Portal:London

Wikipedia portals: Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Natural sciences People Philosophy Religion Society Technology edit   Introduction London Eye London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous city in the European Union. London is one of the world's major business, political and cultural centres. It is a leader in international finance, politics, communications, entertainment, fashion and the arts and has considerable influence worldwide. It is widely regarded as one of the world's major global cities, and has been an important settlement for nearly 2000 years. London has an estimated population of 7.6 million (as of 2005) and a metropolitan area population of between 12 and 14 million. London has an extremely cosmopolitan population, drawing from a diverse range of peoples, cultures and religions, speaking over 300 different languages. Residents of London are referred to as Londoners. The city is an international transport hub and a major tourist destination, counting iconic landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace amongst its many attractions, along with famous institutions such as the British Museum and the National Gallery. London has three main central business districts: the City of London, the West End in Westminster and Canary Wharf in Docklands. The City of London is the largest financial and business district in Europe. edit   Featured article The Tower of London is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded in 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078, and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. Since at least 1100, the castle has been used as a prison, although that was not its primary purpose. The Tower of London has played a prominent role in England's history. It was besieged several times and controlling it has been important to controlling the country. The Tower has served variously as an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public records office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. The zenith of the castle's use as a prison came in the 16th and 17th centuries, when many figures fallen into disgrace, such as Elizabeth I before she became queen, were held within its walls. Today the Tower of London is a popular tourist attraction. It is cared for by the charity Historic Royal Palaces and is protected as a World Heritage Site. (more...) edit   Featured picture Photo credit: David Iliff The three tallest skyscrapers in Canary Wharf, a large business and shopping development in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, as viewed from Cabot Square: 8 Canada Square (centre-left), One Canada Square (centre), Citigroup Centre (centre-right). edit   Selected quotation “ When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford. ” Samuel Johnson, quoted (September 20, 1777) in The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. (1791) by James Boswell edit   Categories Articles about London can be found under these categories: ▼ London ► Albums recorded in London ► Buildings and structures in London ► Cities in London ► Culture in London ► Districts of London ► Economy of London ► Education in London ► Environment of London ► Geography of London ► Local government in London ► Health in London ► History of London ► Law in London ► London-related lists ► London media ► Military in London ► Organisations based in London ► People from London ► Politics of London ► Protected areas of London ► Science and technology in London ► London society ► Sport in London ► Tourism in London ► Transport in London ► Visitor attractions in London ► Wikipedia books on London ► Images of London ► London stubs ► London-related templates ► WikiProject London edit   London Boroughs City of London † City of Westminster Kensington and Chelsea Hammersmith and Fulham Wandsworth Lambeth Southwark Tower Hamlets Hackney Islington Camden Brent Ealing Hounslow Richmond Kingston upon Thames Merton Sutton Croydon Bromley Lewisham Greenwich Bexley Havering Barking and Dagenham Redbridge Newham Waltham Forest Haringey Enfield Barnet Harrow Hillingdon † sui generis - not a London borough More about London Boroughs edit   Featured biography "Jack the Ripper" is the best known pseudonym given to an unidentified serial killer active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter by someone claiming to be the murderer that was disseminated in the media. Attacks ascribed to the Ripper typically involved women prostitutes from the slums whose throats were cut prior to abdominal mutilations. Rumours that the murders were connected intensified in September and October 1888, and extremely disturbing letters from a writer or writers purporting to be the murderer were received by media outlets and Scotland Yard. Mainly because of the extraordinarily brutal character of the murders, and because of media treatment of the events, the public came increasingly to believe in a single serial killer, Jack the Ripper. Extensive newspaper coverage bestowed widespread and enduring international notoriety on the Ripper. An investigation into a series of brutal killings in Whitechapel up to 1891 was unable to connect all the killings conclusively to the murders of 1888, but the legend of Jack the Ripper solidified. As the murders were never solved, the legends surrounding them became a combination of genuine historical research, folklore, and pseudohistory. The term "ripperology" was coined to describe the study and analysis of the Ripper cases. There are over one hundred theories about the Ripper's identity, and the murders have inspired multiple works of fiction. edit   Did you know... …that St Pancras Old Church stands on what is believed to be one of the oldest sites of Christian worship in England? …that the building now housing the Brick Lane Mosque (pictured) was built as a Huguenot chapel in 1743, and subsequently became a synagogue? …that there are two London churches that claim to be the "St Clements" of the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons: St Clement Danes and St Clement Eastcheap? …that the Neasden Temple, completed in 1995, is the largest Hindu Temple In Europe? …that St. John's, Smith Square is nicknamed "Queen Anne’s Footstool" because its four corner towers give it the appearance of an upturned footstool? edit   Things YOU Can Do Vote for: Next Month's Showcase Article Next Month's Showcase Biography Next Month's Showcase Picture Add: Suggestions for new "Did You Know?" boxes Relevant article links to the London Topics template WikiProject London Simplified aims - (read more here): Current major tasks: Tag all relevant articles with the {{WPLondon}} template on their talk page. Improve main article London to featured status. Other Contributions Write a requested article. Expand a stub: London Transport stubs, London railway station stubs, London geography stubs Contribute to the UK Portal, England Portal or London Transport Portal edit   Related portals London Transport England United Kingdom edit   Transport London has one of the oldest and largest public transport systems in the world. Many components of its transport system, such as the double-decker bus, the Hackney Carriage black taxi and the Tube, are internationally recognised symbols of London. The majority of transport services in the capital are provided by Transport for London (TfL), an executive agency of the Mayor of London. The Oyster card is accepted as payment across most TfL-controlled transport modes. In the past ten years TfL has invested heavily in walking and cycling to promote more sustainable travel choices in London, including a Velib-style bike hire scheme which opened in Summer 2010. London has a comprehensive rail network with several major railway stations. London has two international train stations, at St. Pancras railway station and Stratford International, which connect London to mainland Europe through the Eurostar service. London also has six international airports. In addition to public transport, London is the start point for a number of motorway routes. The M25 is an orbital motorway which enables vehicles to avoid travelling through central London and is one of the busiest motorways in Europe. edit   Wikipedia featured content on London Featured articles including Albert Bridge · Arsenal F.C. and History of Arsenal F.C. (1886–1966) · Baden-Powell House · Battersea Bridge · Buckingham Palace · Chelsea Bridge · Chelsea F.C. · Covent Garden · East End of London · Great Fire of London · Her Majesty's Theatre · Jack the Ripper · London congestion charge · Marshalsea · Only Fools and Horses · Postman's Park · Restoration spectacular · William Shakespeare · Jack Sheppard · Theatre Royal, Drury Lane · Tower of London · Vauxhall Bridge Featured pictures: View here Featured lists including London Marathon winners · London Underground stations · Tallest buildings See also Good articles including: A1 road · Arsenal Stadium · Battersea Power Station · British Airways · Chiswick Bridge · Hammerton's Ferry · London · London bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics · London Paddington station · National Gallery · National Police Memorial · Old St Paul's Cathedral · Senate House · Serpentine · Smithfield · University College, London · Vauxhall Gardens edit   London Topics edit   Associated Wikimedia What are portals? · List of portals · Featured portals