History of London in a Weekend
London is a place steeped in a rich history and culture. The general day to day pace of life is frenetic and can often be mistaken for rudeness or arrogance. Residents are generally helpful to visitors and happy to give directions or assist with travel.
Built with the same layout style as Paris, London architecture and buildings suffered greatly during the Second World War when the Luftwaffe rained bombs onto the city, destroying countless buildings. The Victorian era left its mark on the face of London as well due to the trend for all things modern, including central London hotels, which led to the demolition of many fine examples of Edwardian and Georgian architecture.
Despite the numerous regeneration and expansion projects inflicted on the city, there is a surprising amount of items of historical interest to be found in London. From the railway arches clustered around London Bridge to the grand Victorian villas now turned into Victoria apartments, the history of the city can be read in its buildings. Early central London hotels and shops have become iconic landmarks and in the locale of Victoria apartments can be either bijou studios or stately ex-drawing rooms. Apartments in London became desirable and, in fact essential, to house the growing population after the war years.
London has a large number of Royal residencies and palaces due to the in-fighting and usurpation between clashing ruling families and most are open to the public. Buckingham Palace is the modern home of Queen Elizabeth II and rests at the end of the Mall, next to Hyde Park. The palace was purchased in 1761 by George III and it remained as a royal equivalent to the popular practice of keeping city apartments London until the first resident royal, Queen Victoria, made it her permanent residence. After Victoria apartments kept for use by the Royal Family when in London on business became far fewer. Visitors can take tours around the palace and various rooms and galleries are open to view. Nearby places of interest include Hyde Park, St James’ Palace, the Horse Guards Parade, which is still in use and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office building.
Walking from Buckingham Palace to Waterloo is well signposted and takes approximately fifteen minutes. At Westminster, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament dominate the skyline and along the River Thames on the Southbank toward Waterloo there are always street entertainers, book fairs, craft fairs, shops and cafes. Continuing to walk along the river, Borough Market at London Bridge is world famous for its high quality and exotic foodstuffs and at the site of which has been a market since the twelfth century. Also at London Bridge is the London Dungeon attraction which offers a history of London through performance and interactive displays. Continuing along the river leads to the Tower of London, a place of dark history used for imprisoning traitors and sheltering the Royal family in times of crisis which is also the home of the crown jewels which can be viewed by visitors.
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