Wikipedia Blackout: Here's What You Need To Know About London

M@
By M@ Last edited 146 months ago
Wikipedia Blackout: Here's What You Need To Know About London

As you've probably heard, English Wikipedia is blacked out today in protest at proposed US legislation that could limit access to information on the web. To fill the temporary info-gap, we thought we'd build our own wiki of London information, via our Facebook followers. Here are some of the best made-up facts about the capital.

  • Robert Elms actually lives in Burnley and makes up his facts about London from an I-Spy book he bought in the 60s - Toni-Louise Dillon
  • Westminster City Council keep spare yellow lines under kerbs for rapid deployment if their parking policy changes. - John Hodson
  • London is not actually a city, it's a legume. - Andi B
  • Google got the idea for Google Earth from the Eastenders' credits sequence. Fact. - Hayes Thompson
  • You can get arrested for crossing London bridge with a sheep. No, wait a second, that's actually true... Why would anybody cross the river with a sheep? You sick city bankers! - Norberto Romero
  • Walthamstow Market is the only man made structure visible from the moon. (everyone knows you can't see the Great Wall of China) - Steve Rudland
  • The face of Queen Victoria's statue on the Mall is crumbling and revealing lizard features underneath. - Alan Doyle
  • The Queen gave birth to all of her children in the Battersea Power Station chimney nearest to the Thames. - Edward Whatley
  • Did you know the first gaol in London stood in the middle of a field which is now Trafalga Square!! - Nicola Kelly
  • Contrary to popular belief, Oscar Wilde was a voracious heterosexual who was often reported to to seen waving his 'nib' at women, in Trafalgar Square. - Bobby Donker
  • After being introduced in 1824 to promote economic growth, the Kodiak bear population quickly spread to inhabit much of central London. They were subsequently hunted to near extinction but some can still be found today running cafes and designer clothing stores in Covent Garden. - Michael Claridge
  • All SatNav devices in the UK are programmed to take drivers through Piccadilly Circus regardless of their end destination. This is to help maintain the area's heritage as London's busiest intersection. - Colin Hoad
  • The building on the Elephant & Castle roundabout is a nuclear bunker which leads to the house of parliament. - Jack Wilson
  • ‎"Harrods" is a myth, designed to lure unsuspecting tourists to a bad and dangerous part of town called Knightsbridge. - Olga Sidoryk
  • That ”tired of London” quote was not said by Doc Johnson, but his cat Hodge, who was also the compiler of the first dictionary. Also had a dog named Calvin. - Sue Wilks

Many more London non-facts here. Please keep adding.

Last Updated 18 January 2012