London

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10 Downing Street, the residence of the prime minister of the United Kingdom. (Photo by Getty Images)

The ex factor: why David Cameron’s return isn’t unprecedented . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Meux & Co. brewery on Tottenham Court Road in c1830

The London Beer Flood of 1814: what happened in the deadly tragedy?

A coloured engraving of Richard Whittington, wearing red robes and hat

How the real Dick Whittington lives up to his pantomime

Gussie Moran playing tennis with her lace knickers on show at the 1949 Wimbledon Championships.

10 scandalous moments in Wimbledon’s history

London in the 16th century map, illustration by Theresa Grieben

Trade, religion and diversity: how Tudor London became a global city

A woman teaches a child to read in a 15th century depiction. The medieval period saw women challenge the male stranglehold on intellectual life, says Ian Mortimer (Photo by Marcello Fedeli / Electa / Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

What does medieval mean? Why the Middle Ages was actually an age of transformation

Low angle view of the Westminster Abbey

General History

Why are British monarchs traditionally crowned in Westminster Abbey?

Visitors promenade alongside a lake with Surrey Zoological Gardens in the background, 1844 (Photo by Guildhall Library & Art Gallery/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Victorian zoos Animal attraction in the 19th century

The characters Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim, from Charles Dickens's work 'A Christmas Carol'

Did Charles Dickens invent Christmas as we know it today?

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An illustration of the Great Fire of London, c1675. St Paul's Cathedral is seen in flames (Photo by Museum of London/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

What if... The Great Fire of London never happened? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Periodic outbreaks of smog would continue for several years – this image shows a London street in late 1953. (Image by Getty Images)

The Great Smog of London: what caused the 1952 crisis?

(Photo by The Print Collector/Getty Images)

City of fur and feather: the animals of medieval London

An engraving of a prison hulk at Deptford, from a c1826 painting. (Photo by: Photo 12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Floating hell: the brutal history of prison hulks

A missionary preaches to the Native Americans of Massachusetts, c1650. By now, colonists were imposing their values on the indigenous population, encouraging them to dress like the English – and worship the English God. (Photo by Ian Tyas/Keystone/Getty Images)

Britain's nuclear fears How has the UK prepared for Armageddon?

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A portrait of a young Queen Victoria from around the time of the first assassination attempt in 1840

What if… Queen Victoria had been assassinated? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.