Straw bale hung from London’s Millennium Bridge to comply with ancient law – just part of the River Thames’ long, legal history: Maintenance workers on London’s Millenium Bridge – which spans the River Thames – have hung a bale of straw from the bridge’s undercarriage. An ancient byelaw requires that a bridge’s owner warn passing …
Expanding London’s Ulez has sparked fractious debate – psychologists explain how it can be de-escalated: The expansion of London's Ulez has caused acrimonious controversy. Koca Vehbi/Shutterstock Drivers of the most polluting vehicles are now charged £12.50 a day (or more for heavier vehicles) to drive within London’s M25 orbital motorway, following an expansion to the …
Tower of London’s Crown Jewels: colonial diamonds overshadow reopened exhibition’s most interesting objects: The Tower of London’s Crown Jewel exhibition, which reopened in May, is a turning point in the museum’s narrative. As British institutions have increasingly made moves to investigate their connections to slavery, there has been a gradual acceptance of the complicated nature …
The curious history of London’s public drinking water fountains: Stephen Denness/Shutterstock Drinking fountains are a common sight in London today, but they’re a relatively recent addition to the city. Until the mid-19th century, Londoners quenched their thirst by supping beer in pubs rather than guzzling water on the streets. As temperatures heat up, it’s a …
Why London’s first Ramadan lights celebration has been so important for Muslims everywhere: On March 21 2023, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Hamza Taouzzale, lord mayor of Westminster, stood on Coventry Street in central London and switched on the capital’s first ever Ramadan illuminations. Every evening throughout the holy month, 30,000 coloured lights …
70 years on from London’s Great Smog, we still need cleaner air to protect health: London’s Great Smog of December 1952 was the largest in a series of “pea soupers” which brought normal activity to a halt across the capital. The smog lasted from December 5 to December 9 and led to a large spike …
London’s Olympic legacy: research reveals why £2.2 billion investment in primary school PE has failed teachers: The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London were billed as the “Legacy Games”. The euphoria in the lead up was palpable. London was poised to host a global event that, through the power of sport, promised to have …
Check out this Paternoster image: London’s first Quiet Area? 🙂 Image by stëve Image automatically curated and published by www.free-mail.co.za – CLICK HERE to learn more about WP Robot for WordPress. Have you tried: Diving with Sharks?
Bevis Marks: Britain’s oldest synagogue is central to London’s history – here’s why it needs protecting: At 320 years old, Bevis Marks in London is the oldest continually functioning synagogue in Europe. So it is perhaps unsurprising that recent plans to erect two (very tall) skyscrapers overshadowing the building have led to angry opposition. One …
London’s Marble Arch Mound was a fiasco in a city losing so many green spaces – but pop-up parks can work: The Marble Arch Mound has been dubbed the "worst attraction" in London. PA Images/Alamy The original plans for the temporary Marble Arch Mound in London depicted an inviting green space with thick vegetation and …
Mayoral elections: is London’s transport system on track or off the rails?: The capital's transport system is facing Viktor Forgacs on Unsplash, FAL On May 6 voters in the UK head to the polls in local council elections as well as mayoral contests and elections for the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish parliament. In London, …
Will the COVID pandemic cause London’s population to decline?: heliray/Shutterstock The purpose of a city is to allow people to live and work close together, so social distancing has the potential to threaten cities’ very existence. A recent report by audit and consultancy firm PwC predicts that the impact of COVID-19 will lead London to …
Confronting colonial legacies in London’s ‘Little India’: A dome of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Southhall, west London. Peter Elvidge/Shutterstock Addressing the legacies of colonialism and slavery has been a prominent narrative throughout 2020. A number of calls to recognise, remove, rename, repatriate, and redress have underlined the extent to which Britain’s history …
London’s new charge on polluting vehicles – here’s everything you need to know: Shutterstock. London’s new Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is coming into force, as part of efforts to tackle air pollution in the city. From April 8, 2019, vehicles will have to meet tight exhaust emission standards or pay a daily charge to …
I’m a moth lover but London’s ‘toxic caterpillars’ worry even me: Sarah2 / shutterstock Moths are the insect we truly love to hate. The press report almost annually on the looming threat of clothes moths. I have previously written in defence of diamondback moths, a migratory pest of cabbage crops, and highlighted the quirks of …
CatFest | cats and pop culture | London’s first cat festival – a Culture interest event taking place on 2018-07-14 11:00:00 in United Kingdom CATFEST London | cats + pop culture festival A celebration of all things feline, CatFest makes its debut in London, showcasing fancy cat food, buzz-worthy furniture and accessories, along with stylish …
Zimbabwe’s finance minister makes a doomed pitch to London’s big businesses: As British politics descended into a post-EU referendum melee of opportunism, betrayal, resignations, and votes of no confidence, the UK was in no position to lecture others on good governance. Fitting then, perhaps, that it received a rare visit from one of the world’s …