London is the capital of England and is still easily the largest, financially rich and holds more political power than either of the other three capital cities of the British Isles. And it would not be an exaggeration to say that London is still one of the great capital cities in the world. But, how did London get to be where it is now? And what were the reasons why it was chosen as the location to build a settlement, then a town, a city , a capital city and finally, a great capital city?
In a word, or in this case, three words which can be heard from most estate agents around the world and they are location, location, location. And the same holds for London. We can start our search for reasons in the early years of the Roman occupation of Britannia as they called the country. At this time, London was no more than a settlement besides a large wide river. There were a number of islands within the river which would soon have the name Tamesis Flumen.
What Londinium may have looked like
Although the whole area was undeveloped, the Romans saw that it had potential. The area was in the south-east of the country and the river flowed into the North Sea which gave it a good access point to Europe and beyond. This ease of transportation was of great importance to the Roman Empire. Other factors that would make a future London stand out was that at this point, the river was narrower, so that it was possible to build a wooden bridge across to the south bank. This would be the first London Bridge. Even though the river narrowed here, it still had enough depth for the Romans to sail their ships in and out. There were also a number of tributaries off the Thames which allowed them to sail a little more inland.
Over those years, the settlement grew into a town and hub which the Romans named Londinium. And as its importance rose, the need to protect it also grew. A wall was built around the central part of the city. Parts of it can still be seen and it pretty much enclosed what we call the Square Mile of the City of London today. Within these walls, the Romans built their forum, a palace for the governor and an amphitheatre as well as other official buildings and residences.
The Roman occupation lasted for over 300 years. There was peace between them and the local tribes for some of the time and at others, there was wholesale bloodshed on all sides. Perhaps the most famous attack against the occupiers came in the form of Queen Boudica. Tens of thousands died pf account of her until she was defeated and probably killed by reinforcements of Roman Legions.
When the Romans finally left these shores, it seemed as though the country had lost impetus. The fast advances in society that it had witnessed now slowed and some might say, almost ground to a halt. These were called the Dark Ages. However, recent evidence seems to indicate the Dark Ages were a lot lighter than we thought. But, that is another story. London continued to grow in size and stature until today the city measures about 22 miles east-west and about 11 miles north-south and with millions of people including me, calling it home.
John Pullen 