Built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham, George III acquired it in 1762 as a private house. It became an official royal residence in the reign of Queen Victoria, when it was greatly enlarged.
From 1235 until 1835, the monarch’s personal zoo was kept at the Tower, and it included many exotic animals given as presents by other monarchs, including polar bears, leopards and elephants.
‘Paddington Bear’ was written by Michael Bond in 1958. His bear arrived here somehow from ‘deepest, darkest Peru’ and was named after the station. You can find a statue of him near the escalators.
Big Ben refers to the 13 ton bell in the clock tower of Westminster Palace. Opinion is divided as to whether it was named after the then Commissioner of Works, or a famous prize-fighter of the time.
Opened in 1848 as Waterloo Bridge Station, it grew in such a chaotic way (16 platforms, 10 platform numbers) that it was a running joke amongst Londoners, and had to be completely rebuilt in 1899.
Hyde Park was a favourite venue for duellists in the 18th and 19th century, including the brutal 1712 duel between the Duke of Hamilton and Lord Mohun in which they hacked each other to death.
