London Hotel Guests Can Discover City's Rich History

The UK is one of the most fascinating countries to visit thanks to its rich history, which visitors can explore by checking out the wide range of attractions that give a glimpse into the times gone by. Staying in hotels UK can be a rewarding affair for visitors because of their proximity to this vast array of manmade and natural attractions.

Central London in particular has a lot to offer hotel guests as here can be found some of the most intriguing places, ranging from statues and monuments to museums, palaces and castles. All people need to do to begin their journey of discovery is start by finding out where they can stay by using the London accommodation by HotelClub website, which is designed to help them easily find what is suitable for them.

Once checked in, guests can grab their cameras and guidebooks and make their way to one of London's most intriguing attractions, whose links to the city are as bloody as they are fascinating. Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Tower of London is an historic castle founded towards the end of 1066 during the Norman conquest of England. William the Conqueror built the White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name.

People staying in hotels in London will be interested to hear that the tower started its life as a royal residence and was initially a grand palace before it was transformed into a prison in the following years. Established as a means to have a royal power base in the City of London, the Tower has played a prominent role in English history. Due to the way it was built, the castle was used as a place of trials, execution and torture, with prominent figures the main victims of its effectiveness.

Among those executed within its walls were Queen of England and second wife of King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, who was falsely convicted of adultery, incest and treason and thereafter beheaded. Despite being a frail 68-year-old woman, Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury met her end at the castle when she was beheaded after being accused of treason by King Henry VIII for supporting his first Catholic wife Katherine of Aragon. Prisoners have included King Baliol of Scotland, William Wallace, Sir Thomas More and Guy Fawkes.

Luckily, visitors need not worry about the bloody past of the castle, but this dark history makes the attraction one of the best places to explore in London. In addition to delving into the capital's history, visitors will have the added bonus of seeing the magnificent crown jewels, which are displayed in one of the buildings within the castle walls.

Guests of Strand hotels can have an entirely different experience if they choose to check what is on offer in the immediate vicinity. Originally the hub of Victorian theatre and nightlife, this has since expanded to include other adjacent areas, notably Covent Garden. Visitors can treat themselves to a night out in local theatres including the Adelphi, Savoy, Vaudeville and the Lyceum Theatre. While some of them have seasonal shows, others have permanent shows that those visiting London may not want to miss.

For a true slice of London's theatre offerings, visitors could set aside a night to experience some of the longest-running productions in the capital. The Mousetrap, by Agatha Christie, is currently the world's longest-running theatre show, having started out in November 1952 at the Ambassadors theatre.

It ran at the aforementioned venue for nearly 22 years before transferring to the St Martin's theatre, where it has remained ever since. London hotel guests may be interested in discovering why more than 20,000 performances and nearly 60 years later, the show is still a success.

Other long-running theatre productions worth experiencing while in Strand hotels include Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre, which has been performed for a quarter of a century, and The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's theatre, which is close to 24 years on stage. While Blood Brothers has been at the Phoenix theatre for 22 years, The Woman In Black at the Fortune theatre has been running for 21 years. Chicago, Mamma Mia! and Disney's The Lion King, which can be seen at the Cambridge theatre, the Prince Of Wales theatre and the Lyceum theatre, have all been going for over a decade.

While on the issue of record breakers, Theatre Royal Drury Lane may be a fascinating place to visit. This is because the theatre is not only the oldest in London's West End Theatre hub, but the capital's first playhouse, having been established in 1576. To experience the largest West End Theatre, visitors should head to London Coliseum, where the English National Opera is based, while the Donmar Warehouse is the smallest in terms of seat numbers.

A London visit should not end without a visit to some of its world-class museums including the British Museum, Science Museum, Tate Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum, National Gallery, Imperial War Museum, Natural History Museum, National Maritime Museum, London Transport Museum and Museum of London. Each of these attractions has a different story to tell about the UK and various places in the world, but those particularly keen on focusing on the capital are advised to check out the Museum of London.

The world's largest urban history museum, the attraction boasts 1.1 million objects that provide an unforgettable journey into London's turbulent past. Starting from the prehistoric to the present day, the museum documents the story of the capital through a variety of items and means including single artefacts of pottery, bone and stone, recreated 18th century pleasure gardens and the mayor's magnificent state coach. Guests of London hotels will be pleased to hear that the museum is also located close to one of the capital's iconic buildings, St Paul's Cathedral, which is just a few minutes' walk away, and it overlooks the remains of a Roman city wall.