London stories
Explore the stories of the world's greatest city and uncover the hidden treasures of our collections.
All stories
The glamorous life of opera singer Adelina Patti
One of the most successful sopranos of the 1800s, Patti gained fame, wealth and a castle in Wales
The Ballets Russes in London
This pioneering touring dance company made the capital their home in the early 1900s
The great ballet dancer Anna Pavlova
A Russian-born star who took the world by storm in the early 1900s
Joseph Grimaldi: King of the clowns
Grimaldi’s extraordinary physical comedy changed the pantomime forever – but it came at a price
Selfridges: The store that shook up London shopping
With its bold advertising and top customer service, Selfridges brought American glamour to the capital
What was the Great Exhibition of 1851?
A groundbreaking public attraction on an almost unheard-of scale
The vivid photography of Bill Brandt
An influential photographer whose work spanned documentary images and Surrealist portraits
Gertie Millar: An Edwardian musical comedy icon
A leading lady on the London stage in the early 1900s
Lost rivers: The Westbourne
Until the 1800s, the Westbourne flowed through the countryside and could safely quench your thirst
Lost rivers: The Tyburn
Flowing under Mayfair and Buckingham Palace, the Tyburn shaped some of London’s wealthiest areas
Lost rivers: The Effra
Lambeth’s famous hidden river was once the source of colourful London myths – and frequent flooding
The Jewish East End
How Spitalfields and Whitechapel offered new lives to thousands fleeing persecution
Jumbo the Elephant
How a 19th-century animal celebrity gave us a massive new word
Silvertown 1917: London’s largest explosion
73 people died when an east London factory making TNT caught fire and exploded
The Stone Age skull rescued from the River Thames
Found after 5,000 years in the mud
The surprising diversity of Roman London
A city home to people from Turkey, Germany and Greece
