London History

Historic Timeline

 * 1381 - Peasant's Revolt attacks London
 * Mid-1400s - Black Death killed half of London's population
 * 1500s - Expansion of overseas trade
 * 1540 - Major roads leading to London were paved
 * 1600s - London limits expand beyond the City Walls
 * 1665-1666 - Great Plague killed 70,000 Londoners
 * 1666 - Great Fire of London
 * 1674 - Clandestine marriages at Fleet Prison first recorded in registers
 * 1700s - London's role at centre of British Empire begins
 * 1750 - Westminster Bridge opened
 * 1831 - Became world's largest city
 * 1836 - First London railroad constructed
 * 1863 - London Underground subway system began
 * 1886-1894 - Tower Bridge built
 * 1888 - County of London established, absorbing the metropolitan area of Middlesex
 * 1900 - County of London divided into 28 new boroughs plus the City
 * 1925 - Lost status as world's largest city
 * 1930s - Large numbers of Jewish immigrants arrived
 * 1950s - Large numbers of Commonwealth immigrants began to arrive
 * 1965 - Greater London established replacing the former administrative counties of Middlesex and London, in addition to absorbing parts of Kent, Surrey, Essex and Hertfordshire. Reorganised the existing boroughs into 32 new boroughs plus the City

Books

 * Allen, Thomas. The History and Antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark and Parts Adjacent. 4 vols. London: Cowie and Strange, 1828. Digital versions at Google Books: Vol. III | Vol. IV.

Websites

 * London's Past Online - Bibliography of British and Irish History. Exhaustive list of 40,000+ London histories categorized by topic. Subscription required.
 * London Lives 1690 to 1800 ~ Crime, Poverty and Social Policy in the Metropolis