10 MIND-BLOWING facts about London you probably didn’t know
1. London is the smallest city in England
London is the smallest city in England, covering approximately 1.2 square miles with a population of less than 10,000 people.
What most people think of London is actually Greater London.
2. Big Ben is not actually called Big Ben
The iconic London clock tower is actually called The Elizabeth Tower.
Big Ben is the name given to the bell inside the tower.
3. Seven ravens live in the Tower of London
Charles II insisted six ravens be kept at the Tower of London, believing that without them, the Crown and Tower itself would fall.
And so the Tower of London houses seven ravens; six for luck and one as a spare.
4. London is home to one of the smallest statues in the world
The statue can be found at Philpot Lane and it depicts two mice fighting over a piece of cheese.
The statue is dedicated to two builders who fell to their deaths during the construction of the Monument to the Great Fire of London. The tragedy occurred after an argument broke out over who ate a missing cheese sandwich.
It turned out that neither ate the sandwich and the culprits were actually some mice.
5. The Millenium Dome is large enough to house the Great Pyramids of Giza
The Millennium Dome, also known as the O2 Arena is the largest structure of its kind in the world. It spans 365m in diameter and 52m in height at its highest point.
This means that the Great Pyramids of Giza could sit inside the venue quite comfortably.
6. Aldgate Station has 1000 bodies buried underneath it
Following the Great Plague, there are 1000 dead bodies buried under Aldgate station.
7. Great Ormond Street Hospital was gifted the copyright to Peter Pan
Scottish author J.M. Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan, who never had any children of his own, gifted the copyright of Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital
The full copyright expired in 1987 and now Great Ormond Street Hospital has exclusive right to royalties from stage performances, any adaptation of the play, publications, audio books, ebooks,radio broadcasts and films of the story of Peter Pan in the UK.
8. London is not as rainy as you’d think
Despite London being known for its rainy days it actually sees less rain than Rome, Miami, and Sydney both in terms of volume and number of rainy days.
9. There is a time capsule buried under Cleopatra’s Needle
Cleopatra’s Needle, the ancient Egyptian obelisk located at Victoria Embankment, sits on a time capsule from 1838.
Things inside the capsule include a map of London, a copy of the Bible, some daily newspapers, a rupee and 12 photographs of the best looking English women of that time.
10. Black cab drivers need to have extensive knowledge of London streets
Black cab drivers are required to know 320 routes round all of the 25,000 London streets, as well as to have an in-depth knowledge of the landmarks located within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross.
They have to sit a test dubbed ‘The Knowledge.’
Training to become a black cab driver can take anywhere between 2 to 4 years.
