114-629: London's water supply infrastructure has developed over the centuries in line with the expansion of London . Beginning in the 16th century, private companies supplied fresh water to parts of London from wells, the River Thames and the River Lea . Further demand prompted new sources, particularly when the Agricultural and Industrial Revolution caused a boom in London's population and industry. A crisis point
228-661: A 3.5-million-imperial-gallon (16 Ml) reservoir at Campden Hill near Notting Hill . In 1825 the company built a new reservoir at Barrow Hill next to Primrose Hill in North London. In 1832 the Lambeth Waterworks Company built a reservoir at Streatham Hill, and in 1834 obtained an Act of Parliament to extend its supplied zone. In the same year, the Company brought 16 acres (6.5 ha) of land in Brixton where it built
342-531: A Roman bath were excavated. They are preserved in the cellar of the modern building on the site. Little evidence of the street's history remains, in a large part due to the Blitz and post-War redevelopment, and it now contains many office buildings, including the headquarters of the Daily Express newspaper. The London Fire Brigade 's fire investigation unit is based at Dowgate fire station on Upper Thames Street at
456-650: A boundary between the two companies' areas. In 1817, a similar agreement was reached between the New River, Chelsea, West Middlesex, and Grand Junction companies. The London Bridge Waterworks Company was dissolved in 1822, and its water supply licence was purchased by the New River Company. Later that year, the Borough Waterworks Company purchased the London Bridge licence from the New River Company, and it
570-490: A depth of 68 to 190 feet (21 to 58 m) and passes through 24 access shafts of 12 feet (3.7 m) diameter. Constructed of bolted reinforced concrete and cast iron segmental rings using a new form of rotary tunnelling shield, the tunnel was believed to be the longest in Europe at the time of its completion. The tunnel was designed to transfer 120 million imperial gallons (550 megalitres) of water per day. Water flows through
684-463: A gravity feed – water from the conduits was taken to homes by water carriers, often called cobs, a term seen as dated by the 18th century. Records of frequent drownings prove many poorer citizens needed or desired water from the Thames and the larger tributaries; quite large quantities were needed for iron-smithery, cooking and brewing for instance. The Great Conduit system was extended over time, and in
798-529: A larger area, similar in size to Greater London, although some outer districts are excluded and some just outside included. The Greater London boundary has been aligned to the M25 motorway in places. Further urban expansion is now prevented by the Metropolitan Green Belt , although the built-up area extends beyond the boundary in places, producing a separately defined Greater London Urban Area . Beyond this
912-472: A number of private households. While not a financial success, the waterworks continued to operate as a small independent company until it was purchased by the London Bridge Waterworks in the early 18th century. The early seventeenth century brought the construction of the New River, a 42-mile (68 km) artificial waterway which still carries water into London from Hertford , where it is fed from
1026-403: A population density of 802 per acre (325 per hectare). In addition to the growing number of stores selling goods, such as Harding, Howell & Co. —one of the first department stores —located on Pall Mall , the streets had scores of street sellers . London's overcrowded conditions led to cholera epidemics, claiming 14,000 lives in 1848, and 6,000 in 1866. Rising traffic congestion led to
1140-549: A population of 7,172,036 in 2001 and a population density of 11,760 inhabitants per square mile (4,542/km ). The extended area known as the London Metropolitan Region or the London Metropolitan Agglomeration, comprises a total area of 3,236 square miles (8,382 km ) has a population of 13,709,000 and a population density of 3,900 inhabitants per square mile (1,510/km ). Modern London stands on
1254-622: A reservoir and works on Brixton Hill, by Brixton Prison . In 1833 the South London Waterworks Company was supplying 12,046 houses with approximately 12,000 imperial gallons (55,000 L) of water per day. In 1834, the company was renamed the Vauxhall Water Company. The Grand Junction Waterworks Company built a pumping station near Kew Bridge at Brentford in 1838 to house its new steam pump and two similar pumps bought from Boulton, Watt and Company in 1820. The water
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#17330855244841368-533: A result of pollution caused by population growth. Clean water was now abstracted from the natural channel which had been by-passed by the Hackney Cut , to a new reservoir at Old Ford. In 1830 the company gained a lease on the existing reservoir at Clapton . In 1841 the East London Waterworks Company was supplying 36,916 houses. In 1845 the limits of supply of the company were "all those portions of
1482-542: A temperate oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ). Rainfall records have been kept in the city since at least 1697, when records began at Kew . At Kew, the most rainfall in one month is 7.4 inches (189 mm) in November 1755 and the least is 0 inches (0 mm) in both December 1788 and July 1800. Mile End also had 0 inches (0 mm) in April 1893. The wettest year on record is 1903, with a total fall of 38.1 inches (969 mm) and
1596-586: A total of nine private water companies: The Lambeth Waterworks Company expanded in 1802 to supply Kennington and about this time replaced its wooden pipes with iron ones. Although the Acts of Parliament which created the water companies encouraged them to compete for customers, the companies quickly realised that this would not be profitable. In 1815 the East London company agreed with the New River Company to set
1710-690: Is 1,049.8 millibars (31.00 inHg) on 20 January 2020. Summers are generally warm, sometimes hot. London's average July high is 23.5 °C (74.3 °F). On average each year, London experiences 31 days above 25 °C (77.0 °F) and 4.2 days above 30.0 °C (86.0 °F). During the 2003 European heat wave , prolonged heat led to hundreds of heat-related deaths. A previous spell of 15 consecutive days above 32.2 °C (90.0 °F) in England in 1976 also caused many heat related deaths. A previous temperature of 37.8 °C (100.0 °F) in August 1911 at
1824-499: Is a road in the City of London , the historic and financial centre of London . It forms part of the busy A3211 route (prior to being rebuilt as a major thoroughfare in the late 1960s, it was the B132) from Tower Hill to Westminster . The London Bridge underpass marks the divide between Upper and Lower Thames Street, with Lower to the east and Upper to the west. Thames Street is mentioned in
1938-528: Is formed of two tiers: a citywide, strategic tier and a local tier. Citywide administration is coordinated by the Greater London Authority (GLA), while local administration is carried out by 33 smaller authorities. The GLA consists of two elected components: the mayor of London , who has executive powers , and the London Assembly , which scrutinises the mayor's decisions and can accept or reject
2052-689: Is headquartered in Thames House on the north bank of the River Thames and the foreign intelligence service ( MI6 ) is headquartered in the SIS Building on the south bank. Crime rates vary widely across different areas of London. Crime figures are made available nationally at Local Authority and Ward level. In 2015, there were 118 homicides, a 25.5% increase over 2014. Recorded crime has been rising in London, notably violent crime and murder by stabbing and other means have risen. There were 50 murders from
2166-572: Is held by an independent . The ministerial post of minister for London was created in 1994, however as of 2024, the post has been vacant. Policing in Greater London, with the exception of the City of London , is provided by the Metropolitan Police ("The Met"), overseen by the mayor through the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC). The Met is also referred to as Scotland Yard after
2280-553: Is known as London . It is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England by convention rather than statute. The capital of England was moved to London from Winchester as the Palace of Westminster developed in the 12th and 13th centuries to become the permanent location of the royal court , and thus the political capital of the nation. Greater London encompasses a total area of 611 square miles (1,583 km ) an area which had
2394-544: Is the fourth-most populous in Europe, with about 9.8 million inhabitants as of 2011. The London metropolitan area is the third-most populous in Europe, with about 14 million inhabitants as of 2016, making London a megacity . Four World Heritage Sites are located in London: Kew Gardens ; the Tower of London ; the site featuring the Palace of Westminster , Church of St. Margaret , and Westminster Abbey ; and
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#17330855244842508-523: Is the vast London commuter belt . Greater London is split for some purposes into Inner London and Outer London , and by the River Thames into North and South , with an informal central London area. The coordinates of the nominal centre of London, traditionally the original Eleanor Cross at Charing Cross near the junction of Trafalgar Square and Whitehall , are about 51°30′26″N 00°07′39″W / 51.50722°N 0.12750°W / 51.50722; -0.12750 . Within London, both
2622-529: The Black Death in the mid-14th century, London lost nearly a third of its population. London was the focus of the Peasants' Revolt in 1381. London was a centre of England's Jewish population before their expulsion by Edward I in 1290. Violence against Jews occurred in 1190, when it was rumoured that the new king had ordered their massacre after they had presented themselves at his coronation. In 1264 during
2736-571: The Canary Wharf development. This was born out of London's increasing role as an international financial centre in the 1980s. Located about 2 miles (3 km) east of central London, the Thames Barrier was completed in the 1980s to protect London against tidal surges from the North Sea . The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986, leaving London with no central administration until 2000 and
2850-518: The City of London , but since then it has also referred to the County of London and to Greater London . In 1993, remains of a Bronze Age bridge were found on the south River Thames foreshore, upstream from Vauxhall Bridge . Two of the timbers were radiocarbon dated to 1750–1285 BC. In 2010, foundations of a large timber structure, dated to 4800–4500 BC, were found on the Thames' south foreshore downstream from Vauxhall Bridge. Both structures are on
2964-700: The Coppermill at Walthamstow and modified it to drive a water pump to assist in the building of reservoirs on nearby marshland in the Lea Valley . The company built a series of reservoirs which were High Maynard Reservoir , Low Maynard Reservoir , five linked numbered reservoirs making the Walthamstow Reservoirs , the East Warwick Reservoir and the West Warwick Reservoir . In 1872
3078-648: The Corn Laws in 1846 was specifically aimed at weakening Dutch economic power. London then overtook Amsterdam as the leading international financial centre. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, an unprecedented growth in urbanisation took place, and the number of High Streets (the primary street for retail in Britain) rapidly grew. London was the world's largest city from about 1831 to 1925 , with
3192-779: The FA Cup Final , the Wimbledon Tennis Championships , and the London Marathon . It became the first city to host three Summer Olympic Games upon hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics . London is an ancient name, attested in the first century AD, usually in the Latinised form Londinium . Modern scientific analyses of the name must account for the origins of the different forms found in early sources: Latin (usually Londinium ), Old English (usually Lunden ), and Welsh (usually Llundein ), with reference to
3306-553: The Georgian era , new districts such as Mayfair were formed in the west; new bridges over the Thames encouraged development in South London . In the east, the Port of London expanded downstream. London's development as an international financial centre matured for much of the 18th century. In 1762, George III acquired Buckingham House , which was enlarged over the next 75 years. During
3420-562: The Great Fire of London in 1666, which destroyed much of the city's previous wooden and lead water piping. The London Bridge Waterworks machinery was largely destroyed, but replacements engineered by Peter Morice's grandson remained under the bridge until the early 19th century, before the New London Bridge was erected in the 1830s. In the second half of the century, several new water works were established: The Chelsea Waterworks Company
3534-488: The Greater London Authority . As one of the world's major global cities , London exerts a strong influence on world art , entertainment, fashion , commerce, finance, education , healthcare , media , science, technology, tourism , transport , and communications. Despite a post- Brexit exodus of stock listings from the London Stock Exchange , London remains a European economic powerhouse, and one of
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3648-609: The King's Road , Chelsea and Carnaby Street . The role of trendsetter revived in the punk era. In 1965 London's political boundaries were expanded in response to the growth of the urban area and a new Greater London Council was created. During The Troubles in Northern Ireland, London was hit from 1973 by bomb attacks by the Provisional Irish Republican Army . These attacks lasted for two decades, starting with
3762-600: The London Ambulance Service (LAS) NHS Trust , the largest free-at-the-point-of-use emergency ambulance service in the world. The London Air Ambulance charity operates in conjunction with the LAS where required. Her Majesty's Coastguard and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution operate on the River Thames , which is under the jurisdiction of the Port of London Authority from Teddington Lock to
3876-748: The Mediterranean was normally through Antwerp and over the Alps ; any ships passing through the Strait of Gibraltar to or from England were likely to be Italian or Ragusan . The reopening of the Netherlands to English shipping in January 1565 spurred a burst of commercial activity. The Royal Exchange was founded. Mercantilism grew and monopoly traders such as the East India Company were founded as trade expanded to
3990-594: The New Model Army entered London in 1647, and they were levelled by Parliament the same year. London was plagued by disease in the early 17th century, culminating in the Great Plague of 1665–1666, which killed up to 100,000 people, or a fifth of the population. The Great Fire of London broke out in 1666 in Pudding Lane in the city and quickly swept through the wooden buildings. Rebuilding took over ten years and
4104-554: The New World . London became the main North Sea port, with migrants arriving from England and abroad. The population rose from about 50,000 in 1530 to about 225,000 in 1605. In the 16th century, William Shakespeare and his contemporaries lived in London during English Renaissance theatre . Shakespeare's Globe Theatre was constructed in 1599 in Southwark . Stage performances came to a halt in London when Puritan authorities shut down
4218-590: The Old Bailey bombing . Racial inequality was highlighted by the 1981 Brixton riot . Greater London's population declined in the decades after the Second World War, from an estimated peak of 8.6 million in 1939 to around 6.8 million in the 1980s. The principal ports for London moved downstream to Felixstowe and Tilbury , with the London Docklands area becoming a focus for regeneration, including
4332-409: The River Lea and several nearby springs . Initially proposed in 1602 by Edmund Colthurst , who had obtained a patent from King James I granting him the water rights, approximately 3 miles (5 km) of channel were dug before the project ran into financial difficulties. In 1606, the City of London petitioned Parliament, which passed a series of Acts overriding Colthurst's patent and transferred
4446-513: The River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a 50-mile (80 km) estuary down to the North Sea , and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years. Its ancient core and financial centre , the City of London , was founded by the Romans as Londinium and has retained its medieval boundaries. The City of Westminster , to the west of the City of London, has been the centuries-long host of
4560-480: The Royal Festival Hall now stands. The first water intake of the company was on the south side of the river drawing on it around high tide. After complaints that the water was foul, the intake was moved to the middle of the river. As London grew in the 19th century, facilities were needed to serve the increasing population in newly developed areas. Several new water supply companies were established leading to
4674-637: The Second Barons' War , Simon de Montfort 's rebels killed 500 Jews while attempting to seize records of debts. During the Tudor period , the Reformation produced a gradual shift to Protestantism . Much of London property passed from church to private ownership, which accelerated trade and business in the city. In 1475, the Hanseatic League set up a main trading base ( kontor ) of England in London, called
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4788-568: The Stalhof or Steelyard . It remained until 1853, when the Hanseatic cities of Lübeck , Bremen and Hamburg sold the property to South Eastern Railway . Woollen cloth was shipped undyed and undressed from 14th/15th century London to the nearby shores of the Low Countries . Yet English maritime enterprise hardly reached beyond the seas of north-west Europe . The commercial route to Italy and
4902-495: The Thames , its primary geographical feature, a navigable river which crosses the city from the south-west to the east. The Thames Valley is a flood plain surrounded by gently rolling hills including Parliament Hill , Addington Hills , and Primrose Hill . Historically London grew up at the lowest bridging point on the Thames. The Thames was once a much broader, shallower river with extensive marshlands ; at high tide, its shores reached five times their present width. Since
5016-414: The Victorian era the Thames has been extensively embanked , and many of its London tributaries now flow underground . The Thames is a tidal river, and London is vulnerable to flooding. The threat has increased over time because of a slow but continuous rise in high water level caused by climate change and by the slow 'tilting' of the British Isles as a result of post-glacial rebound . London has
5130-401: The 11th century, London was clearly the largest town in England. Westminster Abbey , rebuilt in Romanesque style by King Edward the Confessor , was one of the grandest churches in Europe. Winchester had been the capital of Anglo-Saxon England , but from this time London became the main forum for foreign traders and the base for defence in time of war. In the view of Frank Stenton : "It had
5244-461: The 15th century sources were increased, firstly by a conduit from Westbourne springs at Paddington , and secondly by another from the upper Fleet at Highgate which supplied Cripplegate . In 1582, Dutchman Peter Morice , supported by the City of London , developed one of the first pumped water supply systems for the city, powered by undershot waterwheels housed in the northernmost arches of London Bridge , which eventually came to be known as
5358-434: The 18th century, London was said to be dogged by crime, and the Bow Street Runners were established in 1750 as a professional police force. Epidemics during the 1720s and 30s saw most children born in the city die before reaching their fifth birthday. Coffee-houses became a popular place to debate ideas, as growing literacy and development of the printing press made news widely available, with Fleet Street becoming
5472-426: The Borough of Southwark . Thus it spread east to Rotherhithe , south to Camberwell . It also spread west including Battersea and parts of Clapham and Lambeth . The amalgamated company established waterworks at Battersea Fields with two depositing reservoirs with a capacity of 32 million imperial gallons (150 Ml); and two filtering reservoirs holding 11 million imperial gallons (50 Ml). In 1850
5586-418: The Chelsea Waterworks by James Simpson , the slow sand filter harnesses a complex biological film formed on the sand to provide excellent filtration of water with very little energy use. Filtration of water would eventually be mandated by the Metropolis Water Act 1852, and to this day a large amount of London's water is still purified using slow sand filtration. The West Middlesex Waterworks Company established
5700-420: The City of London and the City of Westminster have city status . The City of London and the remainder of Greater London are both counties for the purposes of lieutenancies . The area of Greater London includes areas that are part of the historic counties of Middlesex , Kent , Surrey , Essex and Hertfordshire . More recently, Greater London has been defined as a region of England and in this context
5814-414: The Greenwich station was later disregarded as non-standard. Droughts can also, occasionally, be a problem, especially in summer, most recently in summer 2018, and with much drier than average conditions prevailing from May to December. However, the most consecutive days without rain was 73 days in the spring of 1893. Upper Thames Street Thames Street , divided into Lower and Upper Thames Street,
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#17330855244845928-475: The Lambeth Waterworks Company moved upstream on the Thames to Molesey , followed by the Chelsea Waterworks Company. They built the Molesey Reservoirs there in 1872. The East London Waterworks Company replaced their reservoir at Clapton with one at Stamford Hill in 1891; places which adjoin in today's London Borough of Hackney . In 1897 the New River Company started developing the Kempton Park works (today all in Hanworth ). This would supply more water than
6042-444: The London Bridge Waterworks. A series of pipes and cisterns distributed the water across the city. The supply from the waterwheels was not constant, so the water mains were switched on periodically, on a weekly schedule. Around 1593, another pumping station was built, again with the backing of the city, at Broken Wharf on Upper Thames Street by Bevis Bulmer . Powered by four horses, the Broken Wharf Waterworks supplied Cheapside and
6156-435: The London area. This called for the Corporation of the city to extend its jurisdiction and administration over expanding areas around the city. Fearing an attempt by the Crown to diminish the Liberties of London , coupled with a lack of interest in administering these additional areas or concern by city guilds of having to share power, caused the Corporation's "The Great Refusal", a decision which largely continues to account for
6270-422: The Metropolis, and its suburbs, which lie to the east of the city , Shoreditch , the Kingsland Road, and Dalston ; extending their mains even across the river Lea into Essex , as far as West Ham ." The water supplied by the company was taken from the Lea, with waterworks on 30 acres (12 ha) of land at Old Ford . The Lonsdale Road Reservoir (also the Leg of Mutton Reservoir or Leg o' Mutton Reservoir)
6384-424: The Metropolitan Water Board (MWB), which was formed by the Act with 67 members; 65 of these nominees of local authorities, who then appointed the paid chairman and vice-chairman. A series of arbitration hearings was held to determine the amount that the shareholders of the nine private water companies were paid, which resulted in a total payout of £47 million (equivalent to £6.37 billion in 2023). This payment
6498-446: The Thames–Lee water main was conceived to transport raw water from the River Thames to East London to be treated. Designed by consulting engineers Sir William Halcrow & Partners, and constructed between 1955 and 1959, it is a 19-mile (31 km), 102-inch (2.6 m) diameter concrete-lined tunnel running from the non-tidal Thames at Hampton Water Works to Lockwood pumping station at the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain . The tunnel runs at
6612-405: The Viking incursions formally agreed by the Danish warlord , Guthrum and the West Saxon king Alfred the Great in 886. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that Alfred "refounded" London in 886. Archaeological research shows this involved abandonment of Lundenwic and a revival of life and trade within the old Roman walls . London then grew slowly until a dramatic increase in about 950. By
6726-437: The centre of the British press. The invasion of Amsterdam by Napoleonic armies led many financiers to relocate to London and the first London international issue was arranged in 1817. Around the same time, the Royal Navy became the world's leading war fleet, acting as a major deterrent to potential economic adversaries. Following a fire in 1838, the Royal Exchange was redesigned by William Tite and rebuilt in 1844. The repeal of
6840-425: The city's metropolis. The City of London at its core once comprised the whole settlement, but as its urban area grew, the Corporation of London resisted attempts to amalgamate the city with its suburbs , causing "London" to be defined several ways. Forty per cent of Greater London is covered by the London post town , in which 'London' forms part of postal addresses. The London telephone area code (020) covers
6954-412: The city, to intimidate the inhabitants. In 1097, William II began building Westminster Hall , near the abbey. It became the basis of a new Palace of Westminster . In the 12th century, the institutions of central government, which had hitherto followed the royal English court around the country, grew in size and sophistication and became increasingly fixed, for most purposes at Westminster , although
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#17330855244847068-443: The combined revenue expenditure by London councils and the GLA amounted to just over £22 billion (£14.7 billion for the boroughs and £7.4 billion for the GLA). The London Fire Brigade is the statutory fire and rescue service for Greater London, run by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority . It is the third largest fire service in the world. National Health Service ambulance services are provided by
7182-536: The company's "treated" water was described by microbiologist Arthur Hassall as "the most disgusting which I have ever examined". His tests and those of others precipitated the law of two years later. The companies often supplied too little water. It was often contaminated. The extent of contamination was confirmed by John Snow during the 1854 cholera epidemic. Population growth in London had been very rapid (more than doubling between 1800 and 1850), with little increase in infrastructure. The Metropolis Water Act 1852
7296-460: The corner of Allhallows Lane; the station is the only one within the City of London. The most notable change is at the western end of the thoroughfare, which dramatically altered its course as part of major works of the 1960s, involving the reclaiming of foreshore of the Thames at Puddle Dock . Lower Thames Street formed part of the marathon course of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games . The women's Olympic marathon took place on 5 August and
7410-500: The creation of the Greater London Authority . To mark the 21st century, the Millennium Dome , London Eye and Millennium Bridge were constructed. On 6 July 2005 London was awarded the 2012 Summer Olympics , as the first city to stage the Olympic Games three times. On 7 July 2005, three London Underground trains and a double-decker bus were bombed in a series of terrorist attacks . In 2008, Time named London alongside New York City and Hong Kong as Nylonkong , hailing them as
7524-419: The creation of the London Underground , the world's first urban rail network . The Metropolitan Board of Works oversaw infrastructure expansion in the capital and some surrounding counties; it was abolished in 1889 when the London County Council was created out of county areas surrounding the capital. From the early years of the 20th century onwards, teashops were found on High Streets across London and
7638-494: The diary of Samuel Pepys . The first mention of the road, however, is from 1013 when the custom house was founded on the street. During the reign of King Henry VIII , the street contained the London residences of many courtiers, including that of William Compton , where Henry VIII allegedly met his mistresses . In the culture of the 20th century, the street is probably best remembered for its place in T. S. Eliot 's The Waste Land : At 101 Lower Thames Street, remains of
7752-713: The driest is 1921, with a total fall of 12.1 inches (308 mm). The average annual precipitation amounts to about 600mm, which is half the annual rainfall of New York City . Despite relatively low annual precipitation, London receives 109.6 rainy days on the 1.0mm threshold annually. London is vulnerable to climate change , and there is concern among hydrological experts that households may run out of water before 2050. Temperature extremes in London range from 40.2 °C (104.4 °F) at Heathrow on 19 July 2022 down to −17.4 °C (0.7 °F) at Northolt on 13 December 1981. Records for atmospheric pressure have been kept at London since 1692. The highest pressure ever reported
7866-465: The effects of climate change and a growing population in the 21st century. Most of London's water is now supplied from five large water treatment works fed from the Thames and Lea, and to a lesser extent from aquifers and a desalination plant at Beckton . As of 2020, Thames Water's London zone, which serves the majority of London's water users, has the capacity to supply 2.3 gigalitres (510 million imperial gallons) of water per day. Through to
7980-550: The first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital. The mayor's statutory planning strategy is published as the London Plan , which was most recently revised in 2011. The local authorities are the councils of the 32 London boroughs and the City of London Corporation . They are responsible for most local services, such as local planning, schools, libraries, leisure and recreation, social services , local roads and refuse collection. Certain functions, such as waste management , are provided through joint arrangements. In 2009–2010
8094-448: The first fifteen years had reached £32,000 (equivalent to £8.43 million in 2023). The New River Company , incorporated in 1619 as one of England's first joint-stock companies , took over the New River and became an important force in London's water supply until the company was absorbed by the Metropolitan Water Board nearly 300 years later. The construction of much of London's current water distribution infrastructure dates to after
8208-840: The historic settlement in Greenwich where the Royal Observatory defines the prime meridian (0° longitude ) and Greenwich Mean Time . Other landmarks include Buckingham Palace , the London Eye , Piccadilly Circus , St Paul's Cathedral , Tower Bridge , and Trafalgar Square . The city has the most museums , art galleries, libraries, and cultural venues in the UK, including the British Museum , National Gallery , Natural History Museum , Tate Modern , British Library , and numerous West End theatres. Important sporting events held in London include
8322-404: The known developments over time of sounds in those different languages. It is agreed that the name came into these languages from Common Brythonic ; recent work tends to reconstruct the lost Celtic form of the name as * Londonjon or something similar. This was then adapted into Latin as Londinium and borrowed into Old English. Until 1889, the name "London" applied officially only to
8436-457: The late 16th century, London citizens turned to the tidal Thames for much of their non-drinking water. For drinking, due to the brackish and perceptibly poor taste of the Thames, they tended to rely on wells and tributaries rising in around a dozen natural springs on the north side of the Thames, restricting the city's expansion south of the river. In 1247 work began on the Great Conduit from
8550-622: The location of its original headquarters in a road called Great Scotland Yard in Whitehall. The City of London has its own police force – the City of London Police . First worn by Met police officers in 1863, the custodian helmet has been called a "cultural icon" and a "symbol of British law enforcement". Introduced by the Met in 1929, the blue police telephone box (basis for the TARDIS in Doctor Who )
8664-455: The mayor's budget proposals each year. The GLA has responsibility for the majority of London's transport system through its functional arm Transport for London (TfL), it is responsible for overseeing the city's police and fire services, and also for setting a strategic vision for London on a range of issues. The headquarters of the GLA is City Hall , Newham. The mayor since 2016 has been Sadiq Khan ,
8778-650: The most diverse cities in the world. In 1951, the Festival of Britain was held on the South Bank . The Great Smog of 1952 led to the Clean Air Act 1956 , which ended the " pea soup fogs " for which London had been notorious, and had earned it the nickname the "Big Smoke". Starting mainly in the mid-1960s, London became a centre for worldwide youth culture , exemplified by the Swinging London sub-culture associated with
8892-468: The national government and parliament . London grew rapidly in the 19th century , becoming the world's largest city at the time . Since the 19th century, the name "London" has referred to the metropolis around the City of London, historically split between the counties of Middlesex , Essex , Surrey , Kent , and Hertfordshire , which since 1965 has largely comprised the administrative area of Greater London , governed by 33 local authorities and
9006-480: The north-east limits of Sunbury (returned to a field), "Kempton Park" Waterworks (north-east) and Hampton Advanced Water Treatment Works (south). The Thames Conservancy limited such taking (abstraction) especially in drought. Thus the large reservoirs ensured a few weeks' supply or longer with water restrictions. The Metropolitan Water Board Railway was opened in 1916 to carry coal from the river at Hampton to Kempton Park. An engine house with powerful steam engines
9120-467: The old Roman city. By about 680 the city had become a major port again, but there is little evidence of large-scale production. From the 820s repeated Viking assaults brought decline. Three are recorded; those in 851 and 886 succeeded, while the last, in 994, was rebuffed. The Vikings applied Danelaw over much of eastern and northern England, its boundary running roughly from London to Chester as an area of political and geographical control imposed by
9234-674: The plant at Cricklewood that drew on the River Brent . In 1898 the SVWC started work on the Bessborough and Knight Reservoirs across the Thames from Hampton at Molesey. By 1903 the SVWC supplied a population of 860,173 in 128,871 houses of which 122,728 (95.3%) had a constant supply. The Lambeth Waterworks company started work on Island Barn Reservoir at Molesey in 1900. The private water companies were nationalised, by compulsory purchase, from 1902–03. The Metropolis Water Act 1902 created
9348-486: The principal city of the Roman province of Britannia in 100. At its height in the 2nd century, Roman London had a population of about 60,000. With the early 5th-century collapse of Roman rule, the walled city of Londinium was effectively abandoned, although Roman civilisation continued around St Martin-in-the-Fields until about 450. From about 500, an Anglo-Saxon settlement known as Lundenwic developed slightly west of
9462-462: The resources, and it was rapidly developing the dignity and the political self-consciousness appropriate to a national capital ." After winning the Battle of Hastings , William, Duke of Normandy was crowned King of England in newly completed Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066. William built the Tower of London , the first of many such in England rebuilt in stone in the south-eastern corner of
9576-624: The rest of Britain, with Lyons , who opened the first of their chain of teashops in Piccadilly in 1894, leading the way. The tearooms, such as the Criterion in Piccadilly, became a popular meeting place for women from the suffrage movement. The city was the target of many attacks during the suffragette bombing and arson campaign , between 1912 and 1914, which saw historic landmarks such as Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral bombed. London
9690-618: The river became tidal ( Teddington Lock ) and along the Lea. The Chelsea Waterworks and the Lambeth Waterworks companies, who shared the services of James Simpson , established the reservoirs and filtration plants at Seething Wells on the riverside, spanning Long Ditton and Surbiton . The Chelsea's former central site was taken over by railway companies for Victoria Station and its goods sidings and yards . The Grand Junction, West Middlesex and Southwark and Vauxhall Waterworks Companies built
9804-454: The royal treasury came to rest in the Tower . While the City of Westminster developed into a true governmental capital, its distinct neighbour, the City of London , remained England's largest city and principal commercial centre and flourished under its own unique administration, the Corporation of London . In 1100, its population was some 18,000; by 1300 it had grown to nearly 100,000. With
9918-534: The sea. London is the seat of the Government of the United Kingdom . Many government departments, as well as the prime minister's residence at 10 Downing Street , are based close to the Palace of Westminster , particularly along Whitehall . There are 75 members of Parliament (MPs) from London; As of June 2024 , 59 are from the Labour Party , 9 are Conservatives , 6 are Liberal Democrats and one constituency
10032-537: The south bank of the Thames, where the now-underground River Effra flows into the Thames. Despite the evidence of scattered Brythonic settlements in the area, the first major settlement was founded by the Romans around 47 AD, about four years after their invasion of 43 AD. This only lasted until about 61 AD, when the Iceni tribe led by Queen Boudica stormed it and burnt it to the ground. The next planned incarnation of Londinium prospered, superseding Colchester as
10146-588: The spring at Tyburn . This was a lead pipe which led via Charing Cross, Strand, Fleet Street and Ludgate to a large cistern or tank in Cheapside . The city authorities appointed "keepers of the conduits" who controlled access so that users such as brewers , cooks and fishmongers would pay for the water they used. Wealthy Londoners living near the conduits could obtain permission for a connection to their homes, but this did not prevent their unauthorised tapping. Otherwise – particularly for homes which could not take
10260-424: The start of 2018 to mid April 2018. Funding cuts to police in London are likely to have contributed to this, though other factors are involved. However, homicide figures fell in 2022 with 109 recorded for the year, and the murder rate in London is much lower than other major cities around the world. London, also known as Greater London , is one of nine regions of England and the top subdivision covering most of
10374-725: The theatres in the 1640s. The ban on theatre was lifted during the Restoration in 1660, and London's oldest operating theatre, Drury Lane , opened in 1663 in what is now the West End theatre district. By the end of the Tudor period in 1603, London was still compact. There was an assassination attempt on James I in Westminster, in the Gunpowder Plot of 5 November 1605. In 1637, the government of Charles I attempted to reform administration in
10488-515: The tunnel by gravity as far as Lockwood, where pumping plant lifts the water into a further section of conventional cast-iron main which delivers the water to the King George V and William Girling reservoirs. Another pump was originally installed at the Stoke Newington shaft to supply up to 12.5 million imperial gallons (57 megalitres) per day to the reservoirs there. The cost of the project
10602-691: The unique governmental status of the City . In the English Civil War , the majority of Londoners supported the Parliamentary cause. After an initial advance by the Royalists in 1642, culminating in the battles of Brentford and Turnham Green , London was surrounded by a defensive perimeter wall known as the Lines of Communication . The lines were built by up to 20,000 people, and were completed in under two months. The fortifications failed their only test when
10716-590: The water infrastructure, building many new reservoirs. Ownership subsequently passed to the Thames Water Authority , before being re-privatised in the 1980s. Today, the population of Greater London is supplied by four private companies: Thames Water (76% of population), Affinity Water (14%), Essex and Suffolk Water (6.6%) and SES Water (3.7%). The London area is classified as "seriously water stressed ", receiving less rain than Rome, Dallas, or Sydney, and continued investment will be required to counteract
10830-413: The water rights to Hugh Myddelton , who helped fund the project. Construction of the New River resumed in 1609 and it was officially opened in 1613. The New River cost Myddelton a lot of money, but in 1612 he was successful in securing investment and assistance from the king. At completion, the New River had cost around £19,000 (equivalent to £4.44 million in 2023), and by 1620, the total expenses for
10944-497: The works above Molesey Lock at Hampton designed by Joseph Quick . Though small, the Grand Junction and Sunnyside Reservoirs there were supplemented by filter beds – all by the SVWC in 1855. These served a 36-inch (910 mm) diameter main ending at Battersea . A third reservoir was opened later that year between Nunhead Cemetery and Peckham Rye . In the mid 19th century the East London Waterworks Company purchased
11058-413: The world's busiest city airport system . The London Underground is the world's oldest rapid transit system. London's diverse cultures encompass over 300 languages. The 2023 population of Greater London of just under 10 million made it Europe's third-most populous city , accounting for 13.4% of the United Kingdom's population and over 16% of England's population. The Greater London Built-up Area
11172-461: The world's major financial centres . It hosts Europe's largest concentration of higher education institutions , some of which are the highest-ranked academic institutions in the world: Imperial College London in natural and applied sciences , the London School of Economics in social sciences , and the comprehensive University College London . It is the most visited city in Europe and has
11286-625: The world's three most influential global cities . In January 2015, Greater London's population was estimated to be 8.63 million, its highest since 1939. During the Brexit referendum in 2016, the UK as a whole decided to leave the European Union , but most London constituencies voted for remaining. However, Britain's exit from the EU in early 2020 only marginally weakened London's position as an international financial centre. The administration of London
11400-966: Was bombed by the Germans in the First World War , and during the Second World War , the Blitz and other bombings by the German Luftwaffe killed over 30,000 Londoners, destroying large tracts of housing and other buildings across the city. The tomb of the Unknown Warrior , an unidentified member of the British armed forces killed during the First World War, was buried in Westminster Abbey on 11 November 1920. The Cenotaph , located in Whitehall ,
11514-582: Was privatised as Thames Water , under the provisions of the Water Act 1989 , as a state-regulated company that provides most of London's supply. London London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom , with a population of 8,866,180 in 2022. The wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe , with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on
11628-504: Was built in 1838 and decommissioned in 1960, it is now a local nature reserve. On 10 January 1845 the Southwark and Vauxhall Waterworks Companies submitted a memorandum to the Health of Towns Commissioners proposing amalgamation . A consequent bill was passed by parliament, and the Southwark and Vauxhall Waterworks Company was formed later that year. The area supplied by the SVWC was centred on
11742-563: Was established in 1723 "for the better supplying the City and Liberties of Westminster and parts adjacent with water". The company received a royal charter on 8 March 1723. The company dug large water beds in borderlands of Chelsea with south-west Westminster ( Pimlico ) using water from the tidal Thames . In 1727 they purchased the Millbank Waterworks. Waterworks were established in East London, at West Ham in 1743 and at Lea Bridge before 1767. The Borough Waterworks Company
11856-477: Was formed in 1770, originally supplying water to a brewery and the surrounds: between London and Southwark Bridges . An adjacent zone was supplied by the London Bridge Waterworks Company. The Lambeth Waterworks Company was founded in 1785 to supply water to south and west London. It was established on the south bank of the River Thames close to the present site of Hungerford Bridge where
11970-635: Was made in "water stock", which carried a guaranteed dividend of 3%, payable by the MWB. Over the next 70 years, the MWB significantly invested in London's water supply, constructing many large reservoirs in the Thames and Lea valley areas. In 1902, the extraction pumphouse opened at Hythe End for the Staines Reservoirs and Staines Reservoir Aqueduct. These supply water to the East London Waterworks within
12084-437: Was once a common sight throughout London and regional cities in the UK. The British Transport Police are responsible for police services on National Rail , London Underground , Docklands Light Railway and Tramlink services. The Ministry of Defence Police is a special police force in London, which does not generally become involved with policing the general public. The UK's domestic counter-intelligence service ( MI5 )
12198-498: Was opened at Kempton Park in 1929, which has now become Kempton Park Steam Engines museum. By the 1950s, the flow of the River Lee was insufficient to supply the demand in eastern areas of London, and treated water had to be piped from west London to compensate. In drought periods, almost the entire flow of the Lee was abstracted, at times affecting navigation on the river. To resolve this,
12312-508: Was passed to "make provision for securing the supply to the Metropolis of pure and wholesome water." Under it, it became unlawful for any water company to extract water for domestic use from the tidal reaches of the Thames after 31 August 1855, and from the end of that year all such water was required to be "effectually filtered". The Metropolitan Commission of Sewers was formed. New water intakes, plants and pumps would have to be west of where
12426-503: Was reached in the mid 19th century with the discovery that cholera arose from the extraction of water from the increasingly polluted Thames. The Metropolis Water Act 1852 banned this practice, allowing water companies three years to find other sources, but issues with contaminated water persisted. In 1904, London's water suppliers were taken into municipal ownership as the Metropolitan Water Board , which substantially upgraded
12540-618: Was renamed the Southwark Water Company. The company extracted water from the Tideway using steam engines to pump it to a cistern at the top of a 60-foot (18 m) tower. In January 1829, amongst increasing complaints about the quality of water supplied by the water companies, the Chelsea Waterworks began using a pioneering new technology to purify its water. Originally developed by John Gibb of Paisley, Scotland , and deployed for
12654-459: Was supervised by polymath Robert Hooke . In 1710, Christopher Wren 's masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral , was completed, replacing its medieval predecessor that burned in the Great Fire of 1666. The dome of St Paul's dominated the London skyline for centuries, inspiring the artworks and writing of William Blake , with his 1789 poem " Holy Thursday " referring to 'the high dome of Pauls'. During
12768-426: Was taken from the middle of the river and pumped into filtering reservoirs and to a 200 ft (61 m) tower to provide gravity-fed water. A 6-to-7-mile (9.7 to 11 km) main took the water to a reservoir on Campden Hill near Notting Hill with a capacity of 6 million imperial gallons (27 Ml). In 1829, the East London Waterworks Company moved their source of water further up river to Lea Bridge as
12882-516: Was unveiled on the same day, and is the focal point for the National Service of Remembrance held annually on Remembrance Sunday , the closest Sunday to 11 November. The 1948 Summer Olympics were held at the original Wembley Stadium , while London was still recovering from the war. From the 1940s, London became home to many immigrants, primarily from Commonwealth countries such as Jamaica, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, making London one of
12996-705: Was £4 million (equivalent to £116 million in 2023). On 1 April 1974, the Metropolitan Water Board and other local Water Boards (the Thames Conservancy , the Lee Conservancy Catchment Board and parts of the Essex and Kent River Authorities) were combined into the Thames Water Authority under the provisions of the Water Act 1973 — another step towards an integrated policy of water management. In 1989, The Thames Water Authority
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