City of Westminster
Westminster sits at the heart of London and is the centre of British political life. It’s home to the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, where 39 monarchs have been crowned.
Tourists flock to landmarks like Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, and Covent Garden’s shops and theatres. Then there’s the dilemma of whether to take tea at the Ritz, dim sum in Chinatown – or maybe a pint in one of Soho’s many pubs?
Composer George Frideric Handel wrote Messiah in Mayfair, next door to where rock legend Jimi Hendrix would live some 200 years later. Two miles away is Abbey Road Studios, and the zebra crossing made famous by The Beatles.
And yet with all that heritage, Westminster never sits still – a key example of London’s way of respecting its past while embracing the future.
The Palace of Westminster from Westminster Bridge
Blogs-And-Stories
Why Charles I was executed
A tale of religion and Parliament which ends abruptly in 1649
How Moss Bros transformed with London’s fashion industry
Moss Bros is one of the longest-surviving Jewish-founded firms in London fashion
Why fashion manufacturing moved away from London
From the 1940s onwards, here’s why many London-based fashion makers struggled to retain their base in the capital
Quiz: Which London river are you?
From the currents of the Thames to the secrets of the Walbrook, which river are you most like?
David Garrick: A theatre sensation
This innovative 18th-century actor had an influence on all aspects of British theatre
How Black Friday changed the Suffragette struggle
A day of aggression in the battle for women’s right to vote
Hardy Amies: London’s great tailor & couturier
The Savile Row-based designer had a long career spanning luxurious couture and casual menswear
From mammoths to pets: London's prehistoric beasts
Follow us on a journey of London animals from the Old Stone Age to the Iron Age
Skating through the history of London’s ice rinks
Did you know ice rinks were invented in London? And the earliest version was made from pig fat?
Christmas morning on the streets of London
On the one day of the year that the museum is closed, follow a tranquil path through the city's streets.
Music icons, Soho fashion streets & the Swinging 60s
Here’s how music and fashion were intrinsically linked in 1960s London
London pigeons: A bird's eye view of history
Love them or hate them, pigeons have been part of London for over 1,000 years
Of Victorian cravat pins and Cleopatra’s Needle
How did a chip off a 3,500-year-old Egyptian obelisk wind up as a fashionable Victorian cravat pin?
The glamorous life of opera singer Adelina Patti
One of the most successful sopranos of the 1800s, Patti gained fame, wealth and a castle in Wales
The Ballets Russes in London
This pioneering touring dance company made the capital their home in the early 1900s
The great ballet dancer Anna Pavlova
A Russian-born star who took the world by storm in the early 1900s
Selfridges: The store that shook up London shopping
With its bold advertising and top customer service, Selfridges brought American glamour to the capital
