London, UK

The Oxford Circus crossing

Did you know that Oxford Street contains a secret roof top garden – Brown Hart gardens, built on top of an old Victorian substation. The gardens were originally built in 1905 and were open until the 1980s when they closed until reopening in 2013.

Oxford street

Did you know that during the time of the Roman Invasion, London was known as Londinium. In Saxon times, it was known as Lundenwic and during the kingdom of Alfred the Great, its name was changed to Lundenburg.

Busy Oxford street

Did you know that Oxford Street has its own square on the original Monopoly board game. Together with Regent Street and Bond Street, it forms the green set of properties

Wheel chair runner, London's Marathon 2012

Did you know that the London Marathon is actually 26.2 miles long (42.16 km). The reason for this is, in the 1908 London Olympics, the distance was extended so that the royal family could watch the start of the race from Windsor Castle and the end of the race from the royal box in the Olympic stadium.

wheelchair runner, London's Marathon 2012

Did you know that every year, runners try to break official Guinness World Records and next year is no different! There will be over 100 people trying to break records on Sunday including ‘fastest man dressed as a toilet’, ‘fastest marathon carrying golf clubs’ and ‘fastest marathon in high heels’!

London's yearly Marathon event, 2012

Did you know that the London Marathon is the Guinness World Record's largest annual fundraising event in the world. Since its launch runners have raised more than £500m for charity.

London's Marathon 2012

Did you know that a total of 888,552 runners have completed the London Marathon since its launch.

An avenue that’s always in style - welcome to Carnaby

When Lady Jane opened in 1966 by Harry Fox and Henry Moss, it was the first boutique shop on Carnaby Street to cater exclusively to women. Moss had the idea to use live fashion models in his shop windows. This wouldn’t have been a problem except for the models dressing and undressing down to their knickers, which attracted such a large audience of men that Moss was arrested and fined £2 for obstructing the highway.

Foggy cloudy morning in the center of London

Everyone pretty much calls the tower and the clock Big Ben. But it’s actually the big bell inside that’s named Big Ben. The tower used to be known simply as the “Clock Tower” until 2012 when it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in honor of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Despite Big Ben being the bell, everyone will probably continue to call the whole thing Big Ben until the end of time.

Entrance to the tube

The nickname “tube” originally applied to the Central London Railway which was nicknamed the Twopenny Tube – because of the twopenny fare as well as its cylindrical tunnels. The “tube” part of the nickname eventually transferred to the entire London Underground system.

Early spring in Hyde Park

Did you know that King Charles I opened the park to the public in 1637.The current park layout was planned by architect Decimus Burton in 1825.

Green heart of London

Did you know that London’s Hyde Park is one of the greatest city parks in the world. Covering 142 hectares (350 acres) and with over 4,000 trees, a large lake, a meadow and ornamental flower gardens.

Hunting ground

Did you know that originally, King Henry VIII acquired the grounds of Hyde Park in 1536 by confiscating them from the monks of Westminster Abbey after forming the Church of England. He used it primarily as a hunting ground and it remained closed to the public until King Charles I opened it in 1637.

London's eye - panoramic view

Did you know that there are more languages spoken in London than in any other city in the world.

Spring time in London (in Sepia finishing)

Did you know that the Westminster Palace was designed by architect Charles Barry and built in the 1840s, replacing an earlier building destroyed by fire. The complex of buildings covers 8 acres and has over 1,100 rooms.

Early evening in the center of London (in Sepia finishing)

Did you know that the Hall of Westminster is the oldest surviving part of the original building and has the largest Medieval roof in England. At one time, Britain’s kings and queens lived here.

Postcard view

Did you know that Big Ben chimes every fifteen minutes and can be heard from as far away as five miles.

London's streets

If London was a country it would be the 8th biggest in Europe.

Sunset skyline

Did you know that Thames River in London is the longest river in England. It begins life as a trickle in a Gloucestershire meadow and flows for more than 135 miles, before reaching London.

Evening colors

Did you know that the Palace of Westminster is known for its centuries old traditions. In the lifts are hooks designed for hanging swords on and some floor markings are designed to be 2 sword lengths apart.

More than 5,000 people have gotten engaged on the Eye since it opened, with both sedate proposals and orchestrated flash mobs among the celebrations. More than 500 weddings have also happened there, with the first one taking place in 2001.

The 32 capsules on the London Eye are representative of the 32 London boroughs, and each one weighs as much as 1,052,631 pound coins.Despite there only being 32 capsules, for superstitious reasons they are numbered 1 – 33. For good luck number 13 is left out.

On average the London Eye receives more visitors per year than the Taj Mahal and the Great Pyramids of Giza

The Gherkin overview

Did you know that at any one time, 378 people can be transported in lifts at speeds of up to 6m per second.

The Gherkin

Did you know that the building has 24,000 sq metres of external glass – the equivalent of five football pitches.

View to Tower Bridge in lazy weekend day in London

Did you know that it takes 61 seconds to open Tower Bridge, which opens about 1,000 times a year.

Tower Bridge