The story or history of London spans over two millennia. From a muddy Roman outpost to a global powerhouse, the city constantly rebuilt itself after fire, plague, and war. Here’s how it happened.
Roman Londinium (AD 50–410)
In AD 50, Roman legions founded Londinium on the north bank of the Thames. They quickly built a wooden bridge, a bustling port, and a fortified settlement. Traders and soldiers poured in.
Just eleven years later, Queen Boudicca led her Iceni warriors into the city. She burned Londinium to ashes and massacred its inhabitants. The Romans crushed the rebellion, then rebuilt bigger and stronger.
By AD 125, workers constructed a massive 20-foot stone wall around the city. Factories produced pottery, glass, and bricks. Donkeys powered grain mills. Wealthy citizens enjoyed private baths, while public bathhouses doubled as social clubs. Gladiators fought in a 6,000-seat amphitheatre, and crowds cheered executions.
In AD 407, the last Roman legion marched out of Britain. Londinium faded into ruin.
Saxon Lundenwic (410–1066)
Germanic tribes – the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes — soon settled the land. Traders reoccupied the old Roman city, now called Lundenwic.
Christianity arrived in 604. King Ethelbert of Kent ordered Bishop Mellitus to build a cathedral dedicated to St Paul on Ludgate Hill. The first St Paul’s stood there for centuries.
In the 11th century, Edward the Confessor moved his palace to Westminster. He founded Westminster Abbey, turning a marshy island into the heart of royal power.
Medieval London (1066–1500)
William the Conqueror stormed England in 1066. On Christmas Day, he crowned himself king in Westminster Abbey. Londoners accepted his rule quickly, so William granted the city a charter of rights. He also erected a wooden fortress that became the Tower of London.
London boomed. In 1176, builders replaced the rickety wooden bridge across the Thames with a sturdy stone version lined with houses and shops.
By the 1200s, merchants praised London as one of Europe’s richest cities. In 1255, King Henry III received an elephant from the King of France – the first Londoners ever saw. The poor beast lived in the Tower menagerie.
Football grew so rowdy that authorities banned it in 1365 and ordered men to practise archery instead. In 1381, angry peasants from Kent and Essex stormed the city. They beheaded the Archbishop of Canterbury on Tower Hill. Dick Whittington really did become Mayor in 1397. The wealthy merchant funded clean water, drainage, and a ward for unmarried mothers.
Tudor & Stuart London (1500–1700)
Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1538. Monks and nuns lost their homes, and developers demolished centuries-old buildings.Coffee arrived in 1652. London’s first coffee house opened in St Michael’s Alley – a simple wooden shack that still serves coffee today.
Disaster struck twice. The Great Plague of 1665 killed 100,000 people – almost a quarter of the population. Then, in September 1666, the Great Fire destroyed 13,000 homes, 87 churches, and old St Paul’s Cathedral.
Sir Christopher Wren led the rebirth. He designed a new St Paul’s with its magnificent dome, plus dozens of city churches. In 1694, merchants founded the Bank of England.
Georgian & Victorian London (1700–1900)
The 18th century brought new hospitals – Guy’s, Westminster, St George’s – and the British Museum opened its doors in 1753.
Street cleaners finally paved and lit the roads. Gas lamps glowed on Pall Mall from 1807.
The 19th century turned London into the world’s greatest city. Railways raced outward: Euston (1837), King’s Cross (1852), and St Pancras (1868) linked the capital to the nation. In 1829, Sir Robert Peel created the Metropolitan Police. Londoners nicknamed the officers “Bobbies” after him.
The old Palace of Westminster burned down in 1834. Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin rebuilt it in Gothic style, complete with Big Ben’s tower.
Trafalgar Square appeared in the 1840s, crowned by Nelson’s Column. New parks and museums opened to the public.
20th Century & Beyond
The Blitz rained destruction in 1940–41. Londoners sheltered in Tube stations while bombs flattened entire neighbourhoods.
After the war, architects rebuilt boldly. The Royal Festival Hall rose in 1951, followed by the Barbican, the Post Office Tower (now BT Tower), and the South Bank’s concrete landmarks.
In 1965, huge crowds lined the streets for Sir Winston Churchill’s state funeral – the last great ceremony of its kind.
Today, Roman walls still stand beside gleaming skyscrapers. Medieval churches nestle between Victorian pubs. Every street corner holds a story.
Want to walk through 2,000 years of history with an expert guide who brings the past alive? Join one of our small-group London walking tours – from Roman walls to Shakespeare’s theatres, Dickens’ haunts to hidden Blitz stories – and see the city’s incredible layers for yourself. Book your adventure today!
