"Londinium" London by seagoingJLW

The London of modern times is a fascinating city with something to discover around every corner. The Thames winds through the center of the city offering a delightful place to stroll around.

There are excellent museums to explore as well as various neighborhoods with their own personalities. The parks are lovely. The Serpentine is another delightful stroll.

Restaurants abound from the luxurious to the local pub to the sandwich counter at the corner market.

Need I mention the theater? Go to Leicester Square and pick up half price tickets. Or go to the box office.

Visit. Then come again. And again.

Song Lyrics

A Foggy Day

A foggy day in London town
Had me low and had me down
I viewed the morning with alarm
The British Museum had lost its charm.
How long I wondered could this thing last?
But the age of miracles hadn't passed
For suddenly I saw you there
And through foggy London town the sun was shining everywhere.

Lord Nelson

The Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD. They crossed the Thames in the area of Lambeth, fighting with local tribesmen. They built a permanent wooden bridge just east of the present London Bridge in 50 AD. The bridge, being a focal point of the Roman raod system, attracted settlers. Thus was London born.

Londinium's original street grid seems to indicate that the original inhabitants were military, but trade and commerce followed. The name, Londinium, is Celtic rather than Latin.

London was burned to the ground in 60 AD when Queen Boudicca (Boadicea,} wanting revenge on the Romans for torturing her, raping her daughters and enslaving the noblest of her tribe, the Icemi, led a major revolt against Roman rule. The governor, Suetonius Paulinus, evacuated the city when he saw the size of the approaching army.

The financial and economic equivalent of the governor was the procurator. Gaius Alpinus Classicianus, Procurator of Londinium, rebuilt the city after Boudicca's rebellion.

The major symbol of Roman rule was the Temple of the Imperial Cult. St. Paul's stands on the site of the Temple of Diana. The Londinium Forum was much bigger than Trafalgar Square. A wooden amphitheater was built on the northwestern outskirts of the city.

By the early second century, London had spread west. A military fort was erected near the amphitheater, which was rebuilt in stone.

By 200 AD London became the capital of Britannia Superior, at which time it acquired its walls. A century later, the Emperor Diocletian reorganized Britain and London became the capital of Maxima Caesariensis.

Christianity reached the province at an early date and London had its own Bishop, Restitutus, who is known to have attended the Imperial Council of Arles.

Little is known of London in the Dark Ages. Tales of King ARthur are apocryphal.

King Athelbert of Kent built the first St. Paul's Cathedral in the seventh century AD. St. Mellitus was established at St. Paul's in 604 AD. In 675 St. Eorcenwald became Bishop of London. At the same time, the Mercian Kings from Midland BRitain became dominant over the city and probably established the first monastery at Westminster.

\London was attakced by Viking Raider is 842 and 851. The Vikings spent the winter of 871-872 in London. But by 878, King Alfred the Great had become King of all the English and forced the Vikings to sue for peace. Alfred gave the city to Ealdorman Aethelred of Mercia. Upon his death in 911, London came under the direct control of English Kings.

King Aethelred the Unready made London his capital and issued the Laws of London there in 978. The Danes persistently attacked and by 1042, the Viking, Canute's son in law, King Edward the Confessor, took the throne of England. He refounded the great abbey at Westminster.

This is London's charter from William the Conqueror:

William, King, greets William, Bishop, and Gosfregdh,
Portreeve, and all the burgesses within London, French and
English, friendly. And I give you to know that I will that ye
be all those laws worthy that ye were in King Edward's
day. And I will that every child be his father's heir after his
father's day, and I will not suffer that any man offer you any
wrong. God help you.

This exceptional status of London made it the outstanding commercial center of its time. The King built the Tower of London not only to observe and intimidate, but to protect.

The corporation of the City of London predates parliament and is based on the French model with a maire at its head. The mayor's authority, supported by alderman and councilmen continues to this day in much the same form.

• Pros:Wonderful city. Great Sights. Excellect theater
• Cons:The streets change their name every block.
• In a nutshell:Go. You'll love it.