What comes to mind when you think of London?

Many people picture the soaring clocktower of Big Ben, the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, or a delicious plate of fish and chips.

But there’s a lot more to London than these iconic attractions!

In fact, there are so many things to know about London that you could live there for years and never encounter everything.

That’s why I’ve put this article together for you — to make it easy to learn the most interesting, surprising, and fun facts about London.

Keep reading to see how many amazing facts about London you haven’t heard before!

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7 Fun Facts about London

1. The London Zoo Is the Oldest in the World

Opened in Regent’s Park in 1828 for scientific study, the London Zoo is the world’s oldest zoo.

It opened to the public in 1847 and remains one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. Today the zoo is home to more than 20,000 animals!

2. No One Really Knows How London Got Its Name

Some scholars say it comes from “Londonium,” the name of the original Roman settlement from nearly 2,000 years ago.

Other theories include an ancient Celtic word (Lindun), a pre-Celtic name (Plowonida), or even a mythical “Kaer Llundain.”

3. The City of London Is England’s Smallest County

The greater London metropolis may be one of the biggest in the world, but the original Roman settlement covered only 1.12 square miles (2.9 square kilometres).

This original “City of London” is still the smallest county in all of England.

4. London Bridge Is NOT in London

In fact, it’s not even in the UK.

In 1968, American tycoon Robert McCulloch bought the crumbling bridge for a cool $2.46 million.

He then moved over 10,000 tons of bricks and reconstructed the bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, to serve as a tourist attraction.

5. The Millenium Dome Is the Largest Fabric Structure Ever Built

Just how big is it? It’s large enough to hold two Wembley Stadiums or 13 Albert Halls.

If that’s too hard to visualise, try this — its volume could contain the entire Great Pyramid of Giza!

6. There’s One Street in London Where You Must Drive on the Right

The whole of the UK drives on the left, save for one strip of road known as Savoy Court.

The tradition goes back to horse and carriage days when ladies and dignitaries would sit behind the driver.

Upon arrival, the hotel doorman could open the door without walking around the carriage, allowing the guest to walk right into the hotel.

7. London Still Elects Sheriffs Every Year

Sheriffs have served the city of London since the 7th century, and it doesn’t appear the tradition is going away anytime soon.

Far from the “wild west” sheriffs in 19th-century America, London’s sheriffs assist the Lord Mayor with civil duties and look after judges at the criminal courts.

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Interesting Facts about London

8. Trafalgar Square Is the Exact Centre of London

In a city that sprawls across 607 square miles (1,500 square kilometres), it might seem hard to pinpoint the centre of the metropolis.

Not so in London — just visit Trafalgar Square and read the plaque marking the city centre in the Church of Saint-Martin’s-in-the-Fields.

9. London Has Hosted the Summer Olympic Games Three Times

In fact, it’s the only city that has hosted three different Olympics — in 1908, 1948, and 2012. (In 2024, Paris will join London as the only other city to have hosted three summer Olympic Games.)

10. London Is (Sort of) the Center of the World

The Prime Meridian Line — also known as 0° latitude — runs right through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

This is also the starting point for the world’s time zones, which you might hear called UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) or GMT (Greenwich Mean Time).

11. London Is Home to 66 Billionaires

For a time, London hosted the most billionaires of any city in the world.

Today, it ranks number four behind New York City, Beijing, and Hong Kong.

12. Over 1,000 Bodies Lie Under Aldgate Station

When the Bubonic Plague swept through London from 1665 to 1666, it killed over 20% of the population — that’s more than 100,000 people.

During the construction of Aldgate Station in the 1860s, workers discovered the remains of over 1,000 plague victims buried in a mass grave.

13. London, England Is Not the Only London

The UK version may be the most famous London, but there are in fact 28 other cities in the world that share its name.

There are 18 Londons in the US, one in Canada, five in Africa, and even one on the tiny South Pacific island of Kiritimati.

14. The London Underground Is Over 400 Kilometres Long

With 11 lines encompassing 272 stations, the Tube handles as many as 5 million passenger journeys every single day.

During peak periods, there are 543 trains whizzing beneath the streets of London.

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Amazing Facts about London

15. London Is Linguistically Diverse

Londoners speak more than 300 languages besides English. In fact, 311,000 residents speak a language other than English at home!

The next three most commonly spoken languages are Bengali, Polish, and Turkish.

16. London Is Home to More Than 250 Museums

Whatever you want to learn about, you’d better believe there’s a London museum that caters to your interest.

From the world-renowned British Museum to more obscure entries like Pollock’s Toy Museum, it would take over eight months to tour them all if you visited one each day!

17. London Is Technically a “Forest”

The city is renowned for its green spaces and beautiful parks, but with its 8.4 million trees, it actually meets the UN definition of a forest.

In fact, there’s almost one tree for every resident of London!

18. Londoners Are Obsessed with Indian Food

The UK has more than 8,000 Indian restaurants, with 3,600 of them located in London.

Believe it or not, that’s more Indian restaurants than you’ll find in New Delhi and Bombay combined!

19. No, It’s Not Illegal to Die in Parliament

It’s a long-held belief that there’s a law prohibiting someone from dying in the House of Commons (as if that’s something you could control)!

While there’s no basis for this urban myth, it is illegal to enter Parliament if you’re wearing a suit of armour…obviously.

20. London’s Buses Weren’t Always Red

Those bright double-decker buses are a cultural icon of London, but they weren’t always red.

In the early 1900s, many different bus companies operated in the city, each painting their vehicles a different colour.

It wasn’t until the buses unified under London Transport in 1933 that they all were painted that unmistakable red.

21. Six Tube Stations Are Named After Pubs

It’s no secret that Londoners love pubs, but did you know that six different Underground stations are named for local pubs?

These are: Swiss Cottage, Maida Vale, Angel, Manor House, Royal Oak, and Elephant & Castle.

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Historical Facts about London

22. Jack the Ripper Was Never Caught

In 1888, an unknown killer dubbed “Jack the Ripper” committed a string of grisly murders across London’s East End.

Ripperologists have suggested that the slayer could have been Winston Churchill’s father, author Lewis Carroll, Prince Albert, or even a woman named Mary Pearcey.

To this day, the mystery remains unsolved.

23. There Are Never Fewer Than Six Ravens at the Tower of London

One of the city’s most well-known “superstitions,” legend has it that tragedy will befall the White Tower (and the UK as a whole) if there are ever fewer than six ravens living at the Tower of London.

Just to be safe, there are currently nine raven residents at the Tower.

24. The London Tube Is the World’s Original Underground Railway

It’s not just one of the biggest underground rail networks in the world — it’s also the oldest.

The first section opened in 1863 between Paddington and Farringdon Street, featuring steam locomotives and wooden carriages.

25. London Was Bombed During Both World Wars

During “The Blitz,” of 1940-1941, Nazi Germany dropped countless bombs on London that killed over 30,000 inhabitants.

But what’s not as commonly known is that Germany also attacked London during World War I, dropping bombs from giant Zeppelin airships.

26. Big Ben Isn’t What You Think It Is

Tourists line up along the Thames River to take selfies in front of the iconic clock tower known as Big Ben — but guess what?

Big Ben is the name of the bell inside the tower’s clock, not the tower itself.

(The official name of the tower is Elizabeth Tower.)

27. London Department Stores Used to Sell Hard Drug Kits

During World War I, you could get a “gift kit” at Harrod’s that contained needles, syringes, and tubes of heroin and cocaine.

The company promoted it as a gift item for soldiers headed to the trenches to alleviate the horrors of war.

28. The University of London Was the First to Accept Women

Until 1868, only men had the opportunity for higher education in the UK.

In 1869, the University of London administered a “General Examination for Women” and admitted six of the nine women who took the exam.

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Random Facts about London

29. London Has (A LOT) of Theatres

What Broadway is to New York City, the West End is to London.

There are 45 commercial theatres in the aptly named “Theatre District” with nightly performances of famous musicals, operas, and plays.

If you add in other performance venues around the city, there are over 250 stages to see your favourite productions.

30. The Houses at 23-24 Leinster Gardens Are Fake

If you stroll through the neighbourhood of Leinster Gardens, you probably won’t notice anything unusual about the facades of houses 23 and 24.

However, back in the 1860s, these homes were demolished to make way for a Tube tunnel.

To cover up the unsightly “hole,” architects designed fake five-storey facades — complete with painted-on windows!

31. London Cabbies Are Crazy Smart

If you thought university exams were hard, think again.

To become a black taxi driver in London, you have to memorise 25,000 streets, 20,000 landmarks, and every possible route within a 6-mile radius of Charing Cross.

Most cabbies need 2-4 years of intensive study before they’re even ready to attempt their final exam, aptly named “The Knowledge.”

32. London Traffic Hasn’t Changed in Centuries

You may not see many carriages in London anymore, but traffic conditions haven’t actually improved since those horse-and-buggy days.

In fact, the average traffic speed in downtown London is only 7.1 miles per hour — about the same speed as a trotting horse!

33. London Had a Notorious “Gin Craze” in the 1700s

Between 1700 and 1750, historians estimate there were more than 7,000 gin shops in London distilling 10 million gallons of gin each year.

It’s believed that one in eight deaths during this time was due to alcoholism.

The Gin Act of 1751 finally helped to turn the tide on the widespread violence and poverty that resulted from the “Craze.”

34. Trafalgar Square’s Christmas Tree Comes from Norway

Every year since 1947, Norway sends the UK a Christmas tree as a gesture of thanks for their alliance in World War II.

The tree is then decorated and remains on display in Trafalgar Square throughout the holiday season.

35. The London Underground Has Its Own Mosquito

Did you know there’s a subspecies of mosquito that lives nowhere else in the world except the London Underground?

Known as Culex Pipiens Molestus, this mosquito has a) developed the ability to live a long time in dark places and b) is known to be an especially voracious biter.

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Remember These Cool Things to Know about London

This list barely scratches the surface of things to know about London. Hopefully, though, you still learned some new and fascinating facts about the UK capital!

Can’t get enough fun facts about London? Check out these top day trips from London next. Alternatively, here are some fun facts about the UK!

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