Lydia Evans/Apa Publications
Ever since the Romans came, saw and expanded a small Saxon town on the banks of the Thames naming it Londinium, Britain’s capital has excelled at changing and growing, two things it has not stopped doing for two millennia.
The English historian and scholar Edward Gibbon said of London in the 18th century: ‘it is an astonishing and perpetual spectacle’. And, although it’s no longer the biggest city in the world nor the centre of a huge British empire, London is still a vast and vibrant 24-hour show. A place where you can: watch buskers on the South Bank and groundbreaking theatre at the Donmar; see soldiers in bearskin hats performing ancient rituals in front of Buckingham Palace and inline skaters doing their exuberant thing to a hip hop beat in Hyde Park; view Victorian bustles in the V&A costume hall and a parade of the latest fashion tribes at Brick Lane market.
It is also no exaggeration to say it’s a world in one city. London has always thrived on a continuous flow of immigrants who contribute in untold ways to its cultural life without changing its quintessentially British nature. Many of the Michelin stars now awarded to London chefs are not just for imaginative British cuisine, but also for masala dosas and dim sum. London may no longer be the world’s most important port, but it has found other ways to be world-leading. The once run-down part of east London, Hoxton, has become a premier modern art market.
Where many cities are pickled in aspic, London keeps adding spectacular new buildings to its canon. The upstart London Eye has been going strong since 2000, having made a huge impact on how visitors view the city, both literally and figuratively. Along with other relative newcomers to the horizon – the Shard, the ‘Gherkin’, the ‘Walkie Talkie’ and Tate Modern with its new extension – it’s made London a fun place again. And the exciting new venues, and regeneration for London 2012 Olympics, have further built on this new-found confidence and vibrancy. Enjoy!