Take a look at our fascinating London facts below, you may find out something new about where you live!
With 676 flats, Du Cane Court is one of the largest private apartment blocks in Europe. Distinguished residents have included comedian and writer Arthur Smith, actress Dame Margaret Rutherford and comedian Tommy Trinder.
Battersea has 56 acres of wholsesale fruit, vegetable and flower companies on its doorstep at New Covent Garden Market. On the site of the former Nine Elms Locomotive Works, the market is actually nowhere near Covent Garden.
"If you're a Londoner just like me, meet me in Battersea Park
If you are young or you'd like to be, meet me in Battersea Park"
So sang Petula Clark in her 1954 single "Meet Me In Battersea Park". Written by Joe Henderson, Leslie Clark and David Valentine.
The Hempel Hotel in Bayswater once saw celebrity chef Raymond Blanc rustle up a salad for £635.60. The Florette Sea and Earth salad included 50g of Almas golden caviar, once the preserve of tsars and yours for around £12,000 a kilo.
Famous residents of Beckenham Crematorium include legendary cricketer W G Grace, car manufacturer F Y Wolseley, and Thomas Crapper, inventor of the flush toilet.
One of London’s first speed dating events was held at the Chamomile Café in 2000, just a year after the craze began in Los Angeles. There are no reports of long lasting relationships resulting from the evening.
Anyone with running shoes will know that Blackheath is the starting point for the London Marathon. The first race was held on 29 March 1981, with 7,747 starters and 6,255 finishers. Now a capacity 46,500 run each year.
A stone circle appeared on Hilly Fields on the morning of the 2000 spring equinox. It was created as a giant sundial and place for people to meet, and was dedicated to Norbert, the patron saint of Brockley. Hilly Fields has been the site of a midsummer fair for 25 years.
Bromley is the largest of the 32 London boroughs. It includes part of the Kent Downs which means it’s also the only London borough to offer one of the 41 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) designated in England and Wales.
Chislehurst has its own caves, a 22 mile long man made network of tunnels that were built as chalk and flint mines. But they have also produced plenty of music, with performances by David Bowie, Status Quo, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd.
Chiswick Bridge marks the point where two London boroughs meet and the finishing point of the Oxford and Cambridge boat race. It joins the borough of Hounslow on the north side of the river to Richmond upon Thames. Look out for the university boat race stone downstream of the bridge on the south bank.
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Clapham Common is reputedly home to the UK’s largest bandstand. Cross the grassland from Battersea Rise in the borough of Wandsworth or from Clapham South tube station in the borough of Lambeth and you will stumble across the restored structure in the middle of the common.
London’s oldest comedy club is Downstairs at the King’s Head. The roll of top performers includes Robin Williams, Al Murray, Eddie Izzard, Jack Dee, Robbie Coltrane, Rowan Atkinson and just about every British comedian.
In Crystal Palace Park you can see the first ever life sized dinosaur sculptures. The 158 year old dinosaurs were upgraded to Grade I listed status in 2007.
The Dulwich Picture Gallery is the occasional home to the most stolen painting, Rembrandt’s Jacob De Gheyn II. It’s been taken four times since 1966, but returned each time, having been found in a taxi, in a train station, underneath a bench and on the back of a bicycle. Nobody has ever been charged.
Ealing Studios are the oldest in the world and gained global renown. The BBC took over in 1955 and made TV shows from Doctor Who to Monty Python's Flying Circus. The studios are back in the movie game, with titles including Shaun of the Dead, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and St Trinian's.
The River Wandle that flows through Earlsfield was once the best trout river in Britain, offering the biggest fish. After a massive clean up operation, anglers are starting to measure the recovery by the increasing size of the fish they catch.
The CUE building, Centre for Understanding the Environment, can be found in the Horniman Museum. Opened in 1996, the building now houses the library and education centre. It was constructed from sustainable materials, a grass roof and uses passive ventilation, which uses natural movement of air to maintain the environment.
Fulham isn't just home to Fulham Football Club, it’s also home to local rivals Chelsea, who therefore don't play in Chelsea. Fulham was also the site of the Lillie Bridge Ground, which hosted the second FA Cup final.
The Dove is the oldest surviving riverside pub in London. It is also said to have the smallest bar in the world. It can be found in a narrow alley which is the last standing part of the riverside village of Hammersmith. Past patrons include Ernest Hemingway and Graham Greene.
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One of the oldest athletics clubs in the UK has its clubhouse in Hayes. Originally formed as the Peckham Hare and Hounds in 1869 and converted into the Peckham Athletic Club, the club is now known as the Blackheath and Bromley Harriers.
Visitors to Highgate pubs in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries were familiar with the tradition of ‘Swearing on the Horns’ to confirm their dedication to debauchery and merriment. A clerk would read a series of statements, and those being sworn in would agree, kiss or salute a set of horns.
The licensees for the Monopoly board game used to meet for tea in the Lyon’s Corner House in Islington, built on the site of the original Angel Inn. That’s why ‘The Angel, Islington’ is included in the British version of the game.
The Oval, home of Surrey Country Cricket Club, was the first ground in Britain and second in the world to host a test match, and still traditionally hosts the last test match of the year.
Kingston is widely considered to mark the end of where the 184 mile long Thames Path runs on both sides of the river. From here to its source in Gloucestershire the path runs on one side of the Thames only.
Until 2006, if you were arranging to meet up at the Tiger’s Head, you had to agree on which one, The Old Tiger’s Head or The New Tiger’s Head. Some claim The Old Tiger’s Head was always the newer of the two. Now it’s not a problem, as only the Old Tiger’s Head remains.
Marylebone is named after a combination of St Mary’s church and a small stream, or ‘bourne’ called the Tybourne. The church and surrounding area became known as St Mary at the Bourne, which has shortened over time to Marylebone. The name is not, as many think, a corruption of Marie la Bonne.
Ray and Dave Davies were born in Muswell Hill and made their first public performance at the Clissold Arms pub in Fortis Green. A plaque and memorbilia at the pub celebrate the brothers who went on to become The Kinks.
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The famous series starring Del and Rodney was never filmed in Peckham, but in a mixture of UK city locations including Acton, Brighton, Salisbury, Hull, Ipswich and Bristol. Despite this, the area became a household name between 1981 and 2003.
Putney has been the starting point of the University Boat Race since 1856. The race has been an annual event, starting at the University Stone, just up from Putney Bridge. 2008 was the 154th boat race and was won by Oxford on 29th March.
Fancy a portion of triple cooked chips? Then take a trip to the newly refurbished Princess Victoria pub on Uxbridge Road, winners of the 'Best New Gastro Pub' in the Time Out Eating and Drinking Awards 2008.
An abstinence law prevented any pubs from being built in the Southfields Grid until 1990, when the law was lifted. Then two pubs sprung up next to each other on Replingham Road.
The old oak tree is said to be a survivor of the ancient Forest of Middlesex. The Chandos or Minchenden Oak is believed to be around 800 years old
Lord’s Cricket Ground is the original headquarters of the sport of cricket and home of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The MCC originally played in Dorset Fields, now Dorset Square, in Marylebone, until the current ex duckpond site was adopted in 1814.
The two km long Streatham High Road is believed to be the longest high road in Europe.
Around 5,500 new homes were built in the Surrey Quays area in the late 1980s and 1990s, from detached houses to apartment complexes. South Dock became London’s largest marina.
A meteorite crater on Mars has been named Tooting after it reminded British planet expert Pete Mouginis-Mark of Tooting Bec where he grew up. The crater is 17.4 miles wide and sits at latitude 23.1N, 152.4W.
The British Vintage Wireless and Television Museum is the only viable and working wireless museum in the UK. It has inspired many other wireles museums to be set up and has enjoyed global recognition and media coverage.
West Hampstead was a small village called West End until the arrival of the railways. The Metropolitan Railway adopted the name of West Hampstead for their station on West End Lane, which avoided confusion with the main shopping area in central London.
West Wickham was chosen for the recreation of wartime living in the 2001 UK TV series ‘The 1940s House’ shown on Channel 4. The family lived at 17 Braemar Gardens.
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club moved to its current premises to cope with the rapid growth of the game. Reportedly when King George V opened the new courts ‘he gave three blows on a gong, the tarpaulins were removed, the first match started and the rain came down’
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