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.
Blogs-And-Stories
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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
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Hardy Amies: London’s great tailor & couturier
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From mammoths to pets: London's prehistoric beasts
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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
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
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 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