CITY OVERVIEW
Vast, vibrant and home to cultures from around the world, London is located in the southeast of England, on the River Thames. It has been the capital of this beautiful country since Roman times. Now it is the financial and commercial centre of Britain, full of historic buildings and modern amenities.
Home to 37 distinct immigrant groups, each consisting of more than 10,000 people, London is a city where about 300 languages are spoken. Its fascinating multiculturalism is evident on every street or at one of its typical restaurants where you can indulge yourself in their exotic dishes. It is a key reason why people love the city. Tourists come to London, not only interested in its history or its royal pageantry but because they are also charmed by what modern London offers: the extraordinary breadth of its cultural life, with world-class art galleries, theatres, cinemas, buzzing nightlife, musicals, culinary art, fashion scenario, etc.
A bridge has existed at or near the present site for nearly 2000 years. The first bridge across the Thames in the London area was built of wood by the Romans on the present site around 60 AD. The location was most likely chosen as a bridgeable spot which still had deepwater access to the sea. The bridge fell into disrepair after the Romans left, but at some point either it was repaired or a new timber replacement constructed, probably more than once.
In 1014, the bridge was torn down by the Norwegian king Olaf, as he was aiding king Aethelred in a successful bid to divide the defending forces of the Danes who held the walled City of London plus Southwark, thereby regaining London for the Anglo-Saxon king. This episode might have inspired the well-known nursery rhyme London Bridge is Falling Down although the version of the song we know today refers to the many bridges that were destroyed and rebuilt, and the trading done on the shops over it ("Silver and Gold") in the 14th century [1] so the
song's origin is presumably of a much later date. The rebuilt Tower Bridge was destroyed in 1091 by a storm that spawned a T8/F4 tornado, which also struck St. Mary-le-Bow, and is known as the London Tornado of 1091. It was destroyed yet again, this time
by fire, in 1136.
Camden Town has existed only since the 1790s. Until then, the area north of Tottenham Court was given over to open land and fields. This green expanse was crossed by the (now vanished) Fleet river.
Even then, Camden Town was a centre for shopping and entertainment. Bowmans department store was very popular, and two big "Music Halls", the Camden Theatre (since 1982 the Camden Palace) and the Bedford regularly attracted big stars and large audiences.
The opening of Camden Town Underground station in 1907 marked the final integration of once rural
Camden into the wider City. This cosmopolitanism is an important part of Camden Town’s popularity as a centre for the Arts, media,
fashion and music. A great place to live, work, shop and play
St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, England and the seat of the Bishop of London. The present building dates from the 17th century, and is generally reckoned to be London's fifth St Paul's Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major mediæval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedral.
The cathedral is one of London's most visited sites. The cathedral is built of Portland stone in a late
Renaissance style that is England's sober Baroque. Its impressive dome was inspired by St Peter's Basilica in Rome. It rises 365 feet (108 metres) to the cross at its summit, making it a famous London landmark.
The British Museum holds in trust for the nation and the world a collection of art and antiquities from ancient and living cultures.
Housed in one of Britain's architectural landmarks, the collection is one of the finest in existence, spanning two million years of human history. Access to the collection is free.
The Museum was based on the practical principle that the collection should be put to public use and be freely accessible.
It was also grounded in the Enlightenment idea that human cultures can, despite their differences, understand one another through mutual engagement.
The Museum was to be a place where this kind of humane cross-cultural investigation could happen.
It still is.
Tate Modern is the national gallery of international modern art.
Located in London, it is one of the family of four Tate galleries which display selections from the Tate Collection. The Collection comprises the national collection of British art from the year 1500 to the present day.
The street follows the route of a Roman road which linked Hampshire with Colchester and became one of the major routes in and out of the city.
Between the 12th century and 1782 it was variously known as Tyburn Road (after the River Tyburn that
ran just to the south of it, and now flows underneath it), Uxbridge Road, Worcester Road and Oxford Road. It became notorious as the route taken by prisoners on their final journey from Newgate Prison to the gallows at Tyburn near Marble Arch.
In the late 18th century, many of the surrounding fields were purchased by the Earl of Oxford, and the
area was developed.
It became popular with entertainers including tiger-baiters and masquerades, and for entertainment buildings such as the Pantheon. During the 19th century, the area became known for its shops.
According to tradition a shrine was first founded in 616 on the present site, then known as Thorn Ey
(Thorn Island); its tradition of miraculous consecration after a fisherman on the River Thames saw a vision of Saint Peter justifying the presents of salmon from the Thames fishermen that the Abbey received.
In the 960s or early 970s Saint Dunstan, assisted by King Edgar, planted a community of Benedictine monks here. The stone Abbey was built around 1045–1050 by King Edward the Confessor, who had selected the site for his burial: it was consecrated on December 28, 1065, only a week before the Confessor's death and subsequent funeral.
It was the site of the last coronation prior to the Norman Invasion, that of his successor King Harold.