Things to Know About London
- Nov 1, 2019
- 5 min read
GENERAL INFORMATION ON LONDON
London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, it is the countries largest city and has a population of nearly 9 million people and is located in the South East of England along the Thames River.
London has been a settlement of one description or another since 4800BCE but it wasn't until the Romans established the city of Londinium around 47CE that the city began to thrive and prosper. It's early years were turbulent, succumbing to Queen Boudica and her warring Iceni, but it was rebuilt and grew rapidly, replacing Colchester as the capital of Roman Britain. The city was prosperous and already ethnically diverse as it had residents from all parts of the Roman Empire but this attracted attacks from Saxons eager for the riches that Londinium held and for at least 400 years the Saxons were kept at bay.However as the Roman Empire began to decline so did the city and when the Romans left Britain the city was almost abandoned. The Anglo-Saxons slowly filtered their way back into the city and the next few hundred years saw many battles between the Saxons and the Vikings, both ruling the city at different times. During this time the first St Paul's Cathedral was established.
It wasn't until 1042 under Edward the Confessor (who was responsible for the foundation of Westminster Abbey) that the Vikings were finally thrown out of London, however 'English' rule only lasted until 1066 when the Normans conquered Britain.
Around this time the population of London was around 15,00 but by 1300 it had grown to 80,000 of which half were lost during the Black Death of the mid-1400s.
The Reformation followed with Protestantism replacing the Catholic Church and during this time London rose in importance as one of Europe's greatest cities, however foreigners were not welcome and many left to return to their native lands, The city continued to grow and by the time the Great Plague hit in the 1660s (which wiped out 1/5th of the population) London had reached almost 300,000 people many of whom were left homeless when the Great Fire of 1666 wiped out 60% of the city (with only the loss of 17 known lives) This is when much of the city we know today started to take form as the city was rebuilt with stone and mortar instead of wood.
As the British Empire grew so did the city of London and in the 1800s was the largest capital city in the world and the railways that were built in the early 1830s helped the city grow even more.
World War 1 and 2 had a huge influence on London with refugees flooding into the city and bombing raids from zepellin airships in the first war and the consistent bombing raids which destroyed thousands of buildings and left hundreds of thousands of Londoners homeless.
The Londoners however were hardy people with a resilient spirit and it wasn't long before they were back on the feet again and building London in to the thriving city it is today.
It hasn't been without hardship and problems with racial tensions with immigrants moving in from the vast areas of the Commenwealth, "The Troubles' relating to the issues that England had with Northern Ireland and more recent terror related incidents but the city has continued to grow and adapt into a wonderful city rich with history and a mix of cultures, which in the most part live amicably together and is well worth a visit to explore everything it has to offer.
London is a mecca for tourists, not as only the gateway to the United Kingdom but Europe itself, however if London is your only European destination there is still plenty to see and experience, great historical sites, both old and modern architecture to admire. There are museums galore, great theatres to see some amazing shows, wonderful parks for walking and lots of places for shopping and hopefully you get to experience a little of everything while you are there.
Food
Food in England has often had a bad reputation for being unappetising and boring however with an influx of immigrants and the influence they have brought to food has created some amazing fusion food that is worth trying. There are still many of the familiar favorites like fish and chips, pie and mushy peas, sausages and mash, a 'fry-up' for breakfast, but there is nothing you can't find if you look hard enough. Enjoy the experiences, both the traditional and the new and it could be a wonderful culinary experience for you.
Language
The official language is English although there are over 300 languages spoken
Currency
The currency is Pound Sterling consisting of banknotes for £50, £20 £10 and £5 and coins for £2, £1, 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p and 1p
ATM machines can be found on nearly every corner but make sure that you only have a 4-pin code as they will not accept longer pins. Credit and debit cards are widely accepted but remember that you may be charged conversion rates if you are using your usual bankcard instead of a travel money card.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN LONDON
There are many options when traveling into London airports from overseas as there are six different airports that service the city, the Tube (London's underground) runs to and from London's largest airport Heathrow, Gatwick has it's own train station to and from London's Victoria station, a shuttle bus links Luton Airport with the Luton Airport Parkway rail station which can be accessed to and from St Pancras Station, the light rail runs to London City Airport and both Stansted and Southend airports have trains connecting to and from Liverpool St Station.
From here there are buses, taxis and an underground (tube) consisting of 11 lines which is very efficient and easy to use If you are planning on spending a lot of time using the public transport system in London consider getting a London Public Transportation Card (Oyster Card/Visitor Oyster Card) which costs up front £5 and then you add money to the card (suggested amount £20) which can be used on most major transport networks (and also works out cheaper if you are doing a lot of traveling as there is a daily price cap and once you have reached that your trips are free excluding MBNA Thames Clippers River Bus where there is no cap.
3/ ELECTRICITY
You will need an adaptor to charge your electrical goods (remember that if you are using London as a stepping stone into the rest of Europe you will need different adaptors than what is used in other parts of Europe)
TIPPING
Tipping is expected between 10-15% although do check your restaurant bill which may already have a 12.5% service charge on the bill so be aware and don't tip twice. If you are using a cab round the cost up to the nearest pound
TOILETS
Make sure you carry tissues and wipes because toilet paper may not always be available. Be prepared though, that some public toilets will ask you for money to use them, so be prepared with between 50p to £1 to use the toilet.
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