Holywell Street, a narrow lane off the Strand in London, was in the 19th century the centre of the city's trade in erotica, selling books, prints and photographs, which challenges the picture of Victorians as prudes. Shops were a short walk from the Royal Courts of Justice, and authorities tried to suppress them, notably under the Obscene Publications Act of 1857. The trade survived by moving stock and changing names. The street was demolished around 1901 to make way for Aldwych and the Strand's widening.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.