 2025 |magazine=Smithsonian}}</ref>

Close to Richmond Park is Kew Gardens, which has the world's largest collection of living plants.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kew.org/ksheets/pdfs/k16kewhistory.pdf |title=Kew, History & Heritage |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=24 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829192523/http://www.kew.org/ksheets/pdfs/k16kewhistory.pdf |archive-date=29 August 2008}}</ref> Many parks are administered by borough Councils, including Victoria Park in the East End and Battersea Park in the centre. Some more informal, semi-natural open spaces, including Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest,<ref name=Epping>{{cite web |url=http://217.154.230.195/NR/rdonlyres/A3CB6563-4D0D-4C35-AC7F-818C28306E79/0/OS_EF_Dogs.pdf |title=Epping Forest You & Your Dog |website=brochure |publisher=City of London |access-date=13 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704191340/http://217.154.230.195/NR/rdonlyres/A3CB6563-4D0D-4C35-AC7F-818C28306E79/0/OS_EF_Dogs.pdf |archive-date=4 July 2011}}</ref> are controlled by the City of London Corporation.<ref>{{cite web |author=Ramblers |url=http://www.ramblers.org.uk/info/parks/name/c/corporationoflondon.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029232404/http://www.ramblers.org.uk/info/parks/name/c/corporationoflondon.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 October 2008 |title=Corporation of London Open Spaces |publisher=Ramblers |access-date=12 December 2011}}</ref> Hampstead Heath incorporates Kenwood House, a former stately home and a popular location in the summer months when classical musical concerts are held by the lake.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.00100200800k00800f |title=Kenwood House |publisher=English Heritage |access-date=26 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305202033/http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.00100200800k00800f |archive-date=5 March 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> Epping Forest is a popular venue for various outdoor activities, including mountain biking, walking, horse riding, golf, angling, and orienteering.<ref name=Epping/> Three of the UK's most-visited theme parks, Thorpe Park near Staines-upon-Thames, Chessington World of Adventures in Chessington and Legoland Windsor, are located within {{convert|20|mi}} of London.<ref>{{cite news |title=The best theme parks near London |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/best-theme-parks-in-and-around-london |access-date=5 January 2024 |work=Time Out}}</ref>

===Walking===

[[File:Horse Ride, Wimbledon Common - geograph.org.uk - 692221.jpg|thumb|The Horse Ride is a tree tunnel (route overhung by trees) on the western side of Wimbledon Common.]]

Areas that provide for walks include Wimbledon Common, Epping Forest, Hampton Court Park, Hampstead Heath, the eight Royal Parks, Regents Canal Walk, canals and disused railway tracks.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.innerlondonramblers.org.uk/ideasforwalks.html |title=Inner London Ramblers – Walk Ideas |first=Phil |last=Marson |website=innerlondonramblers.org.uk}}</ref> Access to canals and rivers has improved recently, including the creation of the Thames Path, some {{convert|28|mi|km}} of which is within Greater London, and the Wandle Trail along the River Wandle.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map/route/wandle-trail |title=Wandle Trail – Map |website=Sustrans}}</ref>

Other long-distance paths, linking green spaces, have been created, including the Capital Ring, the Green Chain Walk, London Outer Orbital Path ("Loop"), Jubilee Walkway, Lea Valley Walk and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Walk.<ref name=":0"/>

==Sport==

London has hosted the Summer Olympics in 1908, 1948, and 2012, making it the first city to host the modern Games three times.<ref name=IOC/> The city was host to the British Empire Games in 1934.<ref name="london_175">{{cite web |date=28 April 2011 |title=England – Introduction |url=http://www.thecgf.com/countries/intro.asp?loc=ENG |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429043207/http://www.thecgf.com/countries/intro.asp?loc=ENG |archive-date=29 April 2011 |access-date=3 November 2008 |website=Commonwealth Games Federation }}</ref> In 2017, London hosted the World Championships in Athletics for the first time.<ref>{{cite web |last=Livingstone |first=Robert |date=11 November 2011 |title=London Defeats Doha to host 2017 International Athletics Championships |url=http://www.gamesbids.com/eng/other_news/1216135963.html |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113180038/http://www.gamesbids.com/eng/other_news/1216135963.html |archive-date=13 November 2011 |access-date=13 December 2011 |website=Gamesbids.com }}</ref>

London's most popular sport is association football, with seven clubs in the Premier League in the 2025–26 season: Arsenal, Brentford, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.<ref name="london_176">{{cite web |title=Barclays Premier League Clubs |url=https://www.premierleague.com/clubs |access-date=29 March 2021 |publisher=Premier League |archive-date=3 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203140113/https://www.premierleague.com/clubs/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Five London-based teams are in the Women's Super League: Arsenal, Chelsea, London City Lionesses, Tottenham and West Ham United.

Two Premiership Rugby union teams are based in Greater London: Harlequins and Saracens.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.premiershiprugby.com/clubs/index.php |title=Premiership Rugby: Clubs |publisher=Premier Rugby |access-date=5 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427075926/http://www.premiershiprugby.com/clubs/index.php |archive-date=27 April 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Ealing Trailfinders and London Scottish play in the RFU Championship; other rugby union clubs in the city include Richmond, Rosslyn Park, Westcombe Park, and Blackheath. Twickenham Stadium in south-west London hosts home matches for the England national rugby union team.<ref name="musiccap">{{cite press release |publisher=Twickenham Rugby Stadium |title=RFU apply for two additional concerts at Twickenham Stadium in 2007 |url=http://www.rfu.com/microsites/twickenham/index.cfm?StoryID=14822 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625050620/http://www.rfu.com/microsites/twickenham/index.cfm?StoryID=14822 |archive-date=25 June 2008 |date=3 October 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> While rugby league is more popular in the north of England, the sport has one professional club in London – the London Broncos, while the Challenge Cup final often takes place in the city.<ref>{{cite news |title=Challenge Cup final heading to Tottenham in 2022 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/wembley-daniel-levy-white-hart-lane-covid-castleford-b1901268.html |access-date=30 January 2025 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

The Wimbledon Tennis Championships is held at the All England Club in the south-western suburb of Wimbledon since 1877.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423182334/http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/index.html |archive-date=23 April 2008 |title=Wimbledon — official website |publisher=The All England Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) |access-date=29 April 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Played in late June to early July, it is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and widely considered the most prestigious.<ref>{{cite news |title=Traditional Final: It's Nadal and Federer |work=The New York Times |date=7 May 2008 |first=Christopher |last=Clarey |quote=Federer said[:] 'I love playing with him, especially here at Wimbledon, the most prestigious tournament we have.' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/05/sports/tennis/05wimbledon.html |access-date=17 July 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |editor=Will Kaufman & Heidi Slettedahl Macpherson |encyclopedia=Britain and the Americas |title=Tennis |year=2005 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |volume=1 : Culture, Politics, and History |isbn=978-1-85109-431-8 |page=958 |quote=this first tennis championship, which later evolved into the Wimbledon Tournament ... continues as the world's most prestigious event.}}</ref>

London has two Test cricket grounds which host the England cricket team, Lord's (home of Middlesex C.C.C.) and the Oval (home of Surrey C.C.C.). Lord's has hosted four finals of the Cricket World Cup and is known as the "Home of Cricket".<ref>{{cite web |title=Lord's (Cricket Grounds)|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/ground/57129.html |access-date=26 March 2021 |publisher=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref> In golf, the Wentworth Club is located in Virginia Water, Surrey on the south-west fringes of London, while the closest venue to London that is used as one of the courses for the Open Championship, the oldest major and tournament in golf, is Royal St George's in Sandwich, Kent.<ref>{{cite news |title=Royal St George's |url=https://www.theopen.com/venues/royal-st-georges |access-date=16 October 2023 |publisher=The Open}}</ref> The rules of modern boxing, the Queensberry Rules, were formulated in London in 1867, and since then fights have taken place at York Hall (the spiritual home of British boxing), and larger arenas and stadiums across the city.<ref>{{cite news |title=Small Hall Spotlight: York Hall – a piece of living boxing history |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/62692572 |access-date=27 February 2025 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> Alexandra Palace in north London hosts the PDC World Darts Championship and the Masters snooker tournament. Other key annual events are the mass-participation London Marathon<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.london-marathon.co.uk/site/ |title=Flora London Marathon 2008 |publisher=London Marathon Ltd |access-date=29 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080426224024/http://www.london-marathon.co.uk/site/ |archive-date=26 April 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and the University Boat Race on the Thames contested between Oxford and Cambridge.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theboatrace.org/ |title=The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race — Official Website |publisher=The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race |access-date=29 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430162037/http://www.theboatrace.org/ |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{multiple image | align = center | direction = horizontal | width = 215 | image1 = Wembley Stadium interior.jpg | caption1 = Wembley Stadium, home of the England men and women's football team and the FA Cup Final, has a seating capacity of 90,000. It is the UK's biggest stadium.<ref name=Wembley>{{cite web |title=About Wembley Stadium – What we do at Wembley Stadium |url=https://www.wembleystadium.com/about/about-wembley-stadium |access-date=27 March 2021 |website=Wembley Stadium connected by EE |archive-date=26 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200326114025/http://www.wembleystadium.com/about/about-wembley-stadium |url-status=dead }}</ref> | image2 = Centre Court Wimbledon 1.jpg | caption2 = Centre Court at Wimbledon. Held every June and July, Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, and the only major played on grass. | image3 = Twickenham stadium - Cup finals day - geograph.org.uk - 2966637.jpg | caption3 = Twickenham, home of the England national rugby union team, has a capacity of 82,000 seats. }}

==Notable people==

==See also== * Outline of England * Outline of London * Outline of the United Kingdom {{Clear}}

==Notes==

==References==

===Bibliography===

* {{cite book |last=Ackroyd |first=Peter |title=London: The Biography |publisher=Vintage |location=London |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-09-942258-7 |title-link=London: The Biography }} * {{cite book |last=Mills |first=David |title=Dictionary of London Place Names |publisher=Oxford Paperbacks |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-19-280106-7 |oclc=45406491 }}

==External links==

* [http://www.visitlondon.com/ VisitLondon.com] – official tourism site * [http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/ Museum of London] * [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/place.aspx?region=1 London] in ''British History Online'', with links to numerous authoritative online sources * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00546w3 "London"], ''In Our Time'', BBC Radio 4 discussion with Peter Ackroyd, Claire Tomalin and Iain Sinclair (28 September 2000) * {{OSM relation|175342}}

{{London history}} {{London landmarks}} {{Areas of London}} {{navboxes|title=Other articles related to London|list= {{Governance of Greater London}} {{Transport in London}} {{London commuter belt}} {{Universities and colleges in London}} {{Megacities}} {{Commonwealth Games Host Cities}} {{Olympic Summer Games Host Cities}} {{World Games Host Cities}} }} {{Subject bar|commons=yes|wikt=yes|n=yes|n-search=Category:London|q=yes|s=yes|b=no|voy=yes|v=yes|d=yes|d-search=Q84}} {{Authority control}}

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