Greater London
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums

Apsley House is the London townhouse of the Dukes of Wellington. Built in the 1770s by Robert Adam, and extensively remodelled for the 1st Duke of Wellington when he bought it from his brother to pursue a career in politics. Known as ‘Number One, London’ because it was the first house visitors passed after the Knightsbridge toll gates. Although still a private residence for the Dukes of Wellington, parts of the house are open to the public. Including the Wellington Collection, one of the finest collections of art in London.

When Victoria ascended the throne in 1837 she became the first monarch to use Buckingham Palace as her primary residence. Originally built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703, it was King George IV who had the townhouse converted into a palace in the early 19th century. Today the palace is not only the official residence of the British monarch, it is also used for royal ceremonies and investitures as well as national and state occasions. Parts of the palace are open to the public at certain times of the year.

The historian and essayist Thomas Carlyle was one of the most influential intellectuals of Victorian Britain. He moved into this Queen Anne era four-storey terrace house in Chelsea with his wife Jane in 1834. He lived here until his death in 1881. Among those who visited him were other literary luminaries such as Charles Dickens, George Eliot and Alfred Lord Tennyson. Soon after his death, the house was turned into a writer’s house museum, one of the first in Britain. The house is decorated with photographs, paintings and furniture that belonged to the Carlyles.

One of the best-known authors of the Victorian era, Charles Dickens still has a committed fan following across the world. He lived at this Georgian terraced house in London between 1837 and 1839, during which time he wrote Oliver Twist, The Pickwick Papers and Nicholas Nickelby. Since 1925 it has been open to the public and contains over 10,000 important manuscripts, rare editions, personal items and assorted artefacts. It holds regular exhibitions, events and tours, including a Housemaids’ Tour where you can see life below stairs.

Situated on the northern embankment of the Thames River in London is one of a pair of ancient obelisks that were erected in 1475 at the Egyptian city of Heliopolis by Thutmose III. The other now stands in Central Park, New York. In 12 BC the pair were moved from Heliopolis (Cairo) to Alexandria by Cleopatra. Sometime after 1200 AD when both were noted as still standing, the obelisk that was taken to London toppled. Suggestions are this was in 1303 when an earthquake off Crete brought down the Alexandria Lighthouse. The obelisk was erected in London in September 1878.

Located on the rural edges of Greater London, Down House was the home of world-renowned scientist Charles Darwin, and it was here that he wrote The Origin of Species, a seminal work in the study of evolution. The house contains many of Darwin’s personal possessions, some from his time on HMS Beagle. His study has been faithfully recreated and the extensive gardens include the Sandwalk where he would stroll up and down to allow himself thinking time. Owned by English Heritage, the site is open all year round.

Located in southeast London, Eltham Palace started life as a medieval palace given to King Edward II in 1305; it remained in royal hands until the 16th century. The palace’s Great Hall was built in the 1470s, under the ownership of King Edward IV, although by the early modern period the building was in a dilapidated state. In the 1930s, Stephen Courtauld obtained the property and incorporated the Great Hall into a new mansion that reflected the art deco style popular at the time. Eltham Palace has London’s oldest working bridge.

There are few burial places in London, or even the whole of Britain, that are as famous and evocative as Highgate Cemetery. Established in the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign, the site is known for its elaborate Neo-Gothic tombs, foreboding mausoleums, and sculpted stone angels. Egyptian revivalist architecture can be found in the Egyptian Avenue. The cemetery spreads across fifteen hectares on a hill to the north of the city. Among the 170,000 people laid to rest here are many famous figures who made their names in politics, sport, and the arts.

The poet John Keats lived as a lodger in part of this Hampstead house between 1818 and 1820 before his worsening tuberculosis pushed him to relocate to the warmer climes of Rome. It was here that he wrote many of his best works, including Ode to a Nightingale and La Belle Dame Sans Merci. It was also in Hampstead that he met his fiancée and muse, Fanny Brawne, who lived next door. Ultimately, he died abroad before they could be married. The house is now run as a museum and literary centre, with regular events and activities.

On the edge of Greater London in the small leafy village of Keston, archaeologists found the remains of a 3rd Century AD Roman villa and at least two tombs and many individual graves. Excavations started in the late 1960s and carried on until the 1990s. For conservation reasons the villa was covered up following excavation, but the tombs were left exposed. The ruins are on private property and are usually only accessible to the public on open days held in September each year.

The ruins of Lesnes Abbey are situated in the Lesnes Abbey Wood, a local community park and nature reserve. This includes the Abbey Wood geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, owing to the Tertiary fossil beds. The abbey was founded by Richard de Luci in 1178. It is thought as penance for his role in the murder of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. Cardinal Wolsey closed the abbey in 1525, predating the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536, because it was too small.

A chance discovery in 1954 during post-war archaeological excavations led to the discovery of the Roman mithraeum. The temple dedicated to Mithras was built in the 3rd century AD. During the construction of Bloomberg’s European headquarters archaeologists found numerous Roman artefacts. Including over 400 writing tablets, one being the first recorded reference to London. A selection of these are on display along with a spectacular and engaging presentation of the mithraeum.

After nearly 2,000 years sizeable fragments of the wall that once defended the Roman port of Londinium still remain. The wall was built in about 200 AD, and along with Hadrian’s Wall and the network of Roman roads it was one of the largest architectural features to have been built by in Britain by the Romans. It was maintained and rebuilt by successive Medieval Londoners, and today the various fragments are incorporated into the contemporary architecture and layout of the City of London.

The east gate the London’s Roman amphitheatre was discovered underneath the Guildhall Art Gallery in 1985 during the construction of a building to replace the gallery building that was destroyed during World War II. These meagre remains have since been conserved in situ for visitors in the basement of the art gallery, next to London’s historic Guildhall. An innovative presentation adds to the archaeological remains to give you an idea of how 7,000 spectators would have been seated on tiered wooden seats.

The seat of Britain’s government, the Palace of Westminster, or the Houses of Parliament, has medieval beginnings; originating as an 11th century royal palace. Housing parliament since the 13th century, much of the building was destroyed by fire in 1834. Architects Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin designed a Neo-Gothic replacement, which took forty years to construct. The building’s Elizabeth Tower houses Big Ben, the world-famous bell. A listed UNESCO World Heritage Site, visits are by guided tour.