General Information

London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. With a population of more than 8 million, it is the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. It is located on the River Thames and has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who named it Londinium. London’s ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its square-mile mediaeval boundaries. London is a leading global city, with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence. It is the world’s leading financial centre alongside New York City and has the fifth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world, and the largest in Europe. London is the world’s most-visited city and has the world’s largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic. Its 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. The city has a diverse range of peoples and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken within its boundaries.

A Long Time Ago

Although there is evidence of scattered Brythonic settlements in the area, the first major settlement was founded by the Romans in 43 AD. The next, heavily planned incarnation of the city prospered and superseded Colchester as the capital of the Roman province of Britannia in 100. At its height during the 2nd century, Roman London had a population of around 60,000.
With the collapse of Roman rule in the early 5th century, London was effectively abandoned. However, from the 6th century an Anglo-Saxon settlement known as Lundenwic developed slightly to the west of the old Roman city, around what is now Covent Garden and the Strand. In the 9th century London was repeatedly attacked by Vikings, which caused the city to move back to the location of Roman Londinium, in order to use its walls for protection. Following the unification of England in the 10th century London, already the country’s largest city and most important trading centre, became increasingly important as a political centre, although it still faced competition from Winchester.

Mediaeval Growth

In the 11th century King Edward the Confessor re-founded and rebuilt Westminster Abbey and Westminster, a short distance upstream from London became a favoured royal residence. From this point onward Westminster steadily supplanted the City of London itself as a venue for the business of national government.
Following his victory in the Battle of Hastings, William, Duke of Normandy, was crowned King of England in the newly finished Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066. William constructed the Tower of London and the hall that became the basis of a new Palace of Westminster.
During the 12th century the institutions of central government, which had hitherto accompanied the royal court as it moved around the country, grew in size and sophistication. While the City of Westminster developed into a true capital in governmental terms, its distinct neighbour, the City of London, remained England’s largest city and principal commercial centre and flourished under its own unique administration, the Corporation of London. In 1100 its population was around 18,000; by 1300 it had grown to nearly 100,000.

Tempestuous Times of Development

During the Tudor period the Reformation produced a gradual shift to Protestantism, with much of London passing from church to private ownership. Mercantilism grew and monopoly trading companies such as the East India Company were established, with trade expanding to the New World. London became the principal North Sea port, with migrants arriving from England and abroad.

The Great Fire of London

From Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666 the Great Fire of London raged. It started at the bakery of Thomas Farriner (or Farynor) on Pudding Lane, shortly after midnight, and spread rapidly west across the City of London. The fire gutted the mediaeval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall. It threatened, but did not reach, the aristocratic district of Westminster, Charles II’s Palace of Whitehall, and most of the suburban slums. It consumed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, St Paul’s Cathedral and most of the buildings of the City authorities. It is estimated to have destroyed the homes of 70,000 of the City’s 80,000 inhabitants. The death toll is unknown but traditionally thought to have been small, as only six verified deaths were recorded. However, this reasoning has recently been challenged on the grounds that the deaths of poor and middle-class people were not recorded, while the heat of the fire may have cremated many victims leaving no recognisable remains.
The social and economic problems created by the disaster were overwhelming. Evacuation from London and resettlement elsewhere were strongly encouraged by Charles II, who feared a London rebellion amongst the dispossessed refugees. Despite numerous radical proposals, London was reconstructed on essentially the same street plan used before the fire.

The Era of Progress… and Poverty

London was the world’s largest city from about 1831 to 1925. It was, however, extremely overcrowded and dogged by crime. In the 18th century, in total, more than 200 offences were punishable by death, and women and children were hanged for petty theft. Over 74% of children born in London died before they were five.
London’s overcrowded conditions led to cholera epidemics, claiming 14,000 lives in 1848, and 6,000 in 1866. Rising traffic congestion led to the creation of the world’s first local urban rail network. The Metropolitan Board of Works oversaw infrastructure expansion in the capital and some of the surrounding counties; it was abolished in 1889 when the London County Council was created out of those areas of the counties surrounding the capital.

The Blitz

During World War II, London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 57 consecutive nights. The Blitz and other bombing by the German Luftwaffe killed over 30,000 Londoners and destroyed large tracts of housing and other buildings across London. However, the bombing did not achieve its intended goals of demoralising the British into surrender or significantly damaging their war economy. London stood damaged but strong.

Cultural Diversity

From the 1940s onwards, London became home to a large number of immigrants, largely from Commonwealth countries such as Jamaica, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, making London one of the most diverse cities in Europe.

…in a Good Atmosphere

For centuries London was notorious for its “pea-souper” fogs, which had become iconic of the British capital. However, the Great Smog of 1952 led to the Clean Air Act 1956, which ended the age-long image. You can safely say Londoners breathe more easily now.