Search london history from Roman times to modern day
Search my sites of pub history and London history by surname, street name or pub.
The detailed historical site in visiting some of the historical places in London, e.g. many of the early London streets, plus I list detailed information on every public house in London dating back to the Great Fire of London, in 1666, in some cases.
To tidy up this site, and the navigation, I am removing many links to a contents of the Londonwiki page only.
In 1666 was the Great Fire of London which devastated nearly the whole of the city of London and its many churches. A number of very famous men exist in history, including Samuel Pepys, Isaac Newton,
Christopher Wren and also the almost unknown, Robert Hooke who rebuilt most of London being the London City Architect.
Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary about London in his diaries and writes an eye witness account of the fire on the 2nd September 1666 which starts in a bakers in Pudding Lane, and its effects on the city London. The Monument is built to remember this anniversary, and still stands today.
Here, in modern London, is an Accessible guide to all London Rail stations in 2025. And the rest of the London rail and tube stations, with a brief guide to the number of steps required to climb from street level to platform! Plus Uber boats.
I am now working on the 112 stations which make up the TFL London Overground. This is primarily for me listing those stations which have a few steps, or completely step-free, but useful to everyone at some stage in their lives.
I use this guide regularly on my trips into London, especially when I want to avoid steps, it is avsolutely awful getting round London in a wheelchair.
I also highly recommend a visit to the National Covid memorial on the wall opposite Parliament at Westminster. It is an awesome memorial, and with regular supporters repainting the thousands of hearts every Friday. It will make you think of loved ones! It is time I revisited.
I start with some detail on the original Roman City wall of London and also some later research from 1926 about the walls, and then a Commission in 1928 to map the London Wall then.
A new item I have been working on are the keys to the maps of London in Morgans map in 1682 and John Strypes Survey of London in 1720 which list many of the Inns and Taverns, maybe existing before the Great Fire of London, in 1666. I am adding each of these early Inns, listed as a number in the key, to my brilliant pub history site.
Plus a few London pubs by their London postcodes Another useful guide is to the old Taverns and Coffee Houses
Londons lost rivers, particularly the River Fleet & the Fleet market as once existed.
Robert Hooke followed the Kings edict, to rebuild the River Fleet, but there was far too much pollution in the river, and it eventually turned into the sewer it now is!
Also listed are the 1832 street directory with images of 1842.
Here is an entire book about the Fleet river, Fleet Market, Fleet Prison etc.
I am currently adding a brief description to Hungerford market, as it had a number of Taverns. Plus an introduction to the Charing Cross railway terminus replacing the same by 1864.
Of more use is the 1921 London street directory.
I also visited the Golden Cross Bridge, next to Charing Cross station in March 2020. Then a wander along the Strand, via St Martin in the Fields - Cafe in the Crypt, nice soup etc.
In 1920, the London County Council created a book commemorating all of its employees who served in the Great War, i.e. the First World War 1914 - 1918.
This is a summary listing of many thousands of employees and some brief detail about their service.
I also list from a number of sources, a simplistic breakdown of the
campaigns which happened during this period.
Also listed on a separate site are a number of individual regiment histories,
e.g. the Artists Rifles and the
First Sportsmans and a number of
Gallantry awards.
I also run the best London pub history site, i.e.. London Pubs. This site now includes Essex, plus parts of Kent and Surrey.
In addition to public houses, are the many coffee houses and taverns, Inns, chop houses and hotels. Many of these pre-date public houses, and many are now the exchanges for business, and were formerly a place for meeting associates, reading newspapers and share dealings. Here are the wine merchants, victuallers, coffee houses etc in 1809 from the London Holden directory. I am building the latest listing on the london taverns blog. Here are many thousands of London listings.
The London Brewery, Golden lane established 1804. For supplying the public with genuine malt liquor
The Licensed Victualler Asylum in 1844, and a list of its subscribers, mostly with pubs, to the charity.
Another brilliant resource was the Licensed victuallers institution. This had royal patronage, and therefore it was a charitable institution which was popular, and quite wealthy.
This history of any old London building, whether it be a pub, a church, or any other landmark that is identifiable in history is important in how to understand where, and how, London evolved through time, and what originally existed before the masses of modern architecture was built. The relevance of politics in the formation of modern London, or other cities is open to question.
Many of the more astute licensed victuallers were involved in the Licensed Victuallers Association. This association was an insurance to protect members of licensees families, in times of hardship.
A considerable number of children, were named in a list of those most in need of reward at the Institution, and their detailed reasons. There was then a vote to choose those who should receive this help. This was limited by numbers. Those children who were lucky enough were then educated to a standard which enabled them to learn a trade.
Older ex licensees, or their wives, were sometimes offered a place to live out their lives.
The Licensed Victuallers Association is also brilliant in naming many of the early victuallers at a licensed house.
Some of the victuallers joined the freemasons societies and their lodges. Here are some listings of the Grand Lodge memberships; and a second listing of Grand Lodge memberships. And a third listing Grand Lodge memberships, from a second book of Grand Lodge freemasonry records; and a fnal list Grand Lodge memberships finishing this book of Freemasons initiation Grand Lodge records with very useful dates and sometime their ages.
During the early part of the 20th century, and in particular between 1904 and the first world war in 1914, a series of measures through the temperance movement, were executed where too many public houses were spoiling a neighbourhood. This led to the Licensing Act in 1904; which allowed Notice by the way of a Compensation authority to recommend to close down licensed premises for a fee, or compensation. The licences were of varying types, some were full licences, others were beer, some listed themselves as ante-1869 which meant they could have been bought for two guineas a year without any magisterial licensing issues as was the case in the earlier beer act of 1830. Here are a some newspapers reports on Compensation which also often aid in naming an early beer house.
The site is very strong in the early history of pubs in London, with many London Pubs listings to choose from. Or some listed by postcode.
What is clear, in 2023, is that many public houses have closed recently. Many have been victims of the lack of business during covid times, and sadly the investment opportunity to invest in 'real estate' has led to many larger chains of pubs being bought up by foreign investment companies, and a clear disincentive to sell off assets, and thus the continued closure of pubs.
Many pub chains have been bought up by investment funds, e.g. Stonegate is now the biggest pub co.
Greene King was purchased by a Hong Kong investment company.
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