Trivia about London that will leave you in a tizzy

London is truly an amazing city with an illustrious historic past and contrastingly one of the most modern capital cities in the world. What makes the city unique is its mix of modernity with the medieval that gives it its own singular identity. From historic landmarks like the Tower of London to the avant-garde London Eye and The Shard, London is a tourist’s delight.

The city attracts millions of visitors to its shores every year with London luxury hotels being deemed as out of the finest in the world. One such example is The Montcalm London Marble Arch, which epitomises elegance and top class luxury that is complemented by exceptional customer service. Some rather interesting facts about London, which make it all the more interesting to visit are:  

 The Palace of Westminster is actually Britain’s Houses of Parliament with the former name being the official title. It has the privilege of being the largest palace in the UK and is where both the House of Commons and House of Lords convene. It has an amazing 1000 rooms, 11 courtyards, 100 staircases, eight bars, a rifle range and even a hair salon. And to top it all it is illegal to die in the Palace! 

Westminster Abbey is the final resting place for many of country’s historical greats, which include royalty, scientists, playwrights, poets and other prominent figures of British society. Historian Edward Camden made the startling revelation that Edmund Spenser, the famous Elizabethan poet’s grave could possibly contain unpublished works of his many admirers. These might include William Shakespeare’s poems amongst others, who threw them in his grave as tributes.

One of the biggest misnomers is that Big Ben refers to the imposing clock tower that lies close to the Palace of Westminster. It actually is the name of the large bell that chimes on the hour. The name of the tower was changed from Victoria Tower to Elizabeth Tower in 2012, to commemorate six decades of Queen Elizabeth II’s rule as the monarch of Great Britain. 

When it comes to strange sometimes outright bizarre names London is the city. There is the rather infamous Cock Lane that lies close to Holborn Viaduct, which definitely did not derive its moniker from being related to poultry. Rather, it had the dubious distinction of being the only area licensed for prostitutes to solicit business in medieval times. Some other rather outlandish names include Hooker’s Road in Walthamstow, Uamvar Street in Limehouse, Quaggy Walk in Blackheath, Cyclops Mews and Ha Ha Road in Greenwich.  To top it all some genuinely outré names that thankfully no longer exist are Pissing alley, Shiteburn Lane and Gropecunt Lane, of whose title needs no further clarification!

The city is certainly renowned for its arts and culture scene, which helped to spawn dozens of famous artists, writers, painters, musicians, playwrights and lots more. Then there are their usual haunts or watering holes, which have long been associated with these well known public figures like The Fitzroy Tavern that lies at Charlotte Street.  It has played host to a number of famous people over time which include George Orwell, Dylan Thomas and the rather notorious Aleister Crowley, who is reputed to have created a cocktail there. The Red Lion pub that is situated on Great Windmill Street is said to be the spot where Karl Marx created his famous Communist Manifesto, in a room above the pub. Nowadays it serves as a trendy bar.

Another famous pub that has been long associated with artists, actors, journalists and other well known figures like John Hurt and Tom Baker is The Coach and Horses Pub on Greek St, Soho. Its rather caustic landlord Norman Balon had titled his memoirs, “You’re Barred You Bastards: Memoirs of a Soho Publican”. Another pub that has an unusual title is, “I Am the Only Running Footman located in Mayfair. The Dog and Duck is another popular British pub that got its name from a game, where dogs would pursue a duck with clipped wings that would dive into a pond to avoid being killed. The game was played at Balls Pond Road, close to Islington, among other parts of the city.

London is renowned for its ubiquitous red buses and black cabs that ply all the routes of the city. They are out of the most widely used forms of transportation along with the London Underground. An astonishing yet little known fact is that to qualify for a cab driver’s licence applicants have to pass one of the most rigorous examinations in the world known as “The Knowledge”. It is one of the most difficult geography tests in the world, with black-cab drivers expected to memorise 320 basic routes which comprise of a mind boggling 25,000 streets. If you thought that was tough there is more! They also must be able to recall close to 20,000 landmarks, besides other places of interest that are to be found within six-miles of Charing Cross. Chances are if you come across somebody on a scooter wearing a rather fluorescent jacket and poring over a large map, it could be a potential cabbie who is studying to take the notoriously difficult Knowledge exam. For cabbies to be able to master all the landmarks, attractions and routes it generally takes two to four years.

London is well known for its Tube services also referred to as the London Underground network. The fact is that more than half of the London Underground lies and runs above ground. There are also numerous abandoned Tube stations in the city, which include the Strand station, Down Street, Brompton Road and Mark Lane. Many of them are used as film locations and even for parties!