History of London

As the capital city of the United Kingdom, the largest city in the European Union and an important settlement since its foundation by the Romans in 43 AD, London is as rife with history as it is with life and culture. The Londinium first built by the Romans lasted a mere seventeen years and was then burned to the ground by Queen Boadicea and her Iceni tribe. Being burned to the ground seems to be something that London was particularly good at: after being rebuilt by the Romans, seized by the Vikings and recaptured by Alfred the Great, London prospered and spread like the Great Plague with which it was afflicted just prior to the Great Fire of London in 1666. It took ten years to rebuild the city after the damage inflicted by the fire, and the buildings were fortunate enough then to pass a few hundred years of relative security before being bombed by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. The Great Fire, which started in Thomas Farriner’s bakery in Pudding Lane near London Bridge, blazed through the dirty, insanitary wooden city of Shakespeare’s era for four days, destroying everything in its path. Even St Paul’s Cathedral, which had been viewed as immune from the flames, fell victim to the conflagration and the number of people who died as a result of the fire remains unknown to this day. At the time, the death toll was estimated at about eight people, but since then experts have raised the estimate to a possible several thousand; people whose bodies were incinerated by the fire, who fell prey to the violent fear of Dutch or French terrorist attacks, or who simply, but just as irrevocably, died of exposure and hunger after the fire. It has, however, been suggested that the fire was a mixed blessing to the people of London as the plague, or Black Death, had been running rampant in the city the previous year. It could be that the fire, which razed the contaminated dwellings to the ground, along with their accompanying chorus of rats and fleas, also burnt out the disease. One of the most pervasive images of London, however, comes not from the plague-ridden and soon to be incinerated city inhabited by Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I, but from the lively and evocative descriptions in the works of Charles Dickens. His portrayal of the narrow, grimy and foggy streets of London, of the snow and Victorian pick-pockets has created lasting images in the minds of many people. Surprisingly enough, in spite of the passage of a few hundred years, there are still many areas of London that remain so Dickensian that it comes as something of a shock to see people clad in denims and t-shirts talking animatedly on their mobile phones while their Doc Marten-encased feet tread exactly the same cobbles and pavements as the dirty, bare feet of the fictional David Copperfield or the Artful Dodger. The modern city of London, however, is still flavoured with strong overtones of the historical city. Ancient buildings rub shoulders with brand new edifices; old Portland stone is just as common a construction material as glass and steel. In spite of the vast urban sprawl of London, the core still retains its medieval boundaries, although the name London refers to the entire metropolis. While London does cover an enormous area, each district has its own distinct flavour and characteristics, and whether you prefer the bohemian lifestyle of Camden Town, or the upmarket shops of Oxford Street, Speedhotels.com will be able to provide you with a range of good quality, cheap hotels to make your stay in London an enjoyable one.

Sightseeing

When planning a trip to London as a tourist, there are such a multitude of interesting places to visit that something can always be found to stir the imagination of the most unenthusiastic visitor. There are the obvious sites such as Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace and the London Eye, all of which are well worth a visit. London can also proudly boast of its four World Heritage sites which are the Tower of London (unsurprisingly located next to Tower Bridge), Greenwich (from whence comes Greenwich Mean Time), the Royal Botanical Kew Gardens in Richmond and the Westminster site which includes the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St Margaret’s Church. The weather in London is not always pleasant for outdoor activities, but there are a variety of museums, art galleries, theatres and other warm and dry places to visit. One of the most famous museums is the British Museum in Bloomsbury which was founded in 1753 and displays numerous important artefacts such as the Rosetta stone and sculptures from the Parthenon. If your tastes incline more towards the arts, there are many beautiful classic paintings to be found in the National Gallery which looks out proudly over Nelson’s Column and the lions of Trafalgar Square, or you can view the contemporary and often contentious modern works in the Tate Modern, which is located on the banks of the Thames in Southwark. The famous waxwork museum, Madame Tussaud’s, not only provides excellent shelter from the elements, but also contains such a wide spectrum of waxwork subjects that whether your tastes run to movie stars, sports personalities or even historical figures, you are sure to find something of interest. London even boasts the world’s one and only Fan Museum with an astonishing collection of over 4000 fans. At the theatres in the West End there will always be a show that appeals. Agatha Christie’s famous play, The Mousetrap, is still running at St Martin’s Theatre since it opened there in 1974. The play first opened on stage in the West End in 1952 and has been running continuously ever since, which makes it the world’s longest running play. In addition to being a popular play, it has now become a London tourist attraction in its own right. Other prominent plays and musicals include The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera and Calendar Girls, and there is always a wide range of ballets and concerts, both classical and modern, on offer at various locations in London. London does not cater only for the energetic and enthusiastic tourist. There are many relaxing activities available, such as a quiet stroll through Hyde Park, doing nothing more strenuous than carelessly tossing bits of bread to the ducks as they paddle along the Serpentine. You can also wander along the historic streets, looking at shops or, alternatively, you can wander through the shops, looking out at the historic streets. If your tastes run to shopping you can visit the upmarket stores in Oxford or Bond Street, or saunter among the stalls and street performers in Covent Garden. Speedhotels.com will always be able to make your stay there an easy one with hotel reservations at a wide variety of locations all around the city.

What’s on

In terms of entertainment London has a fantastic range of diversions to offer. From the infamous night life in the clubs of Soho to classical Mozart concerts, from the latest science fiction film premier at the enormous IMAX cinema to a Shakespearean performance at the Globe theatre, or from the catwalks of London Fashion week to the New Year’s Day Parade or Trooping the Colour to celebrate the Queen’s official birthday, the diversity is practically limitless. If you are interested in classical plays, music and dancing, then the theatres and concert halls of the West End which are focused around Leicester Square should be high on your list of places to visit. The Royal Opera House, Sadler’s Wells Theatre and the Royal Albert Hall are probably some of the most famous venues for singing, ballet and music, and will always have a wide choice of performances on offer. If your tastes incline more towards 21st century music, then the concerts held in the arenas of Earls Court, Wembley or the O2 will be able to satisfy the most diverse appetites. London is also home to the well-known and one-of-a-kind Hard Rock Café, not to mention the diffident-looking Abbey Road Studios whose unpretentious walls did nothing more spectacular than witness the creation of the majority of Beatles hits. With regard to the art world, London is one of the best places to visit. There are numerous galleries, most of which do not charge an entrance fee, where a variety of styles and exhibits are available the whole year round. The National Gallery is the proud host of an astonishing collection of Western European art which dates from the middle ages to the early 20th Century. The Tate Modern, wherein is displayed a number of controversial works which have pushed the definition of art to the limit, is also worth the experience of a visit. The similarly named Tate Britain should be high on the visiting list of art fans as its displays of pre-Raphaelite, neo-Classicist and Victorian Sensuality paintings will be rewards in themselves. If you are interested in fashion, London may not immediately spring to mind as a sartorial haven. It does boast, however, the longest shopping street in the the world, Oxford Street, whose mile and a half long pavements are littered with designer stores and fashion emporiums. Designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney and Jimmy Choo operate from London, and the well known art and fashion schools make it worthy to be named alongside the international fashion centres of Paris, Milan and New York. Gastronomically speaking, London can boast an astounding range of bars and restaurants, from trendy wine and sushi bars to Dickensian pubs and American steakhouses. Upper Street, the one-mile long road in Islington is famous for having more bars and restaurants than any other street in England. No matter what your age or tastes, London will have something entertaining to offer you, and when planning your trip Speedhotels.com will take the worry and hassle out of finding accommodation, whether you are looking for cheap hotels or somewhere more exclusive to pamper yourself.

Student life

Although London does not immediately conjure up images of a typical student town, there is still a lively and active element of student life running rampant through the historic veins of the city. Apart from the various conservatoires, such as the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London is also home to the predictably-named University of London which is the largest contact-teaching university, not only in England but in Europe as well. Imperial College London, which specialises in science, engineering, medicine and business, and University College London, which was the first university in Britain to admit students regardless of their gender or religion, are both ranked in the top ten universities in the world. When thinking about studying in the United Kingdom, the universities that probably leap to mind are Oxford and Cambridge, and the universities of London may not seem such an obvious choice. Although some of the universities lack the same tradition and heritage of Oxford and Cambridge, they are, nevertheless, expert institutions and are ranked highly in world tertiary education. You can study music at the Royal Academy of Music, drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts which is affiliated to King’s College London, science and medicine at Imperial College London, and humanities at University College London, to name but a few institutes and their specialities. With such a dense concentration of colleges and universities, no matter what your interests are, you will be sure to find the right place to study in London. In addition to this, London is such an active city that you will never have a problem in finding the occasional student job or employment for work experience. The universities and colleges in London are far too numerous to name here and, with a student population of nearly 400,000 people, it’s not surprising that there is such a strong and diverse student sub-culture in the city. This is good news for everyone under the age of 25, and for all students regardless of the university to which they are affiliated. At a large number of cafés, cinemas and shops, showing a student or young person’s card will ensure a discount. Reduced travelling fares are also available to those under 25 and to full-time students. The night-life in London is vibrant with such a huge variety of pubs, clubs and bars to visit that even if you went to a different one every night you would probably never find yourself running out of new places to party. If you are about to start studying in London and need to browse through cheap hotels to find a place to stay until you find your feet, or if you have friends coming for the weekend who need accommodation, Speedhotels.com will be able to direct you to some of the most competitive prices in the industry.

Cultural diversity

Culturally, London comes into its own; it would be difficult to find any culture not represented somewhere in the busy streets and quiet suburbs of London. The streets swarm with a multitude of people of different ages, races and cultures. Moody Goth teenagers with their electric pink striped hair and black clothes mingle easily in the markets of Camden Town and Covent Garden with wrinkly Japanese grandfathers, enthusiastic tourists and local Londoners. Tired businessmen walk the same streets as new-age hippies and chattering groups of excited Asian school-girls. More than three hundred different languages are spoken in London on a daily basis, and every sub-culture in the city is represented by its own speciality shops, restaurants and fashion stores. Not only is there a variety of contrasting races and nationalities living in London, but different generations as well. The disparity in culture between classes and generations of the same nationality are as great, or even greater than the cultural distinctions between diverse nationalities. Entire sections of London suburbia have become known for their sub-cultures. Raynes Park, for example, is almost exclusively South African, while Chinatown is the centre for Chinese shopping, although no longer residential. There are numerous Eastern-European restaurants, clubs, churches and events all over London and whatever your gastronomic tastes, there will be an appropriate restaurant to satisfy your hunger. The entertainment areas of London cater to every possible culture and sub-culture imaginable, as well as to every generation. There is, however, still a very authentic taste of British London to be had in the innumerable pubs which are found all over the city. Some of the pubs are so traditional in fact that it can be quite a disconcerting experience to walk in and face the almost hostile stares of elderly regulars who have been faithful patrons since their coming of age. Even the most traditional of pubs, however, will often reflect a tiny portion of the cultural diversity of London in its menu; the British favourite of fish, chips and mushy peas will usually be offered on the same page as lasagne, spaghetti or pizza. The historic monuments such as Marble Arch, Nelson’s Column, the Mall and the statue of Anteros in Piccadilly Circus are all inarguably British, but coexist peacefully with the swarms of brief humanity gathered from all around the world. With such a wide diversity of ages, races, colours and cultures, it is impossible to name them all. The only thing you can be sure of is that whether visiting London as a tourist or relocating, there will already be a thriving group of fellow countrymen and women living somewhere in the city, claiming a little part of London as their own. If you want to visit London precisely to get away from your fellow countryfolk and see the British London, this is not a problem either. London is so vast that you will always be able to find the niche you want to experience. In choosing a place to stay, Speedhotels.com will always be able to handle your hotel reservations in any part of the city you desire.

Businesses

London, alongside New York City and Tokyo, is one of the three powerhouses of world economy which obviously makes it an international centre for commerce and for many businesses. In spite of being the capital city of a tiny island, London has in its favour the fact that English is the dominant language of most businesses and the fact that the most common and important contract law in international business is English law. The largest industry in London is finance, with over five hundred overseas banks, insurers and accounting firms. Canary Wharf, in the Docklands area in the east of the city, is fast developing into the second financial district in the London, playing proud host to the global headquarters of HSBC and Barclays, as well as Reuters and Clifford Chance, the largest law firm in the world. In spite of the current economic world crisis, London is still a highly influential centre of finance, although many jobs have unfortunately been lost in the recession. Second to banking and finance, the most influential industry in London is the media industry. The BBC and other broadcasting companies are based in London, while most of the national newspapers are edited in the city. The BBC is not only one of the largest news centres in the world, but also makes numerous documentaries, films and television series which range from sitcoms and dramas to gardening and cookery programs. Many films are shot in London, both in the streets and studios, and this not only creates revenue from the film production, but also encourages people to visit the places that they see on cinema screens. Another important industry in London is tourism. The millions of people who flock there every year have made it the most popular city in the world; more popular by far than the cities of Bangkok and Paris which are ranked second and third. Millions of pounds change metaphorical hands every day as people from all over the world come to spend money, make money, nurture money and all too often, steal money as well. Heathrow Airport in London is said to be one of the busiest centres of air traffic in the world. This is not surprising as thousands of people arrive every hour from many different places to do business, to visit, or to catch a flight connection: logically just as many people depart every hour otherwise within days London would be packed to overflowing with surplus humanity. If planning a business trip to London, you may want to find accommodation close to the airport, or close to the office. Whatever location you choose, Speedhotels.com will be able to provide you with a wide choice of cheap hotels to make your booking an easy one.

The city

Marble Arch, the Mall, the Thames, Hyde Park; features such as these all combine to make London a beautiful city, rather than a congealed lump of unattractive concrete and steel conglomerate. Since the concerted effort to clean up London was made some decades ago, the worst of the grime has been steadily removed from the old Portland stone buildings, leaving them, if not pristine, at least pleasant to look at. The Thames which, for many years, was to all intents and purposes an open sewer, now has no more pollution in it than the average river which flows through a busy, modern city. On one occasion it even boasted a whale that had got horribly lost and, in spite of attempts to rescue it, unfortunately died. London is very informally divided by money into east and west. The eastern part of London, the East End, is close to the original Port of London and is one of the poorest areas in the city, known for the high number of immigrants living there. The surrounding area of East London was the site of early industrial development although many places are now being redeveloped as part of the Thames Gateway project. This includes the Lower Lea Valley which is being converted into the Olympic Park where the 2012 Summer Olympics are to be held. On the opposite side of the city, however, money flows like the Thames in flood. The West End is the main entertainment and shopping district of London, also known for its fashionable and shockingly expensive residential areas such as Notting Hill (the site of the annual Notting Hill Carnival), Chelsea and Knightsbridge. Within the confines of the London area, there are an amazing number of parks, wherein it is possible to forget entirely that you are in the middle of one of the busiest cities in Europe. The biggest parks in central London are Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and Regent’s Park, with the latter serving as the location for the world’s oldest scientific zoo, the London Zoo. Green Park and St James’s Park, although much smaller, nevertheless still form welcome oases of calm green in the midst of the bustling city. In the summer, Hampstead Heath, in north London, is a very popular place to hold classical musical concerts and thousands of people flock there every weekend to enjoy the brief respite of nature. Whether you want to take a quiet stroll around the hallowed stones of St Paul’s Cathedral, or experience an open-air concert in the verdant shade of Hyde Park, whether you want to visit the financial districts of the City of London and Canary Wharf, or whether you want to visit the test cricket ground at Lord’s, London will always have plenty of sites to keep you occupied. It caters for all tastes, from discerning shoppers to casual tourists, from avid theatre goers to sports aficionados. Whether you want to party or simply to stroll around the city absorbing the myriads of sights and experiences, Speedhotels.com will be able to provide you with hassle-free hotel reservations to suit your specific requirements.

Big Ben

One of the most popular tourist attractions that should definitely not be missed is Big Ben, the world’s largest four-faced chiming clock which stands proudly next to the Houses of Parliament. Its height and the soft golden hue of its stone make it an easy landmark to spot, while the distinctive chimes ring out over London every fifteen minutes. The name, Big Ben, was a nickname of unknown origin primarily used to refer to the bell. Common speculation attributes the name to Sir Benjamin Hall, the commissioner of works, although the true origins of the name remain obscured in the smog of time. The name now, however, is used to refer both to the bell and to the clock tower as well. After the old Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire in 1834, the tower was built as part of Charles Barry’s design for a new palace. The credit for the actual Gothic Revival design of the tower, however, goes to one Augustus Pugin and it is notable as the last thing he ever designed before the momentum of his decent into madness overwhelmed him completely. When it was first constructed it stood up straight and proud but since then, owing to to changes in ground conditions and tunnelling for the Jubilee Line, the tower leans slightly to the north-west. This inclination is so slight, however, that it is not visible to the naked eye and is unlikely ever to become known as the Leaning Tower of Westminster. The bell, which was cast in 1856, was completed before the tower. While being tested, it cracked irreparably and had to be replaced. The recast bell was eventually hauled up the belfry of the Clock Tower in a feat of engineering that took about eighteen hours: the bell is over two metres tall and nearly three metres wide. Even then things did not go smoothly for Big Ben as, three months after its first joyful chime rang out, the bell cracked again. Rather than recasting the entire bell again, it was decided to chip a piece of metal out of the rim around the crack, and the bell was rotated slightly so that the hammer struck in a different spot. The bell that rings out over London today is that same bell, complete with crack and the slightly odd twang to the chime. When it was first cast, Big Ben held the honour of being the largest bell in Britain until it was ousted from its place by Great Paul, the 17-ton bell in St Paul’s Cathedral. Although definitely worth a visit during daylight hours, Big Ben really comes into its own at night when its staid appearance is transformed by golden glowing lights into a breathtaking spectacle of light and colour. The clock face, which is similar to a stained glass window, is suffused with gentle luminescence and every detail on the face is thrown into sharper relief by the ingenious back lighting. Public transport does continue to run fairly late into the evening, but with Speedhotels.com you will easily be able to find cheap hotels as near to or as far from Big Ben as you wish.

Buckingham Palace

At the end of St James’s Park stands the imposing Royal Residence, Buckingham Palace, the official home of the reigning monarch. Parts of the palace, such as the state rooms, are open to the public during the summer in August and September, although obviously the rooms on display are limited as the palace is a full-time working residence. It is here that the Queen hosts her annual summer garden parties and celebrates royal functions such as jubilees. The imposing façade looks out benevolently over the white and gold Victoria Memorial statue and is a source of patriotic pride to most Londoners. The building was originally known as Buckingham House, named after John Sheffield, first duke of Buckingham and Normandy. The core of what is today known as Buckingham Palace was built as a town house for the duke and acquired by King George III as a private residence. Owing to a minor dispute over a mulberry plantation on the property, Sheffield never owned full rights to the land, which made it easy for the King to buy it off him. Over the years, the building was worked on, principally by the architects John Nash and Edward Blore, to create the majestic edifice which is a familiar sight to tourists and Londoners alike. Although the building was acquired by George III, Queen Victoria was the first monarch to use the palace as a royal residence. It is still used as the official London home of Queen Elizabeth II and is the site of jubilees, the annual Trooping the Colour and Queen’s Garden Party. There is a large, park-like garden behind the palace with its own private lake, which was designed by the famous landscape architect Capability Brown. The water for the artificial lake comes from the Serpentine which flows serenely through Hyde Park. The annual Garden Party, held in these extensive royal gardens, was the replacement function for the presentation of the débutantes to the court every year. A large cross-section of the British public is invited to the Garden Party every year, although few actually get to meet the Queen. There is a popular story of unknown origin and dubious veracity regarding the Queen’s husband and consort, Prince Philip. It is rumoured that during one Garden Party, tired of the thronging guests on his lawn, he turned on the irrigation sprinklers, dousing all of his guests in a fine spray of water. Buckingham Palace is probably one of the best known sites in London and, in the same way that the Eiffel Tower has functioned as a symbol of Paris, shots of this building have frequently been used in films to show that the location is London. Whether visiting London as a tourist, on business or as a student, Buckingham Palace should feature, even if only briefly, on your itinerary. When planning your trip to London, Speedhotels.com will be able to provide you with quick, easy hotel reservations at a wide variety of establishments around the city.

The Dome

The Millennium Dome, located on the Greenwich Peninsula in the south of London, was built to house a major exhibition, the Millennium Experience, celebrating the start of the third millennium. It is one of the most distinctive sights in London and is the largest construction of its type in the world. At the end of 2000, the exhibition was dismantled, leaving only the shell. Since then it has been developed into a large entertainment venue, hosting an indoor arena, a music club, a cinema, an exhibition space and numerous bars and restaurants. Although still often referred to as the Millennium Dome, it is now officially called the O2. The exhibition in the Millennium Dome was a contentious one as it never made as much revenue as expected and eventually ran at a loss. Other features were constructed to celebrate the start of the third millennium, such as the extremely popular London Eye on the south bank of the Thames and the Millennium Bridge which spans the Thames between Southwark Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge. Both the Dome and the Bridge have been subjects of controversy; the Dome because it ran at a loss, and the Millennium Footbridge because it wobbled so badly in the first two days of use that it had to be closed down and modified. Although the Millennium Dome is the largest construction of its kind in the world it is not, strictly speaking, a dome as it is not self-supporting. It is a dome-shaped building supported by masts and cables. A lot of thought went into the design, however, with each feature representing something to do with time. In appearance, it looks like a large white crustacean with twelve yellow support towers; one tower for each month of the year or for each hour of the clock, representing the world role played by Greenwich Mean Time. Seen from the top, it is circular and 365 metres in diameter; one metre for every day in the year. In addition to this, it was built on the meridian line in Greenwich, the prime meridian of the world. If travelling to London as a tourist, the Dome is a marvellous site to visit. You can see the amazing feats of engineering that went into the construction of this edifice, you can admire the grace and proportions of the dome itself, and you can visit all of the entertainment sites therein, including the eleven-screen cinema complex which proudly boasts the largest screen in London. In terms of entertainment, there is no better place to visit than the O2 Dome, as everything you could desire is contained within it. If you are looking for cheap hotels close to the Dome, Speedhotels.com will be able to provide you with a fast, efficient reservation service to make your stay in London a hassle-free and enjoyable one.