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

Take a tour along the River Thames in the 1930s
An atmospheric trip through lost London riverscapes


Hammersmith Bridge
It’s survived three bombs – and a struggle to keep it standing

The Victoria Cross found in the Thames
When a mudlark recovered Britain’s prestigious medal for valour

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


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

The Stone Age skull rescued from the River Thames
Found after 5,000 years in the mud

The Great Stink of 1858
A smell so incredibly awful it demanded a modern sewer solution

What is the Port of London Authority?
Steering the River Thames through changing tides and turbulent times


How a Neolithic jade axe came to Mortlake
Polished, Italian and left in the Thames