City of Westminster
Westminster sits at the heart of London and is the centre of British political life. It’s home to the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, where 39 monarchs have been crowned.
Tourists flock to landmarks like Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, and Covent Garden’s shops and theatres. Then there’s the dilemma of whether to take tea at the Ritz, dim sum in Chinatown – or maybe a pint in one of Soho’s many pubs?
Composer George Frideric Handel wrote Messiah in Mayfair, next door to where rock legend Jimi Hendrix would live some 200 years later. Two miles away is Abbey Road Studios, and the zebra crossing made famous by The Beatles.
And yet with all that heritage, Westminster never sits still – a key example of London’s way of respecting its past while embracing the future.
The Palace of Westminster from Westminster Bridge
Blogs-And-Stories
St James’s Park: Royal playground & wildlife haven
The park surrounded by palaces – and home to a colony of pelicans
Peek inside the prestigious Sotheby’s auction house
Henry Grant photographed fine art and fancy jewellery going under the hammer
The Savoy Palace & Hospital
How a magnificent medieval manor became a Tudor hospital for the poor – and then fell into ruins
The Great Pestilence in London
Plague killed over half of the city’s population between 1348 and 1352
London’s first South Asian MPs
As calls for Indian independence grew, three Indian MPs won seats in the UK Parliament
Queen Caroline: A royal drama staged in London
The estranged wife of George IV won Londoners’ hearts as the king tried to divorce her
Hyde Park: Where London gathers to celebrate & protest
There’s history at every turn at the home of Speakers’ Corner and the Serpentine
Kensington Gardens: Royal history meets magical adventure
Peter Pan and Prince Albert rub shoulders with artists in this royal patch of green
The Green Park: Fireworks, robberies & scandal
The thrilling history of London’s smallest royal park
