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London Leasing

Did You Know?

Big Ben is arguably London’s most famous landmark. Surprisingly, it is actually meant to go by the name ‘The Clock Tower’, while ‘Big Ben’ is the name of the bell. Feel free to bore your friends and family with that fact if you ever do a tour of London.

The identity of Jack the Ripper, London’s most notorious serial killer, has never been discovered. Authorities at the time and ‘mystery solvers’ since the killings have suspected a number of different people, however, including Prince Albert, Lewis Carroll and Queen Victoria’s doctor; Sir William Gull.

Charles II’s ordered for six ravens to be placed in the Tower of London to protect it. Apparently, six ravens are still kept in the tower today and they must remain there at all times due to superstitious reasons. For extra measures, each raven has a wing clipped, they even have a spare raven handy in case one flies away.

The Great Fire in 1666 devastated London. While the fire reduced large parts of the city to ruins, the verified death toll was only six people. However, the real number is unknown, as many more died from indirect causes. Monument, the 203ft stone obelisk located 203 ft away from where the fire broke out, commemorates those who died.

The Millennium Dome is so big that it can fit the Great Pyramids of Giza comfortably under the roof! The structure is 365m in diameter; and 52m high in the middle; with 12 supporting poles, symbolising days, weeks and months of the year.

One of Christopher Wren’s original ideas for St Paul’s Cathedral proposed a 60 foot stone Pineapple in place of the now iconic dome. It’s a shame it didn’t happen, London’s skyline could have done with a tropical feel.

Cleopatra’s Needle, the Egyptian artefact located on the Victoria Embankment, was erected in 1838. During this time many things were placed underneath, including a map of London, a copy of the Bible, some daily newspapers, a rupee and 12 photographs of the best looking English women of the time.

Another of our facts about London, has to be the numerous famous people that have lived there. Such as Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, Sylvia Plath, Charles Dickens, Jimi Hendrix, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Florence Nightingale and 100’s of others. Blue plaques now hang where these people lived.

the London Eye was not the first big wheel in London. In fact, The Great Wheel earns this title. This wheel was constructed in 1895 for the Empire of India Exhibition. It was then sadly demolished in 1907, 91 years before construction started on the London Eye.