History of London
London has a history that goes back more than 2,000 years. During this time, it has experienced plague, devastating fire, civil war, overwhelming aerial bombardment, and terrorist attacks, yet, it has still grown from a collection of riverside fishing villages to become one of the mercantile capitals of the western world.
In medieval mythology, London predated the Roman occupation of Britain as the town of Lud, but while there was prehistoric settlement along the Thames in the London basin, it was not until the Roman invasion in 43 AD that a permanent settlement was created. The occupying Romans quickly saw the military significance of its geographical location and established it as their headquarters, naming it Londinium. In order to defend the town, they built a large fort, called Cripple Gate Fort, to house the troops and a large wall (London Wall) along the perimeter of the town.
Archaeological excavation since the 1970s has failed to unearth any convinving traces of a pre-Roman London. Archaeologists now believe that London was founded as a civilian settlement by 50 AD. A wooden drain by the side of the main road has been dated to 47 AD which is likely to be the foundation date.
Twenty years later, the Celtic queen Boudicca, leading the Iceni, sacked (plundered) Londinium (c. 60 AD). The city reached its population height by about 140 AD, thereafter it began a slow decline which left very little infrastructure remaining in 410 AD when the Romans occupation officially came to an end. When London recoverd the Saxon settlements in the area were not in the ancient walled City of London, but to the west in what is today the Strand, they named this area Lundenwic which meant London Port, the area is now known as Aldwych (Ald=Old and wych=port) in remembrance of that era. London received its first administration in 866 when Alfred the Great appointed his son-in-law Ethelred as Governor of London.
London remained an important town, though, and the walled area was resettled by the Vikings. The Normans constructed several forts, including the Tower of London to prevent rebellions and William the Conqueror granted a charter in 1067 upholding previous Saxon rights, privileges and laws. Its growing self-government became firm with election rights granted by King John in 1199 and 1215. The nearby up-river town of Westminster became the Royal capital, and the area between them entirely urbanised by 1600.
The Great Plague in 1665 significantly reduced London's population, and in 1666 the Great Fire of London destroyed much of the city. Sir Christopher Wren was responsible for the rebuilding of London's churches including St. Paul's Cathedral). The destruction of housing in the city encouraged many former residents to build new homes outside the walls.
The urbanised area continued to grow rapidly, spreading into Islington, Paddington, Belgravia, Holborn, Finsbury, Shoreditch, Southwark and Lambeth. This process was increased by the railways and the policies of slum clearances. In 1855 the Metropolitan Board of Works was set up with responsibility for transport and other projects - and a London County Council was set up in 1888 with authority for the inner area of the urbanised region.
During World War II, London, as many other British cities, suffered severe damage, being bombed extensively by the Luftwaffe as a part of the Blitz. London was a popular target with the Luftwaffe was the city was heavily industrialised. Many children in London were taken to the countryside so they would not get killed in bombing.
The outward expansion of London was slowed by the war, and the Green Belt established soon afterwards. Greater London Council was set up in 1965 with authority for much more of the urban area than the London County Council, but was abolished in 1986, leaving the 33 cities and boroughs as the only sub-national authorities in London. In 2000, the Greater London Authority was established, covering the same area of Greater London as before and representing one of the nine regions of England, seperated from the South East. The London Commuter Belt covers an area much wider, but is not considered part of London.
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