A mysterious plaque in Great Queen Street. It says 'Westminster City Council', but it's actually in Camden. And not very council-y, in any case. Who put it there?

The Common London Birds That Would Have Astounded the Victorians Parakeets, sea gulls, Egyptian geese... and pigeons?

Some of London's most common birds would have been highly unusual sights in Victorian times. The parakeet, obviously, but also 'sea gulls' were so rarely spotted in London that people would write to newspapers. More here -> londonist.substack.com/p/the-common...

A Flight Over London in 1843? And other flights of fancy.

An aeroplane over London, 60 years before the Wright Brothers? It never happened, of course, but this 'concept drawing' from the time is pretty convincing londonist.substack.com/p/a-flight-o...

A large blue plaque saying that the Rolling Stones first met the Beatles in the Crawdaddy Club on 14th April 1963

It was 63 years ago today... the Beatles and the Rolling Stones first crossed paths in this Richmond music venue, as confirmed by this oversized stick-on plaque opposite the station.

A mosaic sign saying Itchycoo Park, with a pond behind and a pigeon perching on the sign.

Always thought that “Itchycoo Park” from the Small Faces song was meant to be in Ilford (or thereabouts; theories abound). Turns out there’s an actual Itchycoo Park in Beckton, east London. It was named long after the song, so obviously isn’t the “real” one, but nice to know it’s there.

1746: Chelsea and the King's Road, Mapped in Colour The John Rocque map heads west.

In colour for the first time: a map of Chelsea and the King's Road from 1746. Explore here -> londonist.substack.com/p/1746-chels...

Historical Walk: One Mile on the Camden Towpath Featuring Muppets, pirates, secret catacombs and snakes.

Fancy a walk this long weekend? Try this mile along the Regent's Canal, packed with history londonist.substack.com/p/historical...

Two types of london red phone box, the K2 and the K6. The older K2 has square windows, while the K6 has rectangular windows

Know Your Phone Kiosks. The commonest old-style phone boxes in London are called the K2 (first deployed 1926) and the K6 (from 1936). Both were designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott of Battersea Power Station fame. The types are easy to tell apart, most readily by the shape of the window panes.

A Covent Garden Cable Car (and other Millennium might-have-beens) 1996 was the year of a thousand ideas.

NOT an April Fool... but the true story of how Covent Garden might have got a Millennium cable car to the South Bank, cunningly using a gap between buildings londonist.substack.com/p/a-covent-g...

When Mars Attacked London (via Woking) On the trail of H.G. Well's The War of the Worlds.

Go Martian hunting in Woking, on the trail of The War of the Worlds -> londonist.substack.com/p/when-mars-...

An elephant's head sticks out of a wall in waterloo station

Always remember to say hello to the Waterloo elephant when you pass through the Jubilee line ticket hall. And spare a thought for the office workers on the other side of that wall. They must get a very different view ;-)

London's Forgotten First Tube Network The Pneumatic Dispatch railway opened three decades before passenger Tubes.

Ever hear about the pneumatic Tube lines that ran beneath London decades before the first passenger Tube lines? londonist.substack.com/p/londons-fo...

No, it's on private land, paid for by the school

THAT is my earliest childhood TV memory. Terrifying.

A bizarre statue of Elizabeth I, with a golden C3PO-like head, and a ruff like a polo mint, in the grounds of Westminster School

A bizarre statue of Elizabeth I, with a golden C3PO-like head, and a ruff like a polo mint, in the grounds of Westminster School

Elizabeth I died in Richmond Palace 423 years ago today. By FAR the weirdest commemoration is this rarely seen non-likeness in the grounds of Westminster School. The glorious abomination was unveiled by Elizabeth II in 2010. I have it on good authority that Prince Philip couldn't stop sniggering.

Nine examples of coal hole covers, metal circles with intricate designs on top. They are common on the older streets of London

Always look DOWN in London (as well as up). You’ll soon get an eye for coal-hole covers — metal plates in the pavement that cover chutes to coal cellars. They come in a bewildering range of styles, including many later, artistic versions.

The First Driverless Tube Train Ran In 1963... On The District Line Technically, the Victoria line was only the third to have driverless trains.

"Robot Drives Tube"... on this day -- way back in 1963 -- the District line saw the first trial of automatic trains, which could proceed and stop without driver intervention londonist.com/london/trans...

It is excellent... although on my last visit, I had concerns about their donkeys...

A Spring Ramble Down the Isle of Dogs See the site where the world's largest ship was launched.

Weekend walk idea... follow the Thames down the western side of the Isle of Dogs for a surprising amount of history londonist.substack.com/p/a-spring-r...

Who remembers these olden days ticket machines on the London Underground? I think they were phased out around the turn of the century. This beauty is now at the London Transport Museum's Acton Depot, which has another open weekend in April (massively recommended)

A William Morris-themed vending machine, spotted yesterday at Waltham Forest Town Hall.

The London Bridges that Never got Built Speculative spans.

It wasn't just the Garden Bridge... London's history is rich with plans for bridges that never got built -> londonist.substack.com/p/the-london...

Wanted: Your Hand-Drawn Maps Of London Get doodling!

Could you make a hand-drawn map of London (or a bit of London) with an historical twist? We've got a bit of a reader competition going on...
londonist.substack.com/p/wanted-you...

The boundaries of the City of London are patrolled by 14 guardian dragons. A while back, we decided it was time they each had a name. These are our proposals, all of which have an historical connection to the part of the City in which they stand. See if you can work them out.

Trouble at t'Mill: The Bankside Fire That Rippled Through History The dark, Satanic history of Albion Mills.

Trouble at t'Mill. How a fire on Bankside changed London in many unexpected ways -> londonist.substack.com/p/trouble-at...

Where To See Daffodils In London And it was all yellow.

Need a dose of spring colour? Visit London's best spots for daffodils

Things To Do In London This Weekend: 7-8 March 2026 Top events in London this Saturday and Sunday.

35+ things to do this weekend, from airport history, to Harry Styles, to a flea market at a rather unusual venue

Tweed Run: London's Best-Dressed Bike Ride It's basically the opposite of the World Naked Bike Ride.

Such a dressy affair, it's the polar opposite of the World Naked Bike Ride 🚲

Genuine street name in Cricklewood. You have been warned...

Free Things To Do In London This Week: 2-8 March 2026 Budget-friendly events in the capital.

FREE STUFF: Catch a Royal Opera House show for free - plus other bargain events in London this week 🚫💰 londonist.com/london/free-...