Everything about London United Kingdom totally explained
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London (; ) is the largest urban area and the
capital of the
United Kingdom. An important settlement for two millennia,
London's history goes back to its founding by the
Romans. Since its settlement, London has been the centre of many important movements and phenomena throughout history, such as the
English Renaissance, the
Industrial Revolution, and the
Gothic Revival. The city's core, the ancient
City of London, still retains its limited mediaeval boundaries; but since at least the 19th century the name "London" has also referred to the whole metropolis which has developed around it. Today the bulk of this
conurbation forms the London
region of England and the
Greater London administrative area, with its own elected
mayor and
assembly.
It is one of the world's leading
business,
financial, and
cultural centres, and its influence in
politics,
education,
entertainment,
media,
fashion and the
arts all contribute to its status as a major
global city. London boasts four
World Heritage Sites: The
Palace of Westminster,
Westminster Abbey and
St. Margaret's Church; the
Tower of London; the historic settlement of
Greenwich; and the
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
The city has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and its popularity has increased over the years as a result of economic growth.
London has a diverse population that includes a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, and over 300 languages are spoken within the city. As of 2006, it has an official population of 7,512,400 within the boundaries of
Greater London The name is described as originating from
King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it
Kaerlud. This was slurred into
Kaerludein and finally
London. Few modern sources support this theory. Many
other theories have been advanced over the centuries, mostly deriving it from
Welsh or
British, but occasionally from
Anglo-Saxon or even
Hebrew.
In 1998,
Richard Coates, a
linguistics professor, criticised these suggestions, and proposed that the name derives from the pre-Celtic
*plowonida, which roughly means "a river too wide to ford". He suggested that the
Thames running through London was given this name, and the inhabitants added the suffix
-on or
-onjon to their settlement.
Early London
Although there's some evidence of scattered pre-Celtic
Brython settlements in the area, the first major settlement was founded by the
Romans in
AD 43 as
Londinium, following the
Roman conquest of Britain. This
Londinium lasted for just seventeen years. Around AD 61, the
Iceni tribe led by Queen
Boudica stormed this first
London, burning it to the ground.
By the 600s, the
Anglo-Saxons had created a new settlement called
Lundenwic approximately 1,000 yards (1 km) upstream from the old Roman city, around what is now
Covent Garden. There was likely a harbour at the mouth of the
River Fleet for fishing and trading, and this trading grew until the city was overcome by a
Viking raid and razed to the ground in 851. A Viking occupation twenty years later was short-lived.
Alfred the Great, the new King of England, established peace and moved the settlement within the
defensive walls of the old Roman city (then called
Lundenburgh). The original city became
Ealdwic ("old city"), a name surviving to the present day as
Aldwych, which is in the modern
Westminster.
Subsequently, under the control of various English kings, London once again prospered as an international trading centre and political arena. However, Viking raids began again in the late 10th century, and reached a head in 1013 when they besieged the city under Danish King
Canute and forced English King
Ethelred the Unready to flee. In a retaliatory attack, Ethelred's army achieved victory by pulling down
London Bridge with the Danish garrison on top, and English control was re-established.
Canute took control of the English throne in 1017, controlling the city and country until 1042, when his death resulted in a reversion to
Anglo-Saxon control under his pious stepson
Edward the Confessor, who re-founded
Westminster Abbey and the adjacent
Palace of Westminster. By this time, London had become the largest and most prosperous city in England, although the official
seat of government was still at
Winchester.
The
City of London (corresponding closely to the area of Roman London) together with
Westminster, comprised the core of the built-up area in early mediaeval times.
Norman and medieval London
Following a victory at the
Battle of Hastings,
William the Conqueror, the then
Duke of Normandy, was crowned King of England in the newly-finished
Westminster Abbey on
Christmas Day 1066. William granted the citizens of London special privileges, while building a castle in the south-east corner of the city to keep them under control. This castle was expanded by later kings and is now known as the
Tower of London, serving first as a
royal residence and later as a
prison.
In 1097,
William II began the building of
Westminster Hall, close by the abbey of the same name. The hall proved the basis of a new
Palace of Westminster, the prime royal residence throughout
the Middle Ages. Westminster became the seat of the royal court and government (persisting until the present day), while its distinct neighbour, the City of London, was a centre of trade and commerce and flourished under its own unique administration, the
Corporation of London. Eventually, the adjacent cities grew together and formed the basis of modern
central London, superseding
Winchester as capital of England in the 12th century.
London grew in wealth and population during the Middle Ages. In 1100 its population was around 18,000, by 1300 it had grown to nearly 100,000. However disaster struck during the
Black Death in the mid-14th century, when London lost nearly a third of its population. Apart from the invasion of London during the
Peasants' Revolt in 1381, London remained relatively untouched by the various civil wars during the Middle Ages, such as the
first and
second Barons' Wars and the
Wars of the Roses.
After the successful defeat of the
Spanish Armada in 1588, political stability in England allowed London to grow further. In 1603,
James VI of Scotland came to the throne of England, essentially uniting the two countries. His enactment of harsh
anti-Catholic laws made him unpopular, and an
assassination attempt was made on
5 November 1605—the well-known
Gunpowder Plot.
Plague caused extensive problems for London in the early 17th century, culminating in the
Great Plague in 1665–1666.This was the last major outbreak in England, possibly thanks to the disastrous fire of 1666.A first hand narrative of both plague and fire was provided by Sir
Samuel Pepys. Rebuilding took over ten years largely under direction of a Commission appointed by King
Charles II and chaired by Sir
Christopher Wren.
Rise of modern London
Following London's growth in the 18th century, it became the world's largest city from about 1831 to 1925. This growth was aided from 1836 by London's first
railways, which put countryside towns within easy reach of the city. The rail network expanded very rapidly, and caused these places to grow while London itself expanded into surrounding fields, merging with neighbouring settlements such as
Kensington. Rising
traffic congestion on city centre roads led to the creation of the world's first
metro system—the
London Underground—in 1863, driving further expansion and urbanisation.
London's
local government system struggled to cope with the rapid growth, especially in providing the city with adequate
infrastructure. Between 1855 and 1889, the
Metropolitan Board of Works oversaw infrastructure expansion. It was then replaced by the
County of London, overseen by the
London County Council, London's first elected city-wide administration.
The Blitz and other bombing by the
German Luftwaffe during
World War II killed over 30,000 Londoners and flattened large tracts of housing and other buildings across London. The rebuilding during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s was characterised by a wide range of
architectural styles and has resulted in a lack of architectural unity that has become part of London's character. In 1965 London's political boundaries were expanded to take into account the growth of the urban area outside the County of London's borders. The expanded area was called
Greater London and was administered by the
Greater London Council.
In the decades following World War II, large-scale immigration from
Commonwealth countries and beyond transformed London into one of the most racially and culturally diverse cities in Europe. Integration of the new immigrants wasn't always smooth, with major
race riots in
Notting Hill and
Brixton, but was certainly smoother than in other English regions and largely lacking in widespread support for far right organisations, unlike its European or American contemporaries.
An economic revival from the 1980s onwards re-established London's position as a pre-eminent international centre. However, as the seat of government and the most important city in the UK, it has been subjected to bouts of
terrorism.
Provisional Irish Republican Army bombers sought to pressure the
government into negotiations over
Northern Ireland, frequently disrupting city activities with
bomb threats—some of which were carried out—until their 1997 cease-fire. More recently, a
series of coordinated bomb attacks were carried out by
Islamic extremist suicide bombers on the public transport network on
7 July 2005—just 24 hours after London was
awarded the
2012 Summer Olympics.
Governance
Local government
The administration of London takes place in 2 tiers—a city-wide, strategic tier and a local tier. City-wide administration is coordinated by the
Greater London Authority (GLA), while local administration is carried out by 33 smaller authorities. The GLA consists of two elected parts; the
Mayor of London, who has executive powers, and the
London Assembly, who scrutinise the Mayor's decisions and can accept or reject his budget proposals each year. The GLA was set up in 2000 to replace the similar
Greater London Council (GLC) which had been abolished in 1986. The headquarters of the GLA and the Mayor of London is at
City Hall; the Mayor is
Boris Johnson. The 33 local authorities are the councils of the 32
London boroughs and the
City of London Corporation. They are responsible for local services not overseen by the GLA, such as local planning, schools,
social services, local roads and refuse collection.
National government
London is the home of the
Government of the United Kingdom which is located around the
Houses of Parliament in
Westminster. Many government departments are located close to Parliament, particularly along
Whitehall, including the Prime Minister's residence at
10 Downing Street.
The British Parliament is often referred to as the "Mother of Parliaments" (although this
sobriquet was first applied to England itself by
John Bright) because it has been the model for most other parliamentary systems, and its Acts have created many other parliaments. Most countries in Europe and the
Commonwealth have similarly organised parliaments with a largely ceremonial head of state who formally opens and closes parliament, a large elected lower house and a smaller, upper house.
London is represented in the national
Parliament by 74
Members of Parliament (MPs) who correspond to local parliamentary
constituencies. For a list of London constituencies, see
List of Parliamentary constituencies in Greater London. Of these 74 MPs, 44 are from the
Labour Party, 21 are
Conservatives, 8 are
Liberal Democrats and one is from the
RESPECT party.
Geography
Scope
London can be defined in a number of ways, although the situation was once more ambiguous and open to periodic legal debate. At London's core is the small, ancient
City of London which is commonly known as 'the City' or 'Square Mile'. London's metropolitan area grew considerably during the
Victorian era and again during the
Interwar period, but expansion halted in the 1940s because of
World War II and
Green Belt legislation, and the area has been largely static since. The London
region of England, also commonly known as
Greater London, is the area administered by the
Greater London Authority.
Forty percent of Greater London is covered by the
London postal district, within which 'LONDON' forms part of the postal address. The
London telephone area code covers a larger area, similar in size to Greater London, although some outer districts are omitted and some places just outside are included. The area within the orbital
M25 motorway is sometimes used to define the "London area" and the Greater London boundary has been
aligned to it in places. Greater London is split for some purposes into
Inner London and
Outer London. Informally, the city is split into
North,
South,
East,
West and often also
Central London.
The
Metropolitan Police District,
city-wide local government area and
London transport area have varied over time, but broadly coincide with the Greater London boundary. The
Romans may have marked the centre of
Londinium with the
London Stone, still visible on
Cannon Street. The coordinates of the nominal centre of London (traditionally considered to be the original
Eleanor Cross at
Charing Cross, near the junction of
Trafalgar Square and
Whitehall) are approximately . Trafalgar Square has also become a point for celebrations and protests.
Status
Within London, both the City of London and the
City of Westminster have
City status and both the City of London and the remainder of Greater London are the
ceremonial counties.The current area of
Greater London was
historically part of the counties of
Middlesex,
Kent,
Surrey,
Essex and
Hertfordshire. Unlike most capital cities, London's status as the capital of the UK has never been granted or confirmed officially—by
statute or in written form. Its position as the capital has formed through
constitutional convention, making its position as
de facto capital a part of the
UK's unwritten constitution. The capital of England was moved to London from
Winchester as the
Palace of Westminster developed in the 12th and 13th centuries to become the permanent location of the
royal court, and thus the political capital of the nation.
According to the dictionary definition of 'the seat of government', London isn't the capital of England, as England doesn't have its own government, however according to the wider dictionary definition of, 'the most important town...' and many other authorities London is properly considered the capital of England.
Topography
Greater London covers an area of 609 square miles (1,579
km²), making it the 37th largest
urban area in the world. Its primary geographical feature is the
Thames, a
navigable river which crosses the city from the south-west to the east. The
Thames Valley is a
floodplain surrounded by gently rolling hills such as
Parliament Hill,
Addington Hills, and
Primrose Hill. These hills presented no significant obstacle to the growth of London from its origins as a port on the north side of the river, and therefore London is roughly circular. Many of the
highest points in London are located in the suburbs or on the boundaries with adjacent counties.
The Thames was once a much broader, shallower river with extensive
marshlands; at high tide, its shores reached five times their present width. Since the
Victorian era It has been extensively
embanked, and many of its London
tributaries now flow
underground. The Thames is a tidal river, and London is vulnerable to flooding. The threat has increased over time due to a slow but continuous rise in
high water level by the slow 'tilting' of Britain (up in the north and down in the south) caused by post-
glacial rebound. In 1974, a decade of work began on the construction of the
Thames Barrier across the Thames at
Woolwich to deal with this threat. While the barrier is expected to function as designed until roughly 2030, concepts for its future enlargement or redesign are already being discussed.
Climate
London has a
temperate marine climate, like much of the
British Isles, with regular but generally light
precipitation throughout the year—unlike the rest of the UK and even the nearby coast. The warmest month is July, with an average
temperature range at
Greenwich of 13.6
°C to 22.8 °C (56.5 to 73.0
°F). Record high temperatures of up to were recorded in different parts of London on
10 August 2003. The coolest month is January, averaging 2.4 °C to 7.9 °C (35.6 to 46.2 °F). Average annual
precipitation is 583.6
mm (22.98 in), with February on average the driest month. Snow is relatively uncommon, particularly because
heat from the urban area can make London up to 5 °C (9 °F) hotter than the surrounding areas in winter. Light snowfall, however, is generally seen a few times every year. London is in
USDA Hardiness zone 9, and
AHS Heat Zone 2.
Districts
London's vast urban area is often described using a set of district names (for example
Bloomsbury,
Knightsbridge,
Mayfair,
Whitechapel,
Fitzrovia). These are either informal designations, or reflect the names of superseded parishes and city wards. Such names have remained in use through tradition, each referring to a neighbourhood with its own distinctive character, but often with no modern official boundaries. Since 1965 Greater London has been divided into 32
London boroughs in addition to the ancient City of London.
London is one of the world's three largest financial centres (alongside
New York and
Tokyo) with a dominant role in several international financial markets, including cross-border bank lending, international bond issuance and trading, foreign-exchange trading, over-the-counter derivatives, fund management and foreign equities trading. It also has the world's largest insurance market, the leading exchange for dealing in non-precious metals, the largest spot gold and gold lending markets, the largest ship broking market, and more foreign banks and investment houses than any other centre. The City has its own governance and boundaries, giving it a status as the only completely autonomous local authority in London. London's new financial and commercial hub is the
Docklands area to the east of the City, dominated by the
Canary Wharf complex. Other businesses locate in the
City of Westminster, the home of the
UK's national government and the well-known
Westminster Abbey.
The
West End is London's main entertainment and shopping district, with locations such as
Oxford Street,
Leicester Square,
Covent Garden and
Piccadilly Circus acting as tourist magnets. The
West London area is known for fashionable and expensive residential areas such as
Notting Hill,
Knightsbridge and
Chelsea—where properties can sell for tens of millions of pounds. The average price for all properties in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is £894,000 with similar average outlay in most of
Central London.
The eastern side of London contains the
East End and East London. 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 is being developed into the
Olympic Park for the
2012 Olympics.
Demography
With increasing industrialisation, London's population grew rapidly throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, and it was the most populated city in the world until overtaken by
New York in 1925. Its population peaked at 8,615,245 in 1939. There were an estimated 7,512,400 official residents in
Greater London as of mid-2006. According to
Eurostat, London is the
most populous city and metropolitan area of the European Union and the second
most populous in
Europe (or third if
Istanbul is considered European).
| Country of Birth |
Population (2001) |
| United Kingdom |
5,230,155 |
| India |
172,162 |
| Republic of Ireland |
157,285 |
| Pakistan |
120,900 |
| Bangladesh |
84,565 |
| Jamaica |
80,319 |
| Nigeria |
68,907 |
| Kenya |
66,311 |
| Sri Lanka |
49,932 |
| Ghana |
46,513 |
| Cyprus |
45,888 |
| South Africa |
45,506 |
| United States |
44,622 |
| Australia |
41,488 |
| Germany |
39,818 |
| Turkey |
39,128 |
| Italy |
38,694 |
| France |
38,130 |
| Somalia |
33,831 |
| Uganda |
32,082 |
| New Zealand |
27,494 |
The region covers an area of 609 square miles (1,579 km²). The population density is 12,331 people per square mile (4,761/km²), more than ten times that of any other . In terms of population, London is the 25th
largest city and the 17th
largest metropolitan region in the world. It is also ranked 4th in the world in number of billionaires (United States Dollars) residing in the city. London ranks as one of the most expensive cities in the world, alongside
Tokyo and
Moscow.
Ethnic groups
According to
2005 estimates(External Link), 69.6% of these seven and a half million people are classed as white, including
White British (58.2%),
White Irish (2.6%) and "
Other White" (8.8%), the majority of whom are other Europeans. 12.9% of people are of
South Asian descent, including
Indian,
Pakistani,
Bangladeshi and "Other Asian" (mostly
Sri Lankan,
Arab and other
Southern Asian ethnicities). 10.8% of people are
Black (around 5.5% are Black
African, 4.4% as
Black Caribbean, 0.8% as "Other Black"). 3.4% are of
mixed race; 1.4% are
Chinese; and 1.9% of people belong to
another ethnic group (mostly
Latin American - an estimated 60,000
Brazilians reside in London,
Filipino,
Japanese,
Korean,
Vietnamese and other
East Asians). 21.8% of inhabitants were born outside the
European Union. The
Irish born, from both the
Republic of Ireland and
Northern Ireland, number approximately 250,000 and are the largest group born outside of Britain.
In January 2005, a survey of London's ethnic and religious diversity claimed that there were more than 300 languages spoken and more than 50 non-indigenous communities which have a population of more than 10,000 in London. Figures from the
Office for National Statistics show that, as of 2006, London's foreign-born population is 2,288,000 (31%), up from 1,630,000 in 1997. The 2001 census showed that 27.1% of
Greater London's population were born outside the UK, and a slightly higher proportion were classed as non-white.
The table to the right shows the 'Country of Birth' of London residents in 2001, the date of the last
UK Census. (Top 21). Note that a portion of the German-born population are likely to be British nationals born to parents serving in the British armed forces in Germany.
As of 2008, 40% of London's total population is from an
ethnic minority group. Across London,
Black and
Asian children outnumber
White British children by about six to four.
Religion
The largest religious groupings in London are
Christian (57.8%),
No Religion (15.5%),
Muslim (7.9%),
Hindu (4.1%),
Jewish (3.1%), and
Sikh (1.5%). London has traditionally been dominated by
Christianity, and has a
large number of churches, particularly in the City. The well-known
St Paul's Cathedral in the City and
Southwark Cathedral south of the river are
Anglican administrative centres, while the principle bishop of the
Church of England and worldwide
Anglican Communion, the
Archbishop of Canterbury has his main residence at
Lambeth Palace in the
London Borough of Lambeth. Important national and royal ceremonies are shared between St Paul's and
Westminster Abbey. The Abbey isn't to be confused with nearby
Westminster Cathedral, which is the largest
Roman Catholic cathedral in
England and Wales. Religious practice is lower than any other part of the UK or Western Europe and is around seven times lower than
American averages. Despite the prevalence of Anglican churches, observance is very low within the Anglican denomination, although church attendance, particularly at
evangelical Anglican churches in London, has started to increase.
London is also home to sizeable
Muslim,
Hindu,
Sikh, and
Jewish communities. Many Muslims live in
Tower Hamlets and
Newham; the most important Muslim edifice is
London Central Mosque on the edge of
Regent's Park. London's large Hindu community is found in the north-western boroughs of
Harrow and
Brent, the latter of which is home to one of Europe's largest
Hindu temples,
Neasden Temple. Sikh communities are located in East and West London, which is also home to the largest Sikh temple in the world, outside
India. The majority of
British Jews live in London, with significant Jewish communities in
Stamford Hill,
St. John's Wood,
Golders Green, and
Edgware in
North London.
Economy
London is a major centre for
international business and commerce and is one of three "command centres" for the
world economy (along with
New York City and
Tokyo). London is one of the largest centres for finance in the world, and has the 6th largest city economy in the world after
Tokyo,
New York,
Los Angeles,
Chicago and
Paris. As the world's largest international banking centre with a 50% share of all European activity and Europe's second largest city economy, year-by-year London generates approximately 20% of the UK's
GDP (or $446 billion in 2005); while the economy of the
London metropolitan area (the largest in Europe) generates approximately 30% of UK's GDP (or an estimated $669 billion in 2005.)
London shifted to a mostly service-based economy earlier than other European cities, particularly following
World War II. London's success is as a
service industry and business centre.
This can be attributed to factors such as English being the
lingua franca, its former position as the capital of the
British Empire, close relationship with the U.S. and various countries in Asia. Other factors include
English law being the most important and most used
contract law in international business and the
multi-cultural infrastructure. Government policies such as low taxes, particularly for foreigners (non-UK domiciled residents don't get taxed on their foreign earnings), a business friendly environment, good transport infrastructure, particularly its aviation industry; and a deregulated economy with little intervention by the government have all contributed to London's economy becoming more service based. Over 85% (3.2 million) of the employed population of greater London works in service industries. Another half a million employees resident in Greater London work in manufacturing and construction, almost equally divided between both. There has been a significant fall in the number of people working in manufacturing industries in London over the last three decades, largely as a result of competition from lower cost regions but also as a consequence of technology and process improvements. Even still, there are more than 15,000 manufacturing businesses in London such as clothing, printing, fabricated metal, furniture and wood/products and food and drink. There is also strong growth in the recycling/environmental sector. A strong manufacturing base still thrives in London because of its geographic location and access to huge markets, its large science and knowledge base, its physical assets, its diversity and its role as a centre of design and creative industries.
London's largest industry remains finance, and its
financial exports make it a large contributor to the UK's
balance of payments. Over 300,000 people are employed in financial services in London. London has over 480 overseas banks, more than any other city in the world. More funds are invested in the City of London than in the next top ten European cities combined, and more international telephone calls are made to and from London than any other point on the planet. The City is the largest financial and business centre in Europe and, has begun to once more overtake
New York City, partly due to strict accounting following the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act and a tightening of market regulations in the
United States. Due to New York's tightening of market regulations, London stock exchanges have had approximately 20% more initial public offerings in 2006.
London is home to banks, brokers, insurers and legal and accounting firms. A second, smaller financial district is developing at
Canary Wharf to the east of the City which includes the global headquarters of
HSBC,
Reuters,
Barclays and the
Magic Circle, which includes
Clifford Chance, the largest law firm in the world. London handled 31% of
global currency transactions
in 2005—an average daily turnover of US$753 billion—with more US dollars traded in London than
New York, and more
euros traded than in every other city in Europe combined.
More than half of the UK's top 100 listed companies (the
FTSE 100) and over 100 of Europe's 500 largest companies are headquartered in central London. Over 70% of the FTSE 100 are located within London's metropolitan area, and 75% of
Fortune 500 companies have offices in London.
Along with
professional services, media companies are concentrated in London
(see Media in London) and the media distribution industry is London's second most competitive sector. The
BBC is a key employer, while other broadcasters also have headquarters around the city. Many
national newspapers are edited in London, having traditionally been associated with
Fleet Street in the City, they're now primarily based around
Canary Wharf.
Soho is the centre of London's
post-production industry.
Tourism is one of London's prime industries and employed the equivalent of 350,000 full-time workers in London in 2003, while annual expenditure by tourists is around £15 billion. London is a popular destination for tourists, attracting 27 million overnight-stay visitors every year, second only to
Paris.
From being the largest port in the world, the
Port of London is now only the third-largest in the United Kingdom, handling 50 million
tonnes of cargo each year. Most of this actually passes through
Tilbury, outside the boundary of
Greater London.
Landmarks
Architecture
London is too diverse to be characterised by any particular
architectural style, having accumulated its buildings over a long period of time and drawn on a wide range of influences. It is, however, mainly
brick built, most commonly the yellow
London stock brick or a warm orange-red variety, often decorated with carvings and white plaster
mouldings. Many grand houses and public buildings (such as the
National Gallery) are constructed from
Portland stone. Some areas of the city, particularly those just west of the centre, are characterised by white
stucco or whitewashed buildings. Few structures pre-date the
Great Fire of 1666, except for a few trace
Roman remains, the
Tower of London and a few scattered
Tudor survivors in the City. A majority of buildings in London date from the
Edwardian or
Victorian periods. The disused (but soon to be rejuvenated) 1939
Battersea Power Station by the river in the south-west is a local landmark, while some railway termini are excellent examples of Victorian architecture, most notably
St Pancras and
Paddington (at least internally).
The density of London varies, with high employment density in the
central area, high residential densities in
inner London and lower densities in the
suburbs. In the dense areas, most of the concentration is achieved with medium-rise and
high-rise buildings. London's skyscrapers such as the notable
"Gherkin",
Tower 42 and
One Canada Square are usually found in the two financial districts, the
City of London and
Canary Wharf. Other notable modern buildings include
City Hall in
Southwark with its distinctive oval shape, the
British Library in
Somers Town/
Kings Cross, and the Great Court of the
British Museum. What was formerly the
Millennium Dome, located by the Thames to the east of Canary Wharf, is now used as an entertainment venue known as The O
2 Arena.
The development of
tall buildings has been encouraged in the
London Plan, which will lead to the erection of
many new skyscrapers over the next decade, particularly in the City of London and Canary Wharf. The 72-storey, "
Shard London Bridge" by
London Bridge station, the
Bishopsgate Tower and around 20 other skyscrapers over are either proposed or approved and could transform the city's skyline.
A great many monuments pay homage to people and events in the city.
The Monument in the City of London provides views of the surrounding area while commemorating the
Great Fire of London, which originated nearby.
Marble Arch and
Wellington Arch, at the north and south ends of
Park Lane respectively, have royal connections, as do the
Albert Memorial and
Royal Albert Hall in
Kensington.
Nelson's Column is a nationally-recognised monument in
Trafalgar Square, one of the focal points of the centre.
Parks and gardens
Often called "The Green City," London has a number of open spaces. The largest of these in the central area are the
Royal Parks of
Hyde Park and its neighbour
Kensington Gardens at the western edge of
central London and
Regent's Park on the northern edge. This park is located near the tourist attractions of Baker Street, where the fictional
Sherlock Holmes lived, and
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Closer to central London are the smaller Royal Parks of
Green Park and
St. James's Park. Hyde Park in particular is popular for
sports and sometimes hosts open-air concerts.
A number of large parks lie outside the city centre, including the remaining Royal Parks of
Greenwich Park to the south-east,
Bushy Park and
Richmond Park to the south-west and
Victoria Park, East London to the east.
Primrose Hill to the north of Regent's Park is a popular spot to view the city skyline. Some more informal, semi-natural open spaces also exist, including the
Hampstead Heath of
North London.This incorporates
Kenwood House, the former
stately home and a popular location in the summer months where classical music concerts are held by the lake, attracting thousands of people every weekend to enjoy the music, scenery and fireworks.In the extreme South East of Greater London, the London Boroughs of
Bexley and
Bromley are noted for their open spaces and extensive wooded areas.
Society and culture
Leisure and entertainment
Within the City of Westminster, the entertainment district of the
West End has its focus around
Leicester Square, where London and world film
premieres are held, and
Piccadilly Circus, with its giant electronic advertisements. London's
theatre district is here, as are many cinemas, bars, clubs and restaurants, including the city's
Chinatown district, and just to the east is
Covent Garden, an area housing
speciality shops.
Shoreditch and
Hoxton in the East End contain a plethora of bars, nightclubs, restaurants and galleries.
Islington's one mile (2 km) long Upper Street, extending northwards from
The Angel, has more bars and restaurants than any other street in the UK.
Europe's busiest shopping area is
Oxford Street, a shopping street nearly one mile (2 km) long—which makes it the longest shopping street in the world—and home to many shops and department stores including
Selfridges. The adjoining
Bond Street in
Mayfair is an extremely
upmarket location, home to fashion, jewellery, and accessories design houses.
Knightsbridge—home to the
Harrods department store— lies just to the southwest. Together with these, the fashionable shopping areas of
Sloane Street, and
Kings Road represent London's prestigious role in the world of fashion. London is home to
Vivienne Westwood,
Galliano,
Stella McCartney,
Manolo Blahnik, and
Jimmy Choo among others; its renowned art and fashion schools make it an international centre of fashion alongside Paris, Milan and New York. London also has a high number of street markets, including
Camden Market for fashions and alternative products,
Portobello Road for antiques, and vintage and one-off clothes, and
Borough Market for organic and specialist foods. London is known for its varying and outstanding cuisine and variety of restaurants, the London and British press are often used by Londoners (more than tourists) to gauge the quality of new restaurants. Publications such as
Time Out,
Lusso Magazine, and Square Meal contain multiple restaurant reviews each issue. Some acclaimed restaurants include Gaucho, Momos, Kensington Roof Gardens, OXO Tower, the
Mandarin Oriental's restaurant, Palm Beach, Lincontro and the Mango Tree.
London offers a great variety of cuisine as a result of its ethnically diverse population. Gastronomic centres include the Bangladeshi restaurants of
Brick Lane and the Chinese food restaurants of
Chinatown.
Soho's variety of restaurants includes Italian- and Greek-influenced establishments among others, as well as all manner of novelties and oddities. More upmarket restaurants are scattered around central London, with concentrations in
Mayfair,
Knightsbridge and
Notting Hill. Across the city, areas home to particular
ethnic groups are often recognizable by restaurants, food shops and market stalls offering their local fare, and the large supermarket chains stock such items in areas with sizable ethnic groups.
There are a variety of regular
annual events. The
Caribbean-descended community in
Notting Hill in
West London organizes the colourful
Notting Hill Carnival, Europe's biggest street carnival, every summer.The beginning of the year is celebrated with the relatively new
New Year's Day Parade, while traditional parades include November's
Lord Mayor's Show, a centuries-old event celebrating the annual appointment of a new
Lord Mayor of the City of London with a procession along the streets of the City, and June's
Trooping the Colour, a very formal military pageant to celebrate the
Queen's Official Birthday.
Literature and film
London has been the setting for many works of literature. Two writers closely associated with the city are the diarist
Samuel Pepys, noted for his eyewitness account of the
Great Fire, and
Charles Dickens, whose representation of a foggy, snowy, grimy London of street sweepers and pickpockets has been a major influence on people's vision of early
Victorian London.
James Boswell's biographical
Life of Johnson mostly takes place in London, and is the source of
Johnson's well-known aphorism: "
When a man is tired of London, he's tired of life; for there's in London all that life can afford." The earlier (1722)
A Journal of the Plague Year by
Daniel Defoe is a fictionalisation of the events of the 1665
Great Plague.
William Shakespeare spent a large part of his life living and working in London; his contemporary
Ben Jonson was also based in London, and some of his work - most notably his play
The Alchemist - was set in the city. Later important depictions of London from the 19th and early 20th centuries are the afore-mentioned Dickens novels, and
Arthur Conan Doyle's illustrious
Sherlock Holmes stories.
Trollope's
Palliser novels are largely set in London, vividly depicting Westminster and its surrounds. The 1933 novel
Down and Out in Paris and London by
George Orwell describes life in poverty in both cities. A modern writer pervasively influenced by the city is
Peter Ackroyd, in works such as
London: The Biography,
The Lambs of London and
Hawksmoor. Academic
Bloomsbury and hilly
Hampstead have traditionally been the liberal, literary heartlands of the city.
London has played a significant role in the film industry, and has major studios at
Pinewood,
Shepperton,
Elstree and
Leavesden, as well as an important
special effects and post-production community centred in
Soho in
central London.
Working Title Films has its headquarters in London.Many films have also used London as a location and have done much to shape international perceptions of the city. See main article
London in film.
The city also hosts a number of
performing arts schools, including the
Central School of Speech and Drama (alumni:
Judi Dench and
Laurence Olivier), the
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (alumni:
Jim Broadbent and
Donald Sutherland) and the prestigious
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (alumni:
Joan Collins and
Roger Moore). The
London Film Festival is held each year in October.
Music
London is one of the major classical and popular music capitals of the world and is home to major music corporations, such as
EMI and
Decca Records, as well as countless bands, musicians and industry professionals.
London is home to many orchestras and concert halls such as the
Barbican Arts Centre (principal base of the
London Symphony Orchestra),
Cadogan Hall (
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), the
Royal Albert Hall (
BBC Promenade Concerts), the
Royal Festival Hall (
Philharmonia Orchestra,
London Philharmonic Orchestra,
London Sinfonietta) and
Wigmore Hall. London's two main opera houses are the
Royal Opera House and the
Coliseum Theatre. The United Kingdom's
Royal Ballet and the
English National Ballet are based in London and perform at the
Royal Opera House, the Coliseum,
Sadler's Wells Theatre and the
Royal Albert Hall.
As a cultural centre for the United Kingdom, London has had a major role in many popular music movements. It has numerous renowned venues for rock and pop concerts, including large arenas such as
Earls Court and
Wembley Arena, as well as more intimate venues, such as
Brixton Academy and
Hammersmith Apollo. The area around the northern part of
Charing Cross Road in Westminster is well known for its shops that sell modern musical instruments and audio equipment. London was home of one of the legs for both the
Live Aid and
Live 8 concerts.
London and its surrounding
Home Counties have spawned iconic and popular artists. London is home to the first and original
Hard Rock Cafe and the illustrious
Abbey Road Studios where
The Beatles created many of their hits. Musicians such as
Bob Marley,
Jimi Hendrix and
Freddie Mercury have lived in London. Notable musicians and groups associated with London include
The Who,
Fleetwood Mac,
Iron Maiden,
Elton John,
Elvis Costello,
Cliff Richard,
John Lennon,
Queen,
Yoko Ono,
Paul McCartney,
Pink Floyd,
Led Zeppelin and
The Rolling Stones. London was instrumental in the development of
punk music, with figures such as the
Sex Pistols,
The Clash,
The Jam, and
Vivienne Westwood all based in the city.
As Britain's largest urban area, London has played a key role in the development of most British-born strains of "
urban" and electronic music, such as
drum and bass,
UK garage,
grime and
dubstep, and is home to many
UK hip hop artists.
The largest entertainment venture of all time,
The Phantom of the Opera, a musical by
Andrew Lloyd Webber, premiered here at
Her Majesty's Theatre, and emerged as the highest grossing entertainment event with US $3.3 billion, and attendance of 80 million worldwide.
Sport
London has hosted the
Summer Olympics twice, in
1908 and
1948. In July 2005 London was chosen to host the Games in
2012, which will make it the first city in the world to host the Summer Olympics three times. London was also the host of the
British Empire Games in
1934.
London's most popular sport (for both participants and spectators) is
football. London has thirteen
League football clubs, including five in the
Premier League (
Chelsea,
Arsenal,
Fulham,
Tottenham Hotspur and
West Ham United ), plus a further eight in the remaining three divisions (
Barnet,
Brentford,
Charlton Athletic,
Crystal Palace,
Dagenham & Redbridge,
Leyton Orient,
Millwall and
Queens Park Rangers), plus countless
non-league and
amateur football teams.
London has a special place in the history of
Association Football. The playing of football in London has been well documented since it was first outlawed in 1314. In the sixteenth century the headmaster of
St Paul's School,
Richard Mulcaster is credited with taking
mob football and transforming it into organised and refereed team football. The modern game of football was first codified in 1863 in London and subsequently spread worldwide. Key to the establishment of the modern game was Londoner
Ebenezer Cobb Morley who was a founding member of
the Football Association, the oldest football organisation in the world.Morley wrote to
Bell's Life newspaper proposing a governing body for football which led directly to the first meeting at the Freemason's Tavern in central London of the FA.
London also has four
rugby union teams in the
Guinness Premiership (
London Irish,
Saracens,
Wasps and
Harlequins), although only the Harlequins play in London (all the other three now play outside Greater London). London also has many other
rugby union clubs in lower leagues, including
Richmond F.C.,
Blackheath R.C.,
Rosslyn Park F.C. and
Barnes R.F.C.
London has its own
rugby league Super League club in
Harlequins RL and the National League Two team the
London Skolars as well as a thriving amateur scene.
Since 1924, the original
Wembley Stadium was the home of the
English national football team, and served as the venue for the
FA Cup final as well as
rugby league's
Challenge Cup final.The new
Wembley Stadium serves exactly the same purposes.
Twickenham Stadium in west London is the national
rugby union stadium, and has a capacity of 84,000 now that the new south stand has been completed.
Basketball in London has seen many powerful teams succumb to financial difficulties and disappear without a trace.
London Towers are the most recognisable name to experience the rise and fall, and are joined by <
