London › Places and landmarks
Places and landmarks in London
14 landmarks of London, and the streets, squares and waterways around them, each with its story and where to find it.
Photo: ThatsTheBoss, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Landmarks
Big BenThe great bell in the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament, whose tower is now the Elizabeth Tower.
Houses of ParliamentThe Palace of Westminster on the Thames, rebuilt in Gothic style after the fire of 1834.
Westminster AbbeyThe church where English and British monarchs have been crowned since 1066.
Trafalgar SquareNelson on his column, four bronze lions and the National Gallery along the north side.
National GalleryBritain’s collection of European paintings, free to visit, along the north side of Trafalgar Square.
Downing StreetNumber 10, the home of British prime ministers since 1735, behind black gates off Whitehall.
Horse GuardsMounted troopers of the Household Cavalry stand sentry on Whitehall every day.
London EyeThe giant observation wheel across the Thames, built for the year 2000.
Westminster BridgeThe green bridge over the Thames beside Big Ben, painted the colour of the House of Commons’ benches.
British MuseumThe world’s first national public museum, in Bloomsbury, with the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon’s marbles.
Also part of London
Black cabLondon’s taxis, tall enough for a man in a top hat, driven by cabbies who know every street by heart.
Red double-deckerThe red two-storey buses that have carried London since the days of the horse bus.
Red phone boxThe red cast-iron telephone kiosks of Giles Gilbert Scott, from the 1920s and 1930s.
Changing of the GuardThe ceremony in which the King’s Guard hands over to the new guard, in red tunics and bearskins.
Streets, squares and waterways
The places that hold the centre of London together. Point at one to find it on the map.
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1
The Thames River Thames waterway
London’s tidal river, which rises and falls by several metres twice a day. Its Embankment walls hide the Victorian sewers.
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2
Westminster Bridge bridge
The green-painted iron bridge of 1862 beside the Houses of Parliament, green like the benches of the House of Commons.
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3
Parliament Square square
A lawn between Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the Supreme Court, ringed by statues of statesmen such as Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela.
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4
Broad Sanctuary street
The street before the west front of Westminster Abbey, named after the sanctuary where fugitives could once shelter from the law.
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5
Whitehall street
The wide street of government ministries from Trafalgar Square to Parliament, with the Cenotaph, the national war memorial, in the middle.
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6
Downing Street street
The short street behind iron gates where the prime minister lives at number 10.
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7
Horse Guards Parade square
The large gravel parade ground behind Horse Guards, where Trooping the Colour takes place every June.
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8
Trafalgar Square square
London’s great square, with Nelson on his column, four bronze lions and the National Gallery along its north side.
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9
The Mall street
The red-surfaced avenue from Admiralty Arch to Buckingham Palace, the route of royal processions.
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10
St James’s Park park
The oldest of the royal parks, with a lake, pelicans and a view from its bridge to Buckingham Palace.
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11
Strand street
The old road from Westminster to the City, once along the riverbank, now lined with theatres, hotels and the Savoy.
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12
Victoria Embankment street
The riverside road that Joseph Bazalgette built on reclaimed land in the 1860s, over a sewer and the District line.
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13
Golden Jubilee Bridges bridge
Two footbridges on either side of the railway of the Hungerford Bridge, from Charing Cross to the South Bank.
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14
The Queen’s Walk street
The riverside promenade of the South Bank, past the London Eye and the arts centres, with views across to Parliament.