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History of London
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History of London
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Local Information
London Misc Links
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In AD 43 the Romans invaded Britain in the south, and quickly gained control of the southeast of the country. They established Londinium in a valley just north of the river Thames, building a bridge to give access to the south, and it became a prosperous trading centre. In AD 61, Queen Boudicca and her tribe, the Iceni, attacked Londinium and burnt it to the ground. The Romans eventually regained control and rebuilt London, this time adding a Forum (market) and Basilica (a business centre), and slowly building a wall around the city to protect it from further invasion
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Soon afterwards, the Normans invaded from France and William I (William the Conqueror) took control. He quickly began to build a stronghold to guard London, the Tower of London. The Tower has been used as a castle and a palace, a zoo and a weapons store, a mint (where coins are made) and a prison. The city grew up within the original Roman walls, which were repaired and built up. Houses were made of wood and plaster and crowded together very tightly, with the upper floors leaning out over the streets, which were either cobbled or dirt. Rubbish was thrown out of the windows onto the streets below.
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London was the centre of trade and government under the Tudor monarchs. We know that there were about 200,000 people living in London by 1600. There were three main areas of population: within the old City walls, in the nearby town of Westminster, and on the south side of the river, in Southwark. Most of London as we know it today was still fields. The Tudors established a number of palaces in London and the area around, and also made deer parks so that they could indulge in their favourite occupation of hunting. You can still see deer in Richmond Park, in south London
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In 1665, rats on board trading ships brought bubonic plague into the city of London. Because people lived in very close quarters and hygiene standards were very low, it spread very quickly. If you caught it, the chances of surviving were very slim.
If someone in your household was infected, a red cross was painted on your door and it was boarded up so that everyone inside was isolated for 40 days. Over the year that the plague rampaged, 100,000 people died. The wealthy fled the city, while the bodies piled up in the streets and empty houses were looted.
A small fire, accidentally started in Pudding Lane in the City of London in September of 1666, was the cause of an enormous fire which lasted four days and wiped out 80% of London. Amazingly, very few people lost their lives, but buildings – which had been crammed very close together and were made of wood – were easily destroyed. After the fire all new buildings were made of stone and brick.
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| London continued to grow both in population and spread during the 20th Century. Between 1919 and 1939, built-up London doubled in size as the suburbs were extended. Shopping had always been good in London, but big department stores were built in the early part of the Century (Harrods and Selfridges): these were the first of their kind. Londoners marked the end of the century by building The Millenium Wheel, or "London Eye", a huge ferris wheel overhanging the river Thames which gives far-reaching views of London. |
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