London stories
Explore the stories of the world's greatest city and uncover the hidden treasures of our collections.
All stories
Ottobah Cugoano: A powerful critic of slavery
Cugoano shared his own experience of enslavement to try and end it for good
Liberty: A destination for high-quality design
A mock-Tudor treasure trove of fashion and homeware
Speakers’ Corner: A home of free speech
Hyde Park’s historic spot for public speaking and debate
Post-war photographs of the working River Thames
Sandra Flett’s snapshot of trade and industry on London’s liquid highway
London’s street markets by László Moholy-Nagy
The influential Hungarian artist turns his attention to 1930s street life
What were London’s turnpikes?
In the 1700s and 1800s, travelling on London’s main roads came with a cost
Photographing an east London rent strike, 1939
Cyril Arapoff captures life in a dangerously dilapidated apartment block
Forgotten faces from post-war London
Fred Wilfred’s photos of London from 1957 to 1962 have remained largely unseen
Boris Johnson: London mayor, Brexit prime minister
Running the capital then the country, Johnson is remembered for the Olympics, Brexit and Covid-19
Sadiq Khan: London’s first Muslim mayor
The south-London son of a bus driver whose time in office has included Covid-19 and the ULEZ expansion
Ken Livingstone: GLC leader & London’s first mayor
Dubbed “Red Ken” in the 1980s, Livingstone became London’s first directly elected mayor in 2000
The Roman mosaic that thrilled London
The 2,000-year-old Bucklersbury Pavement drew thousands to see it after being discovered in 1869
London buses: Red, iconic, double-decked
You wait for ages, then all you need to know about London buses comes along at once
The Monument to the Great Fire of London
A permanent, towering reminder of the 1666 disaster
What was the Cheapside Cross?
A monument to a queen – and a point of religious conflict
