London

This module contains reading and listening materials about the capital of the United Kingdom, London.

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London

The City of London developed on a most unpromising site, by a dank, mosquito-infested swamp. The history of the town is very closely linked with the history of the country itself. The name London most probably derives from the Celtic words Llyn (a lake) and Dun (a fort or strong place), although the site was not important during the Celtic period (400 BC – 43 AD).

During the Roman occupation (AD 43 – AD 410) Londinium, as it was then called, was not influential politically, but was, however, an important crossing point for the Romans over the river Thames. Market forces began to operate, for where there is a major road junction, with troops stationed and ships calling, merchants will inevitably set up shops and Londinium became a trading centre.

The Celtic warrior queen Boudicca (Boadicea) and her Iceni tribesmen (from the area now called Norfolk) led a revolt against the Roman conquest of Britain and devastated Londinium in AD 61. The city was burned down and its inhabitants massacred.

London was rapidly rebuilt, becoming the capital of the province Britannia, with a splendid basilica (town hall), a fine palace, a fort and a temple but it was not until AD 122 that the Roman walls were built around it as a defence. Roman rule continued until early in the 5th century when Roman forces were withdrawn from Britain to cope with troubles elsewhere in the Empire.

Around AD 400 the Anglo-Saxons (Germanic tribes) invaded Britain. They destroyed the Roman towns and formed many kingdoms that were hostile to one another. London fell into ruins. At the beginning of the 9th century all the small Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were united by king Egbert to form one kingdom called England and later the powerful Saxon king Alfred the Great (reigned 871– 899) chose London to be the capital of the country. The city was once again flourishing, although under repeated attacks by the Vikings.

London as we know it today began to develop during the reign of Edward the Confessor (1042–66). Westminster Abbey was built and a royal palace alongside it. From that time onwards London consisted of two distinct parts: the royal centre around Westminster and the commercial centre in the City. In 1066 the Normans invaded and William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy) took the British throne as William I. He built a mighty fortress (now known as the White Tower) and granted a city charter laying down the rights of its citizens. He also separated the secular from the ecclesiastical courts. His son, William Rufus, built Westminster Palace and Westminster Hall which was to remain the seat of the Palace of Justice until 1882.

The 14th century was a turbulent period. In 1337 the long and costly Hundred Years War against France began; the Black Death of 1348 claimed the lives of over a quarter of the British people and at least half of the city’s population; in 1381 the grievances of the lower classes exploded into the ‘Peasant’s Revolt’. The Hundred Years War was al- most immediately followed by the baronial Wars of the Roses between two rival branches of the royal house of Plantagenet, the houses of York and Lancaster. It was ended by the Lancastrian Henry Tudor in 1485 who then reigned as Henry VII.

The Tudor era (1485–1603). The accession to the throne of the Lancastrian Henry Tudor in 1485 put an end to the Wars of the Roses. He started with a great act of piety: the building of a beautiful fan-roofed chapel in Westminster Abbey. It was completed by his son, Henry VIII of six wives who achieved the Act of Supremacy in 1534, making the crown the spiritual head of the nation. This led to the decisive breach with the papacy and the formation of the Anglican church. A huge amount of property in the City which had previously been owned by Roman Catholic Church was sold or given away and the houses stood empty.

The Elizabethan period (1558–1603) is often considered to be a golden age in British history marked by a fourfold growth in London’s population and timber building. Elizabeth was succeeded by her closest relative James VI of Scotland (the son of Mary Stuart, the Queen of Scots). The unhappy Stuart dynasty witnessed the Civil War and the execution of Charles I on January 30th 1649. The short-lived Puritan Republic (1653– 1660) under Oliver Cromwell was followed by the restoration of the Stuart line with Charles II taking the throne in 1660. Unfortunately, in 1665 the Great Plague was responsible for the deaths of 100,000 Londoners and the following year perhaps London’s greatest disaster occurred. The Great Fire, thought to have started in Pudding Lane, raged for three days, destroying in its wake some 13,000 houses, the Royal Exchange, St. Paul’s Cathedral, 86 churches and most of the guildhalls, over an area of almost 400 acres; the Tower of London had a lucky escape. One positive effect of the fire was to rid the Medieval city of its accumulated filth. The architect, Sir Christopher Wren, lost no time in drawing up plans giving the entire city a monu- mental Baroque aspect. Many of these plans were never realized as people immediately began rebuilding for themselves, but his achievement of more than 50 churches, including St. Paul’s Cathedral, was quite remarkable.

During the Georgian era (1714–1830) London was considered the premier city of the Western world, with fashions set by the Prince Regent and Beau Brummel, the stately architecture and planning of Nash and the elegant coffee houses and clubs. The Bank of England was established in 1694. But it was during the extremely prosperous Victorian era (1837–1901) that London became the metropolis it is today. Britain’s wealth and prestige at the height of her Imperial power is expressed in the public buildings erected at that time, such as the Houses of Parliament (after a fire in 1834), and the development of industry and public transport.

The Second World War (1939–1945) had a devastating effect, almost equal to that of the Great Fire, destroying large areas of the city. New buildings continue to change the face of London, but it remains a centre for fashion, culture and artistic achievement. (Abbr. from: London guide in colour.)

After-reading task 1

Scan the text fast and find the dates. Celtic period ............... Roman invasion ............... Anglo-Saxon invasion ............... Danish invasion ............... Norman invasion ............... the Hundred Years War ............... the Wars of the Roses ............... the Elizabethan period ............... the Puritan Republic ............... the Georgian era ............... the Victorian era ............... the Second World War ............... the Great Fire of London .............. the Great Plague ............... the Roman walls were built ............... Westminster Abbey was built ............... the White Tower was built ............... Westminster Palace was built ............... the Houses of Parliament were built ............... St. Paul’s Cathedral was built ...............

After-reading task 2.

Answer the questions.

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This work is licensed by Meeri Sild under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 3.0), and is an Open Educational Resource.

Last edited by Ed Woodward on Feb 27, 2012 8:06 am -0600.