Churches and Cathedrals in central

"Westminster Cathedral is the most important Catholic church in Central London that’s located just minutes from both Buckingham Palace and the equally as striking Westminster Abbey. Built during Victorian times, it’s famed for its red and white striped brick exteriors and oriental-style domes. Indoors, you’ll find Westminster Cathedral’s huge central nave (which can seat a whopping 1000 people!) decorated with smooth marble, mosaics and glittering gold detailing."

"The mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Westminster Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. Opening in 1903, the building is in a neo-Byzantine style, filled with attractive decorative mosaics and constructed from a blend of brick and concrete. The Grand Organ, constructed between 1922-1932, is considered one of the most successful and impressive of its kind."

"Towering over diminutive Ludgate Hill in a superb position that's been a place of Christian worship for over 1400 years (and pagan before that), St Paul’s is one of London’s most magnificent buildings. For Londoners, the vast dome is a symbol of resilience and pride, standing tall for more than 300 years. Viewing Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece from the inside and climbing to the top for sweeping views of the capital is a celestial experience."

"St Paul’s Cathedral (fee*) is an Anglican church designed by Sir Christopher Wren in the English Baroque style. The present church was consecrated in 1697; however, it sits on the same site as the former medieval church of the same name which was badly damaged by fire. Today it is the seat of the Bishop of London and one of the most important churches in London."

"Finally, All Hallows-by-the-Tower is believed to be the oldest surviving church in London, and overlooks the Tower of London on Byward Street. The church was founded in 675, and while it has obviously undergone extensive restoration since then, it still contains an Anglo-Saxon arch from the time which we believe qualifies it to take the crown as London’s oldest church!. Thanks to its proximity to the Tower of London, this church was frequented often where beheading victims were sent for a temporary burial!"

"Reconstruction during 1955, after extensive damage in the Blitz. Image source: Ben Brooksbank / CC BY-SA 2.0. Located on the doorstep of the Tower of London, this church has buried the bodies of numerous victims sentenced to death on Tower Hill, including those of Thomas More, Bishop John Fisher and Archbishop Laud."

"All Hallows-by-the-Tower is an ancient historic Anglican church that was founded in 675. Surprisingly, it's still not the oldest church in London. Inside the church is a seventh century Anglo-Saxon arch with recycled Roman tiles."

"The Inns of Court either side of busy Fleet Street are a far cry from the bustle of central London. In a large courtyard off a narrow street is their best-known sight, the Temple Church, which was founded by the military Knights Templar as their London headquarters in the late 12th century. As with other Knights Templar churches it was originally round, but a rectangular chancel (the area containing the choir and altar)was later added."

"One of the oldest churches in London, Temple Church was founded in the 12th century by the Knights Templar - a Christian order of crusading monks from the Middle Ages. The church has a distinctive design and is one of just four medieval round churches still in use in England. You’ll find several services each week, which follow the Book of Common Prayer and feature beautiful singing from the prestigious Temple Church Choir."

"A post shared by Himanshu Sharma (@the.mockturtle) on Apr 25, 2017 at 11:17am PDT. Created by architect William Butterfield, the All Saints Margaret Street church boasts a stunningly ornate High Gothic Revival design. Take a moment to admire the striking exterior made using a mixture of red and black brick; but it is the inside of this London church that makes it worth a visit."

"Of course, it’s famous for the Canterbury Tales, being the headquarters of the Church of England and it’s largely still intact architecture. It’s not too far from the city of London, roughly an hour and a half if you plan on taking the trains."

"All Saints’ was built in the 1850s as an early example of Victorian Gothic. It has the second-highest church spire in the whole of London"

"St Olave’s church near Fenchurch Street station dates from the fifteenth century, and survived the Great Fire mainly due to the efforts of the writer Samuel Pepys, who lived and worked nearby. Pepys is buried in the nave of the church. Other burials include Mother Goose, who was interred in 1586, and Mary Ramsey, the woman who it is claimed brought the plague to London in 1665."

"As one of several churches in London with Scandinavian connections, St Olave Hart Street is often claimed to have been established as early as 1056. However, this may be true, as the memories of Olaf’s London adventures were at their best during this period. Furthermore, it was just a short period of time before Norway attempted to invade England in 1066."

"It was one of a small number to survive the Great Fire of London. It suffered far greater damage during the London Blitz of World War II, and the 15th century body of the church was restored by the mid-1950s. It’s a small church with a wealth of history."

"The gothic tower of St. Michael Cornhill is sometimes called Wren’s last work (it was finished in 1721) but was actually designed by his pupil Nicholas Hawksmoor. The rest of the church is by Wren. Thomas Gray, the author of Elegy in a Country Churchyard, was baptised here, and the church has his walking stick."

"Splendidly refurbished in 2010 it was built between 1721-1724 to the designs of John James, as one of the Fifty Churches projected by Queen Anne’s Act of 1711. The reredos is from the workshop of Grinling Gibbons and frames a ‘Last Supper’ painted for the church by William Kent in 1724. The windows contain Flemish glass of the early 16th century from Antwerp."

"170 million items and 330 miles of shelf space make this not only one of the best museums in London, but also one of the biggest. It also hosts regular, curated exhibitions based around its rare collections; including displays of the original manuscripts of Charles Dickens, Virginia Wolf, Jack Kerouac, Lewis Carroll and varying instalments of maps, sacred texts, newspaper and sound archives. Details: 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB | Free entry, exhibitions from £14 | Find out more and book–"

"‘Something extra’ was needed in the skyline for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, for the London Olympics 2012. Designers were asked for ideas for an Olympic tower at least 100m tall and this design by Sir Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond won hands down. The estimated cost for this project was 19.1 million pounds of which 16 million pounds were funded by one of the richest men of Britain, Lakshmi Mittal, and the rest by London Development Agency."

"The ArcelorMittal Orbit was classed as the UK's tallest sculpture when it opened on the London 2012 Olympic Park. Designed by Anish Kapoor, the Orbit offers excellent views into the Olympic Stadium and of the redevelopment of east London. Continue to 9 of 11 below."

"The design for the Gherkin initially received a lot of flak|© Benjamin John / Alamy Stock Photo. Ridiculed when it was announced but an instant hit when it was built, Norman Foster’s famous bullet-shaped building became one of the first truly great contemporary skyscrapers to sculpt London’s skyline. Standing proud at 180m (590ft), the glittering glass Gherkin is three times the height of Niagara Falls but actually a scaled-down version of what Foster originally envisioned."

"Found at 30 St. Mary Axe, the Gherkin is unique in being one of the few modern buildings on this list. Many people are unaware that the original plan for this building was to construct a tower that rose 92 storeys, towering over the London Skyline. Instead, the Gherkin was built up to just 40 storeys, and yet the design work is still incredible to behold."

"The Gherkin at 30 St Mary Axe is so named due to its strange vegetable-like shape. It is situated in the heart of London’s financial district and was designed by legendary architect Norman Foster. The Gherkin is often used as one of London’s best examples of brilliant contemporary architecture."