London: A History in Maps (2012) by Peter Barber charts the city’s transformation from its Londinium days to the Olympiad of five years ago, by means of maps culled from the British Library’s rich collection. We start with a symbolic view of London from the late middle ages and end with a series of snapshots of where we are now: a census map showing South Asian immigrants living in London in 2001, a pigeon’s eye view of the King’s Cross redevelopment, and a plan showing the extent of the London railway systems in 2012. In addition to the detailed charting of the city’s inner workings, there are extravagant speculations about what London might have been, if only common sense and financial probity hadn’t got in the way of wild imagination. During the Reformation, London was the principal early centre of Protestantism in England. Its close commercial connections with the Protestant heartlands in northern continental Europe, large foreign mercantile communities, disproportionately large number of literate inhabitants and role as the centre of the English print trade all contributed to the spread of the new ideas of religious reform. Before the Reformation, more than half of the area of London was the property of monasteries, nunneries and other religious houses. [17]

of London Private Behind Closed Doors: The Secret Life of London Private

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. The first election took place on 4 May, with Ken Livingstone comfortably regaining his previous post, becoming first elected mayor of London. [48] London was recognised as one of the nine regions of England. In global perspective, it was emerging as a World city widely compared to New York and Tokyo. [49] 21st century [ edit ] The Shard (left), an icon of 21st-century London London was the starting point for countrywide riots which occurred in August 2011, when thousands of people rioted in several city boroughs and in towns across England. They were the biggest riots in modern English history. [56] In 2011, the population grew over 8 million people for the first time in decades. White British formed less than half of the population for the first time. [57] 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. However, the number of lives lost was surprisingly small; it is believed to have been 16 at most. Within a few days of the fire, three plans were presented to the king for the rebuilding of the city, by Christopher Wren, John Evelyn and Robert Hooke. [27] London". Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol.8. New York. 1907. hdl: 2027/osu.32435029752870. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link)Miles Ogborn (1998). Spaces of Modernity: London's Geographies, 1680-1780. Guilford Press. p. 206. ISBN 9781572303652. It is not a formal or elegant city. It has had a sort of natural organic growth which has taken a thousand different forms.” Jason R. Ali and Peter Cunich. "The Church East and West: Orienting the Queen Anne Churches, 1711-34". The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (2005): 56–73. In JSTOR

The 10 best non-fiction books about London | History books

London". Chambers's Encyclopaedia. London. 1901. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link)Thirsk, J.; Chartres, J. (1990). Chapters from The Agrarian History of England and Wales: Volume 4, Agricultural Markets and Trade, 1500-1750. Cambridge University Press. p.6. ISBN 9780521368810 . Retrieved 13 June 2015.

Secrets of the London Underground | London Transport Museum Secrets of the London Underground | London Transport Museum

It is a vast, complex and confusing city which has existed now for 2,000 years. It was described by William Blake as “a Human awful wonder of God,” which suggests the sacred or sacramental aspect of the city. But, of course, it is also a place of power and a place of money. London has been built upon the imperatives of money and power. That is its real raison d’être. It is not a formal or elegant city. It has not been built to accord with the wishes of its citizens. It has had a sort of natural organic growth which has taken a thousand different forms. Guildhall Library runs an active and engaging programme of events, ranging from afternoon talks on aspects of London History, guided walks of the Square Mile and book launches to monthly evening wine receptions with current authors. The topic for each evening event is designed to be different from the last so that a range of interests can be explored from historical fact to historical fiction, with classical and real-life stories thrown in. In the winter of 1683–1684, a frost fair was held on the Thames. The frost, which began about seven weeks before Christmas and continued for six weeks after, was the greatest on record. The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 led to a large migration on Huguenots to London. They established a silk industry at Spitalfields. [31]Roman London - "In their own words" ( PDF) A literary companion to the prehistory and archæology of London A sudden gust of wind sets of a wonderful adventure through London for the Queen, the Queen’s men and one very special hat. This delightful children’s book sees the daredevil Queen travel to London Zoo, over Tower Bridge and up Big Ben.

A Short History of London by Simon Jenkins | Waterstones

Around this time the focus of settlement moved within the old Roman walls for the sake of defence, and the city became known as Lundenburh. The Roman walls were repaired and the defensive ditch re-cut, while the bridge was probably rebuilt at this time. A second fortified Borough was established on the south bank at Southwark, the Suthringa Geworc (defensive work of the men of Surrey). The old settlement of Lundenwic became known as the ealdwic or "old settlement", a name which survives today as Aldwich. Landers, John. Death and the metropolis: studies in the demographic history of London, 1670–1830 (1993). White, Jerry. London in the 19th Century: 'A Human Awful Wonder of God' (2008); Social history of people, neighborhoods, work, culture, power. Excerpt and text search Emerson, Charles. 1913: In Search of the World Before the Great War (2013) compares London to 20 major world cities on the eve of World War I; pp 15 to 36, 431–49. Mort, Frank, and Miles Ogborn. "Transforming Metropolitan London, 1750–1960". Journal of British Studies (2004) 43#1 pp: 1–14.

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Richard Quentin Donald Hornsey, The Spiv and the Architect: Unruly Life in Postwar London (U of Minnesota Press, 2010). The author of this wonderful royal adventure is also the chief curator at the Historic Royal Palaces and tells the tale of Queen Victoria’s childhood. A young girl, Miss Vi Conroy, is taken to Kensington Palace to be a playmate for 11-year-old Princess Victoria. She soon discovers, however, that she’s really been sent to spy on the future Queen by her father. William Andrews (1887). Famous Frosts and Frost Fairs in Great Britain: Chronicled from the Earliest to the Present Time. G. Redway. pp. 16–17. After Æthelred's death at London in 1016 his son Edmund Ironside was proclaimed king there by the witangemot and left to gather forces in Wessex. London was then subjected to a systematic siege by Cnut but was relieved by King Edmund's army; when Edmund again left to recruit reinforcements in Wessex the Danes resumed the siege but were again unsuccessful. However, following his defeat at the Battle of Assandun Edmund ceded to Cnut all of England north of the Thames, including London, and his death a few weeks later left Cnut in control of the whole country.