History - Archive Articles

London’s only public statue of King Henry VIII restored to remove decades of pollution

London's only public statue of King Henry VIII has recently been given a makeover, removing decades of pollution and cleaning up the building he stands in.

Beyond Dickensian myths: St Pancras workhouse’s early history revealed in archaeological dig

The early history of a notorious London workhouse, whose putrid conditions may have inspired Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, has been uncovered by archaeologists who found that early conditions were far better than the later years.

Roman London’s mausoleum and mosaics going on public display in Southwark

One of the UK's most important discoveries of Roman heritage in recent years is to go on public display in Southwark, close to where it was uncovered last year.

A tale of two stags: Tracing the origins of the Albert Gate’s sculptures

A curiosity has struck me about two fine sculptures of stags that can be found on Albert Gate, a short road next to Hyde Park.

Dare to Be Free: London’s 1000th blue plaque unveiled at Suffragist headquarters

London's 1000th official blue plaque was unveiled last week, in a location just off Strand in central London.

Step back in time: Explore Crystal Palace’s Victorian Beasts with these new 3D scans

You can now see the Crystal Palace's Victorian beasts in full 3D on your computer, after a project to scan them for restoration work also enabled a website to recreate the beasts online.

Blue Plaque honours Tommy Flowers, the man behind Alan Turing’s computer revolution

Although Alan Turning gets justifiable fame for his WWII computer work, he needed help, and now a Blue Plaque has been installed to celebrate the electrical engineer who made it all possible, Tommy Flowers.

London’s Blue Plaques to become a UK-wide scheme

For nearly 160 years, notable people have been recognised in London by a plaque on a building they were associated with, and now it's going nationwide.

Unveiling the unsung hero: 360-year search ends as first witness to Great Fire of London identified

It's taken nearly 360 years to find him, but researchers now believe they have identified the person who first raised the alarm when the Great Fire of London started on the evening of 2nd September 1666.

Finsbury Square’s lost “Sodomites Walk”

A strip of land to the south of Finsbury Square in the City that's today just a busy road was once far more notorious -- as a space where gay men congregated.

The Tanner Street Drinking Fountain

There's a drinking fountain in Bermondsey that would once have been very difficult to get a drink from, as it used to be on top of a church.

The North London Railway WWI memorial

If you walk north from Hoxton station, you might spy a Cenotaph, sitting in a recess next to this north London railway station.

A visit to Carshalton Water Tower and Hermitage

Just over 300 years ago a very rich man on the verge of bankruptcy built a grand house and a water tower. Three hundred years later, both still exist, and you can go inside the water tower, but not the house.

London’s first Night Bus started 110 years ago – in July 1913

This month marks the 110th anniversary of London's first Night Bus, when a new service was introduced between Cricklewood and Liverpool Street Station on Monday 14th July 1913.

The restoration of Charles Dickens’ Old Curiosity Shop

Surrounded by modern buildings is a very old building that claims to be the original Old Curiosity Shop made famous by Charles Dickens, but it's not what it says it is.

Lost Victorian animal returns to Crystal Palace’s dinosaurs

A sculpture of an extinct animal that was created to go among the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs but vanished in the 1960s has been restored.

Climb to the top of Britain’s only surviving semaphore tower

Peeking just above the trees by the M25 in southwest London can be found a curious octagonal building which was built 200 years ago as part of the defence of Britain.

Exceptional Roman Mausoleum discovered in South London

The most intact Roman mausoleum ever found in Britain has been discovered in south London, on a site that already revealed some of the largest Roman mosaics found in London for over 50 years.

Historic England wants your modern photos of old postcard views

A collection of historic postcards is looking to find modern photos of the same views so that past and present can be compared.

A visit to Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare

Not far from Hampton Court Palace can be found a small temple, created by the actor David Garrick to honour William Shakespeare, and is said to be the world's only dedicated shrine to Shakespeare.

See the Coronation Stone in Kingston

When King Charles III is crowned, he will sit on a throne containing a Scottish stone, but there's another Coronation Stone he could have sat on -- and it's in southwest London.

Rececently uncovered Roman Wall in the City of London given heritage protection

Three large sections of a previously unknown Roman wall discovered under the City of London in recent years have been designated as scheduled monuments in the National Heritage List for England.

At the remains of the Elizabethan era Boar’s Head Playhouse

Just outside the walls of the old City of London there used to be a coaching inn that became a popular theatre, and you can now see echoes of the long lost theatre in a modern building on the site.

200 year old fish found under the House of Lords

During surveys to prepare for the restoration of the Palace of Westminster, a 200-year old carved bone in the shape of a fish was discovered.