When you think of exciting city destinations which cities come to mind? I was preparing for my upcoming trip to London, England and dug deep to learn more about the city. I find her one of the most exciting city destinations! When I dig deep and learn more about a place I always enjoy taking readers along for the ride, as well. Even if you’ve traveled to London, it’s likely you’ll be amazed to discover this city’s fascinating history and current transformation as an innovative trendsetter in the world today.
Just how big is London? About 9 million people live in the metropolitan area. That makes it three times the size of the next biggest city in the United Kingdom (Manchester is next, with 2.7 million). London’s population is 15 times more dense than the rest of England! It is also much more diverse than England as a whole. Almost half of Londoners (46%) are black and ethnic minority (compared to 14% overall in the UK). Over 40% of Londoners were born outside the UK.
With those demographic figures in mind, it’s easier to imagine a culture comprised of immigrants and as well as Brits whose family roots trace back to the beginning of civilization in this rich and resourceful region.
Let’s step back and look at a very brief overview of the history of London.
A Brief History of London
The city of London was founded by the Romans, and their rule extended from 43 AD to the fifth century AD, when the Empire fell. During the third century, Londinium, the name given to the town by the Romans, had a population of 50,000, mainly due to the influence of its major port.
Because of repeated Anglo-Saxon invasions during the fifth century, Londinium declined. During the eighth century it became the capital of the Kingdom of Essex.
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During the ninth century, the town suffered numerous Viking attacks. As a consequence, Danish settlers established themselves in the area, encouraging trade and opening businesses in the town, transforming it into the first urban center of England. The town’s wealth and power attracted the Danish Great Heathen Army, which besieged the city until it was captured by King Alfred the Great in 886.
In 1067, following the Norman invasion and conquering of England, the city’s existing rights, laws and privileges were established by the newly crowned King of England, William Duke of Normandy. The famous and impressive Tower of London was built during William’s reign.
London history from 1300-1600
In 1300 London had about 80,000 inhabitants and growing. But the dynamism of this period came to a sudden end with the outbreak of the Black Death in 1348–49, with 10,000 Londoners being buried beyond the city walls at West Smithfield. Recovery of urban life was a slow process.
During the fourteenth century, London’s port became a European hub for the distribution of goods. This activity was strengthened during the fifteenth century thanks to London’s textile industry.
From the sixteenth to mid-seventeenth century, London benefited from the centralized politics and the maritime trade expansion developed by the Tudors and continued by the Stuarts. During Henry VIII’s reign London had 100,000 inhabitants. In mid-seventeenth century it had over 500,000.
In 1665, the city was still contained inside the ancient city walls, although large-scale urban planning had already started. The population’s poor living conditions were responsible for the Great Plague, killing 70,000 people, and the following year, a huge fire burned down most of the city.
The reconstruction of London, based on the area we now call “The City”, took over 10 years to finish. The architect Christopher Wren’s masterpieces such as St. Paul’s Cathedral increased the appeal of London, and the capital became the center of English social life with palaces, halls, theatres, societies (Royal Society, 1662) and museums (British Museum, 1753).
London History Through the Victorian Period
London continued to grow thanks to the foundation of the Bank of England in 1694. It was the second central bank in the world, and it provided the financial flexibility which became the foundation of the empire’s power.
Most of current London is from the Victorian period. The Industrial Revolution drew millions of people to London, expanding the city. However, the overcrowded conditions led to serious problems like the 1832 cholera epidemics, or the great stink of 1858 (when sewage was still being dumped in the River Thames).
From 1750, the population increased from 700,000 to over 4,500,000 in 1901 (6,600,000 if we include the suburban areas). At the end of the nineteenth century, London had become a major international trade and finance capital.
After a steady period, the population of the capital began to decline at the end of World War I and fell below 3.5 million by 1950. In contrast, the suburban area grew steadily.
Modern Times in London
London suffered widespread damage during World War II as a result of aerial bombardment, which devastated the docks and many industrial, residential, and commercial districts, including the historic heart of the City. About 30,000 Londoners died because of enemy action in the skies above the capital, and an additional 50,000 were injured.
After the war, thousands of evacuees returned, and the city was reconstructed. Construction of new housing was discouraged and tightly controlled in a Green Belt around London. Urban growth occurred in more distant areas of southeastern England.
The devastated port of London was restored in the 1950s. London had experienced substantial deindustrialization by this time, with old industries that had been installed in Victorian times collapsing and many newer industries, dating from the interwar years and located along radiating main roads laid out in those decades, sharing the same fate. London’s economy had become increasingly geared to financial transactions and many other kinds of service activity.
These sectors of the economy were strengthened by legislative changes in the mid-1980s affecting financial dealings. As a result, the townscape of many parts of the City and the West End was transformed as vast new office complexes were constructed. Notable examples are Broadgate, on the site of the former Broad Street station; London Bridge City, alongside the Thames; and the Lloyd’s building.
In addition, London’s airports at Heathrow and Gatwick were expanded. Completion of the M25 orbital motorway enabled vehicles to pass around the capital rather than move through it.
Notable construction projects at the turn of the 21st century included the new British Library, the expansion of Underground lines through Docklands, and the innovative Millennium Bridge, designed for pedestrian traffic.
The most important event in London’s recent history was the UK’s departure from the European Union. Although the referendum on leaving the EU took place in 2016, the process took some time. The UK officially left the EU on 31st January 2020.
Brexit 101
Let’s pause to examine Brexit. I don’t know about you, but I found the Brexit argument to be confusing.
Great Britain joined the European Union in 1973. As you might know, the EU consisted of 28 countries that trade with each other and allow citizens to move easily between countries to work or live.
In 2016 the UK held a public vote on whether to stay or leave the EU. The exit side won by 52% (17.4 million votes, to 16.1 million who voted to remain in the EU).
Why did they vote to leave the EU, and what have been some consequences?
There are a couple of reasons, but mainly the move was based on financial concerns.
The post-2008 recession was bad in the U.S. but it was even worse in the euro area. The euro currency itself was part of the problem. Many Britons thought the recession in Europe was dangerous to the UK. They didn’t want to bail out countries in the EU who were in even worse financial shape.
Another reason is that Britain never fully accepted the legitimacy of European control over British institutions in the same way other EU members did. It refused to join the Schengen Area, which eliminates internal border controls or common currency.
Pro-Brexit advocates argued that Britain would be better off outside the EU and by the referendum date in 2016, they had persuaded a slight majority of the country. It was a close vote, though.
The UK is still dealing with after-effects of Brexit. A rocky transition period has followed, with many questions to answer. For one, the UK had to pay a hefty penalty fee to break its partnership with the EU. Another problem was that EU citizens living in the UK had to apply to stay in the country. This was particularly hard on immigrants. There are still some hard feelings in the country about whether Brexit was the right thing to do.
More London Geography and Layout
Four World Heritage Sites are located in London: Kew Gardens; the Tower of London; the site featuring the Palace of Westminster, Church of St Margaret, and Westminster Abbey; and the historic settlement in Greenwich where the Royal Observatory defines the prime meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time.
Other landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge, and Trafalgar Square. The city has the most museums, art galleries, libraries, and cultural venues in the UK, including the British Museum, National Gallery, Natural History Museum, Tate Modern, British Library, and numerous West End theatres.
Important sporting events held in London include the FA Cup Final, the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, and the London Marathon. It became the first city to host three Summer Olympic Games upon hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Greater London is divided into 32 boroughs. Some of the main district names you might recognize are Bloomsbury, Mayfair, Wembley, and White Chapel.
The City of London is the main financial district, and Canary Wharf has recently developed into a new financial and commercial hub in the Docklands to the east.
The West End is London’s main entertainment and shopping district, attracting tourists.
The East End is the area closest to the original Port of London, known for its high immigrant population, as well as for being one of the poorest areas in London.
The surrounding East London area saw much of London’s early industrial development; now, brownfield sites throughout the area are being redeveloped as part of the Thames Gateway including the London Riverside and Lower Lea Valley, which was developed into the Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.
The London Natural History Society suggests that London is “one of the World’s Greenest Cities” with more than 40 percent green space or open water. They indicate that 2,000 species of flowering plants have been found growing there, and that the tidal Thames supports 120 species of fish.
They also state that over 60 species of bird nest in central London and that their members have recorded 47 species of butterfly, 1173 moths and more than 270 kinds of spider around London. London’s wetland areas support nationally important populations of many water birds. London has 38 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), two National Nature Reserves and 76 Local Nature Reserves.
Ethnic Diversity in London
As for the human population in London, it has a distinctly diverse make-up. You might wonder why.
In the late 19th century London, Italians clustered in Holborn and Finsbury, French in Soho and Chinese near the docks in Limehouse, and there was a scattering of Germans and Scandinavians around the city.
Communities of Irish (at that time still subjects of the British crown) were established in Wapping and Camden.
Eastern Europeans pogroms in the 1880s and ‘90s brought about 20,000 Polish and Russian Jews to settle on the eastern edge of the City at Whitechapel. Another wave of Jewish emigrants fled to London from German fascism in the 1930s, followed by a wave of refugees from central Europe in the upheavals at the end of WWII.
There are also communities of Greek and Turkish Cypriots. London’s black population also grew in the 1950s and 60s during the time of a labor shortage. A large degree of the foreign born population who were present at the 2021 census had arrived relatively recently.
With this diverse range of ethnicities, it’s no surprise that many languages are spoken in addition to the King’s English. Close to 80% speak English as their first language, and the next five most common languages were Romanian, Polish, Spanish, Bengali, and Portuguese.
In terms of religion, London has traditionally been Christian (48%), and there is also a large Muslim population (12%). In addition to small percentages of other religions observed, about 20% of Londoners consider themselves not religious.
But the racial mix of London has not always been a “melting pot.” Immigration issues have been rampant for decades. The right-wing has been especially critical of the flux of immigrants from Muslim countries.
In fact, recently, NBC reported that violence broke out across England when several girls were killed in a knife attack at a dance in northwest England. According to a report, “Fueled by false rumors that the suspect was a Muslim asylum-seeker, right-wing mobs attacked hotels housing asylum-seekers, as well as mosques and libraries, resulting in hundreds of arrests (Austin, 2024).
The riots in London and throughout the country were in response to the recent election when the center-left Labor Party took power over the summer in a landslide victory over the Conservative Party, which had controlled the government for more than 14 years.
Economy & Government
There is also an interesting history to the economy of London.
The shipping industry was at the heart of London’s economy. It was the busiest and largest port in the world up until WW II, though shipping has declined in recent years. Today, London’s economy depends on its manufacturing industry, as well as many service industries.
Its reliance on the service sector is because of a number of factors: English is the dominant language of business; England’s role as the capital of the former British Empire; its position as a bridge between Asian and U.S. markets; strong transport and infrastructure; and friendly business environment.
International banking over the years has contributed to London’s economy. Because of its location (proximity to Europe), London has served as a banker for the world. Banks from around the world trade currency in London, including bond trading, lending, and investment management.
London’s economy still focuses on finance and international business. In fact, it is the second-largest financial center in the world. Today London generates a quarter of U.K.’s Gross Domestic Product. The city is a highly developed social market economy. The strongest industries are the technology sector (third behind the U.S. and China), the aerospace industry, and pharmaceuticals.
London is also a hotbed for private industry, as more than 841,000 private sector businesses were based in London.
Other important contributors to London’s strong economy include tourism. London ranks among the top international destinations in the world! More than 20 million international guests traveled through London in 2023.
The size of London’s economy makes it the wealthiest city by gross domestic product per capita in Europe.
Not all of London’s economy is what we might call above board. The combination of lax regulation and London’s financial institutions providing sophisticated methods to launder proceeds from criminal activity around the world, including those from the drug trade, makes London a global hub for illicit finance.
As the capital of the United Kingdom, the seat of the government is located in London. One of the oldest local governments in the world is comprised of the Lord Mayor and City Corporation of London (dating back to the Middle Ages).
The government of the UK is officially called His Majesty’s Government, or HM. A prime minister leads the government (currently held by Keir Starmer) and selects the other ministers, and they comprise the Cabinet. The Labour Party is currently in power.
The Prime Minister is appointed by the Monarch (King Charles III in this case). The Cabinet of the U.K. is the main governmental body, consisting of 23 ministerial departments which report to the Parliament (located at the iconic 10 Downing Street).
How about the accent?
Cockney is an accent heard across London, mainly spoken by working-class and lower-middle class Londoners. It is mainly attributed to the East End and wider East London, having originated there in the 18th century, although it has been suggested that the Cockney style of speech is much older.
John Camden Hotten, in his Slang Dictionary of 1859, makes reference to “their use of a peculiar slang language” when describing the costermongers of the East End. Since the turn of the century Cockney dialect is less common in parts of the East End itself, with modern strongholds including other parts of London and suburbs in the home counties.
Estuary English is an intermediate accent between Cockney and Received Pronunciation. It is widely spoken by people of all classes in London and south-eastern England, associated with the River Thames and its estuary.
Multicultural London English (MLE) is becoming increasingly common in multicultural areas among young, working-class people from diverse backgrounds. It is a fusion of an array of ethnic accents, in particular Afro-Caribbean and South Asian, with a significant Cockney influence.
Received Pronunciation (RP) is the accent traditionally regarded as the standard for British English. It has no specific geographical correlate, although it is also traditionally defined as the standard speech used in London and south-eastern England. It is mainly spoken by upper-class and upper-middle class Londoners.
What to See and Do in London
As a recent and returning visitor to London, I can attest to the city’ s wonderful vibrant energy and blend of new and old.
It was difficult to pare down the list of “must do and see” activities. Just walking through the city and noting the royal palaces, historic bridges, and cathedrals gives us a sense of what it must have been like in the days of Queen Victoria, or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (for Sherlock Holmes fans like me), or Winston Churchill.
Central hubs like Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square are sites of historic monuments and architecture, and they are teeming with tourists.
World class museums include the National Gallery, the William Morris Gallery, and the Tate Modern.
Big Ben is actually a nickname for the bell in the Great Clock of Westminster (originally built in 1859). It uses the original bell ringing mechanism and is still known for its accuracy. The clock tower was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
One of my favorite experiences in London is its gorgeous parks and gardens. Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, Kensington Gardens, and Convent Garden are a pleasure to behold.
London’s theater scene in the West End is every bit as fabulous and New York City’s Broadway, and tourists can find tickets at a fraction of the price.
Westminster Abbey, founded more than 1,000 years ago, is still used for funerals and weddings. More than 30 monarchs are buried there, and 16 royal weddings have been hosted in the Abbey.
Of course, Buckingham Palace remains a top tourist attraction, especially the changing of the guards at 11 a.m. every day. Tourists can also sign up for a tour of parts of the palace.
Are you a Beatles fan? The Beatles crosswalk is located on Abbey Road (next to Abbey Road Studio). Here’s what it looks like—right now on Earthcam.
Black Taxicabs
Finally, any discussion of London must mention the distinctive black taxicab phenomenon. The cabs and their drivers, the London cabbies, are products of a system of licensing that dates to 1639. By about 1900 more than 11,000 registered cabs were applying for hire on the streets of London, and there were double that number a century later.
Motorized cabs first made their appearance in 1904 and soon displaced the horse-drawn unit (the last survived until 1947). A regulation passed in 1906 required the new mechanical cabs to be designed in such a way that they could turn in the same tight circle as a two-wheeled hansom cab.
Still in force, it accounts for the surprising maneuverability of black cabs in congested London streets and their distinctive “sit up and beg” design. Cabbies themselves are subjected to even older regulations, which require them to pass a detailed test on topography, street names, and principal destinations throughout a 6-mile (10-km) radius from Charing Cross. Trainee taxi drivers acquiring “the knowledge,” as it is called, are a familiar sight on the streets of the capital.
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Final Thoughts on Lovely London
London past and present provides a snapshot of a unique culture that has contributed in so many ways to the richness of modern life. If you’ve never been, it’s a destination I recommend over and over again when people ask me for suggestions. And if you’ve been before, it might be time to return!
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