Your English ancestors might never have been to London, but if they lived in the past 1,000 years or more, they would have felt its influence.
Here are just a few old London buildings you can visit to connect with your roots, even if your people didn’t live in London. Many English people alive in the 1800s or 1900s would have heard of these places and perhaps seen pictures of them as well.
St Paul’s Cathedral, St Paul’s Churchyard, EC4M 8AD
The masterpiece of architect Sir Christopher Wren, St Paul’s Cathedral has a famous dome on top.
Built on Ludgate Hill, at the highest point in the City of London, St Paul’s was established as a place of Christian worship around 604 AD. There have been two famous church buildings here. Old St Paul’s was a mediaeval building. Construction started in about 1187 but over the years, the building slipped into disrepair. In 1666, the Great Fire of London destroyed it.
The current St Paul’s Cathedral was completed in 1708. The dome has been a symbol of London for centuries.
St Paul’s is open to tourists, for an admission charge. There is no fee to worship. The website has detailed information about the history of the church as an institution and the building itself. There are videos and pictures galore.
The Tower of London, EC3N 4AB
One of the five palaces in Greater London run by the charity Historic Royal Palaces, the Tower isn’t just one tower. It’s more of a little village inside two concentric walls. Its history starts just after the Normal Conquest in 1066, with the original White Tower.
This is one of the UK’s top paid tourist attractions. For history fans, it’s got much to offer. Your ancestors would have heard stories of the Tower, perhaps sad stories of executions, and tales of ghosts. It was both a lovely, secure place for royalty to stay, and a fairly comfortable place to keep political prisoners, as compared to a grim underground cell.
Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, and Lady Jane Grey, the “9-day queen” were among the persons of high rank executed on Tower Green.
The Tower has always been a place to keep valuable objects, like the Crown Jewels, which are on display there now.
Historic Royal Palaces website
Church of St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside, EC2V 6AU
Like St Paul’s Cathedral, the nearby St Mary-le-Bow was rebuilt to the design of Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London. To be a true Cockney, tradition says you must be born within earshot of the Bow bells.
This is a pleasant and easy church to visit. There is no charge, though as with every church, you should leave a donation to help with the upkeep costs.
There’s a cafe in the basement. Take your snack ouside to the courtyard, where you’ll see a 1960 statue of Captain John Smith, the English man famous for his association with Pocahontas (Matoaka). It’s a copy of the 1909 statue of Smith at Jamestown, Virginia.
Ye Olde Watling (Pub), 29 Watling Street, EC4M 9BR
Watling Street itself is an ancient road extending far beyond London. This stretch, where the pub is, was paved by the Romans.
Ye Olde Watling is said to be another Christopher Wren creation, built to accommodate workers and offices during the decades it took to construct St Paul’s. If you want to experience a bit of the atmosphere of the 1600s, this would be a place to try, but if it’s too busy, don’t worry, London has other historic pubs.
Your ancestors may not have know this exact pub unless they came to the City of London, but there’s a good chance they had been somewhere similar.
Ye Olde Watling Street website
Thanks for joining me on this little exploration of the City of London. There will be more to come.
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