Introducing London

London is old, London is grey. London’s a closed book yet. It is not a bit like Paris or New York, or Stockholm, or any other capital in the world. Compared to New York, which is all vertical, London seems all flat. Where is the centre? In Paris you have the Arc de Triumphe, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame. Every Roman city is marked by a Forum. Moscow has its Kremlin. Kyiv is known for its Khreshchatyk Street. But London… London is different. It is so very English. No striking spots at first glance. It is like the postcards, the films, the pictures. London is as grand as attractive, full of historic associations, surviving customs and traditions.

On the banks of the Thames there was a small Celtic settlement named Llyn-din, which means a lonely port. It was a long time before the Romans came and called it Londinium. They made it a large and rich city with good streets, beautiful palaces, shops and villas. The word London was originally restricted to the City of London proper, but with the growth of the capital from the eleventh century onwards, the surrounding districts were absorbed one by one to make up the vast metropolis which is London today.

Actually, there are several ‘Londons’. First, the City is the oldest part, about 1 square mile in area, but it includes the Bank of England and the headquarters of very many of the wealthiest companies and corporations in the world. The Square Mile (another name for the City) has its own Lord Mayor, its own style of government, and its own police force. There one can find St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Second, there is the County of London. This is composed of separate boroughs: the City of Westminster with Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, the National Gallery, etc. Many London boroughs (or parts of them) were once villages. Strangely enough, many Londoners still have the feeling that they live in a village.

Finally, there is Greater London, which extends for about 20 miles in every direction from the Charing Cross, the busy road intersection between Trafalgar Square and Whitehall, including the City of London, the County of London, and some former counties. The population of Greater London is over eight million.

London is traditionally divided into the West End and the East End. The West End is known for its shopping, entertainment and parks. It includes Mayfair – the upper-middle class area represented by Regent Street, Oxford Street, Park Lane and Piccadilly; the British Museum, London University, theatres, cinemas, picture galleries and the famous London’s parks where one can forget that it is a city at all.

The best-known parks are Hyde Park, Green Park and Regent’s Park. Much of the parkland was originally preserved by the kings of England for their sport of hunting. They are still called Royal Parks, but they are open for the public. It is impressed to learn that in all London parks you may walk on the grass and lie down to rest on it, weather permitting. Hyde Park is the largest park in London.

The East End contains all main dock areas and is heavily industrial. It is the country’s main centre of printing and manufacture of clothing, food and many other products.

While visiting London even once one can feel the real pulse of England history; witness the pomp and pageantry of the Changing of the Guard; enjoy the quiet flow of the Thames, take a guided tour in a red double-decker bus and see miles of streets, lanes, bricks, stone, glass, concrete.

No city in the world attracts so much as London!