"London" London by leffe3

London Travel Guide: 23,057 reviews and 47,246 photos

London - London

Love it or hate it, London is one of the world's most dynamic cities. Personally I don’t think it’s a pretty city such as Paris or Rome, but London has a cache matched, arguably, only by New York.

It oozes history and as a result has a vast array of tourist attractions. But it is also a city that is constantly re-inventing itself, with cranes dotting the skyline, transport chaos as roads are constantly dug-up and transport re-routed.

Sitting astride the River Thames, there has been a settlement for 2000 years and during Roman-Britain, it was known as Londinium. At its height, it had a population of some 60,000 people and replaced Colchester to the north east as the capital of Roman Britannia. But decline set in and by the 7th century, the Saxons had settled Lundenwic about a mile upstream (present day Covent Garden).

London - London

In spite of being the largest city and most important trading centre, London had to wait until William the Conqueror before it became England’s capital – Winchester had been the traditional political centre. William was crowned King in 1066 at the newly completed Westminster Abbey. Soon after he constructed the Tower of London and initiated Westminster Hall (the forerunner of the Palace of Westminster which became, in the 19th century, the Houses of Parliament). Over the next 100 years, Westminster slowly increased as the centre of government – distinct from the City of London that followed approximately the lines of Saxon Lundenwic. By the 13th century, the separate City of London was England’s largest city with a population of around 100,000 people. (Even today, the City of London is a defined square mile within Greater London and has its own administrative bureaucracies).

The Black Death decimated the population in the 14th century – by the times of Henry VIII, it was as low as 50,000, although it increased by 400% by the death of his daughter, Elizabeth I. It’s arguably the history of the Tudors that has made London such a tourist destination, not only in terms of the exploits of the monarchs themselves (Henry’s six wives, the bloody but short reign of Mary I, the sexual intrigues – or more specifically lack of them – of Elizabeth I and her rise as one of the most powerful women in history) but the rise of English theatre and William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, among others.

Next in history – the Gunpowder Plot and attempted assassination of King James I and the blowing up of Parliament in 1605, now celebrated as Bonfire Night on 5 November, followed 60 years later by the Great Fire of London which reportedly killed 100,000 people.

Civil War raged in England in the 17th century including the execution of Charles I: Buckingham Palace became the official London residence under George III in 1762.

London - London

And there’s so much more… But it was during the reign of Queen Victoria that London became, in essence, ‘the centre of the world’ as the British Empire expanded across the globe. The city was the world’s largest until 1925. The advances in technology saw London lead the way, a situation it is now paying for. The underground system was the world’s first – and it now shows as it struggles to meet modern day demands. The railway system equally struggles. As with most major European cities, London was badly bombed in WWII, leading to a somewhat piecemeal rebuild over the last 50 years (a contribution to why I believe the city is not particularly attractive).

But love it or hate it, modern-day London is one of the most important global cities. A centre of finance, commerce, arts, professional services etc, it’s developed as the gateway to Europe from the Americas, resulting in the world’s busiest airports for international passengers. It’s the most visited city in the world and in 2012 will become the first city to host the Olympics three times (1908, 1948 and 2012).

I could go on ☺ It was my home for more than 15 years. The arts, the history, the vast number of parks, even the shopping. The weather may be grey (but not always) but it’s still one of the most exciting places to spend a short time or a long time. There’s always something new to discover in the city – even in those 15 years, I felt I barely scratched the surface…

These pages will be constantly under construction – I may live on the other side of the world now but it’s still one of my favourite places – and I do miss it.

  • Last visit to London: Oct 2010
  • Intro Updated Nov 22, 2010
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Comments (20)

  • Reply
    breughel's Profile Photo
    Jan 31, 2011 at 7:16 AM

    Very good tips. National Gallery is indeed one of the best painting museums in the world.

  • Reply
    Marlene_swe's Profile Photo
    Oct 13, 2005 at 1:12 PM

    Thanks for your tips about transport from Gatwick! At first, I thought you was from Sweden, because of your nick "leffe3", but then I saw that you are from Australia. "Leffe" is a common male name in Sweden, that's why :-D

  • Reply
    kit_mc's Profile Photo
    Jul 1, 2005 at 7:32 AM

    Finally I find some excellent London pages. By someone living in Melbourne - drat! & we love to moan, but we do love it here!

  • Reply
    stickynickyuk's Profile Photo
    Mar 8, 2005 at 4:04 PM

    Your Pages Are Great. smiles

  • Reply
    pedersdottir's Profile Photo
    Apr 5, 2004 at 5:47 PM

    So glad you like Chicago - city of the big shoulders - and theaters that DON'T require folks to ascend an outrside stairwell!

  • Reply
    ZanieOR's Profile Photo
    Mar 31, 2004 at 8:39 AM

    Thank you for all your tips, they are very informative. Your photos are great, too!

  • Reply
    tyerks's Profile Photo
    Nov 18, 2003 at 2:16 PM

    You have an amazing London page! I totally agree that you can find amazing food in London, especially at Pret. I loved it! (haven't tried the coffee, though) Well done!

  • Reply
    Weener's Profile Photo
    Aug 13, 2003 at 8:02 AM

    My favourite club!

  • Reply
    edachsund's Profile Photo
    Jul 17, 2003 at 10:24 PM

    I wonder if there serving any asian food in Oxford and perhaps your aunt was very smart though. I am looking forward to be there soon. Oh btw, u think I could survive there for less than 500 per month?? just asking...

  • Reply
    May 7, 2003 at 10:44 PM

    oh you bring so many memories - pret-a-porter chocolate biscuits are the best , but the coffe..hmm as you say is so so!

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