Genealogical Society of Victoria Online Shop

Book

The history of the City of London is at the heart of the history of Britain. The Romans founded the city nearly 2,000 years ago, selecting a site on the north bank of the wide Thames which had fresh water and a place to build a bridge to the south bank. Sacked by Boudicca, abandoned by the Romans, destroyed by fire several times, London managed to be, by medieval times, a flourishing port with innumerable small churches and a vast cathedral. Its bridge, lined with shops, was one of the wonders of the world.

Most of that medieval splendour disappeared in 1666 during the Great Fire, but the city rose again to become the driving economic force of the empire that Britain was building up around the world. Gradually the city became a financial district, its population diminishing while the rest of London grew up around it.

This new book on the city is remarkable encapsulation of its history up to modern times, complemented by an array of splendid pictures.

About the author: Richard Thames read History at Pembroke College, Cambridge and took his Master's degree at Birkbeck College, London. He is a qualified London 'Blue Bridge' Tourist Guide and a member of the executive council of the Guild of Guide Lecturers. His other publications include A Traveller's History of London (1992), Bloomsbury Past (1993) and Soho Past (1994).