Culture
London is a very multi cultural society. While associated very much around the world with the east end cockney modern London is very different to the that stereotype. The East End of London was the home of the original cockneys. A cockney is a particular type of rhyming slang where a phrase such as APPLES AND PEARS actually means STAIRS, or MINCE PIES means EYES. Originally the cockney slang came about to prevent outsiders from understanding what was being said. Today cockney incorporates words that are not part of  rhyme but are simply local slang words such as GEEZER to mean a MAN or BIRD to mean a woman. The East End of London is more associated today with Asian culture while cockney is more likely to be heard in North London or South London. Strictly speaking cockneys are those born within the sound of Bow Bells, these are the bells of St. Mary-le-Bow (Bow Church) at Cheapside in the City of London. A huge range of cultures is to be found in London today. A few examples being Jewish culture in Golders Green and Stamford Hill, Middle Eastern culture around Edgware Road, Marble Arch and Bayswater, Asian culture in the East End and Southall, African Culture in Hackney and Dalston and Chinese culture around Chinatown. A walk around central London is likely to find people from just about all corners of the world.

London phone numbers all have a 0207 or a 0208 prefix. 0207 is inner London and 0208 is outer London. If you are in an area dialling the same area code i.e. 0207 dialling another 0207 phone number then you do not need to use the initial 020, just start with the 7. Also when dialling from outside the UK you do not dial the initial 0. So from outside the UK an 0207 nuber would start 207 plus of course your international prefix code and the UK code of 44.