The Field's of London
London is the capital and largest city in England. It stands on the River Thames in south-eastern England. The City of London contains the historic centre of London and borders Westminster and Camden to the west, Islington and Hackney to the north and Tower Hamlets to the east.
The history of London extends over 2000 years. Originally established by the Romans, early Anglo-Saxon settlement in the 6th century focused on areas outside the Roman walls. Around the 9th century the settlement moved within the old Roman walls to defend against Viking attacks. The Danes mounted repeated attacks on London and for a short period of time they controlled all of England north of the Thames. In 1042 English rule was restored under Edward the Confessor. Edward’s death in 1066 left England without a clear heir. This led to a succession dispute and the Norman conquest of England.
The history of London extends over 2000 years. Originally established by the Romans, early Anglo-Saxon settlement in the 6th century focused on areas outside the Roman walls. Around the 9th century the settlement moved within the old Roman walls to defend against Viking attacks. The Danes mounted repeated attacks on London and for a short period of time they controlled all of England north of the Thames. In 1042 English rule was restored under Edward the Confessor. Edward’s death in 1066 left England without a clear heir. This led to a succession dispute and the Norman conquest of England.
After winning the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy) was crowned King of England in the newly completed Westminster Abbey on 25 December 1066. William constructed the Tower of London to intimidate the native inhabitants. His son, William II, began building Westminster Hall which later became the basis of a new Palace of Westminster.
Medieval London was a maze of twisting streets and lanes. Many of the streets were named after the particular trade that practised there. Before the Reformation more than half of London was occupied by monasteries, nunneries and other religious houses, and about a third of the inhabitants were monks, nuns and friars. Based on Henry VIII’s desire for an annulment of his marriage, the Reformation was at the outset more of a political affair than a theological dispute. |
A series of acts were passed in Parliament between 1532 and 1534 to effect the break with Rome and Catholicism. Henry was declared the “Supreme Head on Earth of the Church of England.” The structure and theology of the church was a matter of fierce dispute for generations after Henry’s death in 1547.
London was plagued by disease in the early 17th century, culminating in the Great Plague of 1665-1666, which killed up to 100,000 people. The Great Fire of London broke out in 1666 and quickly swept through the wooden buildings of the city.
King Charles II was on the English throne at this time after the Monarchy was restored following the execution of his father, Charles I in 1649. The small ancient City of London once comprised the whole settlement of Greater London but as its urban area grew the government resisted attempts to amalgamate the city with its suburbs. During the 19th century, London was transformed into the world’s largest city and capital of the British Empire. Its population expanded from 1 million in 1800 to 6.7 million a century later. |
The city was transformed by the coming of the railways, the first of which opened in 1836. The coronation of Queen Victoria was held in Westminster Abbey on 28 June 1838. Her reign of more than 60 years was a period of significant social, economic and technological change.
In 1888 the new County of London was established and in 1900 the county was sub-divided into 28 metropolitan boroughs. In 1965 the County of London was abolished and replaced by Greater London, which took in nearly all of Middlesex, along with areas in the historic counties of Surrey, Kent, Essex and Hertfordshire. Thirty-two London boroughs were created. They are the local authority districts that make up the Greater London County, twelve are designated Inner London boroughs and twenty are Outer London boroughs. The City of Westminster is an Inner London Borough holding city status. Historically in Middlesex, it occupies much of the central area of Greater London. Islington is an Inner London Borough. |
Islington grew as a sprawling Middlesex village. Shoreditch is a district in London located in the East End and is divided between the boroughs of Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Islington. Lambeth is a London borough in Inner London. Before 1889 Lambeth was part of the county of Surrey. St George Hanover Square was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London. In 1889 the parish became part of the County of London or what is now known as Inner London.
Today, London is a sprawling metropolis of boroughs and the City of London itself. It is a major business and financial centre, the official residence of the British monarchy and the seat of the government of the United Kingdom.