20th Century London
London entered the 20th century as the capital of largest empire in history and public
transport was greatly expanded.
During the first World War, London experienced its first bombing raids. These were carried
out by German zeppelin airships. The largest explosion in London occurred during World War
I, the Silvertown explosion, when a munitions factory containing 50 tons of TNT exploded,
killing 73 and injuring 400.
Like the rest of the country, London suffered severe unemployment during the Great
Depression of the 1930s. The Communist Party of Great Britain won a seat in the House of
Commons, and the far-right British Union of Fascists received extensive support. Clashes
between right and left culminated in the Battle of Cable Street in 1936. The population of
London reached an all time peak of 8.6 million in 1939.
During the second World War, London suffered severe damage after being bombed
extensively by the Luftwaffe as a part of The Blitz. Prior to this bombing, thousands of children
in London were evacuated to the countryside to avoid the bombing. Civilians took shelter from
the air raids in underground stations across the city.
The heaviest bombing took place between 7th September 1940 and 10th May 1941. During
this period, London was subjected to 71 separate raids receiving over 18,000 tonnes of high
explosive. At the end of the war, just under 30,000 Londoners had been killed by the
bombing, and over 50,000 seriously injured, thousands of buildings were destroyed, and
hundreds of thousands of people were made homeless.
Immediately after the war, the 1948 Summer Olympics were held at the original Wembley
Stadium.
In the immediate postwar years, housing was a major issue in London, the local authorities
decided to build high-rise blocks of flats. During the 1950s and 1960s the skyline of London
altered dramatically as tower blocks were erected.
Londoners continued to use coal for heating their homes, which produced large amounts of
smoke. This in combination with climatic conditions often caused a smog,"London Fog", also
known as "Pea Soupers". London was sometimes referred to as "The Smoke" because of this.
In 1952 the "Great Smog" lasted for five days and killed over 4,000 people.
London became a centre for the worldwide youth culture in the mid-1960s, partly as a result
of the success of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. This lead to the swinging London
subculture which made Carnaby Street a household name of youth fashion around the world.
London's role as a trendsetter for youth fashion was revived strongly in the 1980s during the
New Wave and Punk eras. In the mid-1990s this was revived, with the introduction of the
Britpop era.
From the 1950s onwards London became home to a large number of immigrants, largely from
Commonwealth countries such as Jamaica, India and Pakistan, which dramatically changed
the face of London, turning it into one of the most diverse cities in Europe. However, the
integration of the new immigrants was not always easy. Racial tensions emerged in events
such as the Brixton Riots in the early 1980s.
In 1965 the old County of London and the London County Council were abolished, and the
much larger area of Greater London was established with a new Greater London Council
(GLC) to administer it, along with 32 new London boroughs. See our Government page for
more information.
From the beginning of "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland in the early 1970s until the
mid-1990s, London was subjected to repeated terrorist attacks by the Provisional IRA.
The Thames Barrier was completed in the 1980s to protect London against tidal surges from
the North Sea.
In 2000, London-wide government was restored, with the creation of the Greater London
Authority (GLA) by Tony Blair's government, covering the same area of Greater London. The
new authority had similar powers to the old GLC, but was made up of a directly elected Mayor
and a London Assembly. London was also recognised as one of the nine regions of England.
21st Century
The 21st Century was heralded in at the newly built Millennium Dome at Greenwich (now O2
Arena). One was the largest observation wheel in the world, the "Millennium Wheel", or the
more commonly known "London Eye", was erected as a temporary structure, but has since
become a permanent fixture on the London skyline and still manages to draw four million
visitors a year.
On 6th July 2005, London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics. However, celebrations were
cut short the following day when, on 7th July 2005, London was rocked by a series of terrorist
attacks. More than 50 were killed and 750 injured in three bombings on London Underground
and another aboard a double decker bus near Russell Square in King's Cross. A copycat
event then was attempted on 21st July 2005.
London entered the 20th century as the capital of largest empire in history and public
transport was greatly expanded.
During the first World War, London experienced its first bombing raids. These were carried
out by German zeppelin airships. The largest explosion in London occurred during World War
I, the Silvertown explosion, when a munitions factory containing 50 tons of TNT exploded,
killing 73 and injuring 400.
Like the rest of the country, London suffered severe unemployment during the Great
Depression of the 1930s. The Communist Party of Great Britain won a seat in the House of
Commons, and the far-right British Union of Fascists received extensive support. Clashes
between right and left culminated in the Battle of Cable Street in 1936. The population of
London reached an all time peak of 8.6 million in 1939.
During the second World War, London suffered severe damage after being bombed
extensively by the Luftwaffe as a part of The Blitz. Prior to this bombing, thousands of children
in London were evacuated to the countryside to avoid the bombing. Civilians took shelter from
the air raids in underground stations across the city.
The heaviest bombing took place between 7th September 1940 and 10th May 1941. During
this period, London was subjected to 71 separate raids receiving over 18,000 tonnes of high
explosive. At the end of the war, just under 30,000 Londoners had been killed by the
bombing, and over 50,000 seriously injured, thousands of buildings were destroyed, and
hundreds of thousands of people were made homeless.
Immediately after the war, the 1948 Summer Olympics were held at the original Wembley
Stadium.
In the immediate postwar years, housing was a major issue in London, the local authorities
decided to build high-rise blocks of flats. During the 1950s and 1960s the skyline of London
altered dramatically as tower blocks were erected.
Londoners continued to use coal for heating their homes, which produced large amounts of
smoke. This in combination with climatic conditions often caused a smog,"London Fog", also
known as "Pea Soupers". London was sometimes referred to as "The Smoke" because of this.
In 1952 the "Great Smog" lasted for five days and killed over 4,000 people.
London became a centre for the worldwide youth culture in the mid-1960s, partly as a result
of the success of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. This lead to the swinging London
subculture which made Carnaby Street a household name of youth fashion around the world.
London's role as a trendsetter for youth fashion was revived strongly in the 1980s during the
New Wave and Punk eras. In the mid-1990s this was revived, with the introduction of the
Britpop era.
From the 1950s onwards London became home to a large number of immigrants, largely from
Commonwealth countries such as Jamaica, India and Pakistan, which dramatically changed
the face of London, turning it into one of the most diverse cities in Europe. However, the
integration of the new immigrants was not always easy. Racial tensions emerged in events
such as the Brixton Riots in the early 1980s.
In 1965 the old County of London and the London County Council were abolished, and the
much larger area of Greater London was established with a new Greater London Council
(GLC) to administer it, along with 32 new London boroughs. See our Government page for
more information.
From the beginning of "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland in the early 1970s until the
mid-1990s, London was subjected to repeated terrorist attacks by the Provisional IRA.
The Thames Barrier was completed in the 1980s to protect London against tidal surges from
the North Sea.
In 2000, London-wide government was restored, with the creation of the Greater London
Authority (GLA) by Tony Blair's government, covering the same area of Greater London. The
new authority had similar powers to the old GLC, but was made up of a directly elected Mayor
and a London Assembly. London was also recognised as one of the nine regions of England.
21st Century
The 21st Century was heralded in at the newly built Millennium Dome at Greenwich (now O2
Arena). One was the largest observation wheel in the world, the "Millennium Wheel", or the
more commonly known "London Eye", was erected as a temporary structure, but has since
become a permanent fixture on the London skyline and still manages to draw four million
visitors a year.
On 6th July 2005, London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics. However, celebrations were
cut short the following day when, on 7th July 2005, London was rocked by a series of terrorist
attacks. More than 50 were killed and 750 injured in three bombings on London Underground
and another aboard a double decker bus near Russell Square in King's Cross. A copycat
event then was attempted on 21st July 2005.
Londinium was established as a civilian town by the Romans about seven years after the
invasion of AD 43. During the 2nd century, Londinium was at its height and replaced
Colchester as the capital of Roman Britain (Britannia). In 410 AD the Roman occupation of
Britain came to an end.
In 1097 William Rufus, the son of William the Conqueror began the construction of
Westminster Hall which was to become the basis of the Palace of Westminster - the prime
royal residence during medival times.
During the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, London was invaded. A group of peasants stormed the
Tower of London and executed the Lord Chancellor, Archbishop Simon Sudbury, and the
Lord Treasurer. .
London lost at least half of its population during the Black Death in the mid-14th century.
Between 1348 and the Great Plague of 1666 there were sixteen outbreaks of plague in the
city. The "Great Plague" occurred in 1665 - 1666 and killed around 60,000 people, which was
one fifth of the population at that time.
The late 16th century, when William Shakespeare and his contemporaries lived and worked in
London, was one of the most lustrous periods in the city’s cultural history.
On the 2nd September 1666 the Great Fire of London broke out at one o'clock in the morning
at a house in Pudding Lane in the southern part of the City. The fire destroyed about 60% of
the City, including Old St Paul's Cathedral, 87 parish churches, 44 livery company halls and
the Royal Exchange. The current "Monument", when laid down, marks the spot the fire started.
The Bank of England was founded in 1694 and Lloyd's of London also began to operate in
the late 17th century. In 1700, London handled 80% of England's imports, 69% of its exports
and 86% of its re-exports.
18th Century
In 1707 an Act of Union was passed merging the Scottish and the English Parliaments, thusly
establishing The Kingdom of Great Britain. In 1708 Christopher Wren's, St. Paul's Cathedral
was completed on his birthday. This Cathedral replaced the original St. Paul's which, had
been completely destroyed in the "Great Fire of London".
In 1780, the Tower of London held its only American prisoner, former President of the
Continental Congress, Henry Laurens. In 1779 he was the Congress's representative of
Holland, and got the country's support for the Revolution. On his return voyage back to
America, the Royal Navy captured him and charged him with treason after finding evidence of
a reason of war between Great Britain and the Netherlands. He was released from the Tower
on December 21, 1781 in exchange for General Lord Cornwallis.
In 1762 George III acquired Buckingham Palace from the Duke of Buckingham. It would not be
until the 19th century however, that the palace would become the principal London royal
residence.
19th Century
During the 19th century, capital of the British Empire, became a global political, financial, and
trading capital. 19th century London was also a city of poverty, where millions lived in
overcrowded and unsanitary slums. Life for the poor was portrayed by Charles Dickens
novels such as Oliver Twist.
In 1829 the prime minister Robert Peel established the Metropolitan Police as a police force
covering the entire urban area. The force gained the nickname of "bobbies" or "peelers"
named after Robert Peel. Now known as the Metropolitan Police.
In 1836 the first railway to be built in London was from London Bridge to Greenwich. This was
soon followed by the opening of great rail terminals which linked London to every corner of
Britain. These included Euston station (1837), Paddington station (1838), Fenchurch Street
station (1841), Waterloo station (1848), King's Cross station (1850), and St Pancras station
(1863). From 1863, the first lines of the London Underground were constructed.
In 1855 the Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW) was created to provide London with
adequate infrastructure to cope with its growth in population. One of its first tasks was
addressing London's sanitation problems. At the time, raw sewage was pumped straight into
the River Thames leading to "The Great Stink of 1858". The polluted drinking water, from the
Thames, brought disease and epidemics to London's population. The engineer put in charge
of building the new system of sewers to rectify the problem was Joseph Bazalgette. In what
was one of the largest civil engineering projects of the 19th century, he oversaw construction
of over 2100 km of tunnels and pipes under London to take away sewage and provide clean
drinking water. Bazalgette's system is still in use today.
In 1888, the new County of London was established, administered by the London County
Council. This was the first elected London-wide administrative body, replacing the earlier
Metropolitan Board of Works, which had been made up of appointees. Many famous buildings
and landmarks of London were constructed during the 19th century including: Trafalgar
Square, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, The Royal Albert Hall, The Victoria and Albert
Museum and Tower Bridge.
During the 19th century, capital of the British Empire, became a global political, financial, and
trading capital. 19th century London was also a city of poverty, where millions lived in
overcrowded and unsanitary slums. Life for the poor was portrayed by Charles Dickens
novels such as Oliver Twist.
In 1829 the prime minister Robert Peel established the Metropolitan Police as a police force
covering the entire urban area. The force gained the nickname of "bobbies" or "peelers"
named after Robert Peel. Now known as the Metropolitan Police.
In 1836 the first railway to be built in London was from London Bridge to Greenwich. This was
soon followed by the opening of great rail terminals which linked London to every corner of
Britain. These included Euston station (1837), Paddington station (1838), Fenchurch Street
station (1841), Waterloo station (1848), King's Cross station (1850), and St Pancras station
(1863). From 1863, the first lines of the London Underground were constructed.
In 1855 the Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW) was created to provide London with
adequate infrastructure to cope with its growth in population. One of its first tasks was
addressing London's sanitation problems. At the time, raw sewage was pumped straight into
the River Thames leading to "The Great Stink of 1858". The polluted drinking water, from the
Thames, brought disease and epidemics to London's population. The engineer put in charge
of building the new system of sewers to rectify the problem was Joseph Bazalgette. In what
was one of the largest civil engineering projects of the 19th century, he oversaw construction
of over 2100 km of tunnels and pipes under London to take away sewage and provide clean
drinking water. Bazalgette's system is still in use today.
In 1888, the new County of London was established, administered by the London County
Council. This was the first elected London-wide administrative body, replacing the earlier
Metropolitan Board of Works, which had been made up of appointees. Many famous buildings
and landmarks of London were constructed during the 19th century including: Trafalgar
Square, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, The Royal Albert Hall, The Victoria and Albert
Museum and Tower Bridge.
