London’s history

An illustration depicting the Great Fire of London.

Your guide to the Great Fire of London, plus 10 surprising facts

The tombstone of a Roman soldier named Vivius Marcianus.

How the Great Fire of London revealed the city’s Roman past

Aerial view of Piccadilly Circus in London.

General History

London history quiz Test your knowledge

Londoners flee the city during the earthquake panic of April 1750. (Getty Images)

The earthquakes that rocked Georgian London (plus three more seismic events that shaped history)

No 10 Downing Street has been home to dozens of prime ministers (and numerous cats) since the iconic residence was first offered to Sir Robert Walpole

23 things you (probably) didn’t know about No 10 Downing Street, the official residence of Britain’s prime ministers

Thomas Williams on the HistoryExtra podcast

Ghosts of Viking London

Angel-of-death-2-42d2a16

Coffee, plague and the Great Fire: the pleasures and perils of living in Restoration London

An engraving depicting a scene of chaos at Bethlem Royal Hospital

Bethlem Royal Hospital: why did the infamous Bedlam asylum have such a fearsome reputation?

great fire 4

Great Fire of London quiz – how much do you know?

Photograph of John Snow in 1856

The Broad Street cholera outbreak: how bad was it and how was it contained?

Actress Sarah Bernhardt, who was personally invited by Oscar Wilde to play the title role in the upcoming London premiere of his play, 'Salomé'.

6 of London theatre’s most notable historical scandals

A cartoon showing a man in a suit of armour on the moon

Q&A Did NASA really pick the brains of the Tower of London armoury when designing the first space suits?

Between 1613 and 1754, a legal loophole meant that on-the-spot marriages could be carried out in an area surrounding the Fleet Debtors’ Prison known as the ‘Liberties of the Fleet’. (Photo by Getty Images)

General History

10 things you (probably) didn’t know about the history of London

In c1500, the young Thomas Cromwell travelled from his humble Putney home to the great cities of Italy, as shown in our illustration. The connections he established on the Italian peninsula would prove key to his meteoric rise to power back in England. (Illustration by Sarah Young for BBC History Magazine)

Thomas Cromwell: the best Italian in all England

The opening ceremony of London’s Tower Bridge on 30 June 1894. The bridge became a symbol of London’s importance as a global maritime hub (Photo by Francis Frith/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Britain’s imperial landmarks: The empire on our doorsteps