Westminster Abbey was built by Edward the Confessor and completed just before his death in 1065. Since William the Conqueror all the kings & queens of England have been crowned here.
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 bridge had to close within days of its opening in 2000 because of a slight wobble, which caused people to walk in step with each other, causing the wobble to become much worse!
The first national lottery was held in 1569, and the result was announced at the west door of (the old) St.Paul’s cathedral. It is unknown if the winner let it change him.
To mark the 50th birthday of the Royal Air Force in 1968, Flight Lt. Allan Pollock flew his Hawker jet under the walkway of Tower Bridge. This unauthorised stunt won him a court martial.
This WW2 cruiser, now a tourist attraction, took part in the sinking of the German battleship Scharnhorst and in the D-Day landings. Her guns are aimed at an M1 service station 12.5 miles away.
The second bridge here was completed in 1945. Because there was a war on, much of the work was carried out by women and so this used to be known as ‘the ladies’ bridge’.
The name of this place has nothing to do with birds, but with the exotic goods that were once brought here from the Canary Islands. Canary comes from the Latin ‘canaria’, so ‘Islands of the dogs’.
