Winston Churchill is undoubtedly Britain’s most revered politician. He was born in 1874 at Blenheim Palace as a member of a major aristocratic family and is buried in a modest grave nearby. His statue stands opposite the clock, which everybody refers to as Big Ben (actually the name of the bell behind the clock). Chartwell, his house in Kent, is is an important money earner for the National Trust, who welcome around a quarter of a million visitors there every year.

The Household Cavalry regiment, the soldiers who stand guard on horseback in Whitehall are made up of two main groups: the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals. Today they make up just one regiment but each has its own identity, traditions, colonels and uniform. The Blues and Royals and the Life Guard can be seen in Whitehall between 11am and 4pm every day and many visitors to London like to have their photograph taken next to the mounted soldiers. Be careful, however. As the signs nearby say, horses can both bite and kick.