London Before London
450,000 BC – AD 50
Discover the story of London before the city was even built
![Image of London Before London gallery](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/4914/6254/2749/Horsecoincrop.jpg)
![Jaw of a prehistoric mammoth.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/5314/5693/8634/mammothjawfact.jpg)
Did you know?
125,000 years ago hippos lived in Trafalgar Square!
Roman London
AD 50-410
Discover how Londinium came to life and what daily life was like in the city 2000 years ago
![Roman London](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/6514/5745/2228/Roman_London.jpg)
![Head of a Roman figure](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/4214/5735/1932/Romanhead.jpg)
Did you know?
Roman London was the biggest city Britain would see for over a thousand years.
Medieval London
410-1558
From the collapse of the Roman city to the accession of Queen Elizabeth I
![Medieval London gallery](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/5414/5564/3440/medieval-london.jpg)
![London Bridge](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/4714/5735/7471/bridgefact.jpg)
Did you know?
London Bridge was fortified to stop Viking raiders from sailing up the Thames.
War, Plague & Fire
1550s-1660s
The century before the Great Fire of 1666 was one of the most turbulent in London’s history
![War, Plague & Fire - great fire painting](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/9214/6037/4723/great_fire.jpg)
![bezoar.jpg](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/3714/5736/0541/bezoar.jpg)
Did you know?
Your doctor might have prescribed you a stone from a sheep's stomach.
Expanding City
1670s-1850s
Discover a city rebuilding itself after the Great Fire
![Expanding City gallery](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/8615/6234/2208/The-re-dressed-Pleasure-Garden.jpg)
![tunnel.jpg](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/3414/5743/5087/tunnel.jpg)
Did you know?
London set world records for engineering.
People's City
1850s - 1940s
By the 1850s London was the wealthiest, most powerful, and most populous city in the world
![People's City gallery](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/9215/6441/0052/peoples-city.jpg)
![bomb.jpg](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/6514/5743/9595/bomb.jpg)
Did you know?
During the Blitz, 177,000 Londoners sheltered in the London Underground.
World City
1950s – today
Revolutions in technology, fashion, and culture have transformed London
![World City](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/2614/6037/4685/World-City.jpg)
![Festival poster](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/3614/5751/9289/festivalposter.jpg)
Did you know?
In 1951, London was the centre of a post-war festival to rejuvenate the country after the Second World War.
The London 2012 Cauldron
2012
Encounter an icon of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
![The London 2013 Cauldron gallery](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/1714/5564/3349/london-2012-cauldron.jpg)
![Study of male Olympic sprinter Copyright Nicholas Garland](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/6814/5752/7149/Study_of_male_Olympic_sprinter_Copyright_Nicholas_Garland.jpg)
Did you know?
Every single one of the copper cauldron pieces is different.
Museum of London also of interest
![clash-panel-490x295.jpg](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/5316/2582/6214/clash-panel-490x295.jpg)
![Woodcut depicting Great Fire of London.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/3815/4030/4220/0383d7a9-2e3c-4b0c-abe0-1b40121d8949.jpg)
Discover London through history
Uncover London's stories through free articles and videos.
Discover now
![Stand up comedy workshops](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/1315/4599/3360/Family_Festival_MOLD_3rd_November_2018_47_-_resize.jpg)
![FriendsWebsiteImage.jpg](https://cdn.statically.io/img/web.archive.org/web/20220702223106im_/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/6515/9171/5676/FriendsWebsiteImage.jpg)
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