AD 43

The Romans invaded Britain. After much contact through trade over the previous centuries, and two previous invasion attempts by Julius Caesar, the Roman legions finally began the assault that would Romanise Britain. They originally settled on the south bank of the River Thames, then moved to north of the river which was a more defendable spot. They advanced through the south east of England and established their capital at Colchester ( Camulodunum).

AD61

Following the death of her husband, King Prasutagus of the Iceni tribe, and the ensuing cruelty inflicted on Queen Boudicca and her daughters, Boudicca gathered a massive army and attacked Colchester, destroying it completely. London (Lundinium) was next. All the inhabitants were slaughtered and the city burnt to the ground. This was the first Great Fire of London.

AD200

London became a walled city to protect the flourishing trade centre which it had become.

The walls of London, some parts of which are still visible, were built of stone called Kentish Ragstone. They were 20 feet high ( 6.5 metres) and up to 9 feet thick (3 metres). Four gates were the access points to the city- Aldgate, Bishopsgate, Newgate and Ludgate. These names still exist as street names.

AD 410

The Roman Empire had been in decline for some time with factions within Europe and Britain declaring independence and setting up their own administrations.

Roman troops were finally withdrawn from Britain by the Emperor of Britain, Constantine III. Honorius, Emperor of Rome declared that Britain should be left to run its own affairs. This left Britain much weaker and vulnerable to attacks. The Saxons moved in .They had already been part of Roman life in Europe. Thereafter began turmoil in Britain with little known about London. These are known as ….

AD430

Vortigern had become the Romano- British King. He invited the Saxons Hengest and Horsa to help in the fight against the Picts and Irish. This proved to be literally the Trojan horse which brought about the settlement and invasion of Britain by the Saxons. London continued to be a commercial centre but on a lesser scale.

AD460

Saxons, Angles and Jutes from Europe continued to raid and settle in Britain. They began to divide Britain into smaller kingdoms. London was part of the Eastern Saxon lands. The old Roman city of Lundinium was in decay. Other capital in the regions had been set up which reduced London’s importance.

AD 604

The first St. Paul’s Cathedral was built o n the site of the Temple of Diana ordered by King Aethelbet , King of Kent, the first Christian king of England.

The trading centre that used to be within the city had already begun moving to the west (Lundenwic) where is now the Strand and Charing Cross. It was on the border of several of the new Kingdoms, Kent, Mercia and Wessex.

AD851

The Vikings who had been raiding England’s shores for many years attacked and overcame London. Their fleet anchored off Greenwich and their army camped on Blackheath for the winter.

AD886

King Alfred the Great who had previously become King of all the English was based in Winchester. He and his army marched on London and retook the city. From hereon London (Lundenburg) began its steady climb to one of the most important cities in the world.

Soon afterwards, having rebuilt the old walls, Alfred handed responsibility of the City to Ealdorman, Aethelred of Mercia.

AD911

On the death of Aethelred the English Kings took over London. The city became the most important commercial centre in England with financial business thriving.

AD978

The Laws of London were issued by King Aethelred the Unready. London was his capital. Throughout the rest of this century and the next London was constantly raided by the Danes.

After some years of war King Canute (Knut Sveinsson) eventually became King of England

1042

King Edward the Confessor, step son of King Canute from the Saxon line, became the first Saxon King to move to the west and develop an area outside the old Roman/Saxon city. On Thorney Island by the marshy banks of the River Tyburn he built a new church dedicated to St.Peter. He also built a new Palace. This eventually became the Palace of Westminster, on a site now partially covered by the Houses of Parliament.

1065

The Collegiate Church of St.Peter (Westminster Abbey) was consecrated. Edward the Confessor died eight days later. He was buried in Westminster Abbey in January 1066. William of Normandy would be crowned there later that year.

1066

The year of the Norman Conquest. King William of Normandy claimed that Edward the Confessor, William’s cousin, had promised him the throne of England on a visit which he had made here in 1051. When it was decreed by the Royal Council that the Crown should go to Harold, William secured sanction from Pope Alexander II for a Norman invasion of England.

On October 14^th the Normans defeated the English under King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. Harold was killed. William marched into London.

He was crowned King of England on Christmas Day.

William brought the defensive castle to England. At the eastern end of the old Roman Wall the famous the Tower of London was built, the most perfect fortress in Britain. This was the home every English King from William II, the Conqueror’s son to Henry VII.

1176

The Romans had built the first London Bridge which was made of wood. The first London Bridge made of stone was built by Peter de Colechurch who was a parish priest of St. Mary Colechurch in Cheapside.

It was 900 feet long( 290 metres), 20 feet wide (6.5 metres) and 40feet high(13 Metres). Shops and houses were built on the bridge and gradually increased in number so much that a traffic flow system had to be introduced to help the congestion. It is believed that this is where driving on the left originated as it kept the Knights sword hand ,his right, free to defend himself.

The gatehouse of London Bridge was where the severed heads of criminals and enemies were stuck on spikes.

Colechurch’s bridge was the only bridge over the River Thames until the 18^th century.

1280

Old St.Paul’s was finished, the fourth one to be completed on the same site. It was twice the size of the present Cathedral with the its tower and spire over 500 feet high (165 metres). The top of the cross of the present Cathedral is only 365 feet high (120 metres).

1348

London succumbed to a devastating outbreak of the Bubonic Plague. It had been endemic in the east for centuries. Known as the Black Death it had swept through Europe and reached London in September of this year. There had been small outbreaks before, but this decimated the population. It had spread easily through the filthy, narrow, crowded streets. Up to 100.000 people may have died before it finally burnt itself out in the 1350s.

Burial grounds were full and new ones had to be found. The foremost, in Southwark, had to cope with 200 bodies a day.

1381

The people were still reeling from the effects of the Black Death and were further burdened by the increasing Poll -Tax which was imposed by the Government to finance the long war with France. Two rebellious groups revolted, one from Essex  and one from Kent. Wat Tyler led the Kentish rebels. They marched on London and forced open prisons, beheaded the reviled lawyers of London in the street and threw jewels and valuables into the Thames. Previous attempts to meet them by the 14 year old King Richard II had been thwarted. They eventually met at Smithfield. Wat Tyler increased the peasants’ demands and was stabbed to death by the Lord Mayor Sir William Walworth. This was The Peasants’Revolt.

1411

The Guildhall of the City of London was constructed. The City of London Trade Guilds now had an official place in which to meet as well as their own Livery Halls. Here they agreed on common policy regarding the administration of the City.

1450

Jack Cade’s Rebellion. Jack Cade marched on London with an army of rebels. They were angry at the King Henry VI because of loss of lands in France, high taxation to finance the war, forced labour ,corruption and the seizure of peasant lands by nobles. His band were not only peasants but property owners, as well as clergy. They attacked the Tower of London, killing the Archbishop of Canterbury, Henry’s clerk and the Sheriff of Kent .When a truce was agreed, Cade issued his demands to officials. Some rebels were promised a pardon for their participation and they dispersed. But the Government did not agree to any of his demands. Henry ordered Cade’s arrest and he was eventually killed in Sussex by The Sheriff of Kent. Cade’s body was hung drawn and quartered and his head was stuck on a pole on London Bridge.

1533

Dissolution of the Monastries. Following the Pope’s refusal to annul the marriage of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, Henry broke away from the Catholic Church and established the Church of England. He seized all lands, buildings and possessions of the church. There were thirteen religious houses in London. They were either converted for private use or demolished. All that now remains are the names of areas of the city such as Whitefriars or Blackfriars.

1558

Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn became Queen Elizabeth I.

1586

The Royal Exchange was built by Sir Thomas Gresham and opened by Queen Elizabeth. Merchants now had a proper place to trade.

1603

James I ( James VI of Scotland) became King. He was the first English King to believe in the ‘Divine Right of Kings’ to rule. He believed that his bloodline contained Holy Blood . That was the reason for his hatred of Roman Catholics.

1605

The Gunpowder Plot was a conspiracy involving Roman Catholics planning to blow up the Houses of Parliament intending to kill the King and Queen as well as their ministers. The plotters were desperate to gain the religious tolerance they had been denied. Guido Fawkes, known as Guy Fawkes and his gang rented rooms in an unused part of the Palace of Westminster, where they placed several barrels of gunpowder. One of the co-conspirators, whose brother in law was a Member of Parliament, warned him not to attend Parliament on November 5^th. This aroused suspicion and Fawkes was discovered in the cellars. He was taken to the Tower of London where he was tortured to reveal the names of his gang. Four were killed resisting arrest . The remaining ones were executed and their heads were displayed on spikes on London Bridge. Ever since, the cellars of Westminster are checked by the Yeoman Warders before the State Opening of Parliament.

1625

James I died. His son Charles I became King. Charles also believed in Divine Rule. It was not long before he was in conflict with Parliament.

1642

The English Civil War began. The City of London allied itself with Republican forces under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell. The Republican Cavalry used Old St. Paul’s as a barracks and stable. Hackney Carriage men (Taxi drivers) joined with the Republicans. They used their horses to pull cannon in defence of the City.

1649

The Civil War ended. On January 30^th King Charles II was beheaded outside the Banqueting House in Whitehall. Oliver Cromwell was offered the Crown but refused. He took the title of Lord Protector and became Chairman of the Council of State. Puritanism dominated political and social life. England became a Republic.

1658

Oliver Cromwell died at Whitehall Palace. He was buried at Westminster Abbey.

1660

Charles II , son of Charles I made a popular return from exile.People had had enough of the strict Puritanism. He had the body of Oliver Cromwell exhumed and symbolically hanged at Tyburn as a traitor.

1665

The Great Plague killed 100.000 people. The plague was first recorded in Winter 1664, but because of the severely cold weather it seemed to be held at bay until the Spring of 1665. The warm, and later the hot weather provided ideal conditions for the disease to spread . It was thought that fleas on dogs and cats were the cause, and thousands of them were killed. This allowed the real carriers of the plague--rats- to multiply rapidly. In June King Charles left the City for Hampton Court. September saw a decline in the death rate. King Charles returned in February 1666.

1666

The Great Fire of London swept through the City from 2nd September and burned for four days. It started in the King’s Bakery in Pudding Lane (EC3). The baker, Thomas Farynor, had left a pile of kindling by the oven overnight. A spark from the fire lit the kindling and the most devastating fire ever to hit London began. Amazingly only 9 deaths were recorded, though the destruction of the City was immense. The flames consumed the Guildhall, Royal Exchange, Custom House, Baynard Castle, 52 City Livery Halls, 3 City Gates, Newgate and Bridewell Prisons plus 87 City churches including St.Paul’s. Of around 15.000 houses 13.200 were destroyed.

In Giltspur Street (EC1) there is a pub called the Golden Boy which has a statue of a pot bellied boy above its door. This is where the fire supposedly reached before it was extinguished or went out .The lesson is that the fire could have been divine retribution for the sin of ‘gluttony’. The poetic beginning and end being ‘Pudding Lane to Pie Corner’.

1675

The reconstruction of a new St.Paul’s Cathedral, designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

1694

The Bank of England was founded. Once again England was at war with France. King William III was short of money so it was proposed a national bank be founded. In association with two City merchants a plan was put together. The Tonnage Act was passed. All profits from a levy duty on shipping and alcohol went to the new Bank with an 8% rake off for the two merchants. The Bank began business in the Mercers’Hall (Cheapside) then moved to the Grocers’ Hall (Princes Street).

It moved to its present location in1724.

1743

Gin Riots. The excessive consumption of gin by both adults and children was out of control. Many adults and children drank gin by the gallon. It was safer to drink than the water available. There were many instances of typhoid particularly in the poorer east end of the city.

To curb the sale of gin, sales of which totalled about 8.000.000 gallons by 1743, the Government introduced the Gin Act in 1729 and subsequent years. Taxation on gin distillation and sales was increased .This led to violent riots which caused several deaths and much damage.

1798

The River Police Force was founded. Originally called the Marine Force, it was the first fully organised police force in the country. The Port of London was the biggest trading port in the world, with two thirds of the sea -borne trade passing through it.

Piracy and smuggling was rife.

1829

The Metropolitan Police was founded.

1834

On October 16^th a clerk of Parliament was asked to dispose of a load of unwanted ‘tally sticks’ so he put them into a stove. They burnt so fiercely that by the following morning the Palace of Westminster had been burnt to the ground. The high cost of the insurance claim for this disaster eventually forced the Government to set up a publicly funded fire brigade.

1837

The Coronation of Queen Victoria. Buckingham Palace became the new official Royal residence in London.

1838

City of London Police formed.

1851

The year of the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park. It is estimated that there were 6.000.000 visitors. Gate receipts raised enough money to fund the building of the great museums of South Kensington. The grand building, designed by William Paxton was known as the Crystal Palace. The exhibition lasted six months whereupon the enormous building was dismantled and re-erected in Sydenham, South London.

It was destroyed by fire in the 1930s.

The Knowledge of London came about because the millions of visitors wished to go farther in their Cabs, so the drivers had to learn new routes from then on.

1894

Tower Bridge opened. This was built in response to the ever increasing trade in London’s Docks. A bridge was needed that could alleviate river traffic and also road congestion. A competition was held and a committee chosen to select the winning design. Sir Horace Jones, the City architect, who just happened to be the chairman of the committee won the contract.

Tower Bridge is 800 feet long (270 metres) and has a clearance of 135 feet (40 metres). It is still lifted quite often to allow large craft through.

1888

London County Council established. It was the first Metropolitan authority to be elected directly by the people of London.

1901

Queen Victoria died. The longest reigning British Monarch to date.

1908

London hosted its first Olympic Games which were held at the White City.

1914

World War I began. London was bombed by the first aerial attacks by Zeppelin. Damage from day and night raids was suffered. Evidence of these raids can be seen on Cleopatra’s Needle on Victoria Embankment (WC2)

1936

The Battle of Cable Street. Fascists led by Oswald Mosley, planned to march through the East End of London. Barricades were built by communists, socialists and locals alike to stop them. This led to a confrontation between the ‘stop the march protesters’ and the police, who were trying to keep the street clear. The march was cancelled.

1939-1945

World War 2 saw massive areas of the City, the East End and South East London sufferring continous day and night bombing raids with tremendous loss of life and destruction of property. The Docks and railway lines were prime targets. Indiscriminate killing and damage was increased as the new V1 and V2 rockets were being launched from Europe into London.

1948

London hosted its second Olympic Games.

1953

Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

1956

The first Red Double -Decker buses arrived on the streets.

1965

The Greater London Council was inaugurated.

1966

England won the Football World Cup at Wembley Stadium.

1979

Margaret Thatcher, the first woman Prime Minister, takes over at No. 10 Downing Street.

1981

Brixton Riots. London saw its worst Race Riots in History.

1986

The Greater London Council was abolished by Margaret Thatcher, which left the city with no overall governing body.

1990

After Margaret Thatcher and her Government tried to impose a ‘Poll Tax’, serious riots broke out in Trafalgar Square.

2000

The Greater London Authority was established.

2003

The Congestion Charge was introduced in a limited area of Central London.

2005

London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.