The Crown Jewels were stolen in 1671 by Colonel Blood but he was caught and then mysteriously pardoned.
Category Archives: C
Victoria Embankment
Careful what you say
The dome of St Paul’s Cathedral is the second biggest dome in the world, after St Peter’s in Rome. At its base is the Whispering Gallery, a circular walkway halfway up the inside of the dome. Due to the acoustics of the curved surface, a phrase whispered against one wall can be heard against the far wall 112 feet away.
St Paul’s
St Paul’s Cathedral was built between 1675 and 1711 by Sir Christopher Wren. The foundation stone was laid in 1675 when Wren was 43 years old, and the last stone was put in lace by his son 35 years later. It was the fifth cathedral on the site. The previous Norman one was even larger than Wren’s building and had the tallest ever spire. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666.
Canary Wharf
The tallest building in London and the UK is Canary Wharf Tower, which is part of the London Docklands. It is 244 m or 800 ft high and was built in 1991.
Hickory dickory dock …
…. a flock of starlings stopped the clock. They landed on the minute hand of Big Ben in 1945 and moved it back by five minutes.
London’s largest clock
The largest clock in London is not situated on the Clock Tower, but on Shell Mex House on The Strand.