The City of London
When Londoners refer to The City, they are talking about the so-called Square Mile, this being roughly speaking the site of the original Roman walled settlement, established in the 1st century AD. Until the Middle Ages, London and The City were one and the same thing, with a population of about 50,000. Westminster, the seat of the British Government, and what most people think of today as the heart of London, was a separate settlement altogether. As London grew, the area in between the two was gradually built over. Subsequently, development expanded the built-up area far and wide, until today Greater London covers over 600 square miles, and is home to over 7 million people.
Today, the City is one of the world's most important financial centres, and much of it is modern, having been built or rebuilt since the Second World War. However, the street plan is the same as that in the Middle Ages, and between the modern office blocks are quaint alleys, markets, historic buildings, pubs and restaurants, and above all, many of Sir Christopher Wren's churches. Chief amongst these is of course St Paul's Cathedral.
Chelsea and Kensington
Until about 200 years ago, these were separate villages on the outskirts of London. Although they were swallowed up by the remorseless growth of the city during the 19th century, they still retain some of their original atmosphere, and are both very desirable parts of London in which to live. Chelsea is home to the Royal Hospital, built in the 17th century by Sir Christopher Wren for King Charles II, so he could provide accommodation for his retired soldiers in their old age: it still performs the same function to this day, and the old soldiers who live there are known as Chelsea Pensioners.
Kensington is home to some of London's biggest museums, including the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Also here is Kensington Palace, the home of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, part of which is open to the public (admission charge).
Covent Garden
The area known as Covent Garden was first developed in the 17th century as the rich sought to escape from the crowded City of London to the east. The centre of the new suburb was a fine square, London's first, designed by the most famous architect of the day, Inigo Jones. In due course, a fruit and vegetable market developed in the square, and the rich moved elsewhere. In the 1830's a new market hall was built to house the market. When it moved to a new site in the 1970's, the market hall was refurbished and the whole area gained a new lease of life, becoming a magnet for street theatre, small shops and dozens of restaurants. Today it is one of London's liveliest disticts. It is also well endowed with performing arts venues, notably of course, the recently refurbished Covent Garden Opera House, and the famous Theatre Royal nearby in Drury lane.
The Inns of Court
The Inns were founded in the early 14th century to provide trained lawyers for the legal profession. The scholars mostly came from Oxford and Cambridge and to start with they lived in real inns which eventually became like the Oxford and Cambridge colleges themselves, each of them having a dining hall, library and chapel. Today all law students wishing to become barristers must attach themselves to one of the four Inns and take the Bar exams. The grounds are open to the public, and are oases of calm amongst the hustle and bustle of the surrounding streets
Mayfair
The area bounded by Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane takes its name from the fair which used to be held in the first half of May every year from 1686 to the middle of the 18th century. Development of the area started in the 1660's near present-day Piccadilly Circus and spread northwards and westwards during the course of the next 100 years. Originally residential, Mayfair succumbed gradually to commercial development as the grand houses became too expensive to maintain. Nowadays Mayfair boasts many of London's best hotels, the world-class shops of Bond Street, Sotheby's the auctioneers, and three of London's most attractive squares.
St James's
Having previously been the site of a leper hospital named after St James, a Palace was built by King Henry VIII in 1532. Thereafter it became one of the monarch's principal London residences until 1837 when Queen Victoria moved to Buckingham Palace. It is still to the Court of St James that foreign ambassadors are accredited. Nowadays, the Prince of Wales uses St James's Palace as his London home.
After the Restoration (of the monarchy in 1660, after 11 years of Oliver Cromwell's so-called Commonwealth), the area to the north and east of St James's Palace was granted by King Charles II to Henry Jermyn, Earl of St Albans, who began to develop it with grand houses for the nobility. At the same time, the Great Fire (of 1666, in the City of London) caused the centre of gravity of London to move westwards, and the centrepiece of the new development, St James's Square, became highly fashionable. It still is: in the area are famous London clubs, exclusive art galleries, Christie's the auctioneers, and of course the shops of Jermyn Street.
Soho
Originally a royal park belonging to King Henry VIII, the area subsequently became a hunting ground, and since So-Ho was an old hunting cry, this is where the name originated. Development began in earnest in the 1670's and 1680's following the Great Fire of 1666, and before long much of Soho began to be taken over by French Huguenots escaping persecution at home. Thereafter, the area became synonymous with foreign immigration, entertainment and eating out - the latter really taking off after the First World War as the middle classes started to dispense with domestic servants. However, few people actually live in Soho any more, in marked contrast to the mid-Victorian era when it was one of the most densely populated slums in London.
Trafalgar Square
The square was named in honour of Admiral Lord Nelson's famous naval victory over Napoleon's Franco-Spanish fleet in 1805. Canada House was originally designed by Sir Robert Smirke (who also designed the British Museum) for the Union Club and the Royal College of Physicians; it was acquired by Canada only in 1925. South Africa House dates from 1935. Admiralty Arch dates from 1910. The bronze statue of King George IV was placed in Trafalgar Square in 1834 'temporarily' . Outside the National Gallery on the north side of the square are bronze statues of King James II and George Washington.
Nelson's Column itself was built in 1839-1843. It is 145 feet high; the granite for the column comes from Devon and that for the 17 foot statue of Nelson himself is from Scotland. The bronze bas-reliefs at the base represent scenes from 4 of Nelson's battles: Cape St Vincent, the Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar. The 4 bronze lions are by Landseer.
The bronze equestrian statue of King Charles I is by Le Sueur, and was made in 1633, several years before his execution at the end of the Civil War in 1649. During the Civil War it was buried in a garden by the man who was actually asked by Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarians to destroy it. Thus it survived, but it was only erected on its present plinth in 1765. A wreath is placed on the statue every 30th January, the anniversary of the King's execution.
Trafalgar Square is the traditional site of political demonstrations in London.
Westminster
Westminster is synonymous with its famous Abbey and, opposite, across Parliament Square, with the Houses of Parliament, or the Palace of Westminster, to give it its proper name. It was the main royal residence from the time of King Edward the Confessor in the 11th century to that of King Henry VIII in the 16th century. Part of the original construction, Westminster Hall, still survives. It was built in 1097 and the famous oak hammer-beam roof was added in 1399. Until 1882, the Hall housed the Law Courts, and it was here that many famous figures were condemned to death, e.g. Sir Thomas More, Anne Boleyn, Guy Fawkes, and King Charles I. In 1965, after his death at the age of 90, and before his funeral in St Paul's Cathedral, Sir Winston Churchill lay in state here. His statue now dominates Parliament Square outside.
After King Henry VIII moved out, the Palace became the home of the English Parliament. The Royal Chapel of St Stephen within the Palace was converted to become the House of Commons. In due course, the chamber had to be enlarged, first to accommodate the Scottish members, and then the Irish ones. However, in 1834, the whole Palace, apart from Westminster Hall, burned to the ground, to be subsequently rebuilt between 1837 and 1858.
The construction of the famous clock-tower known as Big Ben was subject to a great deal of controversy and many changes of plan. The origin of the name refers to a popular boxer of the day, Benjamin Caunt, who fought a 60-round fight whilst it was being built. The clock itself was commissioned for the first time in 1859.
Visitors are admitted to watch Parliamentary debates from the Public Gallery, but space is limited, and queues are often lengthy.
Whitehall
Originally Whitehall was the name of an enormous royal palace built for King Henry VIII, but it burnt down in 1698. Only the 17th century Banqueting House survived. Today Whitehall is the street which runs from Parliament Square, with the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey at one end, to Trafalgar Square at the other. It is lined with goverment buildings, including, down a side street, the Prime Minister's modest residence at 10 Downing Street.
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