Some London History
In his A Short History of London, Tim Lambert reveals some key historical London highlights. Some of which I've listed below:
AD 43 – The Romans invaded Britain. They built a bridge across the Thames. Around 50 AD, a town was built by the bridge. Thus, London was born. The name derives from the Celtic word Londinios, which means the place of the bold one.
AD 61 - Queen Boudicca led a rebellion against the Romans. London was burned to the ground but after her rebellion was crushed, it was rebuilt. A stonewall was built around the city. It stood 20 feet high. The wall was surrounded by a ditch.
AD 407 – Rome abandoned London.
1066 – William of Normandy was crowned King of England. He gave London a charter. He also built a wooden tower which was later replaced by a stone tower, its construction running from 1078 -1100. In 1176, the wooden bridge across the Thames was replaced with a stone one.
1348-1349 – The Black Death struck London, killing a third of the population. But the city recovered and its population reached approximately 70,000 by the end of the Middle Ages.
1571 – The Royal Exchange opened. Merchants could buy and sell goods here.
1642 – Civil War broke out between the king and parliament. The Puritans ruled from 1646-1660. Aided by the Royalists, Charles II was restored to the thrown in 1660.
1660 – The great fire of London began in a baker's house in Pudding Lane on September 2nd. Around 13,200 houses were lost. The King demanded that all new houses were to be made of stone.
1807 – Gas light was used for the first time at Pall Mall.
1834 – Parliament burned down. It was rebuilt with the great clock Big Ben.
1863 – The first underground railway was opened. At first carriages were pulled by steam trains. The system was electrified in 1890-1905.
1883 - Electric light was used for the first time
And all this time, London grew, spreading well beyond the stone wall. Some English neighborhoods are Bermondsey, Chelsea, Clapham, Greenwich, Hampstead, Hornchurch, Kingston, Southwark, Tower of London, and Westminster.
AD 43 – The Romans invaded Britain. They built a bridge across the Thames. Around 50 AD, a town was built by the bridge. Thus, London was born. The name derives from the Celtic word Londinios, which means the place of the bold one.
AD 61 - Queen Boudicca led a rebellion against the Romans. London was burned to the ground but after her rebellion was crushed, it was rebuilt. A stonewall was built around the city. It stood 20 feet high. The wall was surrounded by a ditch.
AD 407 – Rome abandoned London.
1066 – William of Normandy was crowned King of England. He gave London a charter. He also built a wooden tower which was later replaced by a stone tower, its construction running from 1078 -1100. In 1176, the wooden bridge across the Thames was replaced with a stone one.
1348-1349 – The Black Death struck London, killing a third of the population. But the city recovered and its population reached approximately 70,000 by the end of the Middle Ages.
1571 – The Royal Exchange opened. Merchants could buy and sell goods here.
1642 – Civil War broke out between the king and parliament. The Puritans ruled from 1646-1660. Aided by the Royalists, Charles II was restored to the thrown in 1660.
1660 – The great fire of London began in a baker's house in Pudding Lane on September 2nd. Around 13,200 houses were lost. The King demanded that all new houses were to be made of stone.
1807 – Gas light was used for the first time at Pall Mall.
1834 – Parliament burned down. It was rebuilt with the great clock Big Ben.
1863 – The first underground railway was opened. At first carriages were pulled by steam trains. The system was electrified in 1890-1905.
1883 - Electric light was used for the first time
And all this time, London grew, spreading well beyond the stone wall. Some English neighborhoods are Bermondsey, Chelsea, Clapham, Greenwich, Hampstead, Hornchurch, Kingston, Southwark, Tower of London, and Westminster.
