London stories
Explore the stories of the world's greatest city and uncover the hidden treasures of our collections.
All stories

Ian Wright: Arsenal hero, London legend
This ex-footballer and pundit from Brockley has won hearts on and off the pitch

Riz Ahmed: Actor, rapper, north-west Londoner
The Wembley-born star brings London and his life story into his work

The Rhinebeck Panorama: A game-changing view
Found in a barrel in 1941, this vast panorama shows the awesome spread of London in 1806

Temple Bar: London’s last surviving gateway
Royal ceremonies, human heads – and a brief spell in Hertfordshire

The Prévost Panorama: See London in 1815
An epic six-metre-long painting shows us a very different view from Westminster

A walk through 1920s London
George Davison Reid’s years-long photography project shows us London between two world wars

Morley’s: South London’s chicken shop
The pride of south London since 1985, courtesy of bossman

Hop-picking: Londoners’ working holiday
Going ‘hopping’ in Kent was once a rare summertime escape from city life

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson: A pioneering doctor
The first woman in Britain to qualify as a doctor

The sinking of the Princess Alice
Catastrophe struck on the River Thames in 1878 when a cargo ship collided with a tourist boat

The People’s Vote marches against Brexit
After the UK voted to exit the European Union in 2016, hundreds of thousands called for a second referendum

Stop the War 2003: London’s largest ever protest
In 2003, more than a million people marched through the capital to protest against the UK’s war in Iraq

Elizabeth Fry: Pioneering prison reformer
Fry’s injection of kindness transformed the prison experience for Victorian women

How did London celebrate VE Day on 8 May 1945?
Joy, relief and grief as the city marked ‘Victory in Europe’ near the end of the Second World War

Michaela Coel: A vital modern storyteller
The superstar behind Chewing Gum and I May Destroy You has spun unique tales from London life