Victoria R. Williams - London: Geography, History, and Culture

London

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London

GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY, AND CULTURE

Victoria R. Williams

Contemporary World Cities

Copyright 2022 by ABC-CLIO, LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Williams, Victoria, author.

Title: London : geography, history, and culture / Victoria R. Williams.

Description: Santa Barbara, California : ABC-CLIO, LLC, [2022] | Series: Contemporary world cities | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021024302 (print) | LCCN 2021024303 (ebook) | ISBN 9781440877438 (print) | ISBN 9781440877445 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: London (England)

Classification: LCC DA677 .W535 2022 (print) | LCC DA677 (ebook) | DDC 942.1dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021024302

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021024303

ISBN: 978-1-4408-7743-8 (print)

978-1-4408-7744-5 (ebook)

262524232212345

This book is also available as an eBook.

ABC-CLIO

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ABC-CLIO, LLC

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This book is printed on acid-free paper

Manufactured in the United States of America

Contents

In William Shakespeares The Tragedy of Coriolanus, the character Sicinius poses the question, What is the city but the people? But diving deeper than population statistics, Sicinius was rightthe heart of a city is not in its architecture or green spaces, nor is it in its stores, restaurants, Wall Streets, or red-light districts. The heart of a city is found in the people that live there, their diversity and unity, and the strong heartbeat that makes the city unique and loved by visitors and natives alike.

What is it like to live in these global centers, the main hubs of countries and regions, where industries thrive, immigrants settle, and traditions evolve? The Contemporary World Cities series examines the worlds major urban centersfrom Tokyo to Mexico City, Beijing to London, and Moscow to Paris. Each volume focuses on one major global city, incorporating information on the host country, but honing in on the urban center itself. Volumes begin with a preface and chronology of major events that have occurred in the city, followed by chapters covering the following topics:

Location

People

History

Politics

Economy

Environment and Sustainability

Local Crime and Violence

Security Issues

Natural Hazards and Emergency Management

Culture and Lifestyle

The City in Pop Culture

The Future

Chapters can be read on their own or one after another, with information suitable for researchers, general readers, and even travelers. Did you know ? sidebar boxes are scattered throughout the text, providing readers with intriguing fun facts about culture, taboos, and the unwritten rules of the city, such as how to properly order food from a street vendor to breaking down how the subway system really works. Chapters are accompanied by Life in the City inset boxes, memoir-styled interviews with people who have lived or visited each city, including exchange students and natives. These anecdotes include stories about culture shock, typical daily customs, and life in the city during major world events.

Contemporary World Cities allows readers to fully immerse themselves in another culture by gaining a better understanding of the culture, history, and society that make up the urban nerve centers of countries.

NOTES

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Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.

Samuel Johnson

That was the opinion of the English writer and lexicographer Samuel Johnson (17091784), and it is an opinion shared by many Londoners, who tend to be very proud of their hometown. This single-volume work covers all aspects of life in London, one of the worlds most vibrant cities. The book looks at Londons history from its legendary beginnings through to the modern erathrough the plague, an all-consuming fire, two world wars, postwar rebuilding, the Swinging Sixties, terrorist attacks, and into the modern era. There are sections on Londons geography and environment, including sustainability and transport issues, the citys role in popular culture (particularly in film, art, and literature), and chapters on the citys politics and economy.

The book has been kept as jargon-free as possible so that it may be enjoyed by general readers. Nonetheless, this book is aimed primarily at researchers. Keeping this in mind, each chapter can be read as a stand-alone item or as part of a wider examination of London. Additionally, each chapter is followed by notes giving sources for specific information and a Further Reading list. A Chronology of Londons history immediately follows this preface.

Sidebars are scattered throughout the book in order to provide interesting information connected to the chapters, while the Life in the City boxes document the anecdotal experiences of individual Londoners during specific times in Londons history. The Life in the City interview topics range from memories of the death of King George VI and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in the 1950s to what it was like to be teenager in swinging London of the 1960s, the excitement of attending the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, and what it is like to work in a pub during the COVID-19 pandemic. I have included my own memories of dancing in Trafalgar Square as part of a BBC television program.

I wrote this book during an extremely strange time in Londons history. In March 2020, London, like the rest of the UK, went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant individuals travel was curtailed; libraries were shut; and museums, archives, and educational establishments were closed. For this reason, it proved very difficult to access resources and interview individuals. I would like to thank all my interviewees for their help: my mother, Rosemary Williams, for her memories of royalty; my sister, Alexandra Williams, for insights into London pub life; my uncle Bill Barrett for his memories of working at Wembley Stadium; my friend, Matthew Davis, for his memories of London 2012; and his mother, Chris Davis, for reminiscing about the 1960s. I would also like to thank my former acquisitions editor at ABC-CLIO, Kaitlin Ciarmiello, for her unwavering support over the course of the writing of this book and others. As a Londoner born and bred, I feel extremely proud to have had the opportunity to write about my hometown and hope this book provides an insiders insight into London life, past, present, and future.

1100 BCE1000 BCE

According to legend, London is founded by Brutus of Troy.

43 CE

Romans invade Britain under Emperor Claudius.