Emma and her boyfriend Brendan (who live in Australia) are saving up for their first trip abroad together. Emma’s uncles, Tim Benzie and Paul Joseph, made this video to convince the couple to come to London instead of going on a cruise. Emma and Brendan: we agree that it’s got to be London! Find out more about the video at www.itsgottobelondon.com.

Following several changes of address and an aspirational marriage to Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon, Maison Lucile settled at 23 Hanover Square.

Lucile was an innovator and was particularly good at marketing. She sold matching lingerie; dressed actresses and musical comedy stars on and off-stage; opened a branch in New York; and briefly designed a mail order fashion line for Sears, Roebuck & Co.

The designer was also one of the first to promote dresses with fashion shows, which not only attracted female clients but also gentlemen who came to stare at the beautiful models.

After 1920, Lucile retired from her business but continued to broadcast and write about fashion. She published her autobiography, aptly named Discretions and Indiscretions, not long before her death on 20 April 1975 (78 years ago this week). Despite her contribution to the fashion world, Lucile became best known for having survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.

A guest post by Beatrice Behlen from the Museum of London as part of our Visiting the Past series. More fascinating London history next week

The open expanse of the Heath had always attracted travelling showmen but in the 19th century the event became a fully-fledged fun fair, with donkey rides, ice-cream sellers, roundabouts, side shows and coconut shies.

The fair grew in size: ordinary Londoners seized the chance to scream on the helter skelter, try their luck on the hoop-la and munch candy floss.

By 1910 the crowds on Easter Monday numbered over 200,000 people. In 1920, royalty paid a visit when Queen Alexandra drove past to view the Easter Monday festivities.

Hampstead’s Easter fun fair continued during and after the Second World War. By the 1950s the rides had become larger and noisier with American-style dodgem cars and a big wheel, but old-fashioned merry-go-rounds and hurdy-gurdy men kept a bit of Victorian character.

There were booths selling silly hats to wear, or the chance to be photographed with a live parrot on your shoulder, and it was always incredibly crowded. This was where Londoners let their hair down.

Guest post by the Museum of London as part of our Visiting the Past series. More London history next week

If you were inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, here’s a video to remind you of all the excitement. But it doesn’t end here – there’s a host of fantastic new major events coming up at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and across the capital. Find out more at visitlondon.com/events.

This week YouTuber Bryarly Bishop reveals some of her favourite places to visit in London, including two medicine-themed museums: the Wellcome Collection and the Hunterian Museum.

The video’s one of the entries for My Destination’s Biggest, Baddest Bucketlist competition. You can see all of the London entries so far here. The competition runs until the end of March 2013, so you still have time to submit your own video or vote for the one you like best.

Newgate Prison was an impregnable jail in the centre of 18th Century London. But prisoner Jack Sheppard, born on 4 March 1702, managed to escape twice!

In 1724, just four days before his execution, Sheppard sawed through one of the iron bars of the cell, squeezed through the gap, and made his way to the prison reception area where he walked out through Newgate’s main entrance.

His second escape was even more remarkable. This time he was shackled and handcuffed but still freed himself. He removed a bar blocking the chimney and climbed up it. He picked the locks of various doors and made his way up onto the roof. Realising that he needed something to lower himself down, he returned to his cell via the same route and collected his blanket. Once on the roof again, he let himself down onto the roof of a house backing on to the prison. Climbing through a garret window, he made his way down through the house and walked out of the front door!

However, it wasn’t long before he was caught and taken back to Newgate. Sheppard’s exploits made people curious to know what he looked like. The artist Sir James Thornhill visited him in his cell just before his execution, and made a drawing which was made into a popular print. You can see a copy on display at the Museum of London.

The site of Newgate Prison is now occupied by the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales.

A guest post by the Museum of London as part of our Visiting the Past series. More London history next week.

This insider’s guide to London by Carmen Allan-Petale is one of the entries for My Destination’s Biggest, Baddest Bucketlist competition.

For a chance of winning an all-expenses-paid trip around the world lasting for six months, all you have to do is create a short video about one of your favourite destinations.

The competition closes at the end of March 2013. You can see all of the London entries so far here and find out more at www.mydestination.com/bbb.

A Momentary Lapse of London from Davide Roveri on Vimeo.

After seeing last week’s time-lapse video of London, Davide Roveri got in touch with this beautifully atmospheric London video. If you spot any great London videos, let us know and we’ll try to feature them here.

This gorgeous montage of London life was created by Greg Brummel and contains more than 6,000 pictures of the city. See how many landmarks you can spot!

Rob Eagle’s video highlights some of the brilliant free things to do in London, from the British Museum to the Hunterian Museum.

The film won the Raindance Film Festival award in UCL’s London for Free competition.