London Testing Services

The city has been a major settlement for over 2000 years since it was founded by the Romans and named Londinium. The Romans left at the beginning of the 5th Century. Britain was then invaded by the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes (who came from Holland, Germany and Denmark). During the 9th and 10th Centuries there were many attacks by the Vikings.

During Medieval times, the Normans invaded from France and William the Conqueror took control. The Tower of London was built as a stronghold to guard London. Trade increased steadily during the Middle Ages, and London grew rapidly as a result. In 1100, London’s population was more than 15,000, and by 1300 it had grown to roughly 80,000. In the mid-14th century, London lost at least half of its population during the Black Death, but its economic and political importance prevailed. Evidence of Medieval trade can be found in the street names within London’s Square Mile today: Pudding Lane, Bread Street, Milk Street, Threadneedle Street, Ropemakers Square and Silk Street.

by 1600, there were about 200,000 people living in London. The river Thames was very important in Tudor times. Britain’s navy expanded, dockyards were built and ships were sent to explore the world. The first theatres were built in London during Tudor times. The most famous being The Globe, in which Shakespeare owned a share.

Britain’s trading capabilities continued to expand in the 18th Century and goods were brought into London from all over the world. At the same time, London also became an important financial centre. During Queen Victoria’s reign London expanded enormously. Industry came to Britain and railways were built linking much of the country to the capital. London had the first ever underground railway (The Tube), which opened in 1862. Between 1919 and 1939, built-up London doubled in size.

Today, London is a leading global city in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media and tourism. It is the world’s largest financial centre and is often regarded as a world cultural capital. It is the world’s most-visited city (as measured by international arrivals) and has the world’s largest city airport system (measured by passenger traffic). It also has the largest concentration of higher education institutes in Europe.

London has 12 Football League clubs, including seven in the Premier League: Arsenal, Brentford, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United. The other London teams are Queens Park Rangers, Millwall, Charlton Athletic, AFC Wimbledon and Barnet.