Central London Walks 3: Walking Through the City

Focus: The City

Historical Context

• Roman Times: During the Roman era, this was the area of the Roman city of Londinium. Living residences, a fortress, a large basilica and forum, several public baths, a Mythrian temple, a marketplace, a governor’s palace, and other features typical of a large Roman town of its time were all within its confines.
• Medieval Times: During the medieval era, London grew in size and importance—from a small Saxon village, called Ludinwic (built on the ruins of Londinium, which was probably largely deserted after the demise of the Roman empire), to a respectable medieval town. In the process, it gained a great deal of autonomy from the monarchy, which had established itself at Westminster Palace, near the abbey, in what is now the western part of Greater London.
• Tudor Times: The major financial district in London, known as the “City,” emerged here during the Tudor era and has remained to the present.
• Stuart Times: During the Stuart era, the City was the scene of a major plague in 1665 and the Great Fire of 1666, which reduced much of the City to rubble. This opened the way for the rebuilding of much of London under the skillful guidance of Sir Christopher Wren, who became its major architect. Many of his churches, the greatest of which is St. Paul’s, are seen in the City.
• Modern Times: Currently the City is one of the major financial markets of the modern world, along with Wall Street in New York and Marunouchi in Tokyo.

Places to Visit When You Have More Time

St. Paul’s, Museum of the Bank of London, Leadenhall Market, the Monument

The City on Another Day

There is more to the environs of the City than the area inside the walls. Sometime you might take the tube to the Aldgate stop and have a look around that area. The famous marketplace at Petticoat Lane is just around the corner from the tube stop—although it is only open officially on Sunday, the spirit of a marketplace has spilled out onto other streets, and some of those markets are maintained all week long. Petticoat Lane, officially a segment of Middlesex Street, is on what was once named Hog Lane. Later, when the markets that were once on London Bridge (more on that later) left the bridge, those associated with secondhand clothing moved to this part of London—hence the name Petticoat Lane.

There is also a fascinating underground mall at Aldgate. This is one of the places in London where a slum was conveniently bypassed by going underground, rather than destroying the buildings on the surface. Restaurants and shopping places are all ultra modern—and underground.

Adjacent to Aldgate is another notorious segment of London: Whitechapel. Some of you who are more adventurous may wish to take the tube into Aldgate station and walk the Aldgate High Street into Whitechapel High Street. The Aldgate/Whitechapel area has a reputation of being a slum area; it is still quite rundown today (I don’t recommend that any of you go there alone.). This is the region of the city where the infamous murders by Jack the Ripper took place in 1888. At that time, the area was occupied largely by immigrants. In 1901, in an attempt to bring some culture into the community and thereby improve the quality of the citizens living there, an art gallery was established on Whitechapel High Street. It still functions today as one of London’s fine galleries.

Remember, there is more to see and do in London than could ever be covered in one guide book. Don’t be afraid to explore on your own.