Portal:London

Topics Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Nature People Philosophy Religion Society Technology Template:/box-header Big Ben 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 8 million (as of 2011) 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. The London congestion charge is a fee for motorists travelling within the Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ), a traffic area in London. The charge aims to reduce congestion, and raise investment funds for London's transport system. The zone was introduced in central London on 17 February 2003, and extended into parts of west London on 19 February 2007. Though not the first scheme of its kind in the United Kingdom, it was the largest when introduced, and it remains one of the largest in the world. Several cities around the world have referenced London's congestion charge when considering their own schemes. A payment of £10 is required each day for each vehicle which travels within the zone between 7am and 6pm (Monday-Friday only); a fine of between £60 and £180 is levied for non-payment. From 4 January 2011 several changes were implemented based on the public consultation conducted in 2008, which included the removal of the Western Extension, a charge increase from £8 to £10, and the introduction of an automated payment system. Transport for London (TfL) administers the charge; Capita Group operated it under contract until 31 October 2009, and IBM took over on 1 November 2009. The system is mostly run on an automatic basis using Automatic Number Plate Recognition. (more...) Photo credit: Chalmers Butterfield Shaftesbury Avenue from Piccadilly Circus, in the West End, c. 1949. The Circus, a famous traffic intersection and public space in the City of Westminster was built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly. Its status as a major traffic intersection has made it a busy meeting point and a tourist attraction in its own right. “ Ah! my poor dear child, the truth is, that in London it is always a sickly season. Nobody is healthy in London, nobody can be. ” Jane Austen, Emma (1816) Elizabeth Canning (married name Treat; 1734–1773) was an English maidservant who claimed to have been kidnapped and held against her will in a hayloft for almost a month. She ultimately became central to one of the most famous English criminal mysteries of the 18th century. She disappeared on 1 January 1753, before almost a month later returning to her mother's home in Aldermanbury in the City of London, emaciated and in a "deplorable condition". After being questioned by concerned friends and neighbours she was interviewed by the local alderman, who then issued an arrest warrant for Susannah Wells, the woman who occupied the house in which Canning was supposed to have been held. There Canning identified Mary Squires as another of her captors, prompting the arrest and detention of both Wells and Squires. Local magistrate Henry Fielding became involved in the case, taking Canning's side. Further arrests were made and several witness statements were taken, and Wells and Squires were ultimately tried and found guilty—Squires of the more serious and potentially deadly charge of theft. However, the trial judge and Lord Mayor of London Crisp Gascoyne was unhappy with the verdict and began his own investigation. He spoke with witnesses whose testimony implied that Squires and her family could not have abducted Canning, and he interviewed several of the prosecution's witnesses, some of whom recanted their earlier testimony. He ordered Canning's arrest, following which she was tried and found guilty of perjury. Squires was pardoned, and Canning sentenced to one month's imprisonment and seven years of transportation. Elizabeth Canning's case pitted two groups of believers against one another: the pro-Canning Canningites, and the pro-Squires Egyptians. Crisp Gascoyne was openly abused and attacked in the street, while interested authors waged a fierce war of words over the fate of the young, often implacable maid. She died in British America in 1773, but the mystery surrounding her disappearance remains unsolved. 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 ... that The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie has the longest initial run of any play in history, having played continuously in the West End since 1952? ... that St Paul's, Covent Garden is known as the "Actor's Church" and contains monuments to such famous names as Charlie Chaplin and Vivien Leigh? ... that Bram Stoker was the business manager of the Lyceum Theatre from 1878 to 1898, and based the character of Count Dracula on the actor Henry Irving? ... that the Haymarket Theatre was once managed by John Wilkes Booth's brother-in-law, who had fled the United States after Abraham Lincoln's assassination? ... that the Peacock Theatre is believed to be haunted by the ghost of a dolphin called "Flipper"? Template:/box-header Articles about London can be found under these categories: ► Areas of London ► Buildings and structures in London ► Cities in London ► Culture in 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 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 London Transport England United Kingdom European Union Template:/box-header 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. 156px 121px 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. Featured (148) 2 Featured pictures (122) Good (319) 2 The following Wikimedia sister projects provide more on this subject: What are portals? 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