Cultural Connections

All Hallows by the Tower Church

Located near the Tower of London, All Hallows is the oldest Church in the City of London, and consequently has a number of ties to the United States. William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania was both baptized and educated here and President John Quincy Adams was married in the Church in 1797. More details can be obtained from the website.
Address: All Hallows by the Tower, Byward Street, London, EC3R 5BJ

American Church in London, Whitefield Memorial Church

Churches of American heritage have been present in London since the beginning of World War Two. This church, comprised mainly of visitors to London, welcomes over twenty denominations and is named after Evangelist George Whitefield. Whitefield made seven visits to the United States and was the most influential preacher during the religious revivals in colonial America known as the First Great Awakening.
Address: 79a Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4TD

American Memorial Chapel in Apse of St. Paul's Cathedral and Roll of Honor

The American Memorial Chapel located in magnificent St. Paul's Cathedral was built following WWII to memorialize those Americans who gave their lives during the War. The names of those soldiers are listed in the Roll of Honor found behind the high altar.
For more information about the Cathedral please see St. Paul's website.

Address: 2 New Change, London, EC4M 9AD

St Pauls Cathedral, London, viewed from Paternoster Square
(Image by Will Fox via Wikipedia)

Benedict Arnold House

Benedict Arnold was one of the most successful generals in the Continental Army before he was found plotting to give away the fort at West Point to the British. After his traitorous actions were discovered he joined the British Army and then fled to London where he lived at this house. The plaque outside the house describes Benedict Arnold as an American patriot. He is buried at St. Mary's Church in Battersea, London.
Address:62 Gloucester Place, London.

Blackwall Stairs

The stairs are famous for leading to the dock where Captain John Smith left from England to settle Jamestown.
Address: Blackwall Stairs, Blackwall Way, Yabsley Street, E14

Blue Plaques

English Heritage's Blue Plaqe scheme celebrates great figures of the past and the buildings that they inhabited. Many Americans such as broadcaster Edward Murrow, author Herman Melville, musician Jimi Hendrix and photographer Lee Miller are commemorated in this way.

Full details are available on English Heritage's website.

British Library, Eccles Centre for American Studies

The Eccles Centre has two broad aims: to promote the British Library's North American materials, and to support American Studies in schools and universities. It does not maintain a separate reading room or research facility within the Library.

For further details see the Eccles Centre's website.

British Museum, North America

The Museum's collections represent the arts and history of North America from prehistory to the present day.

Full details are available on the British Museum's website.

Center for Jazz Arts

In an initiative inspired by the rich history of jazz culture throughout the British music, media, and arts communities, the Center for Jazz Arts has begun the promotion of a dedicated, national, Jazz Appreciation Month celebration intended to annually engage hundreds of local schools, universities, museums, libraries, performing arts centers, broadcasters, and community groups throughout the U.K.
Featured podcast: Maestro John Scott: A Story of Jazz Heritage in the U.K

Statue of Captain James Cook

Captain Cook was a British explorer who traveled throughout the Pacific. Besides his famed navigational skills, he was also a proficient mapmaker who completed detailed maps of Hawaii and the Pacific West Coast. He was killed in Hawaii during his third voyage in the Pacific. His maps were used into the 20th century.
Address: The Mall, near Admiralty Arch

Benjamin Franklin House

Located in central London at 36 Craven Street, Benjamin Franklin's residence while in London was opened on 17 January 2006, on Ben Franklin's 300^th birthday. This house, over 300 years old, is the only surviving residence of American statesman Benjamin Franklin in the world. Franklin was one of the members of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence and served as the Ambassador to France during the Revolutionary War.

Full details are available on the Benjamin Franklin House website.Address: 36 Craven St, London WC2N 5NF

Grosvenor Square

Grosvenor Square is one of the hubs of American history in London. Besides the US Embassy on the West Side of the Square, there are a number of other places of interest including the Old Embassy located at 1 Grosvenor Square, General Eisenhower's WWII Command Center, John Adams' old home on corner of Brook and Duke Streets, and statues of Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Address: London W1
See also: The American Embassy & Grosvenor Square.

Jimi Hendrix Apartment

Guitarist Jimi Hendrix once lived at this location and it is marked by a blue plaque.
Address: 23 Brook St, Mayfair, London

Bust of President John F. Kennedy

Outside the Station is a bronze bust of President Kennedy in memory of his Presidency.
Address: Outside Great Portland Street Tube Station

International Brigade Monument

The International Brigades were collections of men and women from across the world who fought against the Fascists during the Spanish Civil War. The Abraham Lincoln Brigade was the division of Americans who came to the aid of the Spanish Republic. Historians estimate that about 1,000 Americans died in the Spanish Civil War. Some notable Americans who fought in Spain include Ernest Hemmingway and Paul Robeson.
Address:Jubilee Gardens, Waterloo, London SE1

Washington Irving House

Washington Irving, author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle lived here. The site is marked with a blue plaque.
Address: 8 Argyle St, Soho, London W1

Statue of Abraham Lincoln

A large statue of President Lincoln is located in the square in front of Middlesex Guildhall across from Parliament.
Address: Parliament Square, Northwest Side of Palace of Westminster, London

Herman Melville House

The residence of American author Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick, is marked with a blue plaque.
Address: 25 Craven St, Embankment, London WC2N5

National Portrait Gallery

The Gallery includes portraits of many notable Americans including George Washington and Ben Franklin. To see all that the Gallery has to offer please see their website.
Address: St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE

Statue of Winston Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt

Prime Minister Churchill and President Roosevelt share a bench on this intersection.
Address: Corner of Grafton Street and New Bond Street, London

St. Sepulchre-without-Newgate Church

The Church houses the grave of Captain John Smith, one of the founders of Jamestown, first Governor of Virginia, and also famous for his interactions with American Indian Pocahontas. A stained glass window in the Church, the largest in London, is on the south wall. Please see the Church website for more information.
Address: 10 Giltspur St, London, EC1A 9DE
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate (Image via Wikipedia)

Southern Skirmish Association

Southern Skirmish Association (SOSKAN) is oldest American Civil War re-enactment and living history society in the United Kingdom.

Full details are available on SOSKAN's website.

Texas Legation

The Texas Legation was the Embassy of the Republic of Texas from 1836-1845. This was the period of time when Texas had split away from Mexico, but had not yet joined the United States. The Republic maintained only three Legations in Paris, Washington D.C., and London. A plaque marks the old location.
Address: 4 St James Street, London SW1A 1EF

Wanamaker Memorial

Sam Wanamaker was an American actor and director who initiated the movement to rebuild Shakespeare's Globe Theater. More information about the memorial can be found at the Southwark Cathedral website.
Address: Southwark Cathedral, London Bridge, London SE1 9DA

Westminster Abbey

Westminster houses many monuments and sites of interest to travelers. Some of these include: a Memorial to President Franklin Roosevelt, the Tomb of William Pitt, and a Congressional Medal of Honor on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Please visit the Abbey website for time of tours and other information.
Address: London, SW1P 3NY
Westminster Abbey at night, from Dean's Yard. (Image by Ed. G. via Wikipedia)

Sachem Mahomet Weyonomon Memorial at Southwark Cathedral

Mahomet was the Sachem (ruler) of the Mohegan, a Connecticut area Algonquian speaking nation, in the 1700's. Mahomet was the grandson of Uncas, the founder of the Mohegan's. During this period the Mohegan's had lost much of their land to British settlers, so in an attempt to preserve their way of life Mahomet traveled to London with two British settlers to petition King George II. While in London he contracted Small Pox and died, but since he was a foreigner he was not allowed to be buried in a City of London cemetery. He was laid-to-rest at what is now Southwark Cathedral and a memorial marks his burial place.
The memorial was dedicated on 22 November 2006 in the presence of HM Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, Mohegan tribal leaders and U.S. Ambassador Robert H. Tuttle.
Address: Southwark Cathedral, London Bridge, London SE1 9DA
Above right: Members of the Mohegan tribe salute Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as she is seated at the memorial service at Southwark Cathedral. Left to right: Shane Long, Mohegan Cultural and Community Outreach Specialist; Mark Brown, Ambassador and Tribal Councilor; Bruce “Two Dogs” Bozsum, Tribal Chairman; (Kelvin Gane Photography)

Virginia Quay First Settlers Monument

The monument marks where the ships Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery left on their voyage that led to the founding of Jamestown, the first permanent British settlement in North America.
Address: Near East India Dock Basin on Jamestown Way

Whitechapel Bell Foundry

The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is one of the oldest manufacturing companies in Great Britain and has contributed a number of artifacts to the United States. Both the Liberty Bell and the bells in the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. were made at Whitechapel. Visiting information is available on their website.

Address: 32/34 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1DY

Liberty Bell (Image from the U.S. Government Printing Office)

Statue of James McNeill Whistler

This American born painter influenced many leading artists, as well as author Oscar Wilde, around the turn of the 20th century. He is also buried in St. Nicholas Church in Chiswick, London on Church Street off the Hogarth Roundabout
Address: Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London SW10

Winfield House

Winfield house is the residence of the United States Ambassador to the Court of St. James. It occupies over twelve acres in beautiful Regents Park and has housed Presidents and other dignitaries. Although the house is not open for visitors it can be viewed from the Park. More information can be found on our Winfield House page. The house is located in the northwest side of Regents Park.