The bricks of the buildings on Downing Street were originally yellow brick which over two centuries became blackened from pollution. After restoration in the 1960s they were painted black.
Harrods was bought in 1985 by Mohamed Al Fayed for £615 million, it covers 4 1/2 acres and holds over 300 department stores.
The first nude statue in London was erected in the South-East corner of Hyde Park in 1822. After the pleas from 'country women' a fig leaf was later added to save their blushes.
Every year a Norway Spruce is erected here and decorated as part of the Christmas festivities. The tree is a gift of thanks from the Norwegians for Britain's support during the Second World War
In 200AD the London Wall was one of the largest construction projects carried out in Roman Britain. It would have required 1,300 barge journeys to transport the 85,000 tons of stone from Kent.
On top of Trinity Square stands the statue of Old Father Thames who is seen to point the way to Docklands from his perch above the Port of London Authority.
From 1235 until 1835, the monarch’s personal zoo was kept at the Tower, and it included many exotic animals given as presents by other monarchs, including polar bears, leopards and elephants.
The famous illuminated advertising of Piccadilly Circus began as early as 1893, before most of the city had electric street lighting.
The main entrance to Waterloo Station is the Victory Arch, a memorial to employees of the London and South Western Railway staff killed in the First World War.
