Coordinates: 51°30′38″N 0°15′46″W / 51.510519°N 0.262661°W / 51.510519; -0.262661

Acton
Acton Town Hall, built for Acton Urban District and opened 10 March 1910
Acton  Acton shown within Greater London
OS grid reference	TQ205805
- Charing Cross	6.4 mi (10.3 km)  E
London borough	Ealing
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	W3,W4
Postcode district	NW10
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Ealing Central and Acton
London Assembly	Ealing and Hillingdon
List of places: UK • England • London

Acton is a district of west London, England, located in the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated 6.4 miles (10 km) west of Charing Cross.

At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people.^[1] North Acton, West Acton, East Acton, South Acton, Acton Green, Acton Town and Acton Central are all parts of Acton.

Acton means "oak farm" or "farm by oak trees", and is derived from the Anglo-Saxon ac (oak) and tun (farm).^[2] Originally an ancient village, as London expanded, Acton became absorbed into the city. Nowadays, Acton lies predominantly in the London Borough of Ealing, although some of East Acton lies within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and a small portion of South Acton within the London Borough of Hounslow. Acton is home to more railway stations than any other area of London; seven stations in the locality feature Acton in their name.

Central Acton lies on the former main road between London and Oxford (the Uxbridge Road) and several inns along it date back several centuries as stopping places for travellers. Nowadays, the principal route linking London and Oxford (the A40 dual carriageway) bypasses central Acton, but passes through East Acton and North Acton.

West Acton was recently voted the nicest area in London, as voted by the public.

History[link]

St Mary's Church, King Street, Acton Central

Towards the end of the 17th century several springs were found on the north-east side of Acton and, for a time, they became health spas. As a result of the local soft water Acton became famous for its laundries and at the end of the 19th century there were around 170 establishments in South Acton. These laundries would serve hotels and the rich in London's West End, leading to the nickname "soapsuds island".

The parish of Acton formed a local board of health in 1865; becoming an urban district in 1894. The town became incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Acton in 1921. This authority combined with the municipal boroughs of Ealing and Southall to form the London Borough of Ealing, within Greater London in 1965.

Development[link]

Acton formed an urban district and, later, municipal borough of Middlesex from 1894 to 1965. Its former area was used to form part of the London Borough of Ealing in 1965.

During the 20th century Acton was a major industrial centre employing tens of thousands of people, particularly in the motor vehicles and components industries. The industries of North Acton merged with the great industrial concentrations of Park Royal and Harlesden. Further south Acton Vale had famous names including Napier & Son (engines), H. Bronnley & Co (Soaps), Evershed & Vignoles (electrical equipment), Lucas CAV (automotive electrical), Vandervell Products (bearings), T. Wall & Son (Wall's Sausages and Wall's Ice Cream) and Wilkinson Sword (swords and razors). Acton is now principally residential, though it maintains some light industry, particularly in the northeast Park Royal area, and the south near the border with Chiswick. Waitrose started in Acton, as Waite, Rose and Taylor - on the High Street near the police station - with its second branch opening in Churchfield Road in 1913.^[3]

Acton is home to the largest housing estate in West London, the South Acton estate, with approximately 2,000 homes and 5,800 residents.^[4] This area is currently in the Phase 2 of a major 15-year phased regeneration which includes near-total demolition of the existing residential units, and the construction of new and more numerous residential units.

Since World War II, Acton has had a small but notable population of Polish immigrants. In recent years, a number of Antipodean immigrants have settled there; there are several Australian and South African pubs concentrated in a small area. A Japanese school has also attracted a Japanese community to West Acton. The Somali community is concentrated around Church Road, and there are two mosques near the High Street. In addition, the Irish community has diminished somewhat in recent years, but there are still a number of well-supported Irish pubs in the area.

Leisure[link]

The Acton High Street has a range of pubs which vary in theme and clientele. The Redback Tavern was a particularly popular pub for the many young Antipodeans and South Africans who live in and travel to the area, but closed in January 2012. The newly opened 'Belvedere' on the High Street is the UK's first Polish pub run by a UK chain. More traditional pubs include the newly restored 'St George and the Dragon' on the High Street, which has earned Fancyapint.com's top 5-pint rating. The Red Lion & Pineapple (a Wetherspoons pub) is popular with all ages. Bombay Bistro is a good Indian restaurant, opposite the Bingo Hall. Leading off Acton High Street is Acton Hill on the Uxbridge Road which is home to Thai Nice, the very popular North China Restaurant and the new "Little French Restaurant". Thai Touch Therapy offering authentic Thai massage, The Chatsworth public house with beer garden and recently renovated Acton Hill Hotel complement other succcessful businesses on Acton Hill. On Churchfield Road, which runs north of and parallel to the High Street, is a range of pubs and restaurants, from the Churchfield near the level crossing to the Rocket, a gastropub, which also hosts comedy nights, film clubs, poetry reading and other events, and Lavelli's, a cafe and bread shop. Angela Malik has a cook school and deli and the Village Trading Shop offers coffee, cakes and a range of gifts. There are Lebanese, Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish bars and various restaurants including Kalinka and l'Oriental. Churchfield Road also features a florist, a butcher, a fishmonger, several specialist clothes and antique shops and many hairdressers.

The recently refurbished 'Mount' on Acton High Street hosts a Market on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Visitors can shop at stalls selling a range of produce, many stalls offering food to eat there or take away and many offering fruit, clothes, books and gifts.

Acton's library, swimming baths (built in 1904) and Town Hall are examples of tall Victorian municipal buildings that can be found along the High Street. Acton Swimming Baths closed in December 2011 for a 3 year development project, replacing the existing pools with a 25m 8-lane pool and a smaller teaching pool. The site will reopen in spring 2014.

On the east end of Acton High Street is Acton Park, which features bowls facilities, a children’s play area, tennis courts, a basket/football court, a pond and an art block. There is a cafe next to the bowling green selling meals as well as tea/coffee and cakes and ice cream.

Education[link]

Secondary schools[link]

Acton has four secondary high schools, Acton High School, Twyford Church of England School, The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls and Barbara Speake Stage School. Acton was also once home to the school of Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls before they changed their site to Elstree. Acton also hosts the King Fahed Academy - a Muslim school - and the popular Japanese school on the old Haberdashers site.

Acton in popular culture[link]

• South Acton is the site of actual housing estate featured in long running BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses - although the script described the Trotters as living in Peckham. The tower block where Rodney and Delboy were supposed to be living is the real life Harlech Tower.^[5]

• The 1971 film Villain starring Richard Burton and Ian McShane clearly features Acton Central railway station in one of its sequences. Similarly another sequence in the same film shows the characters Danny and Inspector Matthews talking while on a train which they caught at Acton Central.

• Episode 1 of How the Other Half Lives, a Channel 4 documentary, shows the poverty of one family on the South Acton estate compared to living in the wealthy part of the country.

• Acton was the birthplace of The Who, of which all members except Keith Moon went to Acton High School (then named Acton County Grammar School).

• Pete Townshend's 1982 solo album, All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes, contained the track "Stardom in Acton" in reference to his home town, while the accompanying video was filmed on and around Acton High Street.

• In the episode of Alan Partridge Towering Alan, the character Mike Sampson is from Acton. He is a socially inept character who describes Acton as having "a few too many blacks."

• An episode of Chris Morris's spoof news program The Day Today featured a segment called 'The Pool', a documentary about "St. Lamb's Pool in Acton". The scene was shot in the Acton Swimming Baths.

• The Monty Python sketch 'Bicycle Repair Man' was shot on Churchfield Road; part of the sketch 'Hell's Grannies' was shot on Acton High Street.

• The English indiepop act The Hit Parade mentions Acton in their song Henry from 1993.

• Leo Sayer's 1983 single Orchard Road in reality refers to Acton's Churchfield Road.^[6]

• In the TV series Minder, Arthur Daley's car lot was by the railway bridge in The Vale ^[7] with the door of the Winchester Club in Newburgh Road ^[8] off Churchfield Road. The lock up was the rear part of a warehouse in North Acton. These locations were for the seventh series only.

• Acton Park often hosted filming for programmes such as Rose & Macaulay and The Deal. Other parts of Acton were used for The Sweeney and early episodes of The Bill.

• The first Waitrose store in the UK was in Acton. Originally called "Waite, Rose and Taylor", it opened in 1904, at number 263 Acton Hill. A metal plate commemorating this has been inserted into the pavement outside these premises as it was not possible to obtain permission from the current owners of the building to affix a plaque onto it.

• Scenes from the 1986 movie Aliens and the 1989 movie Batman were shot inside the disused Acton Power Station.

• The Ken Loach film Ladybird Ladybird was filmed at many sites around Acton including The Mount, the Town Hall, Vyner Road, Cumberland Park and parts of South Acton.

• Musician M.I.A in interviews has hinted one of the meanings of her stage name is "Missing in Acton", with Acton being the place she grew up.

• Adam Faith the pop singer, first lived at 4 Churchfield Road, from 1940, until about 1960. ( incorrect- 47 Maple Avenue, Acton early 1950-1960 )

• The band Art of Noise featured a track entitled "Acton Art" as a B-Side to their 12" Single release of "Dragnet".

• The band Carbon/Silicon recorded a track called "Acton Zulus" for their album, The Last Post.

• Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros played a gig in support of striking firefighters on November 15, 2002 at Acton Old Town Hall, and Mick Jones joined Strummer on stage, marking the first time they performed together since Jones's departure from The Clash.

• The Don Letts documentary about The Clash, 'Westway to the World', refers to the Westway (another name for that particular section of the A40), which runs through Acton

• Clash drummer Topper Headon as a solo artist recorded a song called 'DuCane Road', named after a road in East Acton

• 1970's footballer Robin Friday who played for Reading and Cardiff City was born in Acton. The cover of the Super Furry Animals' single "The Man Don't Give a Fuck" featured a famous picture of him showing a V sign to Luton Town goalkeeper Milija Aleksic while playing for Cardiff City.

• Actresses Emilia Fox and Anna Chancellor and columnist and author Toby Young are among current (2010) prominent local residents.

• The family terraced home in which Jimmy Cooper, the lead character in The Who's film version of Quadrophenia lived, was located in Wells Home Road,( Incorrect Wells House Road ) Acton. It has since been demolished [incorrect - the house still stands and is occupied!], but was when left derelict, stripped of fixtures and fittings by devotees of the cult movie.

• Playwright/Composer Lionel Bart lived the latter part of his life in an apartment on Churchfield Road, citing the area as the closest thing he could find to the community feel of the East London "of old".

• Sandra and Samantha Lawrence The Wee Papa Girl Rappers were a British female rap duo, who came from Acton & lived in one of the tower blocks next to Acton Police Station, the picture on the back cover of their album was taken out side their block.

• Writer John Muckle's novel of motorcycle despatch riders 'London Brakes'(2010) is partly set and was largely written in Moreton Tower, Acton, in the 1980s. East Acton is the setting for the comedy series Sykes
• "My Street" an award-winning documentary by director Sue Bourne was made in Goldsmith Avenue, Acton and featured twelve households there. Soon after transmission Abu Qatada's family moved into one of the featured houses and he spent some months out on bail living in the house.

• Engineer Paul Bromley born 1969, lived in East Acton, Old Oak Common Lane. Attended Acton Technical College, currently employed by BAA at Heathrow Airport.

Transport[link]

Acton has seven railway stations, namely North, East, South, West, Central, Mainline and Town. Four of these are on the London Underground, two are on the London Overground and one is on national rail, served by First Great Western. Acton is the only town in London to have all four of the points of the compass as Stations.

Underground stations[link]

• North Acton tube station, Central Line
• East Acton tube station, Central Line
• West Acton tube station, Central Line
• Acton Town tube station, District Line and Picadilly Line

Railway stations[link]

• Acton Central railway station, London Overground
• South Acton railway station, London Overground
• Acton Main Line railway station, First Great Western

Shelved tram proposals[link]

Transport for London, led by then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, proposed to build a West London Tram between Shepherd's Bush and Uxbridge town centre. It would have run along the A4020, the Uxbridge Road, through Acton, Ealing, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall and Hayes End. This proposed scheme was highly controversial and resulted in strong differences in opinion between TfL, who supported the scheme, and local councils throughout the proposed route, who all took a 'no tram' stance.

The West London Tram was finally scrapped when former Prime Minister Gordon Brown agreed that the long-awaited Crossrail would go ahead in October 2007. Acton Main Line railway station is said to be part of the Crossrail network once it is completed.

Neighbouring places[link]

• Chiswick
• Gunnersbury
• Ealing
• Park Royal
• Harlesden
• Shepherds Bush

Gallery[link]

• South acton.JPG

  View of South Acton from Barwick House, showing Jerome Tower and Berrymede Junior School

• Acton Park1.jpg

  Acton Park

• Barwick house.JPG

  Barwick House, on the South Acton estate

• South acton harlech corfe beumaris.JPG

  Blocks of flats on the South Acton estate

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Acton, London

• British History Online - Acton

v t e London Borough of Ealing Districts Acton Acton Green Bedford Park Dormers Wells Ealing (including Brentham Garden Suburb and Pitshanger) East Acton Greenford Hanwell North Acton Northolt Norwood Green Park Royal Perivale South Acton Southall West Acton West Ealing Yeading Attractions Hoover Building London Motorcycle Museum Museum of Asian Music Pitzhanger Manor Gallery and House Wharncliffe Viaduct Parks and open spaces Acton Park Ealing Common Northala Fields Southall Park Walpole Park Constituencies Ealing Central and Acton Ealing North Ealing Southall Tube and railway stations Acton Central railway station Acton Main Line railway station Acton Town Boston Manor Castle Bar Park railway station Chiswick Park Drayton Green railway station Ealing Broadway station Ealing Common Greenford Hanger Lane Hanwell railway station North Acton North Ealing Northfields Northolt Northolt Park railway station Park Royal Perivale South Acton railway station Southall railway station South Ealing South Greenford railway station Sudbury Town West Acton West Ealing railway station Other topics People Public art Schools Parks and open spaces in Ealing

London
From upper left: City of London, Tower Bridge and London Eye, Palace of Westminster
London region in the United Kingdom
Coordinates: 51°30′26″N 0°7′39″W / 51.50722°N 0.1275°W / 51.50722; -0.1275Coordinates: 51°30′26″N 0°7′39″W / 51.50722°N 0.1275°W / 51.50722; -0.1275
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	England
Region	London
Ceremonial counties	City and Greater London
Districts	City and 32 boroughs
Settled by Romans	as Londinium, c. AD 43
Headquarters	City Hall
Government
• Regional authority	Greater London Authority
• Regional assembly	London Assembly
• Mayor of London	Boris Johnson
• UK Parliament  - London Assembly  - European Parliament	74 constituencies 14 constituencies London constituency
Area
• London	1,570 km2 (607 sq mi)
Elevation[1]	24 m (79 ft)
Population (July 2010 est.)[2]
• London	7,825,200
• Density	4,978/km2 (12,892/sq mi)
• Urban	8,278,251
• Metro	13,709,000
• Demonym	Londoner
• Ethnicity (June 2009 estimates)	Ethnic groups 69.7% White 59.5% White British 2.2% White Irish 8.0% Other White   3.5% Mixed 1.0% Black Caribbean & White 0.5% Black African & White 1.0% South Asian & White 1.0% Other mixed   13.2% South Asian 6.2% Indian 2.8% Pakistani 2.2% Bangladeshi 2.0% Other South Asian   10.1% Black 5.3% Black African 4.0% Black Caribbean 0.8% Other Black   3.5% East Asian or Other 1.5% Chinese 2.0% Other
Time zone	GMT (UTC±0)
• Summer (DST)	BST (UTC+1)
Postcode areas	E , EC , N , NW , SE , SW , W , WC , BR , CM , CR , DA , EN , HA , IG , KT , RM , SM , TN , TW , UB , WD
Area code(s)	020, 01322, 01689, 01708, 01737, 01895, 01923, 01959, 01992
Website	london.gov.uk

London ⁱ/ˈlʌndən/ is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures.^{[note 1]} Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who named it Londinium.^[3] London's ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its square-mile mediaeval boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, the name London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core.^[4] The bulk of this conurbation forms the London region^[5] and the Greater London administrative area,^{[6][note 2]} governed by the elected Mayor of London and the London Assembly.^[7]

London is a leading global city, with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence.^[8] It is the world's leading financial centre alongside New York City^[9][10][11] and has the fifth-largest city GDP in the world (and the largest in Europe).^[12] London has been described as a world cultural capital.^{[13][14][15][16]} It was the world's most visited city during 2011 ^[17][18] and London Heathrow is the world's busiest airport by number of international passengers.^[19] London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe.^[20] In 2012 London will become the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.^[21]

London has a diverse range of peoples and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken within its boundaries.^[22] In July 2010 Greater London had an official population of 7,825,200, making it the most populous municipality in the European Union,^[2][23] and accounting for 12.5% of the UK population.^[24] The Greater London Urban Area is the second-largest in the EU with a population of 8,278,251,^[25] while London's metropolitan area is the largest in the EU with an estimated total population of between 12 million^[26] and 14 million.^[27] London had the largest population of any city in the world from around 1831 to 1925.^[28]

London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; Kew Gardens; the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and St Margaret's Church; and the historic settlement of Greenwich (in which the Royal Observatory marks the Prime Meridian (0° longitude) and GMT).^[29] Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, Wembley Stadium, and Shard London Bridge. London is home to numerous museums, galleries, libraries, sporting events and other cultural institutions, including the British Museum, Natural History Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, British Library, Wimbledon, and 40 West End theatres.^[30] The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world^[31] and the second-most extensive (after the Shanghai Metro).^[32]

History[link]

Toponymy[link]

The name London may derive from the River Thames

The etymology of London is uncertain.^[33] It is an ancient name and can be found in sources from the 2nd century. It is recorded c. 121 as Londinium, which points to Romano-British origin.^[33] The earliest attempted explanation, now disregarded, is attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae.^[33] This had it that the name originated from a supposed King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it Kaerlud.^[34]

From 1898 it was commonly accepted that the name was of Celtic origin and meant place belonging to a man called *Londinos; this explanation has since been rejected.^[33] Richard Coates put forward an explanation in 1998 that it is derived from the pre-Celtic Old European *(p)lowonida, meaning 'river too wide to ford', and suggested that this was a name given to the part of the River Thames which flows through London; from this, the settlement gained the Celtic form of its name, *Lowonidonjon.^[35]

Until 1889 the name "London" officially only applied to the City of London but since then it has also referred to the County of London and now Greater London.^[4]

Prehistory and antiquity[link]

In 1300 the City was still confined within the Roman walls.

Although there is evidence of scattered Brythonic settlements in the area, the first major settlement was founded by the Romans in 43 AD.^[36] This lasted for just seventeen years and around 61, the Iceni tribe led by Queen Boudica stormed it, burning it to the ground.^[37] The next, heavily planned incarnation of the city prospered and superseded Colchester as the capital of the Roman province of Britannia in 100. At its height during the 2nd century, Roman London had a population of around 60,000. By the 7th century, the Anglo-Saxons had created a new settlement called Lundenwic over a mile (2 km) upstream from the old Roman city, around what is now Covent Garden.^[38]

It is likely that there was a harbour at the mouth of the River Fleet for fishing and trading, and this trading grew, until the city was overcome by the Vikings and forced to move east, back to the location of the Roman Londinium, in order to use its walls for protection.^[39] Viking attacks continued to increase, until 886 when Alfred the Great recaptured London and made peace with the Danish leader, Guthrum.^[40] The original Saxon city of Lundenwic became Ealdwic ("old city"), a name surviving to the present day as Aldwych, which is in the modern City of Westminster.^[41]

Two recent discoveries indicate that London could be much older than previously thought. In 1999 the remains of a Bronze Age bridge were found on the foreshore north of Vauxhall Bridge.^[42] This bridge either crossed the Thames, or went to a (lost) island in the river. Dendrology dated the timbers to 1500BC.

In 2010 the foundations of a large timber structure, dated to 4500BC, were found on the Thames foreshore, South of Vauxhall Bridge.^[43] The function of the mesolithic structure is not known, but it covers at least 50m x 10m, and numerous 30 cm posts are visible at low tides. Both structures are on South Bank, at a natural crossing point where the River Effra flows into the River Thames, and 4 km upstream from the Roman City of London. The effort required to construct these structures implies trade, stability, and a community size of several hundred people at least.

Middle Ages[link]

The Lancastrian siege of London in 1471 is attacked by a Yorkist sally.

With the collapse of Roman rule in the early 5th century, London was effectively abandoned. However, from the 6th century an Anglo-Saxon settlement known as Lundenwic developed slightly to the west of the old Roman city, around what is now Covent Garden and the Strand, rising to a likely population of 10–12,000.^[38] In the 9th century London was repeatedly attacked by Vikings, leading to a relocation of the city back to the location of Roman Londinium, in order to use its walls for protection.^[39] Following the unification of England in the 10th century London, already the country's largest city and most important trading centre, became increasingly important as a political centre, although it still faced competition from Winchester, the traditional centre of the kingdom of Wessex.

In the 11th century King Edward the Confessor re-founded and rebuilt Westminster Abbey and Westminster, a short distance upstream from London became a favoured royal residence. From this point onward Westminster steadily supplanted the City of London itself as a venue for the business of national government.^[44]

Westminster Abbey is a World Heritage Site and one of London's oldest and most important buildings as seen in this painting (Canaletto, 1749 A.D.)

Following his victory in the Battle of Hastings, William, Duke of Normandy, was crowned King of England in the newly finished Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066.^[45] William constructed the Tower of London, the first of the many Norman castles in England to be rebuilt in stone, in the southeastern corner of the city to intimidate the native inhabitants.^[46] In 1097, William II began the building of Westminster Hall, close by the abbey of the same name. The hall became the basis of a new Palace of Westminster.^[47][48]

During the 12th century the institutions of central government, which had hitherto accompanied the royal court as it moved around the country, grew in size and sophistication and became increasingly fixed in one place. In most cases this was Westminster, although the royal treasury, having been moved from Winchester, came to rest in the Tower. While the City of Westminster developed into a true capital in governmental terms, its distinct neighbour, the City of London, remained England's largest city and principal commercial centre and flourished under its own unique administration, the Corporation of London. In 1100 its population was around 18,000; by 1300 it had grown to nearly 100,000.^[49]

Disaster struck during the Black Death in the mid-14th century, when London lost nearly a third of its population.^[50] London was the focus of the Peasants' Revolt in 1381.^[51]

Early modern[link]

The Great Fire of London destroyed many parts of the city in 1666.

London in 1806

During the Tudor period the Reformation produced a gradual shift to Protestantism, with much of London passing from church to private ownership.^[52] The traffic in woollen cloths shipped undyed and undressed from London to the nearby shores of the Low Countries, for use by well-to-do wearers chiefly in the interior of the continent. But the tentacles of English maritime enterprise hardly extended beyond the seas of north-west Europe. The commercial route to Italy and the Mediterranean Sea normally lay through Antwerp and over the Alps; any ship passing through the Strait of Gibraltar to or from England were likely to be Italian or Ragusan. Upon the re-opening of the Netherlands to English shipping in January 1565 there at once ensued a strong outburst of commercial activity.^[53] The Royal Exchange was founded.^[54] Mercantilism grew and monopoly trading companies such as the East India Company were established, with trade expanding to the New World. London became the principal North Sea port, with migrants arriving from England and abroad. The population rose from an estimated 50,000 in 1530 to about 225,000 in 1605.^[52]

In the 16th century William Shakespeare and his contemporaries lived in London at a time of hostility to the development of the theatre. By the end of the Tudor period in 1603, London was still very compact. There was an assassination attempt on James I in Westminster, through the Gunpowder Plot on 5 November 1605.^[55] London was plagued by disease in the early 17th century,^[56] culminating in the Great Plague of 1665–1666, which killed up to 100,000 people, or a fifth of the population.^[57]

The Great Fire of London broke out in 1666 in Pudding Lane in the city and quickly swept through the wooden buildings.^[58] Rebuilding took over ten years and was supervised by Robert Hooke^[59][60][61] as Surveyor of London.^[62] In 1708 Christopher Wren's masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral was completed. During the Georgian era new districts such as Mayfair were formed in the west; and new bridges over the Thames encouraged development in South London. In the east, the Port of London expanded downstream.

In 1762 George III acquired Buckingham House and it was enlarged over the next 75 years. During the 18th century, London was dogged by crime and the Bow Street Runners were established in 1750 as a professional police force.^[63] In total, more than 200 offences were punishable by death,^[64] and women and children were hanged for petty theft.^[65] Over 74 per cent of children born in London died before they were five.^[66] The coffeehouse became a popular place to debate ideas, with growing literacy and the development of the printing press making news widely available; and Fleet Street became the centre of the British press.

According to Samuel Johnson:

Late modern and contemporary[link]

A London street hit during the Blitz of World War II

London was the world's largest city from about 1831 to 1925.^[68] London's overcrowded conditions led to cholera epidemics,^[69] claiming 14,000 lives in 1848, and 6,000 in 1866.^[70] Rising traffic congestion led to the creation of the world's first local urban rail network. The Metropolitan Board of Works oversaw infrastructure expansion. It was replaced in 1889 by the London County Council, London's first elected city-wide administration. The Blitz and other bombing by the German Luftwaffe during World War II killed over 30,000 Londoners and destroyed large tracts of housing and other buildings across London. Immediately after the war, the 1948 Summer Olympics were held at the original Wembley Stadium, at a time when the city had barely recovered from the war.

In 1951 the Festival of Britain was held on the South Bank. The Great Smog of 1952 led to the Clean Air Act 1956, which ended the "pea-souper" fogs for which London had been notorious. From the 1940s onwards, London became home to a large number of immigrants, largely from Commonwealth countries such as Jamaica, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, making London one of the most diverse cities in Europe.

Primarily starting in the mid-1960s, London became a centre for the worldwide youth culture, exemplified by the Swinging London subculture associated with the King's Road, Chelsea and Carnaby Street. The role of trendsetter was revived during the punk era. In 1965 London's political boundaries were expanded to take into account the growth of the urban area and a new Greater London Council was created. During The Troubles in Northern Ireland, London was subjected to bombing attacks by the Provisional IRA. Racial inequality was highlighted by the 1981 Brixton riot. Greater London's population declined steadily in the decades after World War II, from an estimated peak of 8.6 million in 1939 to around 6.8 million in the 1980s. The principal ports for London moved downstream to Felixstowe and Tilbury, with the London Docklands area becoming a focus for regeneration as the Canary Wharf development. This was borne out of London's ever-increasing role as a major international financial centre during the 1980s.

The Thames Barrier was completed in the 1980s to protect London against tidal surges from the North Sea. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986, which left London as the only large metropolis in the world without a central administration. In 2000, London-wide government was restored, with the creation of the Greater London Authority. To celebrate the start of the 21st century, the Millennium Dome, London Eye and Millennium Bridge were constructed. On 7 July 2005, three London Underground trains and a double-decker bus were bombed in a series of terrorist attacks.^[71]

Government[link]

London

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of London

Sovereign Elizabeth II Greater London Authority Mayor Boris Johnson Deputy Richard Barnes London Assembly Mayoral elections Constituencies City of London Corporation Lord Mayor Sheriff Wards Court of Aldermen Parliament of the United Kingdom 1998 referendum GLA Act 1999 GLA Act 2007 Elections Constituencies European Parliament Elections European Parliament constituency Committee of the Regions Subsidiarity Boroughs Middle Temple Inner Temple

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Local government[link]

The Greater London Authority is based in City Hall, Southwark

The administration of London is formed of two tiers—a city-wide, strategic tier and a local tier. City-wide administration is coordinated by the Greater London Authority (GLA), while local administration is carried out by 33 smaller authorities.^[72] The GLA consists of two elected components; the Mayor of London, who has executive powers, and the London Assembly, who scrutinise the mayor's decisions and can accept or reject his budget proposals each year. The headquarters of the GLA is City Hall, Southwark; the current mayor is Boris Johnson. The mayor's statutory planning strategy is published as the London Plan, which was most recently revised in 2011.^[73] The local authorities are the councils of the 32 London boroughs and the City of London Corporation.^[74] They are responsible for most local services, such as local planning, schools, social services, local roads and refuse collection. Certain functions, such as waste management, are provided through joint arrangements. In 2009–2010 the combined revenue expenditure by London councils and the GLA amounted to just over 22 billion ₤ (14.7 billion ₤ for the boroughs and 7.4 billion ₤ for the GLA)^[75]

Policing in Greater London, with the exception of the City of London, is provided by the Metropolitan Police Force, overseen by the Metropolitan Police Authority. The City of London has its own police force – the City of London Police.^[76] The British Transport Police are responsible for police services on National Rail and London Underground services in the capital.^[77]

The London Fire Brigade is the statutory fire and rescue service for Greater London. It is run by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority and is the third-largest fire service in the world.^[78] National Health Service ambulance services are provided by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) NHS Trust, the largest free at the point of use emergency ambulance service in the world.^[79] The London Air Ambulance charity operates in conjunction with the LAS where required. Her Majesty's Coastguard and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution operate on the River Thames.^[80][81]

National government[link]

London is the seat of the Government of the United Kingdom, which is located around the Palace of Westminster. Many government departments are located close to Parliament, particularly along Whitehall, including the Prime Minister's residence at 10 Downing Street.^[82] The British Parliament is often referred to as the "Mother of Parliaments" (although this sobriquet was first applied to England itself by John Bright)^[83] because it has been the model for most other parliamentary systems, and its Acts have created many other parliaments.

Geography[link]

Scope[link]

Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London. The small, ancient City of London at its core once contained the whole settlement, but as the urban area grew the City Corporation resisted attempts to amalgamate it with its suburbs, causing "London" to be defined in a number ways for different purposes; and the situation was once open to legal debate.^[84] Forty per cent of Greater London is covered by the London post town, within which 'LONDON' forms part of postal addresses.^[85][86]

Satellite view of London

Map of central London

The London telephone area code (020) covers a larger area, similar in size to Greater London, although some outer districts are omitted and some places just outside are included. The area within the orbital M25 motorway is normally what is referred to as 'London'.^[87] and the Greater London boundary has been aligned to it in places.^[88]

Outward urban expansion is now prevented by the Metropolitan Green Belt,^[89] although the built-up area extends beyond the boundary in places, resulting in a separately defined Greater London Urban Area. Beyond this is the vast London commuter belt.^[90] Greater London is split for some purposes into Inner London and Outer London.^[91] The city is split by the River Thames into North and South, with an informal central London area in its interior. The coordinates of the nominal centre of London, traditionally considered to be the original Eleanor Cross at Charing Cross near the junction of Trafalgar Square and Whitehall, are approximately 51°30′26″N 00°07′39″W / 51.50722°N 0.1275°W / 51.50722; -0.1275.^[92]

Status[link]

Within London, both the City of London and the City of Westminster have city status and both the City of London and the remainder of Greater London are the ceremonial counties.^[93] The current area of Greater London has incorporated areas that were once part of the counties of Middlesex, Kent, Surrey, Essex and Hertfordshire.^[94] London's status as the capital of England, and later the United Kingdom, has never been granted or confirmed officially—by statute or in written form.^{[note 3]}

Its position was formed through constitutional convention, making its status as de facto capital a part of the UK's unwritten constitution. The capital of England was moved to London from Winchester as the Palace of Westminster developed in the 12th and 13th centuries to become the permanent location of the royal court, and thus the political capital of the nation.^[98] More recently, Greater London has been defined as a region of England and in this context known as London.^[5]