London Monuments
Acres of Arches, Cubits of Columns, Masses of Memorials. Not very many people know that back in the good old days London actually had a whole City Department dedicated to the task of erecting monuments. Sadly this team, The Department of Memorial Art Design Excellence Undertake Procurement still affectionately known to those that remember as MADEUP went the same way as the London Left Handed Teapot Factory.
Admiralty Arch Trafalgar Square, London, SW1A 2DY [Map]
This impressive arch forms a gateway between Trafalgar Square and The Mall. It was built in 1910 as a tribute to Queen Victoria. There are three archways. The outer two are open to traffic but the middle one is only used during royal processions from Buckingham Palace...
Queen Victoria Memorial, The The Mall, London, SW14 7EN [Map]
This white marble monument standing in pride of place right outside Buckingham Palace is commonly called 'The Wedding Cake'. It was built in 1911 to honour Queen Victoria who died 10 years earlier. As...
Wellington ArchHype Park Corner, London, W1J 7NP [Map]
This monument was built in honour of The Duke of Wellington in 1828 as the northern gateway into Buckingham Palace, and now stands on the island in the middle of the traffic that circumnavigates Hyde Park Corner...
Cenotaph, TheWhitehall, London, SW1A 2DD [Map]
Built originally to commemorate those who died in the First World War, this monument is now the focal point for the memory of those killed in both wars and since then. Edwin Lutyens designed and completed building it in 1920. Its sides are slightly concave and convex, which represents infinity...
Albert Memorial Visitors' Centre South Carriage Drive, Kensington Gardens, London, SW7 2AP [Map]
Queen Victoria had this memorial built in 1872, in honour of her late and much loved husband, Prince Albert, who died from a bout of typhoid in 1861. Sir George Gilbert Scott designed the monument, which took 20 years to complete, and cost over £130,000...
American Embassy and Memorials, The24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 1AE [Map]
Grosvenor Square in the heart of Mayfair is the home of the American Embassy. During the Second World War (before the Embassy was built) the whole area was a HQ for senior American officials. There are...
Bunhill FieldsCity Road, Islington, London, EC1Y 2AA [Map]
Originally called 'Bone Hill Fields' this Saxon burial ground was re-opened in 1665 for victims of the Great Plague and now contains over 120,000 bodies. Famous gravestones include John Wesley (founder...
Covent GardenCovent Garden, London, WC2E 8RF [Map]
The name Covent Garden dates back to when the area belonged to Westminster Abbey and was a Convent Garden. This was London's Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable market for many years. The market was moved to...
Duke of York's Column, TheWaterloo Place, Westminster, London, SW1Y 4AR [Map]
Perhaps best known today for the children's nursery rhyme 'The Grand Old Duke of York' this military man also has a theatre named after him. His column, erected in 1833, stands 124 feet tall above the Duke of York Steps...
Highgate CemeterySwains Lane, Highgate, London, N6 6PJ [Map]
Close 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...