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Glenn Robins is grossed out. As a frequent traveler, he assumed the sheets on hotel beds are changed between guests.

But a new TV ad by the Hampton Inn (www.hamptoninn.com) chain calls that assumption into question. It shows housekeepers changing sheets in hazmat suits, at what appears to be a competing hotel chain.

"The implication was obviously that other hotels do not change the sheets for every new guest," he says.

Robins is troubled by that.

"It's a disgusting enough thought that the sheets were not changed," he told me. "It gets even more disgusting when one considers the previous tenant's possible activity."

A confession: I changed the last part of Robins' quote to spare you some graphic detail. Use your imagination.

Room hygiene is a hot topic among travelers. Always is. A recent post on my blog that featured a guest at a budget hotel who discovered her housekeeping staff hadn't changed the sheets in her room and failed to clean a shower between guest visits, sparked a spirited discussion. Some felt the traveler was entitled to a full refund for the lapse in hygiene.

This topic is already well covered -- sorry about the pun -- by the travel press. Sheets are usually changed between guests, and sometimes state law requires it, but there's no guarantee that they will be.

As for bedspreads, forget it. As countless hidden-camera investigative TV programs have confirmed, they aren't washed regularly.

Yuck.

But I digress. Is the Hampton ad right? Kinda.

It's probably safe to say that all major hotel chains, including Hampton, instruct their housekeepers to change sheets between guests. Yes, you'll always find some no-tell motel out in the sticks that tries to skip a guest or two, but as a general rule, the sheets are swapped out.

But here's a situation where the rules may allow a housekeeper to skip it: What if a guest checks in for one night and it appears the bed was unused? Is it OK to just tidy up, or should you strip it down to the mattress and replace the sheets?

I would have said "yes" -- just tidy up.

But wait. What if the previous guest is actually just really neat, and makes the bed like a pro? The housekeeper might assume the guest never used the bed. But that would be wrong.

Point is, it's possible for you to end up sleeping on someone else's sheets. But if you're staying at a major hotel chain, it's highly unlikely.

Still, should there be a law -- perhaps at the federal level -- that hotels meet a certain level of hygiene? Maybe.

Christopher Elliott is the author of the upcoming book "Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals" (Wiley). He's also the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine and the co-founder of the Consumer Travel Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for travelers. You can read more travel tips on his blog, elliott.org. E-mail him at chris@elliott.org.

(c) 2011 Christopher Elliott. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Beautyfull place on London city

Six million people visit the British museum every year, making it London's greatest tourist attraction.   It was built in the first half of the nineteenth century, at a time when Britain's empire building activities were putting more and more peoples and lands under British control.   This was also a period of incredible curiosity in many different areas including science, technology and history.   The military and economic strength of the country allowed private collectors and the government to amass first rate collections of artifacts from many of the world's major civilizations, including the Rosetta stone from Egypt, the Elgin marbles from the Parthenon in Greece, statues and tablets from Mesopotamia as well as Maya and other cultural items from Central America.

 For centuries British history largely revolved around the kings and queens of the day.   Nowadays real power lies elsewhere, but there's still a very strong royal presence throughout the city.   The focal point is Buckingham Palace, the residence of the queen, which is next to St James' Park, about a kilometer or so from the houses of parliament.   The park is open to the public and is home to a large collection of live birds from around the world which was started during the reign of Charles II.

Queen Victoria is a former inhabitant of the palace, and you can still find her sitting in front of her old abode.   Her long reign saw the United Kingdom reach the peak of its power, allowing its inhabitants to boast that "the sun never sets on the British Empire".   Ironically, things might have been different if Victoria's German consort, prince Albert had his way.   Albert was politically very liberal and he sided with liberal politicians who abhorred the idea of empire building.   But Albert died young, and Victoria spent the next 40 years of her reign preserving his memory by keeping his clothing and other personal belongings handy in case he returned, building monuments to him like the Royal Albert concert hall and the tacky gold plated Albert Memorial, and encouraging the militarists and adventurers who delighted in the idea of empire building.

The outcome of all this was that English became the dominant language on the planet, and London became the wealthy and powerful center of a vast empire.   The Victorian era also became synonymous with prudery and about the only saying of hers that anyone remembers nowadays is "we are not amused", though the exact circumstances of its utterance are now a matter of debate.   It's not apparent whether she would have approved of the rampant display of nudity going on just behind her, but since they're clearly angels then it must be OK.   No doubt that charming little cherub isn't leering nastily, but is instead just concerned that the rather distracted angel might catch a chill.

The English have always been very class conscious, which is one reason why my parents emigrated to New Zealand.   While the royals and the upper class were doing their thing, the lower classes developed their own culture with its peculiar traditions and pageantry.   The woman standing next to the guardsman looks every bit the expression of a third element of society, the middle class, looking up to the royals and down on the working classes.   It's been said that the queen and her generation of the royal family are more middle class than the middle classes, not because they look up at themselves but because they are the greatest adherents to middle class moral and social values, whereas the upper classes and the lower classes both do what they feel like rather than what conventional morality says they should.   The shenanighans of Prince Charles, Lady Di, Fergie and their offspring are one more sign of the breakdown of this class system.

The houses of parliament, with one of the most misidentified sights in all of London on the right-hand side.   Although the clock tower is commonly referred to as "Big Ben", that is actually the name of one of the bells within the tower.   Immediately behind parliament is Westminster Abbey, where many kings, queens, poets, writers and other famous inhabitants of the UK are buried.   Many of London's most interesting buildings, statues and other historical items are located within a short distance of the Thames River, with most of them concentrated in an easily walked stretch of the river between parliament and Tower Bridge, which is another widely misidentified landmark.

The Embankment is a wide footpath which follows the Thames river from the Houses of Parliament to Tower Bridge.   This sphinx is one of a pair which stand fairly near Parliament, and between them stands "Cleopatra's Needle".   The sphinxes are recent castings and Cleopatra's Needle doesn't really have anything to do with the Egyptian Queen of the same name, however it is a genuine Egyptian obelisk dating from the reign of Thutmoses III around 1450BC.   It was one of a pair found in Heliopolis and given to the British as a gift in 1819 by the Egyptian ruler Mohammed Ali, but they refused to pay for it to be transported until 1877.   The pontoon it was on capsized during a storm off France and six people died, but it remained floating and it was eventually towed to London.  The other obelisk of the pair is in Central Park in New York city.   The damage you can see on this sphinx's pedestal was caused by a bomb during the war - the first world war!   This happened on September 4 1917, during the first raid made by German planes against London.   There's similar damage from world war two preserved on the walls of the Victoria and Albert museum.

Further east, and just a short walk away from the river is St Paul's cathedral, the masterpiece of Sir Christopher Wren.   The Great Fire of London in the middle of the 17th century was a golden opportunity for Wren, and he used it to design a multitude of interesting churches.   However, apart from Westminster Abbey and St Paul's, the other must-see church in London is a bit west of here and a bit nearer the river, the Temple Church, so-called because it is in an area called The Temple which has traditionally been associated with lawyers and barristers.   The Temple Church is much older than St Paul's, it was constructed by the Knights Templar during the 12th century and is the only round church

in London - one of only five round churches in the whole of the UK (another is the Round Church in Cambridge).

It's rather amazing that St Paul's is still standing, since the area all around it was largely flattened by German bombers during world war two.   Much of the glass in the windows was blown out, but the structure survived virtually intact.   There's a statue, scarcely visible beyond the most distant tree on the left-hand side of this photo, commemorating the work done by London firefighters during the Blitz.

Here is perhaps the greatest achievement of Christopher Wren's labours - the Whispering Gallery under the dome of St Paul's cathedral.   The gallery is accessed via long flights of narrow steps, and it's even possible to go to an outside viewing area at the top of the dome - 530 steps in all from ground level.   As you can see, the dome is huge, second only to the dome of St Peter's in Rome.   This area is called the Whispering Gallery because if you whisper (rather loudly) with your face perpendicular to the wall, someone on the other side of the dome can clearly hear what you're saying.

St Paul's and other buildings in London are very impressive for someone coming from a country like New Zealand which has no ancient buildings or other structures, and where no world shaking historical deeds have ever been done.   However St Paul's hardly rates as ancient history in London.   I've already mentioned the 12th century Temple Church, but it's 200 hundred years newer than the White Tower, part of the complex making up the Tower of London.   However even they are relatively recent compared to other artifacts which can be seen nearby.   For instance, right outside the Tower of London is this section from the original Roman wall around the city of Londonium.   It was the Romans who founded the city, and who built the first London bridge - it wasn't until Westminster Bridge was built in 1749 that there was more than one road across the Thames.   The original Roman bridge is long gone, having been replaced several times over the last two thousand years but other evidence remains, including the Temple of Mithras, or at least its foundations, which were excavated in 1954 just down the road from St Paul's.

Here's the Tower of London, dominated by the huge square White Tower, which was started by the invading Norman king William the Conqueror, who was the victor at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.   Once the home of kings and queens, the Tower of London included barracks for soldiers and arsenals for weapons and explosives, and was a place of imprisonment and execution for men and women who found themselves on the wrong side of the ruler's favour.   Many of them who taken inside through the entry to the Traitor's Gate visible near the river.   It remained an active military establishment for many centuries, and was even used during world war two as a prison for Rudolph Hess and an execution ground by firing squad in 1941 for German spy Josef Jakobs

The Tower of London has a number of permanent inhabitants.   There are assorted ghosts of royal and noble lineage, including Anne Boleyn and the two young sons of King Edward IV who many believe were murdered by their uncle, who thus became King Richard III.   Then there are the 36 Beefeaters or Yeoman warders, best known for their red and gold outfits, whose job it is to guard prisoners and the crown jewels.   Finally there is a small flock of ravens, one of which you see here.   It's said that as long as the ravens remain here, England is safe from invasion.

As you can see from the previous photo, Tower Bridge crosses the Thames right next to the Tower of London.   Although it looks ancient and is often misidentified as London Bridge, it was actually built in 1894 of steel and was merely faced with stonework.   The June 1894 issue of The Builder called Tower Bridge "the most monstrous and preposterous architectural sham we have ever known" and said they would just be wasting photographic plates if they published photos of it.   You can tour the workings of the bridge to view the equipment which raise and lower the bridge deck and to go across the walkways between the towers, which provide an excellent view along the river.

Between my two visits in 1999 and 2002, someone decided to plonk this thing down next to Tower Bridge on the south bank of the Thames.   It's the new London city hall, seat of power of the Greater London Authority, which is the successor to the Greater London Council, shut down in 1986 by Margaret Thatcher because its head, Ken Livingston and his cohorts were too leftist.   For 14 years London was the only major city in the world with no central administration, but in 2000 Londoners once again elected a mayor, by the name of Ken Livingston!

The London Eye is another new addition to the London scene, looking for all the world like a giant bicycle wheel, 135 meters (443 feet) in diameter.   It's also sometimes called the Millenium Wheel because it's one of a number of projects built to celebrate the new millenium.   Like several of these it turned into something of a financial black hole, however it remains far more popular than most of the other projects.

The London Eye is a must-do on any visit, with great views over the central area of the city.   A single rotation takes about 30 minutes, slow enough that the wheel doesn't even need to stop as one set of passengers departs a capsule and the next set enters.   In this photo you can see Cleopatra's Needle on the riverbank on the left-hand side and the dome of St Paul's cathedral on the right-hand side.   As you can clearly see from the previous photo and others on this page, the myth that the United Kingdom suffers from poor weather is a complete concoction, designed to keep uncivilized colonials from flooding in and spoiling the place.

Best place of london

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is a must-see, popularly known as "Buck House", has been the main home of Britain's sovereigns since 1837, with Queen Victoria. It was originally built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham (thus its name), it was bought in 1761 by George III for his wife, Queen Charlotte, it was later re-modelled by Nash in the late 1820s for George IV, but did not finally get its current classical facade until 1913. It’s a handsome old palace with more than 775 rooms and a 42-acre garden, the 19 State Rooms of the Palace, including the Throne Room and the Picture Gallery, are open to the public for a tour during August and September. Changing of the Guard ceremony takes place daily.

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The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben

Prominently situated on the north bank of the River Thames and officially known as the Palace of Westminster, it is the seat of the House of Commons and House of Lords, the building originates from 1840 after a fire destroyed the previous building in 1834; the most ancient part of the whole palace is 900 years old, the Palace was used as a royal residence until Henry VIII moved out in 1512 to Whitehall. The Palace of Westminster has 1100 rooms and about 3.2km of corridors. The Houses of Parliament contain the famous Clock Tower which, universally known as Big Ben, named after the original Commissioner of Works, Sir Benjamin Hall. IT has become well known for being a substantial part of the New Year’s celebrations in London

Tower Bridge

The Tower Bridge was designed by Wolfe Barry and Horace Jones and built in 1894; it's a real achievement of Victorian engineering. The Tower Bridge is a suspension bridge and bascule bridge combined to permit large vessels to pass underneath on the River Thames; you can walk from one tower to the next via the high level walkways, some 140 feet above the Thames, from here you will get breathtaking views of the city including St. Paul's, the Tower of London, and the Houses of Parliament.

The London Eye

The British Airways London Eye also known as Millennium Wheel, is one of the most striking structures in the world, it was built as part of London's millennium celebrations. It offers some of the best views of the capital and is itself visible from all over the city. You can see attractions River Thames, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Windsor Castle, Trafalgar Square, London Aquarium, Tate Modern, St Paul's Cathedral and many others London's attractions.

Trafalgar Square

London’s most famous square, was built to commemorate the Lord Nelson’s naval victory against Napoleon in 1805, here you’ll find Nelson’s Column surrounded by 4 bronze lions dominating the centre of the square while on the north side, is located the National Gallery which houses some 2100 masterpieces, including works of Michelangelo, Rubens, Raphael, Da Vinci and Van Gogh; in the North East corner is beautiful 18th-century neoclassical church, St Martin-in-the-Fields, which hosts regular concerts. Every Christmas, Norway sends a huge tree for the Trafalgar Square, it is also the heart of London's New Year Celebrations; people from all parts of London congregate there.

St Paul's Cathedral

The majestic St. Paul's Cathedral was designed Sir by Christopher in the 17th century and completed in 1710, it is the fifth religious building to occupy this site, the previous one was destroyed by the terrible Fire of London in 1666. A lot of the England’s most prestigious events have been held here, most notably being the weddings of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the 80th & 100th birth of Queen Elizabeth, the funeral funerals of Lord Nelson and many other occasions have graced this spiritual centre. The dome of St. Paul's; one of the largest in the world, at 111.3 metres high; is a London icon; in the interior of the dome is the marvellous Whispering Gallery where a whisper is audible on the opposite side. The cathedral is decorated with 18th century paintings and 19th century mosaics.

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is a beautiful Gothic church; it was founded by Edward the Confessor in the 11th century, it embodies much of the unique history of Britain. The coronation of every king and queen (excepting of Edward V and Edward VIII) has taken place here since 1066. Many of Britain’s monarchs from Henry III to George II are buried here. Also to be found in the cathedral is Poets Corner where many famous literary figures such as Ben Johnson, William Shakespeare, John Keats, Oscar Wilde and John Milton are buried, and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.

The Tower of London

The Tower of London is the hearth of the Kingdom, situated on the North bank of the River Thames next to Tower Bridge, it was built by William the Conqueror, at the beginning of the 11th century to defend London against intruders, it has been a protective fortress, palace, prison, royal mint, execution yard and menagerie during its long and frequently bloody history. Today houses the priceless Crown Jewels. Anne Boleyn; the 2nd of Henry VIII's wives; and Lady Jane Grey; aspirant to the throne; were all executed here, among many others.

Also, you can see our London Museums, London Art Exhibitions, and London Festivals to see more attractions in London.

Lonbon Oxford City

Oxford City, the "city of dreaming spires", is a vibrant metropolis with a growing hi-tech community that amazingly kept its old-warm charm as seen in the concentration of Gothic architecture that lies throughout the city. Oxford is the oldest University City in England, situated some 50 miles (80 km) to the west of the capital London, and located on the rivers Cherwell and Thames/Isis.

Oxford is home to the England’s oldest university, which may date back to 1096, nowadays, Oxford University has 39 colleges. The city has numerous major tourist attractions, many belonging to the university and its colleges. Among their highlights are Christ Church college and cathedral (birthplace of Alice in Wonderland); the Carfax Tower; the Taylor Institution; the Sheldonian Theatre; the Bodleian Library, which is the second largest library in the country; Hertford College’s Bridge of Sighs, whose design was based on the Ponte dei Sospiri in Venice; Magdalen College which was the learning school of Oscar Wilde; the world-class Ashmolean Museum (Britain's oldest museum); the Museum of Modern Art; the Pitt Rivers Museum; the Oxford Playhouse; the Bate Collection of Musical Instruments; the Oxford Story and the Museum of Oxford.

Important festivals in Oxford include the Garsington Opera festival and the periodically held Oxford Coffee Concerts.

Oxford is the city that inspired Alice in Wonderland; the Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien); the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis); Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Grahame); His Dark Materials trilogy (Philip Pullman) and The Children of Men.

Many former Oxford students have become famous authors: J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Dr. Samuel Johnson, John Donne, Percy Shelley, T.S. Eliot, T. E. Lawrence, John Galsworthy, Philip Pullman, John Buchan, W.H. Auden, Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, Kenneth Grahame, Graham Greene, Iris Murdoch, Dorothy L. Sayers, Robert Graves, A.E. Housman and Evelyn Waugh, among others.

Oxford has a vibrant shopping and commercial area with hundreds of independent shops; is also a book lover’s paradise with dozens of antiquarian, specialist and new book shops. Oxford is an excellent gastronomic spot; the city has an amazing range of restaurants and cafes selling gastronome delights. More restaurants are to be found in the Jericho area. Pubs are plentiful due to the huge student population. Indie Bands such as Supergrass and Radiohead launched in Oxford.

Recently, Oxford has been the setting for Hogwarts Hall in the Harry Potter films.

Oxford has plenty of options for getting there and away, it is linked to London, the capital of England, by the 50 mile (80 km) south-eastern stretch of the M40 motorway. Oxford is accessible via train from London's Paddington station, the trip takes only one hour, the city has a large train station situated in the western part of the city (south of Jericho).

There are frequent coach services (every 8-10 minutes at peak hours) between Oxford and London operated by Oxford Bus Company, Oxford Express and Stagecoach/The Oxford Tube. Parking in Oxford is a nightmare and also expensive, drivers are strongly advised to use the five Park & Ride service on major routes leading in to town.

History Of london

The London’s history is a absorbing one, the name London comes from the Latin name Londinium as London was established as a town by the Romans around AD 43, tough there are evidence of Bronze Age and Celtic settlement. The Romans where temporally removed by the native Iceni tribe of Celts, led by their Queen Boudicca, in AD 60. However the Romans returned and quickly rebuilt their settlement.

Londinium soon became the capital of Roman Britain .It boasted major public buildings, including a Basilica, a Forum, a governor's palace, temples, offices, shops and a Wall built around the city to protect it from further invasion. The Wall was about 2 miles in perimeter, 20 feet high and 9 feet thick, portions of which can still be seen today in Coopers Row. The Romans ruled in London until 410 AD.

By the 5th century, Londinium went into quick  decline and was practically abandoned by Romans. From the mid-6th century, the London area was integrated into the East Saxons kingdom. Anglo-Saxons settled just west of Londinium and formed the town of Lundenwic ("London settlement"). Christianity was introduced to the city and London received Mellitus, its first post-Roman bishop, Mellitus founded the first St. Paul's Cathedral.

London was occasionally attacked by Danish Vikings in the 9th century. There were Viking attacks on London in 842, 851, 865, and, in 871, London may have come under Danes power for a period. In 878 however, English forces led by King Alfred the Great defeated the Danes, when the Vikings were driven out, the city walls were repaired, a citizen army was established, and Æthelred, Alfred's son-in-law, was appointed Governor of London.

In 994 the Vikings attacked unsuccessfully London again, but numerous raids followed. Æthelred's son Edmund Ironside initially managed to hold back the invaders, though; he was finally forced to share power with Cnut (Canute). When Edmund died Cnut became the sole King of England. Cnut managed to unite the Vikings and Saxons. By 1042, Edward the Confessor took up the throne, his rule brought French influence and trade. Edward refunded the abbey at Westminster, and moved his court there.

When Edward died in 1065, his successor, Harold Godwinson, was crowned in the Westminster Abbey. By 1066, William the Conqueror was recognised as King of England, after his victory over Harold at the Battle of Hastings. Much of the nation remained hostile to the new King and, as a result, he was only able to impose their rules by building formidable castles with strong garrisons (the Tower of London, The White Tower, in the centre of the present complex, is the oldest and most impressive buildings from this period). William died in 1087 from injuries sustained while campaigning in France.

In 1097, William II, the son of William the Conqueror began the construction of Westminster Hall. When William II died, his younger brother Henry succeeded him. When Henry died in 1135, Henry's nephew Stephen was crowned King in preference to Henry's daughter Mathilda. After Stephen, Mathilda's son Henry, known as Henry Plantagenet became king.

In 1176 construction began on a new stone London Bridge to replace the original Roman one. This bridge was to remain the only one in London until 1739. Henry died in 1189 whilst fighting against his son Richard. Richard eventually become Richard I.

London lost at least two-thirds of its inhabitants (at least 60,000 people) during the Black Death in the mid-14th century.

Henry VII became King in 1485, followed by Henry VIII. They were the first Tudor kings. Under the Tudor rule, London became wealthy, bustling city. Henry's son Henry VIII made Whitehall Palace the principle royal residence in the city and also built the St James’s Palace. He is also famous for its “Dissolution of the Monasteries”, after the Roman Catholic Church refused to grant him a divorce. During the reign of Elizabeth l, since 1558, London was prosperous and successful city.

By the late 16th century, theatre became popular though were banned in the city of London, the theatres moved across the Thames to Southwark. The Globe Theatre, scene of many of William Shakespeare's plays, was built on the South Bank in 1599, though it burned down in 1613. Queen Elizabeth I loved plays, which were performed for her in private at Court, and approved of public performances.

Unfortunately, many of London's Tudor buildings were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666.

The first Stuart King, James I, came to the throne in 1603; the preparations for his coronation were interrupted by a brutal plague epidemic. James I united England and Scotland under one king. In 1605, a group of Catholic conspirators planned to blow up both him and the Houses of Parliament. The plot was discovered.

By 1610, London was a busy capital city; Old St Paul's, old London Bridge and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre were the main buildings.

Charles I acceded to the throne in 1625. In 1635 he opened the royal reserve of Hyde Park to the public and in 1637 created Richmond Park for hunting. Civil war broke out in 1642 between supporters of the king and members of parliament, led by a Puritan called Oliver Cromwell. The civil war ended in defeat for the Royalists. The King was executed in London in 1649 and Britain became a republic known as the Commonwealth of England.

In 1660 the monarchy was returned under Charles II.

The Stuart period was dominated by two disasters, The Great Plague, occurred in 1665 and 1666, during this period perhaps 70,000 persons died, the bubonic plague was brought to London by rats on board trading ships, and followed by another catastrophe. On 2 September 1666 the Great Fire of London swept through and destroyed two thirds of the City. Only Staple Inn in Holborn survives today as an example of what London looked like then. Re-building took over 10 years. Christopher Wren was appointed to rebuild the ruined churches including St Paul's Cathedral. More than 20 of Wren’s churches survive today.

In the winter of 1683 – 1684 a frost fair was held on the

The 18th century was a period of fast grew in size and population for London. In 1707 an Act of Union was passed merging the Scottish and the English Parliaments, consequently establishing The Kingdom of Great Britain. In 1714, George I became king. In 1750 a second stone bridge over The Thames was added, Westminster Bridge. In 1759 the British Museum opened its doors for the first time. In 1762 George III acquired Buckingham Palace from the Duke of Buckingham.

During the 19th century, London was transformed into the world's largest city and capital of the British Empire. While the city grew wealthy, 19th London was also a city of poverty. Life for the underprivileged was immortalized by Charles Dickens with his novels, notably Oliver Twist. In 1837, Victoria became Queen at the age of 18. The time while she was Queen is called the Victorian era. Many of the buildings in London today were built in Victorian times.

London was transformed by the coming of the railways in the late 1800's; the first railway in London was built from London Bridge to Greenwich in 1836. The Tube opened in 1862. At first carriages were pulled by vapor trains. The system was electrified in 1890-1905.

The London of 1900 had many modern comforts such as electricity, gas heating, telephones, an extensive overground and underground railway network, motorbuses and taxis, a postal service and city police force. The Ritz opened in 1906, Harrods’s new Knightsbridge store in 1905, and Selfridges in 1907.

During World War I, in the fall of 1915, London was attacked for first time. Large numbers of Jewish immigrated to London during the 1930s. In 1939 the World War II broke out and hundreds of thousands of children were moved out of London. The Blitz began in 1940 and destroyed a third part of the City. The heaviest bombing took place between September 1940 and May 1941. London was badly damaged although remarkably St Paul's survived the incendiary bombing.

In the immediate postwar years London's population declined steadily, its established status as a major port also declined radically and a heavy immigration from countries of the old British Empire started. The city appearance changed with new buildings replacing those destroyed in the war. Later, air travel became more important, Heathrow airport opened to commercial flights in 1946.

By the 1960s, London became a centre for the music culture with the raising of UK musicians such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. In the 1880s, London saw the birth of the New Wave and Punk scene.

On July 6, 2005 London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics, unfortunately, the next day, there was a series of coordinated bomb blasts on three underground stations and a bus.

London now continues to grow, making it one of the most important world’s cities.