Nursery Rhymes about London

There are more nursery rhymes written about London than any other city. They've given fame to London Bridge long after it was demolished, provided a great source of marketing to baked-goods sellers on Drury Lane, and reminded of us the dangers of fire for hundreds of years.

Why were so many kids songs written about London?

In 1800 London was the largest city in the world, with 1.1 million people living there. It was a melting pot of politics, power, trade, ideas and people - rich and poor alike. It had a rich history which was sometimes dark and violent. As many children would not have gone to school at the time these songs were a method of transmitting information.

Some of these rhymes were not originally about London, but came from earlier rhymes with the place name replaced. 'London's Burning' was originally 'Scotland's Burning' dating back 80 years before the Great Fire of London. Similarly, 'How Many Miles to London Town' came from 'How Many Miles to Babylon'.

List of Nursery Rhymes in London

	Nursery Rhyme	Year of Origin
1.	London Bridge is Falling Down	1744
2.	Oranges and Lemons	1744
3.	London's Burning	Late 17th century
4.	Pop! Goes the Weasel	1854
5.	The Muffin Man	1820
6.	Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, Where Have You Been?	1805
7.	As I Was Going By Charing Cross	17th century
8.	Ring a Ring o' Roses	1881
9.	How Many Miles to London Town?	1800s