London: history and development

Numerous finds prove that area around London was inhibited by the Celts (from c. 800 BC onwards). Following Caesar’s initial landing in Britain in 55 BC, the Emperor Claudius <10 BC-AD 54) conquered the SE of Britain and founded the military camp of Londinium on a strategic ford across the Thames. The camp rapidly developed into a flourishing port and trading . post. The area of about 1 square mile which the Romans fortified with a massive rampart corresponds approximately to today's City of London. Around AD 61, the Romans faced an uprising by Boadicea, the warlike Queen of East Anglia, who even succeeded in capturing London. From about 240 onwards, London was the capital of one of the four late Roman provinces of Britain under the Emperor Diocletian (240- 313/16). [After the Romans withdrew from Britain in the early SC, thus leaving the way clear for settlement by Angles, Saxons and Jutes, London became less important and, like the rest of the country, it suffered severely from continual raids by Danes and Vikings. The Saxon King Alfred the Great (848/9-899/901) encouraged the arts and culture. The chief debt owed to him by English literature is for his translations of and commentaries on Latin works. He not only saved the country from final Danish domination (he won the battle of Edington in 878), but also captured London in 886. Canute (995- 1035) and Edward the Confessor (1003—66) both resided in Westminster, and William the Conqueror (1027- 87) had himself crowned in Westminster Abbey in 1066 * after his victory at Hastings, He confirmed all the city’s privileges and began building the White Tower as a royal residence, ft was completed and enlarged by his successors. It was under Henry I (1068- '1135) that London finally replaced Winchester as the’ capital of England. In 1157, in the' stable courtyard, the Hanseatic League established a base for itself in the city which had attained wealth and reputation as a result of trade and commerce. The city was directly subordinate to the King and, - from 1192 onwards, was administrated by the' Lord Mayor who was elected by the guilds. In the 16C, London, with its 500 000 inhabitants, was the largest city in England. Economic prosperity was increased by the foundation of the first trading companies and the first commodity exchange (1567). During the reign of Elizabeth 1 (1533-1603), Queen from 1558 onwards), events not only led to English domination of the oceans (victory over the Spanish Armada m 15SS), and the beginnings of what eras to be the Empire, but England also embarked on the Elizabethan Age, during which art, culture and literature (William Shakespeare, 1544-1616) flowered, particularly in the capital. In 1665, a devastating plague reduced the population of London by almost 70,000, and in 1666 four-fifths of the city, which had at that time grown far beyond its original limits, were reduced to ashes by the Great Fire. {But this only briefly interrupted the’ city’s continuous growths. Over the centuries, London became' the centre of the constantly growing Empire, which reached its apogee under Queen Victoria <1819- 1901, Queen from 1837 onwards), bringing London power, growth and another cultural and artistic heyday as a result of industrialization and the expansion of international trade. The port was the largest in the country in the early I9C, and the public transport networks were constantly being adapted to increasing requirements. German air raids caused considerable damage in the First World War, and during the- Battle of Britain in the Second World War a large port of the City of London was reduced to rabble.

Some 9 ’ million people now live in London and its suburbs, and the city, which is divided into 32 boroughs, covers an area of 620 sq. miles, making it one of the largest of the world’s capitals. One reason for its size is the preference of the English for terraced houses and small gardens. As a result less than 5000 people live in the City of London, white more than half a million flock here for their daily work. Today London is the capita! of Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the centre of the Commonwealth. and also the seat of the Royal Family, an Anglican Bishop and a Catholic Archbishop, the Parliament, the high courts, the major administrative bodies and scientific institutions. Immigrants who have arrived from all parts of the Commonwealth since 1945 have not only created a multifarious mixture of nations, but have also brought their cultures and habits with them, providing the visitor with an enduring impression of the variety of peoples of the former Empire, There are also a plethora and secular buildings of all styles and periods. Among these, (hose by Christopher Wren (1632-1723), the 'architect of London', are outstanding. Numerous museums and galleries display precious and interesting finds from ail parts of the world and from all stages in die development of nature, man and art Two large opera houses, the National Theatre with three different auditoriums, and 50 other theatres, offer something for every taste. The visitor may discover charming corners and alleyways, such as the reader of the novels of Charles Dickens (1812- 70) has learned to love, and he may also wander down distinguished, elegant or simple streets of houses, businesses, and shops. Noisy traffic junctions are to be

found next to parks which are oases of tranquillity. Monuments and traces of past greatness are everywhere, as-are traditions which are lovingly and faithfully adhered to — and sometimes smiled at by outsiders.. The colourful public events and parades offer the onlooker a hint of former greatness and splendour.

From “Great Britain and Ireland"