"London" a London Travel Page by alfredop

London is historically, and indeed politically even today, two cities, the City of London (which is the old walled city, and now a financial and business centre) and the City of Westminster (with Parliament and the West End shopping).

In fact the capital developed with two centres

Westminster - the political centre
the City - as the merchant or trading centre.

The great Fire in 1666 destroyed 13,000 houses in the old town, but gave a marvellous opportunity for rebuilding - note particularly St Paul's Cathedral. The area continued to develop as a financial centre of the world.

Bombing destroyed 20% of the buildings in World War II, but again re-building has covered the scars.

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West End

West End of London

The West End of London is part of Westminster, a district which occupies about 4 square miles. This is the nerve centre of the nations law making and administration, with Parliament and Government offices.

Old Westminster runs into the modern West End - the shopping centre of Britain, and also with many restaurants, night clubs, cinemas, theatre and hotels

Here are a few of the highlight of Westminster, starting in the south, where it all started with Parliament and the Abbey, and working north eventually to Oxford Street

Houses of Parliament - Built between 1840 and 1860 to replace the old palace destroyed by a fire. Big Ben is the name of the large bell that hangs in the clock tower by the Thames.

Westminster Abbey - Gothic cathedral dating from the 11th century, though rebuilt by Henry III in 1245. Burial place of kings, site of modern coronations.

St James Park - One of the smaller Royal Parks, flanked on the north side by The Mall, the ceremonial route to Buckingham Palace. A very beautiful park, with wild fowl breeding on the islands in the lake.

Buckingham Palace - The home of the Monarch since Queen Victoria, the neo classical facade only dates from 1913.

Hyde Park Corner - A vast roundabout and one of London's major reference points, often used by people in giving directions.

Downing Street No 10 - has been the home of British Prime Ministers since 1732. George II offered the house to Sir Robert Walpole at that time.

Banqueting Hall - Whitehall was named after a Royal Palace, of which nothing remains now except the Banqueting Hall. It was designed by Inigo Jones in 1622, and has wonderful ceilings by Rubens.

St James Palace - It is now the London home of the Queen Mother, but was the home of the Monarch until Queen Victoria moved to Buckingham Palace. This is the best place to see guardsmen close up.

Admiralty Arch - Separates the Mall from Trafalgar Square. Dates back to the turn on the century when the British navy ruled the waves, and the Admiralty (Navy department) was a very important place.

Trafalgar Square - The square, Nelsons column stretching 185 feet into the sky, Landseer's lions, feeding the pigeons, jumping in the fountains, are all part of the British way of life.

National Gallery - On the north side of Trafalgar Square, houses one of the world's finest collections of paintings.

Hyde Park - Opened to the public by Charles I in 1635, and a popular spot to walk, ride or sun bathe ever since.

Piccadilly - Piccadilly is the road that runs from Hyde Park Corner to Piccadilly Circus. It is a major shopping street containing Fortnum & Mason, the Burlington Arcade, and St James church (the only surviving Wren church in the West End).

Burlington House - Home of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, and site of many major art exhibitions.

Grosvenor Square - A large square dominated by the 1960 American Embassy building.

Soho - It is, depending on your viewpoint, cosmopolitan or sleazy. Thousands of French Protestants fled here in 1685 after the Declaration of Nantes. It has retained this hint of diverse cultures since.

Marble Arch - Designed by Nash in 1828, it was originally intended as the entrance to Buckingham Palace. It now commands its own traffic island.

Oxford Street -The more popular stores are in Oxford Street, in other words the more exclusive stores are elsewhere.

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City of London

City of London

The City of London refers to the "square mile" or the original area of the walled town. Credit for its foundation is given to the Roman General Aulus Plautius in AD43. He bridged the Thames, started the town, and in a few years it was a great trading centre. Boudicca and her warriors destroyed it in AD60, but the town was soon rebuilt. It continued to be an important town for the next 1000 years, and after the Norman conquest, became the capital of England.

Places to note on this area are:

Bank of England - founded in 1694, though the present building is a between the wars construction. A detachment of soldiers guard the building every night. For some inexplicable reason someone forgot to cancel an order made in 1780, when the Gordon Riots were in full swing, and the Bank has been guarded ever since.

Barbican - gets its name from the word for a watch tower. Built on land levelled by enemy bombing, it was designed to bring residents back into an area that had become purely a business district.

Billingsgate - gets its name from a river gate into the walled town. It developed into an important harbour, which imported fish. Hence the fish market grew up here. This has now been moved further out, to the West India Docks.

Covent Garden - another of the old markets, this one for fruit and vegetables, has now been moved out. The original market halls remain and have been converted into an interesting shopping mall.

Fleet Street - named after the Fleet River, which has long since disappeared into an underground culvert. Until the 1980's it was the centre of the UK newspaper industry. Eventually computerisation arrived, and the press moved out to modern buildings in the old Dockland.

Gray's Inn and the Temple - the legal profession (if they may be deemed a profession) set up shop in the centre of things too. In the quiet inns, you can see some of the richest men in Britain walk the alleyways. These lawyers have driven justice out of the reach of most people in Britain today. As they charge around five pounds a minute for their services, be wary of passing the time of day with them.

Guildhall - The seat of the Corporation, which governs the area. It is also the centre for much of the pageantry, including the Lord Mayors banquet in November each year, at which the Prime Minister traditionally makes a major speech. There is a very comprehensive library, which has among other things a deed of sale for a house, signed by one William Shakespeare.

Lombard Street - the very heart of the financial centre. Many banks have their headquarters here. It was named after moneylenders from Lombardy in Italy, who came here in the 12th century.

Mansion House - this 18th century building, just south of the Bank, is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London.

Queen Victoria Street - opened in 1871 to link the Bank with the Thames. On it you will find the 17th century College of Arms (genealogy and heraldry) and the 20th century Mermaid theatre.

St. Pauls Cathedral.

The Strand - the thoroughfare that links the City to Westminster. It contains the Victorian Gothic Law Courts, St Clements Dane Church, and Somerset House (which held all birth, marriage and death records for England and Wales from 1837 to 1974

Tower of London - William the Conqueror started construction and there has been a very colourful 1000 year history.