The City on the Thames: The Creation of a World Capital: A History of London

by Simon Jenkins

Overview

By the former editor of the London Times, a vivid, evocative, and deeply knowledgeable history of this unique world capital.

London: a settlement founded by the Romans, occupied by the Saxons, conquered by the Danes, and ruled by the Normans. This transformative place became a medieval maze of alleys and courtyards, later to be checkered with grand estates of Georgian splendor. It swelled with industry and became the center of the largest empire in history. And having risen from the rubble of the Blitz, it is now one of the greatest cities in the world.

From the prehistoric occupants of the Thames Valley to the preoccupied commuters of today, Simon Jenkins brings together the key events, individuals and trends in London's history to create a matchless portrait of the capital. He masterfully explains the battles that determined how London was conceived and built—and especially the perennial conflict between money and power.

Based in part on his experiences of and involvement in the events that shaped the post-war city, and with his trademark color and authority, Simon Jenkins shows above all how London has taken shape over more than two thousand years. Fascinating for locals and visitors alike, this is narrative history at its finest, from the most ardent protector of British heritage.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643135526
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	09/01/2020
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	280,256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Simon Jenkins is author of the international bestsellers A Short History of England and A Short History of Europe. He is a former Editor of the Evening Standard and The Times, and is currently a columnist for the Guardian. He has served on boards involved in London's transport, housing, arts, and conservation. He has lived in London since infancy, in four of its boroughs, three of them north and one south of the river.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations xi

Maps xix

Introduction 1

1 Londinium: 43-410 7

Old Father Thames

Rome and Boudicca

Londinium's decline

2 Saxon City: 410-1066 15

Lundenwic

Christianity reborn

Saxons and Danes

London and Westminster

3 Medieval Metropolis: 1066-1348 24

Norman Conquest

Growth of trade

De Montfort's Rebellion

Monarchy vs Money

4 The Age of Chaucer and Whittington: 1348-1485 33

Plague and Revolt

Chaucer's London

Church and politics

Medieval epitaph

5 Tudor London: 1485-1603 43

Reformation Capital

Dissolution of the Monasteries

Elizabeth I

Mapping the city

John Stow

Dawn of planning

6 Stuarts and Rebellion: 1603-1660 57

James I

Inigo Jones

Charles I

Civil War

The Commonwealth

7 Restoration, Calamity, Recovery: 1660-1688 69

Charles II

Rise of the square

The Plague and Pepys

The Great Fire

Rebuilding the city

Development of Westminster

8 Dutch Courage: 1688-1714 87

Succession crisis

William of Orange

Royal palaces

Rise of banking

Westward expansion

9 Hanoverian Dawn: 1714-1763 97

Whig ascendancy

Growth of family estates

The Enlightenment

Law, order and gin

Budging the Thames

10 A Tarnished Age: 1763-1789 115

George III

Gordon riots

The spirit of improvement

1774 Building Act

The great estates revived

Class divisions

11 Regency: The Dawn of Nash: 1789-1825 129

Revolution in France

War economy

The 'royal way'

George IV

Waterloo churches

12 Cubittopolis: 1825-1832 139

Belgravia

The Ladbroke disaster

Development north and east

The City's independence

Demands for reform

13 The Age of Reform: 1832-1848 151

1834 Poor Law

Westminster rebuilt

Cholera

Arrival of the train

14 The Birth of a New Metropolis: 1848-1860 159

Poverty

The Chartists

The Great Stink

First underground railway

Property boom and bust

European immigration

15 The Maturing of Victorian London: 1860-1875 173

The world's largest city

Recession and the vote

Victorian architecture

Leisure and shopping

Open-space preservation

Booth, Dickens and poverty

16 Philanthropy Versus the State: 1875-1900 186

Octavia Hill

Industrial unrest

The LCC

Public transport

17 Edwardian Apotheosis: 1900-1914 196

Victonan legacy

Edwardian Style

Localism ascendant

Expansion of the Underground

Trams and buses

Growth of services

A new suburbia

18 War and Aftermath: 1914-1930 214

The Great War

Lloyd George

The General Strike

'Homes for heroes'

19 The Climax of the Sprawl: 1930-1939 226

Town and Country Planning Act

London Passenger Transport Board

Suburban culture

20 Metropolis at War: 1939-1951 234

The Blitz

The Beveridge Report

Planning under Abercrombie

Post-war economy

Festival of Britain

21 The Great Property Boom: 1951-1960 248

A planning free-for-all

The new millionaires

Modernism ascendant

22 Swinging City: 1960-1970 260

The permissive society

The GLC

The council estate and Ronan Point

Conservation areas

23 Recession Years: 1970-1980 274

Immigration

The Common Market

Rise of the drugs trade

The Motorway Box

Battle for Covent Garden

24 Metropolis Renascent: 1980-1997 287

Thatcher vs Livingstone

IRA bombs

Docklands development

Big Bang

The decline of the council house

25 Going for Broke: 1997-2008 302

Blair and the mayoralty-Post-9/11 threats

Livingstone's skyline

26 Constructs of Vanity: 2008 to the present 315

Boris Johnson

2011 riots

2012 Olympics

High-rise London

Whose city?

Breocit

Epilogue 332

A Timeline of London's History 341

Author's Note 347

Further Reading 349

Index 351

Editorial Reviews

08/31/2020

Guardian columnist Jenkins (A Short History of Europe) delivers an erudite and globally minded history of London. His chronicle stretches 2,000 years, from the city’s initial settlement by Romans through its tenure as the seat of England’s colonial empire in the 17th and 18th centuries, its overtaking of Peking (now known as Beijing) as the world’s biggest city in the 1840s, its near-destruction during the Blitz, and its present status as a global finance capital with “pockets of intense poverty.” While 21st-century London is noted for “sucking in people, money and talent from across the nation, the continent, the globe,” Jenkins writes, that quality has long been part of the city’s character. One of the book’s most intriguing sections documents London’s status as a “refuge to a continent” in the 19th century, playing home to such revolutionaries and republicans as German socialist Karl Marx, Hungarian freedom fighter Louis Kossuth, and Italian general Giuseppe Garibaldi. A lifelong Londoner, Jenkins writes with a deep familiarity and affection for the city, enlivening his considerable historical research. Anglophiles and fans of urban histories will treasure this spirited account. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Jenkins's handling of the preceding two millennia is clear and informative. There are nuggets of wisdom and insights. Accessible, clear, and readable.

The Observer (London)

"Jenkins brings much knowledge and experience to his defence of London's streets, in this study of the battle for London’s appearance –why it looks as it does today, more variegated and visually anarchic than any comparable city.

The Daily Telegraph

"Pure pleasure for Anglophiles and general readers!"

Historical Novel Review

"Jenkins doesn't hesitate to judge contemporary London’s skyward push, referring to high-rise buildings as “slabs.” Maps and many photographs help readers through the details of the London topography. Lovers of London will revel in the minutiae and find this the next best thing to actually walking London streets."

Booklist

"Simon Jenkins’s version of London history is more political, literary and architectural. His preferred theme is the continuous rivalry and interplay of business and government, represented respectively by the City and Westminster. An accessible history that is efficient, clear and readable.

The Guardian

"For any reader seeking to understand how London became what it is today, especially how it looks on the ground, Jenkins’s book will be an essential stepping-off point. Jenkin’s passages on the architectural and ideological development of postwar London are masterly.

The Literary Review

07/17/2020

Although there has been a human presence [in the area?] since prehistoric times, London dates its beginnings to 43 CE and Rome. At first, and for several centuries, the city by the Thames River grew slowly outward from its central core, enduring invasions, plague, fire, religious turmoil, and civil unrest. Today, it is a political and economic powerhouse. Native Londoner and Frormer London Times editor Jenkins (A Short History of England) brings a deep and abiding love, along with some despair, for his city to this appealing story of its unique and chaotic growth. He describes pivotal moments in the city's history, including the Great Fire of London in 1666, and the impact of the Great War. He also doesn't shy away from historical and contemporary accounts of racism and jingoism within the city and England itself. Readers will appreciate the selected illustrations and maps that accompany the text. VERDICT In addition to providing an enjoyable urban history that accurately and affectionately captures the fabric and character of London history, this account also serves as an optimal guide for armchair travelers.—Linda Frederiksen, formerly with Washington State Univ. Lib., Vancouver

Library Journal

2020-05-26
The ageless genre of city histories receives a fine addition.

Though London was the biggest city in the world in the 19th century, it does not even make the top 10 today. Jenkins, a lifelong Londoner who served as the editor of Evening Standard and the Times and is now a columnist at the Guardian, clearly loves his home city, and he leavens his enthusiasm with expertise and a highly critical eye. Beginning as Londinium, founded after the 43 C.E. Roman invasion, by the end of the century, it was a cosmopolitan city of 60,000. It nearly disappeared after Rome withdrew in 410 but pulled itself together after two centuries and prospered as a trading center, surviving the black plague and a civil war to become a European power by 1500. Henry VIII’s looting of the church produced vast wealth, and Elizabeth’s disinterest in aggressive wars did nothing to discourage London’s rise to “Europe’s premier financial centre.” Until he reaches the middle of the 17th century, Jenkins delivers traditional history, mixing politics, culture, and trade. City planning and architecture take a back seat because little that was built still exists. Thereafter, the author takes his love of the city literally by concentrating on city government, delving heavily into the backgrounds of neighborhoods, palaces, squares, monuments, roads, and infrastructure. Londoners and frequent visitors will relish his expert, opinionated, and sometimes highly unflattering picture. While many European cities that rebuilt after World War II carefully preserved their historical gems, Britain did no such thing, giving builders carte blanche. As a result, “they inflicted greater destruction on London…than all Hitler’s bombs.” Readers unfamiliar with the city’s geography will appreciate the generous maps and illustrations but may feel the urge to skim many detailed accounts of local property development.

A mostly delightful love letter to a great city.

Kirkus Reviews