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London historyhome > London history
After the Romans departed, trade went on and the city survived the incursions of both the Saxons and Vikings. Fifty years before the Normans arrived, Edward the Confessor built his abbey and palace at Westminster. William the Conqueror raised the White Tower (part of the Tower of London) and confirmed the city's right to self-government and independence. Medieval Tudor and Jacobean London was virtually destroyed by the Great Fire of 1666, but gave Christopher Wren the opportunity to build his famous churches (like St. Paul's cathedral). By 1720 there were 750,000 people, and London, as the seat of Parliament and focal point for a growing empire, was becoming ever richer and more important. Georgian architects replaced the last of medieval London with their imposing symmetrical architecture and residential squares. The population exploded again in the 19th century, creating a vast expanse of Victorian suburbs. As a result of the Industrial Revolution and rapidly expanding commerce, it jumped from 2.7 million in 1851 to 6.6 million in 1901. Great swathes of the city centre and the East End were totally bombed during WWII, after which low-cost developments were thrown up on the bomb sites. Shipping moved to Tilbury, and the Docklands declined. In the 1980s, the Docklands were redeveloped by a wave of property developers and it has again become a flourishing area (and incredibly expensive). The face of the city changed at the end of the 20th century with the construction of the £1bn white elephant called the Millennium Dome (a big tent visible from orbit), the London Eye observation wheel near Waterloo, the Tate Modern gallery and the creation of the British Museum's Great Court. London's cost of living increases every year making it the most expensive place in England to live, and the gap between rich and poor continues to grow ever larger.
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