As well as growing up from an eight-year-old boy into a twenty-year-old man at 4 Plaistow Grove in Bromley, the years 1955 - 1967 also saw David Robert Jones transform into David Bowie. The south London terraced house was the place where Bowie's musical journey started and it's where he wrote one of his most iconic songs, 'Space Oddity'.
As UK small businesses gear up for a new year of trading, research from Novuna Business Finance reveals a five-year peak in percentage of small business owners (84%) that are starting 2026 with plans to invest in new growth initiatives in order to make their enterprises stronger for the year ahead - and that growth agenda is being driven from the Capital
Across the country, highways authorities are responsible for nine out of every 10 miles of road - approximately 225,000 miles throughout the UK. They grit on average 40% of roads - a total of around 80,000 miles. In London, local councils and Transport for London (TfL) grit major roads. Gritter lorry on A9, south of Inverness. Amber weather warnings have been expanded after coming into force in parts of Scotland, as forecasters warn of heavy snow that could bring blizzard conditions and travel disruption. Picture date: Friday January 2, 2026.
Thousands of revellers lined the streets of London to watch the capital's dazzling New Year's Day parade as the party atmosphere rolled on into 2026. More than 8,000 performers took part in the spectacular procession from Piccadilly to Whitehall, treating crowds to marching bands, acrobats and eye-catching floats. A large inflatable in London Parade, the New Year's Day parade through the West End (Ben Whitley/PA) Spectators braved bitterly cold temperatures to watch dancers twirling in daffodil costumes
Jason Hawkes has been capturing the capital from the skies for over 25 years, and his method is not for the faint-hearted. Flying in a helicopter with the doors removed, Mr Hawkes climbs between 500ft and 2,400ft. Both himself and the camera are harnessed to the helicopter so nothing falls out when it turns on its side to get the perfect shot.
"It's a huge, huge cultural loss for not just the current musicians, but the musicians of the future, especially working-class ones that used to have this as one of the few possibilities of getting inside the craft," she said.
Analysis by Deutsche Bank investigated how much a 5km journey cost in a cab in cities across the world, as part of its Mapping the World's Prices 2025 report. The data included both traditional taxis and cabs ordered through an app like Uber or Bolt. London came in fifth place, with around £17.26 per 5km ride, ahead of other expensive cities including Amsterdam, Milan and Tokyo.
A viral British photographer is celebrating ten years of transforming iconic landmarks across the world with humorous cutouts to put a smile on people's faces. London is the city that Rich McCor, @paperboyo on Instagram, first used as his artistic playground to hone his niche craft. But now Mr McCor, 38, travels the world adding amusing and thought-provoking stencils to famous buildings.
Anthony Gilheaney, 31, was drunk and when he mounted the pavement with his Mercedes and repeatedly targeted people to run over. He was convicted of the murder of Aiden Chapman, 25, who suffered catastrophic brain injuries after being struck by Gilheaney's car. A couple on their way home from midnight mass were also attacked in the early hours of Christmas Day 2024 in London's West End.
According to the company's website, Waymo Drivers 'never get drunk, tired, or distracted'. The vehicles employ a mix of cameras, radar sensors, and lidar sensors - a 3D scanning system - within its autonomous fleet. This enables the cars to detect overlapping fields of vision in every direction up to 500 metres away, the company claims. The vehicles are intended to operate without any driver, but currently human 'safety drivers' remain behind the wheel as the cars are tested in London.
With so many places to eat out in London, competition for customers is intense. This means that there are lots of offers to encourage us to choose where to go. For many tourists, afternoon tea in a stylish setting is one of the highlights of their time spent here. Voucher sites like Groupon and Wowcher always have some deals that let you save money on tea, cakes and scones in classy establishments.
You won't find it in the gift shops or on the tourist board website, but amnesia is about as precise a postcard of a certain side of London as you'll find. While on paper this is a transatlantic link-up- Jawnino is from South London, while the production collective Surf Gang reps New York-it was recorded entirely in the UK capital, and these hazy London conjurings are hugely evocative of the city.
Several car-sharing companies are considering launching or expanding in London, with the imminent closure of Zipcar's UK operation leaving a large gap in the market in one of Europe's biggest cities. Free2Move, owned by the carmaker Stellantis, said it was closely monitoring the London market, and actively assessing options for its services. It already operates fleets in cities including Berlin, Paris, Rome and Washington DC.
When he and his Danish wife, Majken Bech, opened Aimsir at the Cliff at Lyons in May 2019, they were a breath of fresh air. His food and her wine were exceptional, modern and cool in a way we had not seen before and - whisper it - haven't seen since, except perhaps at Comet, where Kevin O'Donnell and Laura Chabal achieve similar levels of edge on a much smaller budget.
If you want to experience true sophistication, then may we suggest drinking in a hotel bar? Fancier than a London pub and classier than a cocktail bar, drinking in a hotel bar is much more than simply sipping a martini in a foyer. The city's best hotel bars are glamorous hideaways that offer elite drinking experiences. A new list by Forbes has ranked the very best hotel bars in the world with its inaugural Forbes Travel Guide Star Bars for 2025 .
Even in the rain, London's rich history can be explored indoors. Many iconic landmarks offer indoor areas that are perfect for wandering without exposure to the elements. The Tower of London, for example, provides a fascinating journey through centuries of history with exhibits, armoury displays, and the Crown Jewels. Similarly, Westminster Abbey allows visitors to admire stunning architecture and historical artefacts in a sheltered environment. These sites combine education and sightseeing, making them ideal for a wet day.
The rapid growth of "energy-hungry" data centres is delaying new homes in London, just as its housing crisis is "at its worst", a new report has warned. Data centres are giant warehouses full of powerful computers used to run digital services, such as streaming and artificial intelligence. However, they require masses of electricity from the National Grid to keep running.
They will give 100 free burgers from each of their locations across the UK (32 in London) to the first 100 people to queue up outside their restaurants. Not just a burger, but also a portion of their rosemary salted chips to add some carbs to the protein-rich meal. Honest's Double Smashed Burger features two smashed British beef patties, American cheese, brown butter mustard mayo, diced onions, and homemade pickles - and usually costs just under £13.
And if you're going to cooking school in London, there's really only one place to start - Le Cordon Bleu. Founded in Paris in 1895, it's one of the oldest, most famous and most prestigious cooking schools out there, with campuses all around the world. The London school has been around since 1931 and now has two campuses and even a restaurant, CORD, which opened in 2022.
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