The City of Westminster, at the heart of London, is where the parliaments have been located for more than 700 years. In the middle of the 11th century, Edward the Confessor moved his court to the Palace of Westminster, situated on a central site near the River Thames. It wasn’t until 1256 that Henry III moved the Great Parliament to the Palace.

In 1834, a fire destroyed the ancient Palace of Westminster, after which a competition was held to design a new building in the Gothic or Elizabethan style. The design by Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin was chosen from 97 entries. At the request of the newly married Prince Albert, artists were commissioned to create fresco-like designs depicting British history to decorate the new palace. The more than 300-metre-long façade is now adorned with countless sculptures, making the Houses of Parliament—together with their strict design and unique towers—one of the finest buildings in London.

The entire complex, completed in 1860, includes Big Ben, the House of Commons, Westminster Hall, the Lobbies, and the House of Lords.

Most of the attention from the millions of tourists visiting the Houses of Parliament each year goes to the clock tower. This tower, opposite the larger Victoria Tower, is better known as Big Ben—the nickname of the bell inside the tower. It is uncertain whether the nickname comes from Benjamin Hall, the first Commissioner of Works, or from Benjamin Caunt, a famous boxer. Big Ben is only one of five bells hanging in the clock tower, but at 13 tons, it is the largest. The clock itself was designed by E.B. Denison and E.J. Dent and was completed in 1858. The clock tower reaches a height of no less than 96 metres.

St. Paul’s Cathedral has a rich and eventful history. The earliest records date back to 604 AD, when Mellitus, Bishop of the East Saxons, built the first wooden church on one of London’s hills. By the end of the 7th century, the church was rebuilt in stone by Erkenwald, Bishop of London.

The cathedral was destroyed by fires in 962 and again in 1087, but each time it was rebuilt. By then, it was already one of the largest cathedrals in Europe. Further expansions and reconstructions in the 13th and 14th centuries made it even larger.

Disaster struck once more on the night of September 2, 1666, when the Great Fire of London destroyed four-fifths of the city, including 13,200 houses and 89 churches, among them St. Paul’s Cathedral.

In 1669, Christopher Wren designed the so-called 'Great Model' for the new St. Paul’s Cathedral. The design featured a Greek cross shape, with a portico supported by Corinthian columns at the entrance, topped by a striking large dome. The design was approved in 1675, but the cathedral was not completed until 1711.

For those who are fit or ambitious, you can climb 530 steps to the Golden Gallery, an observation platform at the top of the cathedral’s dome. From there, you get a spectacular view of London’s modern skyline.

On the way up, you pass through the Whispering Gallery, a circular walkway halfway up the inside of the dome. Thanks to the acoustics of the curved surface, a whisper against one wall can be clearly heard on the opposite side, 112 feet away.

The Horse Guards is guarded by soldiers on horseback and is home to the Troopers of the Household Cavalry. Every day at 11 a.m., there is a popular Changing of the Guard ceremony here. It’s smaller and less open than the one at Buckingham Palace, but still worth seeing.

London Underground is a wholly-owned subsidiary of London Transport. The company was formed in 1985, but its history dates back to 1863 when the world's first underground railway opened in London.

Today, London Underground is a major business with three million passenger journeys made a day, serving 275 stations over 408 km of railway.

In recent times, daily journeys are around 4 million per weekday,

The Tower of London is one of the world’s most famous buildings. It was built after the Norman Conquest in the 11th century to dominate and protect London. Nearly 1,000 years old, it has grown and changed over the centuries.

It is Europe’s oldest palace, fortress, and prison. The Tower has served many roles: a royal residence, a government seat, a prison for famous prisoners, and the home of the Crown Jewels. It has also housed lions, bears, and still today, flightless ravens. Throughout history, many notorious traitors, nobles, clergymen, and knights have been imprisoned within its walls.

The Tower is roughly square-shaped. It has two lines of defensive walls around the White Tower at its center. Inside, the Inner Ward contains thirteen smaller towers along the inner wall. The outer wall is protected by six towers facing the river and two semi-circular bastions on the northeast and northwest corners.

After leaving the Bell Tower, visitors walk down the inner street toward the center of the Tower complex. On the left, you’ll see the Bloody Tower and Wakefield Tower. On the right, there is the back of St. Thomas’s Tower and the famous Traitor’s Gate.

It is named after its two impressive towers, is one of London’s most famous landmarks. This Victorian bridge is over 100 years old. It was designed by Wolfe Barry and Horace Jones and completed in 1894. The middle section of the bridge can be raised to let large ships pass underneath. It used to open about 50 times a day, but now it’s only raised 4 to 5 times a week.

The bridge is 60 meters long, and its towers reach 43 meters high. From the top of the towers, you get a great view of central London. You can also visit inside the towers to see the original machinery that lifts the bridge. Tower Bridge fascinates visitors all year round. Many people waiting near the Tower of London stay to watch the roadway lift for ships entering the Pool of London. Even though each of the two bascules (the moving parts of the road) weighs over 1,000 tons, they can be raised in less than two minutes.

The great central keep, called the White Tower, was built by William the Conqueror and finished by his sons William Rufus and Henry I. It stands 90 feet high with very thick walls — up to 15 feet thick at the base and almost 11 feet thick at the top. The tower has four turrets above the battlements: three are square, and the one on the northeast corner is round. This round turret once held the first royal observatory.

Originally, the White Tower had just one entrance on the south side, reached by an external staircase. There were no doors at ground level. The upper walls have narrow slits used for defense, with four pairs of original double slits still visible on the south side. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, Sir Christopher Wren replaced many of the other slits with windows we see today.

Medieval English kings and their families lived in the White Tower with their courts. It was the seat of government and lawmaking. The royal family stayed on the top floor, and the council chamber was below. Important historical events took place here — for example, in 1399, Richard II was forced to give up his throne in the council chamber, and in 1483, Richard III ordered the execution of Lord Hastings there.

The Royal Armouries manage the displays inside the White Tower, preserving and sharing the history of the Tower and its many roles over the centuries. The exhibits include royal arms and armor, such as those worn by Henry VIII, Charles I, Charles II, and James II. The displays also recreate historic exhibitions, including the famous Grand Storehouse, which was lost to a fire in 1841.

Legend says that if the ravens ever leave the Tower of London, the White Tower will collapse, and a great disaster will befall England. For centuries, ravens have lived at the Tower and are now protected by royal decree. They have become an important part of the Tower’s history and charm.

Guarded steadfastly by mounted soldiers, the Horse Guards is home to the Troopers of the Household Cavalry. Every day at 11 a.m., a popular Changing of the Guard ceremony takes place here, although it is smaller and less open than the one at Buckingham Palace.

Green Park is the smallest of London’s Royal Parks. It’s a peaceful place with a grand central avenue and groups of trees scattered around. You can still see the valley where the old Tyburn River once flowed. The avenue leads to Sir Aston Webb’s 1901 rond-point, located right in front of Buckingham Palace.

Changing the Guard is one of the UK’s most popular tourist attractions. Almost every visitor to London comes to see the ceremony. It is when the soldiers currently guarding Buckingham Palace (the “old guard”) are replaced by a new group of soldiers (the “new guard”).

Madame Tussauds is a must-visit for anyone coming to London.

The lifelike wax figures of famous and infamous people are truly amazing. Don’t miss The Chamber of Horrors, featuring a spooky recreation of a London street where Jack the Ripper once stalked. One of his victims, Catherine Eddowes, lies in a pool of blood. You’ll also see scenes with other notorious killers like John Christie, Dr. Crippen, John George Haigh, Gary Gilmore, and Charles Manson.

You can also experience Shakespeare working on a play, Queen Elizabeth in her court, and craftsmen building St. Paul’s Cathedral. The exhibition captures the atmosphere of the Blitz, the Swinging Sixties, and modern-day London.

Just outside Madame Tussauds, you’ll find this statue of Sherlock Holmes.

According to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson lived at 221b Baker Street between 1881 and 1904. The building was last used as a lodging house in 1936, and the famous first-floor study overlooking Baker Street is still kept just as it was in Victorian times.

I didn’t visit the museum myself, but if you’re planning a trip to London and want to learn more about it, you can read about it here.

https://www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk/

The hour bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, known worldwide as Big Ben, is one of the most famous bells ever cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. It measures 9 feet in diameter, 7 feet 6 inches high, and weighs nearly 13.8 tons (13,760 kg). This painting by William T. Kimber, head moulder of the bell, shows George Mears with his wife and daughter inspecting the casting before it was sent off. Big Ben was cast on April 10, 1858, but its story began more than a decade earlier.

In 1844, Parliament decided the new Houses of Parliament, then under construction, should include a tower and clock. Architect Charles Barry was commissioned to design the building, while the Astronomer Royal, George Airy, specified that the hour bell’s first stroke must keep time accurate to within one second per day and telegraph its performance twice daily to Greenwich Observatory. Most clockmakers doubted such accuracy was possible for a large tower clock. It wasn’t until 1851 that Edmund Beckett Denison (later Sir Edmund Beckett, Baron Grimthorpe) was found who could meet this challenge.

Denison’s clock, built by E.J. Dent & Co., was completed in 1854. However, the bells presented a challenge. Barry had specified a 14-ton hour bell but made no plans for its production or the four smaller quarter bells. Denison had his own ideas on bell design and metal composition, differing from traditional methods. John Warner & Sons initially cast a 16-ton bell in 1856, but it cracked during testing.

George Mears, master bellfounder and owner of Whitechapel Foundry, was then commissioned to recast the bell. The metal from the first bell was reused, lowering the casting cost. The mould was heated before casting—a first in British bell-founding. The molten metal filled the mould in 20 minutes, but the bell took 20 days to cool. After testing, Denison approved it.

Transporting the bell through London was a grand event. Drawn by sixteen horses and cheered by crowds, it passed over London Bridge and Westminster Bridge, with streets decorated for the occasion.

The bells first rang across London on May 31, 1859. During a special parliamentary session to name the hour bell, Sir Benjamin Hall—large and well-known as “Big Ben”—gave a lengthy speech. As he sat down, someone joked, “Why not call him Big Ben and have done with it?” The name stuck, though some believe the nickname could also refer to Benjamin Caunt, a famous heavyweight boxer of the era.

Just two months later, Big Ben cracked. Denison blamed his heavy hammer (more than twice the recommended weight). The bell was taken out of service, with the hours struck instead on the largest quarter bell for three years. Eventually, a lighter hammer was fitted, a small piece was chipped from the bell’s soundbow, and the bell was rotated slightly to present an undamaged section. This cracked bell is the one we hear today, giving Big Ben its distinctive tone.

Denison tried to blame poor casting, persuading a moulder to give false testimony, leading to a court case he lost. He continued to criticize the foundry and lost a second libel trial twenty years later.

In 2002, a transcript from the second trial, Stainbank v Beckett (1881), was found, shedding light on this dramatic history. The foundry still displays a small model used to demonstrate bell casting principles.

Big Ben remains the largest bell ever cast at Whitechapel. Visitors to the foundry can see a full-size profile of the bell framing the entrance and the original moulding gauge used for casting hangs above the furnaces to this day.