Historical things to do in London

Welcome to Britain's most famous abbey. Westminster Abbey has been the coronation location for kings and queens for nearly a thousand years. In fact, many of the UK’s most lavish royal ceremonies take place there, including weddings and, inevitably, funerals. Step inside the glorious gothic abbey to see what all the fuss is about. There's the Coronation Chair, where freshly crowned royals take their seat once said coronation has taken place. Dating from way back in the early 14th Century, when Edward I had it made to hold the Stone of Scone, it's one of the oldest intact pieces of furniture in England, and has cradled the regal derrieres of some 30 or so monarchs down the centuries.

You'll also find the tombs of celebrated Charleses Dickens and Darwin here, plus Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots and the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, a memorial to the countless people who lost their lives during the Great War. Check out the soaring nave, startling stained glass windows and peaceful Poets’ Corner – it’s easily one of the most awe-inspiring historical experiences in London.

Next on our epic historical list of things to do in London is none other than St Paul's Cathedral, designed by London’s 17th-century architect-in-chief Sir Christopher Wren. You’ll know its soaring dome, of course – it's one of London's most recognizable landmarks. And, due to its height and elevated position in the City, it can be picked out in the London skyline from a multitude of different viewpoints, including Richmond Park a full 10 miles away. 

Anyway, the good news is that St Paul’s is just as striking on the inside as it is on the outside. Be sure to check out the Whispering Gallery, where you whisper your darkest secrets on one side of the dome, only for listeners on the other to hear exactly what you just said. And head down to the crypt to walk among the tombs of such dead-famous historical luminaries as Admiral Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, J.M.W. Turner and, of course, Sir Christopher Wren himself.

Lovers of literature, London presents a frankly unmissable opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of one of history's most famous scribes. No, not Dan Brown, silly! We’re of course talking about William ‘Will’ Shakespeare, whose Elizabethan Globe Theatre has been painstakingly reconstructed near its original site on the banks of the Thames. And quite the sight it is too, with its Tudor-style exterior and thatched roof – the only one permitted in central London since the Great Fire of 1666, fact fans.

You can hear more such fascinating tidbits on a tour of the theater, in which Will-informed guides will fill your literature-loving head chock full of Shakespearean information. You’ll hear exciting stories about the building's history, the city in Elizabethan times, and how the 1990s reconstruction came about, as well as getting a real feel for what it would have been like to watch a Shakespeare play here back in ye olden days. Pro-tip: book a ticket for open-air shows in the summer season for the real deal.

Off with their heads! Dramatics aside, you'd be off your head to miss the Tower of London, one of the city’s glittering historical jewels. From its early days as a fortress, to its centuries as a prison and menagerie, there's plenty of history to unpack here. We’re talking everything from dastardly plots involving disappearing princes and a ‘Bloody Tower’ to a resident polar bear and the weeping, wandering headless ghost of one Anne Boleyn, executed right here on Tower Green back in 1536.

Come for the battlements and beheadings; stay for the Crown Jewels – a truly bedazzling collection of royal crowns, scepters and other priceless regalia, all kept under serious lock and key inside. And don’t miss the chance to have a chat with the Yeoman Warders and say hey to the resident ravens (and their personal Ravenmaster) – it’s said that if the ravens ever depart the Tower the kingdom will fall, a legend that dates back several hundred years.

Although nowhere near as deadly as the Tower of London, Kensington Palace isn’t entirely devoid of historical scandal and intrigue. Tucked away in the southwest corner of leafy Kensington Gardens, this Jacobean mansion has witnessed dramas around Queen Anne’s love life, the bitter feud between Georges I and II, Queen Victoria’s rather strict upbringing and, perhaps most famously, the life of ‘people’s princess’ Diana, who resided here at her beloved ‘KP’ from her ill-fated marriage to Charles until her untimely death in 1997. You’ll find a statue of Diana’s likeness in the palace’s stunning Sunken Garden.

Step inside the palace to get the full lowdown on the many royal dramas that have played out here, as well as a chance to ogle such historical bling as Queen Victoria’s tiaras, Queen Mary’s sumptuous State Apartments (complete with sweeping staircase and lavish dining rooms), and a ludicrously opulent musical clock known as the Temple of the Four Great Monarchies of the World; you’ll find this 18th-century marvel ticking away (though sadly no longer playing music) in the Cupola Room of the King’s State Apartments.

Go on, admit it: you’ve always wanted to spend an afternoon hopscotching between hemispheres. Just us then? Oh, ok. Anyway, the reason we mention this is that the Royal Observatory Greenwich is home of the Prime Meridian line, which allows you to straddle the eastern and western hemispheres like some modern day colossus – just follow the crowds of selfie stick-toting tourists to the steel strip that marks the spot out in the courtyard.

But that’s not all there is to do here. Far from it, in fact. A veritable trove of space-time treasures awaits the intrepid Royal Observatory explorer, from the soaring stargazers’ sanctum that is the Octagon Room in Flamsteed House to an eye-popping gallery of maritime navigation devices, a super-massive telescope so large you’d need a crane to lift it and – the (almost) literal cherry on top – a big red Time Ball that drops down Flamsteed House’s mast at precisely 1PM every day. Naval history, navigational history, quirky history, the history of time… you’ll find it all at the Royal Observatory, and then some.

Hampton Court Palace is an elegant love letter to Tudor opulence, having been serial monogamist Henry VIII's favourite hangout back in the 1500s. Here, he'd regularly boogie the night away, throwing shapes as his favourite musicians blasted era-appropriate jams. Probably. What is certain is that he hosted insanely lavish banquets right here. In fact, he had the Great Hall built specifically to facilitate all-day eating. Venison, swan, porpoise. Nothing was off limits, or off the menu. No wonder the greedy old goat suffered so badly from gout.

Regardless of Henry’s excesses, the palace itself has been kept up remarkably well. Tour fairytale halls to view masterpieces by the likes of Gainsborough and van Dyck, plus antique tapestries and enough gold to make Fort Knox blush. Once you're done with the interior (probably after encountering Catherine Howard’s wailing ghost), venture outside to the fabulous palace gardens. Get lost in the maze, eyeball the world’s oldest grapevine and spot deer and wild birds in Home Park. Hundreds of years ago, kings and queens walked in your footsteps. It doesn't get much more historic than that!

Built during Queen Victoria's era, and tasked with transporting tea from China to the UK, the Cutty Sark was known as the quickest ship on the seas – a cutty above the rest, if you will. Ol' Vic clearly loved her tea. 

Now’s your chance to hop aboard the last surviving tea clipper and be transported to a simpler time. Well, sort of. In fact, this globe-spanning vessel is now very much stationary, moored on dry land in Greenwich. But use your imagination and you’ll soon be whipping across the oceans, wind in your hair, salty sea spray in your face, and the faint whiff of lapsang souchong in your nostrils. Displays, artifacts and restored sleeping quarters add color to what life would have been like aboard the ship. You can even walk beneath the hull and touch some of the ship’s original wooden planks and iron frame. Just remember to wash your hands first; the ship knows where they've been.

Surely London's most prestigious music venue, the Royal Albert Hall is where the annual Proms take place, a globally-celebrated tribute to music and performance. But that’s not all. Musicians, performers, politicians, orators and personages as varied as Albert Einstein, Muhammed Ali, Winston Churchill, The Beatles, Rachmaninov and Rihanna have graced the stage here. So you’ll be in good company on a guided tour of the place. Go see the royal box and private suites used by the King when he visits for e.g. a Yungblud show! Check out the massive organ! Learn about all the fascinating stories that took place beneath its giant dome!

This lavish concert hall was Queen Victoria’s tribute to her late husband. Head just across the road to the south side of Kensington Gardens to ogle another: the extraordinarily lavish Albert Memorial, topped with a gilded statue of the man himself.

And now it’s time for a foray into the darker corners of London’s history as we travel back to a time when fear stalked the streets of East London. As did a tall man in a cape. No, not Batman! More crime perpetrator than crime fighter, Jack the Ripper was no caped crusader. And yet his legend remains a talking point a full century and a half since his reign of terror in Whitechapel. Why? Well, because his true identity has never been revealed and if there’s one thing people just can’t resist, it's a mystery. 

Join this Jack the Ripper tour to indulge in all manner of speculation alongside your knowledgeable guide, who’ll lead you on a thrilling walk through the gas-lit streets and cobbled lanes of Whitechapel. You’ll hear about social conditions of the era, learn about suspects who were in the frame for the murders and, most importantly, hear the real stories of the Ripper’s tragic victims.

And that concludes our rundown of the hottest historical things to do in London!