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Welcome to the London Visitors'
Guide!
Whether you require a comfortable bed and
breakfast, a five star luxury hotel or a cheap backpackers' room, we're
here to help! And we also have a great selection of places to eat, so
you need never be short of ideas to help you find just the right kind of
eating place for the occasion.
London Attractions, Activities and Things To Do
Churches, Palaces, Castles
Miscellaneous attractions
The City of London is not to be confused
with Greater London, the vast metropolitan area of 32 boroughs, each of
which is large enough to be a city in its own right. The City of London is
the tiny core of Greater London, a small fragment that was the original
London of ancient times. It is often known for short as ‘The City’ or
sometimes the ‘Square Mile’, because that is about its area, just one
square mile, about 500 football pitches. Around the City of London's
boundary are placed huge black bollards bearing the City's emblem, and at
major entrances to the City, there is an imposing monument, emblazed with
a dragon.
The City of London is Britain’s major financial centre, crammed with
banks, finance houses and, of course, The Stock Exchange. And it is not
only Britain’s financial hub, but one of the major finance centres of the
world, on a par with New York. In the daytime, The City of London buzzes
with 340,000 professional workers, who commute daily, and when evening
comes, leave the Square Mile to its resident population of a mere 10,000.
At nighttime, the place is practically deserted, and at weekends the pubs
and cafes are closed.
In medieval times, the City was all that there was of London, while across
some meadow-land lay another City, Westminster. It was around, these two
cities that modern London has grown over the centuries. The City has a
long and interesting history. It was built by the Romans, they called it
Londinium, and they built a defensive perimeter wall, known as London
Wall, parts of which still exist. Its independent administration dates
from 886, when Alfred the Great appointed his son-in-law Earl Æthelred of
Mercia as Governor of London.
When William the Conqueror defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings,
he marched on London, but failed to cross London Bridge or to defeat the
Londoners. He eventually crossed the River Thames but was obliged to come
to terms with the Londoners, who had earned his respect. In 1075, he
granted them a charter, which allowed them a measure of control over their
own affairs.
In 1132, Henry I awarded London full County status and in 1141, gave the
citizens a charter establishing the regulation of the City’s affairs. The
body, which was to control the City, was named the City of London
Corporation headed by the Lord Mayor of London.
In 1666, the Great Fire of London destroyed nearly four-fifths of the City
but it was rebuilt again by the command of Charles II, who also ordered
the rebuilding of the magnificent Cathedral of St Pauls. After this,
London started to expand and in the Victorian Age, it grew to nearly its
present day size. During the Second World War, the City suffered extensive
bombing, which destroyed many ancient building but mercifully spared St
Pails Cathedral. The bombing revealed fragments of the original Roman
London Wall.
In the 1970’s, shortage of space necessitated the building of taller
buildings. The first was the Natwest Tower, which became the first
skyscraper in the UK, with 42 storeys. Later came the Broadgate Tower with
35 storeys followed by several other constructions, the tallest being the
Bishopsgate Tower with 63 storeys.
So that is how the City of London has developed. The modern City has
become a major international financial centre, housing the London Stock
Exchange, Lloyd's of London, the world’s largest insurance corporation,
and the Bank of England, the government’s bank. In addition, the City is
home to such financial institutions Barclays Bank, Citigroup, HSBC and
other major banking houses. But the unique situation of the City as a
business area with hardly any residents presents many problems. The City
has had to adopt a unique electoral system, which allows a business vote
to property holders on the grounds that the day-time population pay for
the upkeep of the City with their property taxes and use most of its
services. This system has been criticised as being undemocratic and is now
being reviewed by the Home Office.
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do ask for a link back from your website.
Coming soon:
Walks
A collection of walks in London.
London Photography
Excellent photography that captures the timeless and essential
spirit of London.
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Great prices on hotel rooms in London!
Check out the special low price offers at
Late Rooms.com

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