Historic London Landmarks
Albert Bridge - Eros Statue, Piccadilly Circus
An A-Z of historic or architecturally significant landmarks to visit in London - fascinating historic places that don't easily fit into other categories of our London Heritage Guide but are still well worth seeing.
The Albert Bridge links Chelsea and Battersea Park. It is named for Prince Albert, who proposed a toll bridge here to alleviate traffic congestion on the Victorian Bridge. Unfortunately, the bridge design proved unstable, and the bridge soon gained the nickname 'The Trembling Lady'.
Chelsea Embankment,
London,
Greater London,
England
Attraction Type: Landmark - Bridge
Heritage Rating:
Heritage Highlight: Unusual Victorian bridge design
Nearest: Self Catering
On Victoria Embankment in London stands a monument to 'The Few', the airmen who fought in the Battle of Britain in 1940. The striking monument was sculpted by Paul Day and depicts scenes from the conflict as well as the names of all 2,937 airmen who took part.
Victoria Embankment,
London,
Greater London,
England
Heritage Rating:
Heritage Highlight: Outstanding modern sculpture
Nearest: Self Catering
At the western end of Westminster Bridge stands an iconic statue of Boadicea and Her Daughters, sculpted by Thomas Thornycroft and depicting the early British Queen Boudicca (Boadicea) on a war chariot, her daughters crouching beside her. The statue is said to be modelled after Queen Victoria and horses from the royal stables.
Westminster Bridge, Victoria Embankment London,
Greater London,
England, SW1A 2JH
Attraction Type: Landmark - Statue
Heritage Rating:
Heritage Highlight: A London icon
Nearest: Self Catering
Brompton Cemetery is one of London's 'Magnificent Seven' 19th-century garden cemeteries, built as a commercial venture to serve the wealthy middle and upper classes of Victorian London. One highlight is the grave of the suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst.
Old Brompton Road,
London,
Greater London,
England, SW10 9UG
Heritage Rating:
Heritage Highlight: A superb Victorian garden cemetery
Nearest: Self Catering
A precursor of the modern shopping mall, Burlington Arcade remains one of London's favourite shopping areas nearly two centuries after it was built by Samuel Ware (1815-1819). Located beside the Royal Academy on Piccadilly, Burlington Arcade has been a focal point for stylish shoppers for over 200 years.
51 Piccadilly,
London,
Greater London,
England, W1J 0QJ
Heritage Rating:
Nearest: Self Catering
The Chelsea Bridge was built in 1937, replacing a Victorian bridge erected in 1858. The bridge (probably] stands on the site where Julius Caesar made his crossing of the Thames in 54 BC. During construction of the first bridge, the famous Battersea Shield was discovered by workmen along with Celtic and Roman remains.
Chelsea Embankment,
London,
Greater London,
England
Attraction Type: Landmark - Bridge
Heritage Rating:
Heritage Highlight: The first self-anchoring suspension bridge in Britain
Nearest: Self Catering
Cleopatra's Needle is an authentic Egyptian obelisk brought to London from Heliopolis, Alexandria, and erected on Victoria Embankment in 1878. The obelisk is one of a pair, the other being erected in Paris. Unlike many Egyptian treasures that found their way to England, Cleopatra's Needle was not removed from Egypt by British nobility, but rather it was granted to the UK government by Muhammad Ali, ruler of Egypt and Sudan, in 1819, to commemorate British victories at the Battle of the Nile and the Battle of Alexandria.
Victoria Embankment,
London,
Greater London,
England
Heritage Rating:
Heritage Highlight: An authentic Egyptian obelisk.
Nearest: Self Catering
Cross Bones Graveyard in Southwark is the likely Tudor burial site of the 'Bishop of Winchester's Geese', prostitutes licensed and taxed by the powerful Bishop of Winchester, those who - by church law - could not be buried in consecrated ground. It was later used to bury paupers and criminals, dubbed 'the outcast dead' of London.
Redcross Way,
London,
Greater London,
England, SE1 1TA
Attraction Type: Landmark - Graveyard
Heritage Rating:
Heritage Highlight: Likely burial site of Southwark prostitutes
Nearest: Self Catering
Overlooking St James Park stands a striking column topped by a statue of Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, and second son of King George III. The Duke is thought to be the subject of the 'Grand Old Duke of York' nursery rhyme. The column was designed by Benjamin Wyatt and erected in 1834.
Waterloo Place,
London,
Greater London,
England
Heritage Rating:
Heritage Highlight: Excellent example of 19th-century classical architecture
Nearest: Self Catering
In the centre of Piccadilly Circus stands one of London's most famous landmarks; the statue of a winged god popularly called Eros, the Greek god of love. It is actually his twin brother, Anteros, and was designed to top a memorial fountain commemorating the great Victorian philanthropist, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury.
Piccadilly Circus,
London,
Greater London,
England, W1J 9HS
Heritage Rating:
Heritage Highlight: Perhaps the most famous sculpture in London
Nearest: Self Catering