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Hiking, Biking, Boating, Touring, Climbing,
Riding, Flying, Running,
and Exploring in
HOME AT
FIRST's destinations. |
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ADVENTURE OF THE MONTH—APRIL,
2005 |
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If you’re like lots of foreign visitors to London, you’ve probably got West End
fever. Buckingham Palace, Parliament, Horse Guards Parade, Hyde Park, Harrods, Soho, and
West End Theatres are the big draws in the West End. But, as we’ve documented in
these pages before, there’s much more to London than the West End. In fact,
we’ll dare to rewrite Horace Greeley by suggesting that, in London, to find
adventure, go east, young man, go east. Take a chance, and come along for a
half-day’s discovery tour through parts of London not knee-deep in tourists. Walk
with us
in the City of London.
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OUR WALK BEGINS AND ENDS
AT ST.
KATHARINE'S MARINA
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"The
City", or "The Square Mile", is the original city of London and
London’s financial & banking center. The City is home to the Bank of England,
London’s International Stock Exchange, Lloyds of London, and many other major
financial institutions. During working hours on weekdays The City has a population of
300,000, making it a densely populated square mile. But after 5PM and on weekends and
holidays The City of London is home to only about 7,000 residents, changing its character
to something more like a provincial town.
The City of
London has its own mayor, its own police force—separate from those of Greater
London—and fully 2,000 years of continuous history. The City served as an important
settlement to conquering Romans, Saxons, and Normans, before becoming the center of the
English-speaking world. Its boundaries were defined by the defensive barrier wall built by
the Romans shortly after the founding of Londinium in the 1st century. After the Romans
abandoned London to the Saxons in the 5th century, London expanded beyond the Roman walls.
But, with the Norman Conquest the borders of the City of London became fixed to
approximately its current limits. Neighboring cities and boroughs, like the City of
Westminster (a principal piece of the West End)
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and the Borough of Tower
Hamlets just east of The City (including St. Katharines Marina), grew
up around the historic City of London.
Although a few
tantalizing sections of the old London Wall remain—including a very visible portion
Home at First guests pass every day as they walk the 5 minutes to Tower Hill Underground
Station—the traditional borders of The City have long ago disappeared. In fact,
despite its continuous habitation for two millennia, the principal evolution of The City
of London has been driven by conquest, disease, fire, and war. Remarkably, The City of
London has rebounded to greater size and success after each calamity; renewing and
reinventing itself has been the salvation of The Square Mile. Still, if you know where to
look, you can still spot evidence of the previous incarnations of the last 2,000 years of
history tucked among some of the most expensive real estate on earth. A walk through the
southeastern quadrant of The City provides more than a few clues into the rich past of
this oldest part of London. |
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Follow the golden trail on the interactive map below. Click on the links in the 10
captions below or on sections of the interactive map that follows to see details of what
you will be seeing and experiencing along the way, including:
1. Discover
Romans,
Saxons, Normans, and headless nobles en
route to London's most historic street market.
2. Shop for street fashions on
Petticoat Lane.
(But watch for Jack the Ripper!)
3. Gawk at the
‘Erotic Gherkin’, London’s
latest controversial landmark.
4. Find out what brought John Wayne, Harry Potter, Angelina Jolie,
Russell Crowe, and Robert Mitchum to
Leadenhall
Market.
5. Learn about London's first public conveniences, at the Royal Exchange.
6. Heft gold bars for free at the
Bank of England.
7. More Romans, plus explaining "Monument for Bank" on
King William St.
8. Learn why London’s second Great Fire may have been a good thing,
at the Monument.
9. Discover connections with ancient Rome & early Pennsylvania
at London’s oldest church.
10. And have time left over for a visit to the
Tower of
London,
the Tower Bridge, or an afternoon nap.
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Learn how to plan your own journey of
discovery to London with Home At First.
(When you do, you can easily walk
through the City of London in a day.)
Home
At
First offers travel to London and many other great regions throughout the British Isles.
After a week or two in a London apartment, why not plan additional time in a cottage
elsewhere
in England, or in Scotland, Ireland, or Wales. Minimum rental is one
week,
and mixing and matching Home at First destinations is easy with our help.
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