Living There
There is so much to be said about London. London is dripping with more than you can imagine of incredible relics of notable quality. London’s structures are attractive points of reference in the city’s extraordinary and convincing account, and a considerable number of them – the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben – are well known historic points. There’s all that could possibly be needed (the Shard, the London Eye, the planned Garden Bridge) to put a crackle of excitement noticeable all around, yet it never muffles London’s very much revered, hundreds of years old account. Building loftiness ascends surrounding you in the West End, old remains speck the City and beguiling bars accentuate the banks of the Thames. So much.
Cultural Kaleidoscope: Embracing Diversity and Unity in the Heart of London
This city is extremely multicultural, with 33% of all Londoners remote conceived, speaking to 270 distinct nationalities. What unites them and guests alike is the English dialect, for this is both our tongue’s origin and its epicenter. These societies season the culinary smells on London’s lanes, the frequently intriguing apparel individuals wear and the music they listen to. London’s assorted social dynamism makes it among the world’s most universal urban areas. What’s more, differing qualities comes to characteristically British establishments as well; the British and Victoria & Albert Museums have accumulations as shifted as they are radiant, while flavors at hundreds of years old Borough Market now run the full gourmet and cosmopolitan range.
Online design magazine We Heart has this to say in its London City Guide:
It’s frustrating; intense; busy; inexplicably expensive. Its government is turning it into a playground for the unfathomably wealthy — yet London still remains at the heart of international creativity. It’s a prickly, peculiar beast that is at odds with its thriving creative scene. People live in shared shoeboxes and dine on Pot Noodles just to call London home. But it’s often with good reason.
Love it. Hate it. London is divisive in the best possible way. The Brits have the cultural swagger that all else want to buy into, and London is their temple of self-assurance. Food; drink; music; art; wanton creativity — it made perfect sense that London would be our debut City Guide. Constantly updated, our city lowdowns will offer up the latest places to be, do, to get your head down — and all else in between. Our City Notes guides are free, carefully-curated and constantly evolving.
Whilst these notes of history were found on the Rough Guide to London:
The Romans founded Londinium in 43 AD as a stores depot on the marshy banks of the Thames. Despite frequent attacks – not least by Queen Boudicca, who razed it in 61 AD – the port became secure in its position as capital of Roman Britain by the end of the century. London’s expansion really began, however, in the eleventh century, when it became the seat of the last successful invader of Britain, the Norman duke who became William I of England (aka “the Conqueror”). Crowned king of England in Westminster Abbey, William built the White Tower – centrepiece of the Tower of London – to establish his dominance over the merchant population, the class that was soon to make London one of Europe’s mightiest cities.
From Ruins to Resilience: A Journey Through London’s Architectural and Cultural Evolution
Little is left of medieval or Tudor London. Many of the finest buildings were wiped out in the course of a few days in 1666 when the Great Fire of London annihilated more than thirteen thousand houses and nearly ninety churches, completing a cycle of destruction begun the year before by the Great Plague, which killed as many as a hundred thousand people. After the blaze, Christopher Wren redesigned the city, creating masterpieces like St Paul’s Cathedral and the Royal Naval Hospital.
London’s architects built iconic structures during the Georgian and Victorian eras, reflecting its status as the British Empire’s center. Postwar development brought modernist buildings, but high-tech experiments like the Gherkin added a new gloss.
Author Steve Fallon discusses London’s landmarks, including Big Ben, Tower Bridge, the Thames, and the London Eye. I’m grateful for the former government offering world-class museums and galleries to everyone for free. Abundant dining, bars, clubs, and lush parks make this city irresistible, boasting unmatched choices. But the one thing that sets my adopted city apart from any other is its amazing tolerance. They said, ‘Don’t scare horses, you’ll be fine,’ when I arrived over 20 years ago. Guess what… It still hasn’t happened.”
