London is the capital and the largest city of England and the United Kingdom. Additionally, London is one of the most famous and touristy cities in the world. There are many attractions and icons that are synonymous to its name.
London bursts with history and culture. Many monuments date back to almost 2000 years ago. This comes in addition to having several UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Today, we will be presenting some of these famous icons in London.
Postbox
London has postboxes all over its area. Uniquely, these are proudly standing along its streets and alleyways since the Victorian Era.
The elegantly designed post boxes are known as the Royal Mail post boxes. In addition, these are still in daily active use for the public. They are recognized and cherished as local landmarks. Consequently, there are around 85,000 boxes in England alone and roughly 110,000 across the UK.
Red Telephone Booth
Sir Giles Gilbert Scott designed the red telephone booth. It is instantly recognizable as a unique symbol of Britain.
Sir Scott’s design of the K2 iron kiosk cast won a Post Office sponsored competition in 1924. Correspondingly, it is estimated that around 10,000 red telephone booths are still active for the public. In 2015, the red phone booth won the vote of the greatest British Design of all time.
Double Decker Red Buses
London’s red buses are among the most iconic symbols of the city. Their red color dates back to the early 1900s. Back at the time, several different companies operated the transport system. However, one of them painted its entire fleet by the red color. This started as a marketing strategy, simply to stand out from the rest and stand out they did!
Riding London’s red double-decker buses seems like a dream for tourists. However, Londoners simply take the bus as a convenient way to get around the city.
Big Ben
This is the nickname of the great bell of the clock. The tower was designed by Augustus Pugin in a Gothic style. Nowadays, it has a position at the north end of the Westminster Palace.
When completed in 1859, the clock was the largest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock in the world. Consequently, the clock became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
London Eye
It is also one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. London Eye was built in 1999 on the south bank of the river, in close proximity to Big Ben. Correspondingly, it is the largest observation wheel in the world which offers stunning views of London.
David Marks and Julia Barfield came up with the idea of the wheel during a competition in 1993. This competition was set for Londoners to come up with a new landmark design. Luckily for London and the world, the design won and the Eye stands proudly today, welcoming visitors from around the globe.
