Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1750
Westminster Bridge opens, the first rival river crossing to London Bridge in over seven
centuries.
1836
London gets its first railway line from London Bridge to Greenwich.
1837-1901
During the reign of Queen Victoria, London becomes the capital of an empire that stretches
across the globe. Its population increases to nearly seven million, making it the largest city
in the world. Industrialization brings pollution, overcrowding and extreme poverty.
1851
The Great Exhibition is held in a giant glasshouse known as the “Crystal Palace”, erected
in Hyde Park.
1855
The Metropolitan Board of Works is established to organize the rapidly expanding city's in-
frastructure.
1914-18
During World War I, London experiences its first aerial attacks, with Zeppelin raids leaving
some 650 dead - a minor skirmish in the context of a war that takes the lives of millions.
1939-45
During the course of World War II, London suffers a lot of bomb damage, with 60,000
killed and many thousands more made homeless.
1948
The SS
Windrush
brings the first postwar immigrants to London from the West Indies; over
the next two decades, thousands more follow suit from former colonies all over the world.
1951
The Festival of Britain is held on the south bank of the Thames in an attempt to dispel the
postwar gloom. The Royal Festival Hall is its one lasting legacy.
1960s
Pop music and fashion helps turn London into the centre of the “Swinging Sixties”, with
King's Road and Carnaby Street the hippest places to be seen.
