London stories

After gaining his freedom, this 18th-century writer became one of the first Black voters in Britain

Put on your finest costume and join revellers on London’s fashionable 18th-century dancefloors

A pioneering LGBTQ+ ultradisco and a home of UK queer rave subculture

The life of a Victorian Whitechapel resident made famous because of his physical disabilities

These colourful toys were sold on the streets by some of London’s poorest citizens

The world-famous BBC made its first radio broadcast from London over 100 years ago

These were once the world’s largest docks, built to handle goods from Caribbean slave plantations

The west London crossing opened twice by George III

Sometimes called the “ladies’ bridge”, this is a crossing that’s inspired Monet and The Kinks

The only Magnificent Seven cemetery that doubles as a tree garden

Featuring headless puppets, the ever-stylish Sindy and a 300-year-old doll with human hair

A crossing to the heart of government

Fog, smog and deadly fumes

Love them or hate them, pigeons have been part of London for over 1,000 years

13 young Black people died in this 1981 tragedy, which led to the Brixton Uprising

What can a toilet roll tell us about the history of women’s access to work and leisure?

London’s most famous, most deadly terrier

For this Punjabi royal, winning women’s vote was worth breaking the law