The City: River. Rhythm. History.

The Thames Shapes Everything

The Thames is tidal through central London. Saltwater reaches as far as Battersea.

Twice a day, the river rises and falls by up to 7 metres, governed by the moon.

In the summer of 1858 (the Great Stink), the heat baked centuries of raw sewage into a smell so overwhelming that MPs fled the Houses of Parliament. Engineer Joseph Bazalgette built over 80 miles of new sewers in response. Many still serve London now.

The river was declared biologically dead in 1957. Today it is one of the cleanest rivers running through a major city. Seals, sharks, seahorses, and over 125 species of fish live in it. The brown colour is silt, not pollution.

London's prevailing winds blow from the southwest. The affluent knew it and moved accordingly. That geography of wealth and wind still echoes in the city today.

The river is still the best way to understand the city's shape, and its past.

The Greenwich Meridian

In Greenwich, 0° longitude divides east from west.

Greenwich Mean Time became the global reference point for time zones, meaning every clock in the world is set relative to a quiet hill in south-east London.

Few cities can say that. London can.

Layers of History

Celtic settlements stood along the Thames long before the city had a name.

The Romans founded Londinium. Vikings raided it. The Normans built the Tower. Tudor London expanded through trade and theatre. Industrial growth reshaped the skyline.

Walking through London means moving through centuries, often within a single postcode.

That's what makes it worth looking up.

Plague, Fire and Resilience

The Great Plague of 1665 killed an estimated 100,000 people, roughly a quarter of the city's population. At its peak, over 7,000 Londoners were dying in a single week.

Then, one year later, came the fire.

On 2 September 1666, a bakery on Pudding Lane caught alight. The fire burned for four days. 85% of the City was gone.

Plague one year. Fire the next. Most cities would have been abandoned.

London was rebuilt. The Monument stands exactly 202 feet tall, positioned exactly 202 feet from where the fire began.

London does not just survive. It rebuilds, and carries on.

London's Five Airports

LHR — Heathrow: West London. Europe's busiest. Direct Tube and Elizabeth line.

LGW — Gatwick: South, around 30 miles out. Fast trains to Victoria and London Bridge.

STN — Stansted: Northeast, around 40 miles out. Stansted Express to Liverpool Street.

LTN — Luton: North, around 35 miles out. Budget airlines.

LCY — London City: Inside the city, Docklands. Closest to central London.

Check the map to see which airport sits closest to where you're staying.

London's Weather

London averages around 1,500 hours of sunshine per year. Its reputation for constant rain is considerably stronger than the statistics deserve.

London has been known to offer all four seasons before lunch.

Be prepared for everything. You probably won't need all of it, but you might.

Blame the Swords

One of the first things visitors notice in London, usually at a pedestrian crossing, looking the wrong way.

It goes back to medieval England. Most people are right-handed, so keeping to the left on horseback meant your sword arm faced whoever was coming the other way.

The Romans did the same. Britain absorbed the habit and never let it go.

Napoleon spread right-hand driving across conquered Europe. Britain was never conquered. Britain stayed left.

Sweden switched overnight in 1967. Britain looked at that and decided against it.

When you step off the kerb: look right first. Then left. Then right again. The sword-fighting logic doesn't apply anymore, but the traffic very much does.