Sixty years ago, the air in London was so thick with coal smoke that one December it killed over ten thousand people in a single month. That disaster rewrote the city's laws, and the cleanup it forced eventually brought otters back to the Thames. The capital pair of England and the United Kingdom has rebuilt itself more times than most nations have existed. It was founded as a Roman supply port around the year 47, burned to the ground in 1666, and was rebuilt from rubble after the Blitz. What survived every fire and war is its habit of absorbing whatever arrives: the Romans, the Huguenots, the Empire, and now nine million people speaking more than three hundred languages. London never finishes — it just keeps building on top of itself.
London audio guide
Tella is a free audio guide for any place on Earth. Here are 30 places in London worth a story. Open one on the map and hear it read aloud in English, or take the Android app on a walk and let it narrate whatever you pass.
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About London
Places worth a story
British Museum
national museum in London, United Kingdom
Westminster Abbey
Gothic abbey church in London, England, UK
Big Ben
tower of the Palace of Westminster, London containing the bell Big Ben
The tower that houses the world's most famous bell isn't actually called Big Ben. The name belongs strictly to the thirteen-and-a-half-ton bell inside — the tower itself was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The bell first rang in July 1859, cracked within months, and was rotated a quarter turn so the hammer struck a fresh spot rather than being recast. That crack is why Big Ben's chime has its distinctive, slightly off-key character. The tower leans about twenty-three centimetres to the northwest — noticeably, though not alarmingly. Its clock faces are held together by over three hundred pieces of opal glass, cleaned by abseilers every five years. The Great Bell has tolled through two world wars and still sounds the hour over Westminster.
Tower of London
castle in central London, United Kingdom
Listen on the map → Photo: [Duncan] from Nottingham, UK · CC BY 2.0
University of London
federal research university in London, England
Listen on the map → Photo: An Siarach at English Wikipedia · Public domain
Tower Bridge
bascule and suspension bridge in London
House of Commons
lower house in the Parliament of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
historical sovereign state (1801–1922)
British Library
national library of the United Kingdom
House of Lords
upper house in the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Stamford Bridge
association football stadium in London, England
Emirates Stadium
association football stadium located in Islington, North London
London School of Economics and Political Science
public university in London, United Kingdom
Listen on the map → Photo: The original uploader was Secretlondon at English Wikipedia . · CC BY-SA 3.0
St Paul's Cathedral
cathedral in the City of London, England, UK
National Gallery
art museum in London, England, UK
University College London
public research university in London, England, United Kingdom
Imperial College London
public research university located in London, United Kingdom
10 Downing Street
headquarters of His Majesty's Government
Listen on the map → Photo: Sergeant Tom Robinson RLC · OGL v1.0
Hyde Park
Royal Park in London, England, UK
Listen on the map → Photo: @LondonNPC #NationalParkCity · CC BY 2.0
Tate Modern
modern art gallery located in Bankside, London, England
Victoria and Albert Museum
museum in London, England, United Kingdom
King's College London
public research university in London, United Kingdom
Listen on the map → Photo: Flaming Ferrari ( talk ) · Public domain
New Scotland Yard
headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service, Westminster, Greater London from October 2016
Natural History Museum
museum in London, England, UK
Listen on the map → Photo: Christine Matthews · CC BY-SA 2.0
Royal Albert Hall
concert hall in South Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom
St James's Palace
royal palace in London
Listen on the map → Photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK · CC BY 2.0
30 St Mary Axe
skyscraper in London, England
Listen on the map → Photo: Paste at English Wikipedia · Public domain
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Stories are written by an AI from public map and encyclopaedia data and may contain mistakes.