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London

Welcome to the London Website of pictures within the World from the Web Home page. Located on the southeast portion of England, this city has the Thames River run through it and is about 45 miles upstream from the North Sea estuary. It is the largest city in England and is the capital of the United Kingdom.

Renowned for being a financial, cultural, historical and tourism center, it is a world class city being one of the most significant and important cities in the world. Londons population is over 7 million people spread over 625 square miles. The population is comparable to New York while the square miles is about twice the size. The predominant language here is English.

Although huge in size, much of the interest to tourists comes in the 13 inner boroughs. Together with 19 outer boroughs, the City of London consists of 32 boroughs which form the Greater London conurbation.

London is synonymous with tourist attractions. Many of these attractions are also of cultural and historical significance. Numerous museums feature the Tate Gallery, the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, British Museum, Museum of London, Victoria and Albert Museum. Palaces and castles include Buckingham Palace (the official monarch residence since 1837), Kensington Palace, St. James Palace, Lambeth Palace, Hampton Courts and Tower of London (originally built circa 1078AD). Famous churches include the St Pauls Cathedral (built between 1675-1710) and Westminster Abbey, a Gothic design largely built in the 13th and 14th centuries. There are many historic buildings and structures. Among these is the Houses of Parliment also called the New Palace of Westminster. This serves both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. It includes the famous clock tower called Big Ben. Other note worthy structures include Victoria Station and London Tower Bridge (and numerous other bridges). Areas of interest include Trafalgar Square and Picadilly Circus. Professional theatre, opera and concert halls are unsurpassed in London. There are many parks such as Hyde, Kennsington, St James, Kew Gardens, Richmond and Greenwich Park. The University of Cambridge and Oxford are about 50 miles north and west of London. The University of London and numerous affiliates are within the city.

Serviced by two major airports (Heathrow and Gatwick International Airports), getting around London is relatively easy. An extensive subway system (the Tubes) links most portions of the city. A major beltway, the M25, circles the city. My experience with driving is that London traffic moves slowly and the tubes are often a better way to get around the city. This will help you to avoid navagating a sometimes archaic and complicated grid structure.

London has a diverse economy. It is a banking, financial, insurance and education center. Transportation, shipping harbor (Port of London is extensive and one of Europe's largest seaports), civil service and government/legal center. A major tourist attraction, this city draws millions of visitors per year. Manufacturing, engineering and medicine are extensive throughout the city.

Londinium was already an important center by the time of the Roman occupation in the first century AD. By the 9th century AD, King Alfred made London the capital of the kingdom. The city continued to grow but has been constantly effected by wars, plagues and fires. This includes the plague of 1665, the Great Fire of 1666 and the blitz bombing of World War II, heaviest during the years of 1940-1941.

All pictures on this page are from London, using various film and digital pictures. Subsequent pages are found directly below. A total of 2 pages make up this London site. A 3rd page has a few pictures from Northern England (South Shields).