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Join Winnie the Pooh on his voyage down the River Thames in London, from Kew Bridge to Tower Bridge. from

Key Facts about London

London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom

London is the largest city in the United Kingdom.

London is the largest city in Europe.

London is formed by two ancient cities - City of London and City of Westminster, both cities forming the region of Greater London

The world's first public zoo first opened in 1829 in London (London Zoo)

The exact centre of London is marked by a plaque in the Church of St Martin's-in-the-Fields overlooking Trafalgar Square.

The tallest building in London is The Shard London Bridge - 310 meters (1,017ft) tall.
It is also the 45th tallest in the world

London is the first city to host the Olympics three times (1908, 1948 and 2012)

London is twinned with New York, Moscow and Berlin.

Greater London

Area: 11 sq mi, an area

Population: 7,172,036 in 2001

Population density: f 4,542 inhabitants per 11,760 /sq mi.

Interesting Fact about London

23 and 24 Leinster Gardens in Paddington are dummy houses built to hide the Tube line running underneath (the Metropolitan). The windows are painted on, and behind the façade is a track.

Facts about River Thames in London

The River Thames flows through London.

Richard the Lionheart introduced swans to Britain in the 12th century, from Cyprus.

Mute swans on parts of the Thames are owned by the Crown. Claiming and counting them, is known as Swan Upping.

The Strand (a road running parallel to the Thames) is where the edge of the Thames used to be (hence the name). The construction of the Embankment enclosed the river and increased its tidal range.

Facts about London Bridge

London Bridge does not have towers. Tower Bridge does! (Tower Bridge is the famous one in all the photos.)

There have been three London Bridges.

The first London Bridge was built 1209-1831 It contained houses and shops.

The second by John Rennie, built to replace the original, lasted until 1968, when it was sold to an American entrepreneur.

The current London Bridge was opened in 1973

Facts about Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge is the most recognisable bridge on the River Thames and is often mistakenly referred to as "London Bridge".

Tower Bridge has stood over the River Thames in London since 1894

The total cost of construction was £1, 184,000 (£100 million as of 2011).

The bridge was officially opened on 30 June 1894 by The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward Vll) and his wife, The Princess of Wales.

It takes 61 seconds to open Tower Bridge, which opens about 1,000 times a year.

Tower Bridge is the only bridge over the Thames that can be raised as it is a combined bascule (drawbridge) and suspension bridge. This means that the middle section of the bridge can be raised to allow river traffic to pass through.

The bridge was originally painted a chocolate brown colour. Then in 1977, it was painted red, white and blue for the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

There have been several incidents on the bridge over the years. In December 1952, the bridge opened while a number 78 doubledecker bus was on it!

Facts about London through history

The Romans were first to settle where London is today. They called it Londinium.

The Saxons destroyed London Bridge in 1014 by using boats and ropes to tear it down.

During the Saxon period of occupation London was known as Lundenwic

In Medieval England animals were brought into court, and tried and sentenced by the judge for any mischief or damage they did!

The Blitz and other bombing by the German Luftwaffe during World War II killed over 30,000 Londoners and destroyed many houses and other buildings across London.

Facts about Education in London

London has 43 universities, the largest concentration of higher education in Europe.

Facts about London People (Londoners)

Facts about London Transport

The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world.

The London Underground, was built in 1863, and was the first metro of the world.

The London Underground is known as 'the Tube'.

55% of the London Underground, is not underground.

Five stations on the Underground system are named after pubs: Elephant & Castle, Angel, Swiss Cottage, Royal Oak and Manor House.

Angel Tube Station, has Western Europe's longest escalator with 318 steps.

The British Transport Police are responsible for police services on National Rail and London Underground services.

The double-decker bus is an icon of London

The Savoy Court, leading into the Savoy Hotel, is the only place in Britain where cars enter and exit on the right. This was changed by an act of parliament, to enable women to exit cars first, since they traditionally sat behind the driver (from horse and carriage days).

The traditional colour of taxis in London is Black. Today the 'Black Cabs' come in 12 different colours.

Facts about Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is The Queen's official London residence

Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms. These include 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms.

Buckingham Palace gets its name from a man named Duke of Buckingham. He built Buckingham House for himself as a grand London home.

In 1761, George III bought Buckingham House for his wife, Queen Charlotte.

The first monarch to use Buckingham Palace as their official residence was Queen Victoria, who moved there in 1837.

Over 800 members of staff are based at Buckingham Palace. Their jobs range from housekeeping to horticulture, catering to correspondence. Some of the more unusual jobs include fendersmith, clockmaker and flagman.

Facts about Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

Big Ben is not actually the name of the clock or the tower. It is the 13-ton bell inside the clock.

The tower is known as St Stephens Tower but most people refer to it as Big Ben.

The Houses of Parliament has 1,000 rooms, 100 staircases, 11 courtyards, eight bars and six restaurants - none of them open to the public.

The Houses of Parliament are part of the greater Palace of Westminster, built by Barry and Pugin in the mid-19th century.

Other facts about London

The West End is London's main entertainment (theatres) and shopping district.

The average price for properties in Kensington and Chelsea is £894,000

Marble Arch was originally built as the entrance to Buckingham Palace, but was never used. Inside is a tiny office, that use to be used as a police station.

Sightseeing in London and the rest of Britain
The cost of attractions

Armchair Travel
Find the answers to questions during your imaginary visit to London.

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London, England - Facts about London for Kids

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Easy to read interesting facts and information about London aimed at school children but ideal for all who are learning about England and the rest of Britain..

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London is the capital of the United Kingdom and England. London is the city region with the highest population in the United Kingdom. With it being located along River Thames, London has been a central city since it was founded by the Romans two millennia ago under the name Londinium. London's original city center, the City of London, which in 2011 had 7,375 inhabitants on an area of 2.9 km², is England's smallest city. Since the end of the 19th century, London has also been used for the urban region that has developed around this city center. This area forms the region of London, as well as the Greater London administrative unit, led by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. In modern times, London is one of the world's most important political, economic and cultural centers. This is not least due to the fact that London was the capital of the British Empire and thus for almost three centuries the center of power for large parts of the globe.

The city itself has around 9.1 million inhabitants (2018), but if you count the entire metropolitan area of London (London Metropolitan Area), you reach around 15 million. The city was considered the largest in the EU by population.

London has a temperate climate with regular, light rain throughout the year. July is the warmest month, with an average temperature at Greenwich of 13.6 ° C to 22.8 ° C. The coldest month is January, with an average of 2.4 ° C to 7.9 ° C. The average annual rainfall is 583.6 mm, and February is normally the driest month. Snow is uncommon in London itself, although there is regular snow in the surrounding area; this is because the extra heat the big city generates makes the city about 5 ° C warmer than surrounding areas in winter.

The Romans built the city of Londinium along the River Thames in the year AD 43. The name Londinium (and later 'London') came from the Celtic language of the Ancient Britons. In the year AD 61, the city was attacked and destroyed. Then the Romans rebuilt the city, and London became an important trading hub.

After the decline of the Roman Empire, few people remained in London. This was partly because the Anglo-Saxon people of Sub-Roman Britain were primarily agricultural. Once the Romans had gone, trade with Continental Europe dwindled. In the 9th century, more people started living in London again. It became the largest city in England. However, it did not become the capital city of England until the 12th century.

After the railways were built, London grew very big. Greater London has 33 boroughs (neighbourhoods) and a mayor. The old City of London is only a square mile in size but has its own Lord Mayor.

Another famous old part of Greater London is Westminster, which was always a different city from the City of London. In Westminster is Westminster Abbey (a cathedral), The Palace of Westminster (the Houses of Parliament, with Big Ben), and 10 Downing Street (where the Prime Minister lives).

London has an oceanic, or temperate climate. It is not usually very hot or cold. It is often cloudy.

London Events

London has many celebrations, festivals and events.

Wimbledon Tennis Tournament

Championship tennis games

Two weeks in June and July

Held at the All England Club

Started in 1877

The Promenade Concert

Classical music concerts

From July to September

Held at the Royal Albert Hall

Started in the late 19th century (1800s)

Notting Hill Carnival

A festival to celebrate Caribbean culture

One weekend in August

Started in 1964

London Film Festival

More than 300 movies

Last two weeks in October

Held at cinemas all over the city

Has international movies (movies from many different countries)

London Business and Economy

London has five major business districts: the City, Westminster, Canary Wharf, Camden & Islington and Lambeth & Southwark.

The London Stock Exchange is the most international stock exchange and the largest in Europe.

Financial services

London's largest industry is finance. This includes banks, stock exchanges, investment companies and insurance companies The Bank of England is located in London and is the second oldest bank in the world.

Professional services

London has many professional services such as law and accounting firms.

The British Broadcasting Company (BBC), which has many radio and TV stations, is in London.

Tourism is one of London's biggest industries. London is the most visited city in the world by international tourists with 18.8 million international visitors per year. Within the UK, London is home to the ten most-visited tourist attractions. Tourism employed about 350,000 full-time workers in London in 2003. Tourists spend about £15 billion per year.

Technology

A growing number of technology companies are based in London.

London is a major retail centre, and in 2010 had the highest non-food retail sales of any city in the world, with a total spend of around £64.2 billion. The UK's fashion industry, centred on London, contributes tens of billions to the economy.

Manufacturing and construction

For the 19th and much of the 20th centuries London was a major manufacturing centre (see Manufacturing in London), with over 1.5 million industrial workers in 1960. Many products were made in London including ships, electronics and cars. Nowadays, most of these manufacturing companies are closed but some drug companies still make medicine in London.

London has twin and sister city agreements with these cities:

London also has a "partnership" agreement with Tokyo, Japan.

London Transportation (Trains, airports and Metro)

The city has a huge network of transport systems including trains, metros (underground) and five main airports.

The Victorians built many train systems in the mid-19th century (1850s). Their main stations are in London, and the lines go to every part of Great Britain. There were originally five major companies but the five companies became a national rail network in modern times.

There are five airports, though only one is actually in London ( London City Airport). There is the London end of the London- Birmingham canal, which was important to the industrial 19th century. The most used airport is Heathrow International Airport although it is actually outside the city.

The metro or London Underground is a system of electric trains which are in London. It is the oldest underground railway in the world. It started running in 1863 as the Metropolitan Railway. After the opening the system was copied in many other cities, for example New York and Madrid. Even though it is called the Underground about half of it is above the ground. The "Tube" is a slang name for the London Underground, because the tunnels for some of the lines are round tubes running through the ground. The Underground has got 274 stations and over 408 km of track. From 2006-2007 over 1 billion passengers used the underground.

References

Other websites

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London is the capital of the United Kingdom and England. London is the city region with the highest population in the United Kingdom. With it being located along River Thames, London has been a central city since it was founded by the Romans two millennia ago under the name Londinium.

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New York City is the largest city in the United States. It is one of the world's great centers of culture and business. Its fast pace and constant activity earned it the...

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New York City Facts for Kids | KidzSearch.com

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New York City facts. New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city by population in the United States. It is at the southern end of the U.S. state of New York. Over 8 million people currently live in the city, and over 22 million people live in the bigger New York metropolita…

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List of buildings, sites, and monuments in New York City for Kids - Kiddle

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Following is an alphabetical list of notable buildings, sites and monuments located in New York City in the United States. The borough is indicated in parentheses.