The growth of London

ÍÀ ÃËÀÂÍÓÞ

INTRODUCTION

WHY ALL ROADS GO TO LONDON?

HISTORY OF LONDON

THE GROWTH OF LONDON

MODERN LONDON

SIGHTSEEING

Trafalgar square

St. Paul's Cathedral

The tower of London

Westminster Abbey

Big Ben

The Bank of England

THE CITY OF LONDON

AS A FINANCIAL CENTER

LONDON'S VILLAGES

THE ROUT OF VISITING

THE MAIN

SIGHTSEEING

CONCLUSION

 

 

Archaeological evidence indicates that London was an active centre in Roman times. By the Middle Ages, when London became the political and commercial capital of England, it was one of the principal cities in Europe. The original commercial nucleus of the City of London referred was adjoined by the City of Westminster (to the West), where the political centre established by the monarchy was supplemented by the administrative offices of Parliament and Whitehall (origi­nally a royal palace).

London's expansion accelerated during the Industrial Revolution of the late-eighteenth and nineteenth   cen­turies, by the end of which it had devel­oped into the largest city in the world. During the twentieth century, population growth has been concentrated in the outer suburbs, in the surrounding areas known as the 'home counties' and in 12 new towns total of 32 in Britain as a whole, were created after 1945 within a radius of 129 km of London to relieve the density of population and the capital's housing shortage. To restrict the sprawl of built-up areas, London pioneered the concept of a 'green belt' around the city, where the land is left open and free from further large-scale building development.

London was founded in the first century A.D. by the Romans. They left London in the 5-the century and the city was largely abandoned. By the 8-th century London was again a busy trading centre, and in the 11-th century it became the capital of England. Edward the Confessor built a palace and abbey at Westminster. The Norman period saw the construction of the Tower, old St. Paul's Cathedral and many churches and monasteries.

Medieval London grew in importance as a trading centre and in 1215 its citizens won the right to elect their own leader, or  Lord of Mayor.  London began to spread beyond the city walls during the Tudor and Stuart periods.

The Great Fire of 1666 destroyed three-quarters of the city. Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt St. Paul's Cathedral and designed 51 churches. The rebuilding of London followed the medieval street plan, but the old wooden houses were replaced by buildings of brick to reduce the future fire risk.

During the 19-th century London spread rapidly into the suburbs. As a result of it new forms of transport were developed, including the underground railway system. Britain was then at height of her Imperial Powers and this is expressed in such buildings   as the Houses of Parliament and St. Pancreas Station.

Large areas of London were destroyed by bombs during World War II and the rebuilding that followed was of mixed quality.