Londoners know, and visitors find, that the city is unlike any other capital in the world. London projects the whole essence of Britain. The creation of London at her birth–as an urban settlement dating back to Roman times–tells a story all its own and perhaps a hint of how this grand city of today gathered the strength to survive and become one of the leading cities in the world.
A bit of history
Londinium was founded after the invasion and occupation of Britain by the Emperor Claudius in 43 AD. It became the largest and most important city of Roman Britain. After Roman times, London fell into obscurity, but emerged during the seventh century as a port center of an Anglo Saxon bishopric. Sacked by raiding Danes, London was rebuilt and established itself as the leading town of England before the Norman Conquest.
The Tudor era, with expansion of ocean trade and English sea power, saw London grow rapidly and in the 18th century it surpassed all ocean ports of Europe. London was the first city to reach a population of 1 million in 1800. In the 19th century, when dock construction extended the port downstream, all goods were handled at quays and wharves along the river frontage of the city above the Tower of London, the royal fortress built by William the Conqueror on the riverbank at the eastern wall of the city.
During Charles II reign, two of the greatest catastrophes in the history of any city took place. The plague–the last great outbreak of Black Death–which remained endemic since the mid-14th century and killed 70,000 in 1665; and the great fire of 1666, which started in a baker’s shop in Pudding Lane close to the bank of the Thames on Sept. 2, 1666. It lasted five days, destroying almost all of the medieval City of London proper. Driven by a violent gale, the fire burned from east to west across London. King Charles II and the Duke of York were said to have taken part in the fire fighting. The fire left more than 13,000 houses and nearly 90 churches destroyed, as well as the Guildhall, the Royal Exchange, the Custom House, St. Paul’s Cathedral and many buildings and chapels.
The rebuilding
Christopher Wren was commissioned to rebuild London and St. Paul’s is his greatest legacy. He built more than 50 stone churches in Renaissance style and the entire city was dominated by the great dome of the new St. Paul’s Cathedral.
There was only one bridge until 1750, when Westminster Bridge was added, and London did not expand across the river. The Thames River was a great highway, serving the palaces and mansions along its banks as well as the port city. With the construction of additional bridges during the 18th century and after the battle of Waterloo, the extension of London on the south began. The railroads increased suburban development, and London grew rapidly in Victorian times.
Devastation and rebirth
During World War II, 30,000 civilians were killed in London and untold damage was done to buildings. The most concentrated areas of devastation were in the city and in the dock areas to the east.
London today
Today a favorite view of London, on the usual rainy afternoon, is from Waterloo Bridge over the River Thames. Just at the bridge, on the north side of the river is the Somerset House, where every birth, marriage and death in England and Wales is recorded. On Ludgate Hill, looming over the original City of London, the noble dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral stands in majestic beauty. Hidden in the mist are the squat ramparts of the Tower of London, where William the Conqueror walked and queens of a later time bowed to the headsman’s ax. Upriver, just west of the bridge, stands the modern Festival Hall, which Britain built in 1951 to celebrate the postwar revival of its economy and arts. Cleopatra’s Needle is located on the Thames Embankment, a granite column brought from the Egyptian desert and raised beside the river in centuries past. Further up the river, and barely visible through the fog stands the famous Clock Tower with Big Ben at the top overlooking the massive Houses of Parliament, and nearby the grandeur of Westminster Abbey, where Britain’s monarch’s are crowned.
It is a short walk from Waterloo Bridge to the Abbey, either along the Embankment or through the busy street called the Strand. The Strand leads to Trafalgar Square, where the monument to Admiral Lord Nelson stands. (Few know he was prone to seasickness.) Near the Abbey, visitors are at the center of British public life. A step away is Whitehall Avenue the home of the Foreign Office, the Treasury, part of Whitehall Palace where Charles I was beheaded and nearby is No. 10 Downing Street. Although many of these buildings were erected only in the last century, Whitehall looks as if it had been there forever and will be forevermore.
Never worry about being lost in London. Approach any Londoner about anything and you will find them to be the most helpful, courteous people on the planet.
London’s pubs are the secret national treasures. The pub is far more than a place in which to drink. To the English, it’s a regular lunchtime rendezvous. It doubles as a club, front parlor, betting office, debating chamber and television lounge. At last count there were more than 5,000 pubs in metropolitan London.
London is a sightseer’s paradise. Don’t miss the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. The pageantry seems to have been repeated forever into the past, but it is always fresh and exciting to the first time viewer. Kensington Palace is a must on your list of things to see, as well as the Stock Exchange, Charles Dickens’s house and 13 Baker’s St., where Sherlock Holmes and Watson resided. Visit the parks, especially Hyde Park with its speakers Corner on Sundays, and spend at least a day at the British Museum and the National Gallery.
At London theaters, there is the best of everything from New York and British musicals and drama. Agatha Christie’s Mouse Trap plays more than 60 years of a nonstop run to a full house every night.
If you get the urge to go to Stratford-on-Avon, Stonehenge, Bath or Windsor, there are touring companies that offer fine comprehensive, comfortable guided tours. They will even take you to Paris through the Chunnel for a day.
How did this glorious city manage to survive all four holocausts? The layers of burnt ashes that lie under roads and pavements tell the story: Londinium was sacked by Boadicea in 61 AD; a fire during the Roman occupation; the Plague and the Great Fire of 1666; and, finally the pounding it received during WWII. She survived and is still a magnificent city.
