History

When people think of London and war, they usually think of the Blitz, the German bombing campaign during World War II.  However, as a capital city, London has known much more fighting, stretching back centuries since the founding of the city.  While there is evidence of settlement in the London from as early as the Bronze Age, a lack of written history precludes us from knowing … [Read more...] about War Comes to London – The City’s History of Armed Conflict

The ravages of disease are nothing new to London.  Even as the city deals with the threat of COVID-19, it has been able to learn from the pandemics of the past going back to Anglo-Saxon times.  Black Death ravaged Greater London as it did most of Europe for centuries, and smallpox, flu, and cholera have all plagued the city at one point or another.  The first recorded plague in … [Read more...] about London’s Pandemic History – From the Black Death to the Spanish Flu

While human settlements had existed in the area around London since before written history, it was really the Romans that created the city as we know it today.  The Romans founded the city, which they named as Londinium, in 43 AD and remained here until the Roman Army completely withdrew from around 409 AD to help defend the Empire from invaders.  What few units were left … [Read more...] about Dark Age London: London After the Romans

From its initial foundation in 1829 by Sir Robert Peel, the Metropolitan Police Service shared the prevailing attitude of the day that most jobs were not fit for women.  The Met remained all-male until, like many organizations and industries across the UK, much of its membership was called up to fight in World War I.  The lack of “manpower” to police London’s streets inevitably … [Read more...] about London History: The Foundation of the Women’s Police Service in London