London - London Landmarks guide

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London Landmarks

See the landmarks that make London famous, from Royal Palaces to Big Ben.

Items 11 to 20 of 51 - Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Clarence House

B uckingham Palace architect John Nash built Clarence House in 1827. It was built for the Duke of Clarence, who later became King William IV. The house has remained a royal residence ever since, apart from during the Second World War, when it was the HQ for the Red Cross and St John's Ambulance Brigade.

County Hall

B uilding work on County Hall began in 1912 to provide a home for the offices of the London County Council. More recently the L.C.C. became the G.L.C. (Greater London Council), an elected body whose job it was to run London.

Downing Street

Not open to the public although you can peer through the gates at the end of the road. Downing Street was built in 1680. The homes of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer are to be found at numbers 10 and 11 respectively.

Eltham Palace

In 1933 Stephen Courtauld - millionaire, war veteran and patron of the arts - chose Eltham as the setting for a breathtaking new home. He built a modern, fashionable residence around the Great Hall of a medieval Royal Palace.

Fleet Street

F leet Street runs from the Strand by the Aldwych in the east to Ludgate Hill near St Paul's Cathedral. Fleet Street has a long tradition as the home of printing. When it was the publishing centre of Britain, Charles Lamb (1775-1834) the essayist put it thus: 'The man must have a rare recipe for melancholy, who can be dull in Fleet Street!' Just to the north of Fleet Street is the home of Dr Johnson, who is credited with creating the first English dictionary.

Gray's Inn

T his building has been used by the legal profession since the 14th century. It includes a law school, whose students included the British writer and statesman Francis Bacon (1561-1626). A little more recently Charles Dickens worked here as a clerk in the late 1820's.

Guildhall, The

Closed for special functions. T he Guildhall is the City of London's civic headquarters. The present building was built, for the most part, after the Great Fire of London in 1666. More recently the remains of a Roman amphitheatre were discovered here during redevelopment work in 1987.

Highgate Cemetery

C lose to Hampstead Heath stands Highgate Hill and on top of the hill, the pleasant village of Highgate. The village has a number of interesting antique shops and cafes. The only down side is the rather busy main road that cuts through the middle.

Horse Guards Parade

orse Guards barracks and the parade ground behind them were built in the 1750's. At that time this was the only entrance to Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace. It is still considered to be the official entrance to Buckingham Palace, hence the presence of the Queen's Life Guards.

Jewel Tower

Edward III had the Jewel Tower built c.1365 to house his personal treasures, with a moat dug around it for extra protection. It is virtually unaltered today, and is one of only two complete buildings remaining from the medieval Palace of Westminster.