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 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. (Full article...)
The Marshalsea (1373–1842) was a notorious prison in
Southwark, just south of the
River Thames. Although it housed a variety of prisoners—including men accused of crimes at sea and political figures charged with
sedition—it became known, in particular, for its incarceration of the poorest of London's debtors. Over half of England's prisoners in the 18th century were in jail because of debt.
Run privately for profit, as were all English prisons until the 19th century, the Marshalsea looked like an
Oxbridge college and functioned as an extortion racket. Debtors in the 18th century who could afford the prison fees had access to a bar, shop and restaurant, and retained the crucial privilege of being allowed out during the day, which gave them a chance to earn money for their creditors. Everyone else was crammed into one of nine small rooms with dozens of others, possibly for years for the most modest of debts, which increased as unpaid prison fees accumulated. The poorest faced starvation and, if they crossed the jailers, torture with skullcaps and
thumbscrews. A parliamentary committee reported in 1729 that 300 inmates had starved to death within a three-month period, and that eight to ten were dying every 24 hours in the warmer weather. (Full article...)
Built in 1859 and at 4,880 square metres (52,500 sq ft) in area, the Temperate House in Kew Gardens is the largest surviving
Victorian glass structure in the world, and houses an extensive collection of temperate plants, including the world's largest indoor plant, the
Chilean wine-palm.
This is a
Featured article, which represents some of the best content on English Wikipedia..
Interior view of
Hereford Cathedral. The lower sections predate Foliot's time as bishop.
Gilbert Foliot (
c. 1110 – 18 February 1187) was a medieval English monk and
prelate, successively
Abbot of Gloucester,
Bishop of Hereford and
Bishop of London. Born to an ecclesiastical family, he became a monk at
Cluny Abbey in France at about the age of twenty. After holding two posts as
prior in the Cluniac order he was appointed
Abbot of
Gloucester Abbey in 1139, a promotion influenced by his kinsman
Miles of Gloucester. During his tenure as abbot he acquired additional land for the abbey, and may have helped to fabricate some
charters—legal deeds attesting property ownership—to gain advantage in a dispute with the
Archbishops of York. Although Foliot recognised
Stephen as the King of England, he may have also sympathised with the
Empress Matilda's claim to the throne. He joined Matilda's supporters after her forces captured Stephen, and continued to write letters in support of Matilda even after Stephen's release.
Foliot accompanied
Theobald of Bec, the
Archbishop of Canterbury, to a
papal council at
Reims in 1148. During his time there he was appointed to the
Diocese of Hereford by Pope
Eugene III. Despite a promise made in Reims not to recognise Stephen, Foliot on his return to England nevertheless swore fealty to the king, causing a temporary rift in his relationship with Henry of Anjou, Matilda's son, who eventually became King
Henry II of England in 1154. When Theobald died in 1160, it was widely assumed that he would be replaced by Foliot, but King Henry nominated his
Chancellor,
Thomas Becket, instead. Foliot later claimed to have opposed this appointment, and supported Henry during the king's dispute with the new archbishop. Foliot was
translated, or moved, to the
Diocese of London in 1163, perhaps as consolation for not receiving Canterbury. (Full article...)
You are now In London, that great sea, whose ebb and flow At once is deaf and loud, and on the shore Vomits its wrecks, and still howls on for more. Yet in its depth what treasures!
…that
Winston Churchill had a wall built for privacy between his balcony at the Dorchester Hotel and that of the room next door, which survives to this day?
Image 15London as engraved by J. & C. Walker in 1845 from a map by R Creighton. Many districts in the West End were fully developed, and the East End also extended well beyond the eastern fringe of the City of London. There were now several bridges over the Thames, allowing the rapid development of
South London. (from History of London)
Image 16A view of London from the east in 1751 (from History of London)
Image 20Ogilby & Morgan's map of the City of London (1673). "A Large and Accurate Map of the City of London. Ichnographically describing all the Streets, Lanes, Alleys, Courts, Yards, Churches, Halls, & Houses &c. Actually Surveyed and Delineated by
John Ogilby, His Majesties Cosmographer." (from History of London)
Image 38John Norden's map of London in 1593. There is only one bridge across the Thames, but parts of Southwark on the south bank of the river have been developed. (from History of London)
London has one of the oldest and largest
public transport systems in the world. Many components of its transport system, such as the double-decker bus, the Hackney Carriage black taxi and the Tube, are internationally recognised symbols of London. London has a comprehensive rail network with several major
railway stations, including two international train stations at
St Pancras railway station and
Stratford International, which connect London to mainland Europe through the
Eurostar service. London also has six
international airports. In addition to public transport, London is the start point for a number of motorway routes. The
M25 is an orbital motorway which enables vehicles to avoid travelling through central London, and is one of the busiest motorways in Europe.
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 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. (Full article...)
The Marshalsea (1373–1842) was a notorious prison in
Southwark, just south of the
River Thames. Although it housed a variety of prisoners—including men accused of crimes at sea and political figures charged with
sedition—it became known, in particular, for its incarceration of the poorest of London's debtors. Over half of England's prisoners in the 18th century were in jail because of debt.
Run privately for profit, as were all English prisons until the 19th century, the Marshalsea looked like an
Oxbridge college and functioned as an extortion racket. Debtors in the 18th century who could afford the prison fees had access to a bar, shop and restaurant, and retained the crucial privilege of being allowed out during the day, which gave them a chance to earn money for their creditors. Everyone else was crammed into one of nine small rooms with dozens of others, possibly for years for the most modest of debts, which increased as unpaid prison fees accumulated. The poorest faced starvation and, if they crossed the jailers, torture with skullcaps and
thumbscrews. A parliamentary committee reported in 1729 that 300 inmates had starved to death within a three-month period, and that eight to ten were dying every 24 hours in the warmer weather. (Full article...)
Built in 1859 and at 4,880 square metres (52,500 sq ft) in area, the Temperate House in Kew Gardens is the largest surviving
Victorian glass structure in the world, and houses an extensive collection of temperate plants, including the world's largest indoor plant, the
Chilean wine-palm.
This is a
Featured article, which represents some of the best content on English Wikipedia..
Interior view of
Hereford Cathedral. The lower sections predate Foliot's time as bishop.
Gilbert Foliot (
c. 1110 – 18 February 1187) was a medieval English monk and
prelate, successively
Abbot of Gloucester,
Bishop of Hereford and
Bishop of London. Born to an ecclesiastical family, he became a monk at
Cluny Abbey in France at about the age of twenty. After holding two posts as
prior in the Cluniac order he was appointed
Abbot of
Gloucester Abbey in 1139, a promotion influenced by his kinsman
Miles of Gloucester. During his tenure as abbot he acquired additional land for the abbey, and may have helped to fabricate some
charters—legal deeds attesting property ownership—to gain advantage in a dispute with the
Archbishops of York. Although Foliot recognised
Stephen as the King of England, he may have also sympathised with the
Empress Matilda's claim to the throne. He joined Matilda's supporters after her forces captured Stephen, and continued to write letters in support of Matilda even after Stephen's release.
Foliot accompanied
Theobald of Bec, the
Archbishop of Canterbury, to a
papal council at
Reims in 1148. During his time there he was appointed to the
Diocese of Hereford by Pope
Eugene III. Despite a promise made in Reims not to recognise Stephen, Foliot on his return to England nevertheless swore fealty to the king, causing a temporary rift in his relationship with Henry of Anjou, Matilda's son, who eventually became King
Henry II of England in 1154. When Theobald died in 1160, it was widely assumed that he would be replaced by Foliot, but King Henry nominated his
Chancellor,
Thomas Becket, instead. Foliot later claimed to have opposed this appointment, and supported Henry during the king's dispute with the new archbishop. Foliot was
translated, or moved, to the
Diocese of London in 1163, perhaps as consolation for not receiving Canterbury. (Full article...)
You are now In London, that great sea, whose ebb and flow At once is deaf and loud, and on the shore Vomits its wrecks, and still howls on for more. Yet in its depth what treasures!
…that
Winston Churchill had a wall built for privacy between his balcony at the Dorchester Hotel and that of the room next door, which survives to this day?
Image 15London as engraved by J. & C. Walker in 1845 from a map by R Creighton. Many districts in the West End were fully developed, and the East End also extended well beyond the eastern fringe of the City of London. There were now several bridges over the Thames, allowing the rapid development of
South London. (from History of London)
Image 16A view of London from the east in 1751 (from History of London)
Image 20Ogilby & Morgan's map of the City of London (1673). "A Large and Accurate Map of the City of London. Ichnographically describing all the Streets, Lanes, Alleys, Courts, Yards, Churches, Halls, & Houses &c. Actually Surveyed and Delineated by
John Ogilby, His Majesties Cosmographer." (from History of London)
Image 38John Norden's map of London in 1593. There is only one bridge across the Thames, but parts of Southwark on the south bank of the river have been developed. (from History of London)
London has one of the oldest and largest
public transport systems in the world. Many components of its transport system, such as the double-decker bus, the Hackney Carriage black taxi and the Tube, are internationally recognised symbols of London. London has a comprehensive rail network with several major
railway stations, including two international train stations at
St Pancras railway station and
Stratford International, which connect London to mainland Europe through the
Eurostar service. London also has six
international airports. In addition to public transport, London is the start point for a number of motorway routes. The
M25 is an orbital motorway which enables vehicles to avoid travelling through central London, and is one of the busiest motorways in Europe.