Historic Buildings and Homes

Some of the world's most famous and historic buildings are located in London.  A selection of the more famous and less well-known is listed below with links to their web sites.  Other historic buildings can be located on the London home page - London and its history, Government, Royalty and Gardens - and the museums, libraries and art galleries page. 

The buildings and homes listed in this section are noted mostly for their historic interest without fitting specifically into other categories listed on other pages.  

The Tower of London Tour is an excellent way to discover the history and drama associated with one of London's great historical landmarks and repository of the Crown Jewels.  Tower Bridge is the world-famous landmark crossing the River Thames near the Tower of London.  The Tower of London has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The National Trust and English Heritage web sites have information about places of historic interest in and around the London area.  

Carlyle's House was the London home of Thomas Carlyle and his wife, Jane Welsh Carlyle.  The house retains much of the atmosphere of the Carlyles' time with many of their possession on display.  The house is now a National Trust property.

19 Princelet Street is a Huguenot master silk weaver's home in Spitalfields under threat of being lost as an important part of London's heritage.  Its shabby frontage conceals a rare surviving synagogue built over its garden.

The residential house at 17 Gough Square was the home and workplace of the often-quoted Dr. Samuel Johnson, author, translator, and compiler of one of the first English dictionaries.

The Geffrye Museum has exhibits showing the changing styles of the interiors of London homes over the last four centuries.

The Freud Museum was the home of Sigmund Freud and his family when they escaped Nazi annexation of Austria in 1938.

The Royal Hospital Chelsea was founded in by King Charles II in the 17th Century as a home for soldiers who were no longer fit for duty because of injury or old age.

Dickens's House in Bloomsbury was home to Charles Dickens from 1837 to 1839 and has fine collections of memorabilia.  See also the Charles Dickens Heritage Foundation.

Sir John Soane's Museum was the house of the prominent London architect and a place to accommodate his collections of antiquities and art works.

Keats House was the home of the poet John Keats.  It is located in Hampstead.

221b Baker Street was the London address of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson when they solved many mysteries in the city.

Explore London on the Exploring Buildings web site has interesting articles about important buildings in the city and links to related web sites that many visitors will find of interest.

Cathedrals, Abbeys and Churches

St. Paul's Cathedral, one of Sir Christopher Wren's great masterpieces, Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral have played important roles in England's religious history and are noted for being major architectural achievements.

Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church, and the Tower of London have been designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

Southwark Cathedral dates from the early 13th Century and has some of the earliest Gothic architecture in London.

Guides:  Baedeker - London; The Blue Guide to London; Eyewitness Travel Guide - London; Let's Go - London | London Map Guide; Lonely Planet - London; Rough Guides - London | London Miniguide | London Restaurants and Miniguide

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