London Culture and History

Culture

Culture The culture of London concerns the music, museums, festivals and lifestyle within London, the capital city of the United Kingdom. The city is particularly renowned for its theatre quarter, and its West End theatre district has given the name to "West End theatre", the strand of mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in London. London is also home to notable cultural attractions such as the British Museum, the Tate Galleries, the National Gallery, the Notting Hill Carnival and The O2.

History

London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom and one of the largest and most important cities in the world. The area was originally settled by early hunter-gatherers around 6,000 B.C., and researchers have found evidence of Bronze Age bridges and Iron Age forts near the River Thames. During the Great Smog of 1952, Londoners endured immeasurable suffering and thousands died during and after the pollution event. More recently, a terrorist attack on the London transit system killed 56 people in 2005. But the city has continued to grow and prosper, hosting the 2012 Olympics while establishing itself as the preeminent cultural and financial center of Europe.

Landscape

The natural lay of the land can be appreciated from several public vantage points. Hampstead Heath offers the finest panorama over the central basin of the metropolis. But from Shooters Hill, Upper Norwood, or Alexandra Palace one has a choice of views: inward to the crowded skyline of the City and West End or out to the open expanses of the Home Counties, the Thames estuary, the South Downs, and the Weald. Such panoramas show that London, for all its immensity, resembles more closely the limited metropolises of the early 20th century than the amorphous and sprawling megalopolises of today, such as Tokyo or Los Angeles.

London Nightlife

Apart from the pubs and clubs, there are many music venues. Among the best known are Shepherds Bush Empire, Brixton Academy, Hammersmith Apollo, Wembley Arena, The Marquee, The UCL Bloomsbury, the Royal Albert Hall and the London Astoria, which has now closed. Comedy is widely popular with the capital having around 100 venues showing 'Alternative Comedy.' London is also home to The Comedy Store one of the longest running comedy venues in the world.

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