History of London, UK (England). London chronology

London Chronology

“This melancholy London- I sometimes imagine that the souls of the lost are compelled to walk through its streets perpetually. One feels them passing like a whiff of air.” said William Butler Yeats once about the British capital. And indeed you can literally sense history in the streets and squares of this amazing metropolis.

Early history
1066	William the Conqueror is crowned the king of England at Westminster Abbey.
1097	William II begins the construction of Westminster Hall.

12-15th Century
early 12th Century	The population of London amounts to approximately 8,000.
1123	St Bartholomew’s Priory is founded in the city.
1176	The first stone bridge in London is built and it remains the only one until 1739.
1191	Richard I acknowledges the right of London to self-government.
1192	Elections for the first mayor of London are held.
1245	Henry III begins reconstruction works at the Westminster Abbey.
1280	The Old St Paul’s cathedral is finished.
1381	London is invaded by peasants during the Peasant’s Revolt lead by Wat Tyler.
1461	Edward IV grabs the throne supported by the London merchants.
1477	William Caxton prints the first book on his printing press.
1411-1440	Representatives of various guilds gather at the Guildhall.
1348-1665	16 outbreaks of plague are recorded during this period.
1485	Henry VII takes the throne. The population of London is 75,000.

16-17th Century
1566	An international exchange is founded by Thomas Gresham so that London could compete for financial power with Amsterdam.
1560	It becomes the Royal Exchange and today is housed in a Victorian building near the Bank of England Museum.
1598	A retired tailor, John Stow, writes a survey of London which gives a historic snapshot of Tudor London and its history. Every year a ceremony in his honour is held at St Andrew Undershaft church, where he is buried.
1599	The globe Theatre, staging many of Shakespeare’s plays, is built on the South Bank.
1600	By that period the population of London has risen to 200,000.
November 5, 1605	The Houses of Parliament opens. Catholic conspirators are planning to kill the new king but the plot, called the Gunpowder Plot, fails and is commemorated with the celebration of Bonfire Night today.
1613	The Globe Theatre burns down.
1631	Inigo Jones designs Covent Garden piazza.
1637	The royal reserve of Hyde Park is opened to the public by Charles I. It becomes the first public park.
1660	Charles II is brought to the throne by the Restoration of the Monarchy. The theatre is earns royal approval and is no longer banned.
1665	Theatre Royal Drury Lane gains the royal warrant. The same year, the Great Plague bursts out, brought from Holland by ship. It is estimated that the pandemic claimed 70,000 – 100, 000 lives.
September 2, 1666	The Great Fire started in the baker's shop and raged for four days among the wooden houses till the wind carrying it stopped. Most of the city was totally destroyed.

Modern History 19-20th Century
1800	The population is one million
19th Century	The population increases to six million.
1829	Sir Robert Peel founds the Metropolitan Police, which becomes known as 'Bobbies’. They are to handle law and order outside the City proper.
1830	Trafalgar Square is created and two years later the National Gallery is erected there.
1834	The Houses of Parliament burn down.
1836	The first railway is built from London Bridge to Greenwich.
1850	Major station at King’s Cross is built.
1851	The Great Exhibition takes place. This is the first world fair that shows manufacturing and technology from all countries. It is held at Hyde Park and is attended by more than 200,000 people.
1859	Big Ben - the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament, is built.
1863	The first underground railway from Paddington to Farringdon Road in London is completed.
1870	Laws providing compulsory education for children from five to twelve years are passed.
1904	The first motor bus service begins in London.
1905	Knightsbridge store at Harrods opens.
1906	The first underground electric train is in service. The Ritz hotel opens the same year.
1907	Selfridges opens.
Fall of 1915	Zeppelin bombs fall near Guildhall and kill 39 people.
1921	The population of London reaches 7.5 million.
1926	General Strike erupts because of labour unrest.
1930’s	Large numbers of Jews come to London.
1936	The Crystal Palace burns to the ground.
1938	Many people escape to the countryside because of the threat of German invasion.
1951	The centenary of the Great Exhibition is celebrated with the Festival of Britain.
1946	Heathrow airport is opened for commercial flights.
1956	The first double-decker bus appears in London.
1972-1982	The Thames Barrier is built to control flooding.

21st Century
January 1, 2000	The Millennium Dome opens.