London is home to over 8 million people. But also to over 8 million trees, making it officially a city forest. It does have its urban ugliness in some parts. But it’s also home to some beautiful parklands and orchards, lots of native wildlife and one of the best public transport systems in the world. Also read our post on the city of Westminster.
Aside from two cities within a city (Westminster and the financial district), London has 32 boroughs. Some border Kent (like Bromley) and others border Hertfordshire. There are many nature reserves and wetlands, even within the city.
Always follow the Countryside Code, to keep all creatures safe.
Where to Find the Oldest Trees in London
Trees are everywhere in London city, the most common species being plane trees, which line the Embankment. Many areas have trees that have stood for centuries. This is very important in cities, as trees cool the air, helping to reduce heat island effect.
Yew, oak and sycamore trees are all toxic to horses.
- Berkeley Square Plane Tree (Mayfair) was planted around 1789, its thick branches providing natural shade to visitors.
- Queen Elizabeth Oak (Greenwich) is over 800 years old, a tree that has seen a lot of monarchs in its lifetime. While also giving home to birds, insects and small mammals for centuries.
- The Royal Oak (Richmond Park) is over 750 years ago, loved by local birds and resident wild deer.
- The Totteridge Yew (South London) sits in the heart of St Andrew’s Church, believed to be 1000 to 2000 years old. The trunk is now split (you would be ragged too, if you were this old). But it’s still alive, and growing shoots. Yew trees (toxic to most creatures) grow slowly with hollow trunks, but seem to live longer than most trees.
- The Wood Street Tree (Cheapside) grows where a church once was, destroyed during the Great Fire of London in 1966. And later bombs rained down during World War II. Yet still this tree remained.
- The Hardy Ash Tree (King’s Cross) finally died of old age in 2022, but stood for so long in the grounds of St Pancras Old Church, its trunk was supported by a ‘a circle of old gravestones’.
The Thames: A River Rich with History
The 215-mile River Thames is often thought of as a ‘London river’. But England’s second-longest river (after the Severn), actually begins in the Cotswolds and flows through Oxford out to the North Sea. The Thames used to be so polluted, that Parliament would have to regularly close down due to the stench. Today it’s much cleaner.
Tower Bridge was built in the late 1800s, to give people better access to the East End. Often confused with London Bridge (half a mile away), the urban (denied) legend is that an American (who wished to move the bridge to Arizona) bought the wrong one!
The bridge opens for ships to pass. In 1952, a double-decker bus began to slide as the bridge accidentally opened. Driver Albert Gunter made a split-second decision to accelerate to clear the gap (like the film Speed, when the road wasn’t built). There were no serious injuries. So he was awarded the princely sum of £10!
Life on the Thames is an illustrated journey along a river that sustains a staggering number of birds and mammals. Swans, geese, herons, and cormorants are regular sights, as are 120 species of fish. Otters have made a comeback upstream, as water quality has improved.
Opened in 1984, the Thames Barrier is one of the world’s largest movable flood defences. It sits downstream of central London and protects the city from storm surges. The barrier can be raised in less than two hours, when high tides and storms threaten the capital.
The Thames Path is a 184-mile (294-kilometre) walking trail following the river from its source to the sea. You can join it in city or countryside. The path takes in urban parks, rolling fields, and bustling towns.
Exploring Nature in the City of London
London in the Wild is a wonderful guide by London Wildlife Trust to creatures hiding beyond concrete, lights, noise and pollution. And of course, London pigeons! Discover a city teeming with over 15,000 species of flora, fungi and fauna (marsh frogs, hedgehogs, short-eared owls and dragonflies). Cities are not all humans and rats!
Use no-dig gardening to protect London’s endangered stag beetles (those big grubs you see in soil are the babies!) Also turn off lights when not in use to help stop birds flying into windows.
- Learn how to help your local wildlife rescue.
- London Wildlife Protection (birds) and Moonstone Rescue (all creatures)
- Report issues to National Wildlife Crime Unit (anonymous if wished).
Record your sightings to help them monitor welfare and numbers of:
- Deer
- Dragonflies and damselflies
- Hedgehogs
- Owls and kestrels
- Glow worms
- Stag beetles
- Water voles
Transport Choices To Get Around London
It’s pretty easy to walk around England’s biggest city (councils can read Building the Cycling City to make the city safer for people on bicycles).
If you live in London, read our post on greener driving, which covers the Congestion Charge and Cleaner Vehicle Discount, if you plan to get around the city on four wheels.
Enterprise Car Club and Zipcar offer car-sharing (renting vehicles by the hour, and they pay for everything else: the vehicles, insurance, road tax, MOT, cleaning and some petrol/breakdown cover).
London Underground opened in 1863, with 16 of the 270 stations not in London (some are in Hertfordshire, Watford and Buckinghamshire – one runs to Aldgate East – a bit of a culture shock, if you live in leafy Bucks!)
Despite the name, around half the trains run above ground. The Oyster Card can also be used on buses, trams and some river buses, and many people are eligible for free or discounted bus travel (older and disabled people, veterans, children, young people and those looking for work).
Blue Cross has information on taking pets (it’s noisy and stressful so likely most won’t like it). Dogs are not allowed on escalators, for safety reasons).
- Bakerloo line was created, after businessmen complained they could not reach Lord’s Cricket Ground quickly enough.
- Liverpool Street is built on an ancient burial site, an archaeological dig recovered 3000 bodies.
- The ‘tube’s most pointless journey’ is the 260 metres from Leicester Square to Covent Garden. You may as well walk.
- Just three babies have ever been born on the tube. One of them was former US talk show host Jerry Springer.
- Tube driver Christopher Hughes (who worked on Piccadilly Line) won Mastermind a few decades ago. He’s since won other game shows (Anne Robinson said he was the best contestant ever on The Weakest Link).
All of London’s 8500 double-decker buses (which have only been red since the early 1900s) are powered by green energy, automated ticket machines having replaced the Routemaster buses from the 50s (when conductors took fares from the open rear platform).
Night buses (around since 1913 with a brief pause during World War II) operate from 11pm to 6pm. Campaigners want electric buses limited between 1am to 5am, as residents complain of road vibrations and cracks in house walls.
London’s black cabs (can be any colour) have tall roofs, so city gents in bowler hats would not have them knocked off their heads! To hail a cab, stick your arm out (yelling ‘taxi’ is illegal!)
To be a London cabbie, drivers must know over 25,000 roads, 20,000 landmarks and 320 routes, within 6 miles of Charing Cross!
The 1963 film Carry on Cabbie is one of the better ones, though Kenneth Williams did not appear, as he thought the script was not good. Most of the film extras were real cab drivers, filmed around Windsor and Eton. Charles Hawtrey (Pint Pot) could not ride a motorcycle, and had to take a crash 3-week course before filming!
Accessible Transport in London: The Choices
Although London has many lifts and ramps (and Travel Support Cards), accessible transport options go further:
- Freedom Pass gives discounted travel to disabled/older residents.
- Dial-a-Ride is a free minibus scheme for Londoners with severe mobility difficulties, or medical conditions stopping them from travelling alone. Book at least a day in advance.
- Community transport is run by local charities and councils. Ideal for trips out or medical appointments.
- NHS Patient Transport Services offers free non-emergency patient transport, to cover travel to/from hospital appointments. Check with your GP or hospital if you qualify.
- Taxicard lets people with serious mobility issues and on disability benefits to travel by cab, at a fraction of the price. This door-to-door service is perfect for family visits or hospital appointments. Use the card to book rides by phone or app.
Taxicard advises all passengers (and carers) to wear a face covering when using the service, as other passengers may have low immunity.
