{"id":1528,"date":"2013-01-04T13:55:39","date_gmt":"2013-01-04T21:55:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/?p=1528"},"modified":"2013-08-11T09:01:14","modified_gmt":"2013-08-11T16:01:14","slug":"exploring-london-through-a-historical-lens-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/?p=1528","title":{"rendered":"Exploring London Through a Historical Lens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although cultural experiences and scenery often shape my most memorable travel experiences, I find that in London, understanding the historical context of the places and buildings can turn typical sightseeing into an exciting adventure. \u00a0During our past trip, I read Edward Rutherford’s\u00a0London<\/em><\/a> prior to our departure, but just a quick peek at the Wikipedia article<\/a>\u00a0can provide enough information to enrich your visit. \u00a0In this post, I decided to provide a quick run-down of 3 important historical events, and explain how they have shaped today’s London:<\/p>\n

December 25, 1066 – William the Conqueror Crowned King of England<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Westminster<\/a>In December of 1066, after invading England and defeating King Harold II, William the Conqueror of Normandy is crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey<\/strong>. \u00a0The Gothic building so famous today was built by Henry III 100 years later, but the location of William’s coronation occurred in an abbey on the exact same spot. \u00a0The arrival of William and Normans in London brought tremendous influences to architecture, government, and even language.<\/p>\n

\"White<\/a>One of the best examples of Norman architecture during this time is the White Tower at the Tower of London<\/strong>. William commissioned the building of the White Tower in 1078. \u00a0When built, the White Tower was one of the largest fortifications in the world. \u00a0Inside, the unquestionable highlight is St. John’s Chapel, which feels like it hasn’t changed a bit since the 11th century (and it really hasn’t).<\/p>\n

I like to imagine what Norman London was like between these 2 landmarks. \u00a0The Strand<\/strong>, the road that starts near Trafalgar Square and heads towards St. Paul’s, was the historic thoroughfare connecting the principal City of London with Westminster. \u00a0Remarkably, the area between Westminster and the City of London was rural until the 19th century. \u00a0The City of London began just beyond the Fleet River (namesake for Fleet Street, which The Strand turns into), at Ludgate. \u00a0The actual gate to the City of London no longer exists, but there is a plaque right near St. Martin Church (40 Ludgate Hill) to commemorate the original location of the gate.<\/p>\n

September 2, 1666 – Great Fire of London<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"St.<\/a>After the Norman conquest, as London continued to grow, wood was the predominant building material. \u00a0 The largest structure in the city was the original St. Paul’s, constructed on the same site as today’s church. \u00a0At 585 feet in length, 100 feet in width, and with a spire of 489 feet, it was a marvel for its time. \u00a0In 1666, the original St. Paul’s, along with homes of almost 90% of the cities inhabitants, were destroyed in the Great Fire of London. \u00a0The fire originated from a bakery on the infamous Pudding Lane, now recognized with a grand monument.<\/p>\n

Although devastating, the fire cleared the way for the grand stone structures and Baroque architecture found throughout London today. \u00a0The city commissioned Christopher Wren to rebuild much of London, including St. Paul’s and 50 other churches. \u00a0His characteristic style is very recognizable, such as in the spire of St. Bride’s church (pictured above). \u00a0Almost all wooden buildings were replaced with stone as a precaution against future fires. \u00a0Remarkably, much of the same street plan survives, due to complications with determining property ownership after the fire.<\/p>\n

It’s difficult to comprehend the destruction of the fire when surveying Central London. \u00a0The fire literally gutted the city from the Tower of London nearly to Westminster. \u00a0Remarkably, there are only a few buildings in Central London that survived and provide an example of pre-1666 Tudor architecture (such as the Staple Inn<\/a> and Prince Henry’s Room<\/a>). \u00a0It certainly takes a lot of imagination to imagine a whole city filled with similar buildings in the time of Shakespeare.\u00a0<\/p>\n

September 7, 1940 – The Blitz<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"St.<\/a><\/p>\n

Prior to 1940, the last foreign invasion of Britain occurred in 1719, when Spanish forces arrived in Scotland in retaliation for the destruction of a Spanish fleet by the Royal Navy. \u00a0The Spaniards were quickly vanquished in the Battle of Glen Shiel. \u00a0Thereafter, thanks to British military might, the isle remained safe from foreign brutality. \u00a0With the advent of modern warfare, however, England became susceptible to aerial bombardment.<\/p>\n

On September 7, 1940, the Nazi Luftwaffe bombed London to start what became to be known as The Blitz<\/em>. \u00a0Ordinary English citizens, spared from war in their homeland for so long, were now forced into a constant state of worry. \u00a0London was bombed on 57 consecutive nights, and a total of 71 times over eight months. \u00a0One million homes were damaged and nearly 20,000 Londoners lost their lives. \u00a0A humbling graphic of the extreme extent of the bombing can be seen on Bomb Sight<\/a>, where a web map depicts all the bombs dropped during The Blitz<\/em>. \u00a0Miraculously, most of London’s historic buildings survived the air raids, including St. Paul’s, which supported the morale of London citizens (the photo I took on our trip above reminds me of the famous “St. Paul’s Survives<\/a>” photo published in London newspapers to inspire Londoners).<\/p>\n

When visiting London sites, it’s impossible to miss references to\u00a0The Blitz.<\/em> \u00a0Audioguides at St. Paul’s describe how volunteer fire brigades stayed on call to protect the church (and in fact might have saved it when they heroically removed an unexploded bomb from the roof). \u00a0London at war can perhaps be most directly experienced at the Churchill War Rooms <\/a>near Westminster. \u00a0Visitors are allowed to visit the hideout of UK leadership during the war, including the map room where troop movement around the world was tracked.<\/p>\n

Wrap-up<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

London is rich in history, and understanding important events can add a lot of meaning to a visit. \u00a0One fun experience that ties it all together is the Oculus<\/em><\/a> in the crypt at St. Paul’s, a panoramic audiovisual experience that recaps 1400 years of London history in four minutes. \u00a0Otherwise, the best historical background can be obtained through online resources, audioguides, and books.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Although cultural experiences and scenery often shape my most memorable travel experiences, I find that in London, understanding the historical context of the places and buildings can turn typical sightseeing into an exciting adventure. \u00a0During our past trip, I read … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[86,27,16,120,6,69,55],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1528"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1528"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1642,"href":"https:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1528\/revisions\/1642"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}