London Resources

Overviews/Histories

•    The London Guide

•    The British Monarchy (official website)

•    Kings and Queens of England & Britain (a nice brief overview)

•    Medieval English Towns

Maps

•    London Tube

•    London Transport

•    London Map (Google)

•    London Boroughs

•    My London Map

•    London (large)

Interesting Articles

•   Andy Dangerfield, “The lost rivers that lie beneath London.” BBC News, 4 Oct 2015. [read]

Historical Maps

•    London (1300)

•    London (1593)

•    London Railway (1899)

Museums [overview]

•    The British Museum [WP] [Video: RickSteves.com] [Video: LondonWalks]

•    The British Library [Web Pages on: Magna Carta, Gutenberg Bible. Caxton's editions of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales] [Video: RickSteves.com] [Video: Henry VIII at the Library]

•    Natural History Museum [Video: YouTube]

•    Science Museum

•    Victoria and Albert Museum

•    Sir John Soane’s Museum [Video: YouTube]

•    Medieval Gallery of the Museum of London

•    London Transport Museum

Art Galleries/Museums [overview]

•    National Gallery

•    National Portrait Gallery

•    Tate Britain

•    Tate Modern

•    Courtauld Gallery [Video: YouTube]

Other Sites in London

•    Tower of London [Video: YouTube] [Video: RickSteves.com] [Video: Henry VIII at the Tower]

•    Royal Observatory [Video: YouTube]

•    Royal Society

•    St Paul’s Cathedral [Video: YouTube]

•    Westminster Abbey [Video: YouTube]

•    Buckingham Palace

•    A map of London street markets

Music and Theatre

•    Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre [Video: YouTube]

•    London Theatre

•    St Martin-in-the-Fields

Outside London

•    Cambridge [Video: YouTube]

•    Royal Museums Greenwich

Speaking British

[Pronouncing place names]

The meanings of some words shift a bit after crossing the Atlantic:

• banger = sausage

• biscuit = cookie

• bollocks = testicles

• bonnet = the hood of a car

• boot = the trunk of a car

• braces = suspenders

• caravan = trailer

• chemist = pharmacist

• chippie = fish and chip shop

• chips = french fries

• cider = alcoholic apple cider

• crisps = potato chips

• fag = cigarette

• fagged = exhausted

• first floor = second floor

• fish = is still fish

• flat = apartment

• football = soccer

• ground floor = first floor

• half-eight = 8:30 (not 7:30)

• High Street = Main Street

• hire = rent

• hoover = vacuum cleaner

• jumper = sweater

• kipper = smoked herring

• knickers = ladies’ panties

• lemonade = lemon soda

• lift = elevator

• loo = toilet

• lorry = truck

• noughts and crosses = tic-tac-toe

• pants = underwear/briefs

• pavement = sidewalk

• people-mover = minivan

• petrol = gasoline

• pissed = drunk

• pitch = playing field

• plaster = Band-Aid

• pram = baby carriage

• public school = private school

• pudding = dessert in general

• queue up = line up

• quid = pound (money)

• rasher = slice of bacon

• rubber = eraser

• skip = dumpster

• snogging = kissing

• sod = a mildly offensive insult

• soda = carbonated water

• solicitor = lawyer

• state school = public school

• stone = 14 pounds (weight)

• subway = underground walkway

• suspenders = garters

• suss out = figure out

• ta = thank you

• telly = TV

• tenner = a ten-pound note

• tick = check mark

• tights = panty hose

• tin = can

• tip = public dump

• top up = refill a drink

• torch = flashlight

• trainers = sneakers

• Tube/underground = subway

• wanker/tosser = idiot/loser

• whacked = exhausted

• zebra crossing = crosswalk

Last update: 28 Dec 2012