Since the turn of the century the Cockney dialect is less common in the East End and has 'migrated' east to Havering and the county of Essex. Later called "The Great Refusal", this decision largely continues to account for the unique governmental status of the City. These are either informal designations, reflect the names of villages that have been absorbed by sprawl, or are superseded administrative units such as parishes or former boroughs. [80], In the 16th century William Shakespeare and his contemporaries lived in London at a time of hostility to the development of the theatre. [156][157] The London telephone area code (020) covers a larger area, similar in size to Greater London, although some outer districts are excluded and some places just outside are included. Nelson's Column is a nationally recognised monument in Trafalgar Square, one of the focal points of central London. London has played a significant role in the film industry. [note 4][4][48], London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; Kew Gardens; the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and St Margaret's Church; and the historic settlement in Greenwich where the Royal Observatory, Greenwich defines the Prime Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time.
London's largest industry is finance, and its financial exports make it a large contributor to the UK's balance of payments. London was bombed by the Germans during the First World War,[107] and during the Second World War, the Blitz and other bombings by the German Luftwaffe killed over 30,000 Londoners, destroying large tracts of housing and other buildings across the city.
'Calendar of the London Seasons', by L. E. L. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, British Library of Political and Economic Science, List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Greater London, List of local nature reserves in Greater London, Walking is a popular recreational activity in London, Number 1 Poultry (ONE 94), Museum of London Archaeology, 2013, "Estimates of the population for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland", "Regional economic activity by gross domestic product, UK: 1998 to 2018", "London Government Act: Essex, Kent, Surrey and Middlesex 50 years on", "The big debate: Is Bromley in London or Kent? In 1993, the remains of a Bronze Age bridge were found on the south foreshore, upstream of Vauxhall Bridge. [414], Aerial view of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, St. James's Park lake with the London Eye in the distance, The River Wandle, Carshalton, in the London Borough of Sutton, London has hosted the Summer Olympics three times: in 1908, 1948, and 2012,[415][416] making it the first city to host the modern Games three times. Follow our journey on LinkedIn. [123] The Thames Barrier was completed in the 1980s to protect London against tidal surges from the North Sea. We also started producing feature-length documentaries as a new way to deliver important stories. [239], 20.9 per cent of Londoners are of Asian and mixed-Asian descent. In the Greater London Area, around 650,000 people use a bike everyday. [52], Over the years, the name has attracted many mythicising explanations. [355] A 2014 PricewaterhouseCoopers report termed London the global capital of higher education.[356]. He wrote another play, Ten Cent Treasure, which plays locally in the Tri-Cities area. London was the world's largest city from c.1831 to 1925,[103] with a population density of 325 people per hectare. Neil dedicates a song to the cast during a performance that they attend, though Jay, Lars and Mike find the song impenetrable. [73][74], In the 12th century, the institutions of central government, which had hitherto accompanied the royal English court as it moved around the country, grew in size and sophistication and became increasingly fixed in one place. Watch the show on YouTube. London is also home to sizeable Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Jewish communities. According to the 2011 Census, the largest religious groupings are Christians (48.4 per cent), followed by those of no religion (20.7 per cent), Muslims (12.4 per cent), no response (8.5 per cent), Hindus (5.0 per cent), Jews (1.8 per cent), Sikhs (1.5 per cent), Buddhists (1.0 per cent) and other (0.6 per cent). The life and times of Sir Thomas Gresham, founder of the Royal Exchange: including notices of many of his contemporaries. About 69% of children born in London in 2015 had at least one parent who was born abroad. There are a number of business schools in London, including the London School of Business and Finance, Cass Business School (part of City University London), Hult International Business School, ESCP Europe, European Business School London, Imperial College Business School, the London Business School and the UCL School of Management. [125] To celebrate the start of the 21st century, the Millennium Dome, London Eye and Millennium Bridge were constructed. [386] The national gallery of British art is at Tate Britain, originally established as an annexe of the National Gallery in 1897. On average each year, London experiences 31 days above 25 °C (77.0 °F) and 4.2 days above 30.0 °C (86.0 °F) every year. [119][120] Racial inequality was highlighted by the 1981 Brixton riot.

[379], London has been the setting for many works of literature. A cull takes place each November and February to ensure numbers can be sustained. The cast moved into the Notting Hill Gate flat in January 1995, and lived there for five months,[2] moving out in mid-June. [400] A number of large parks lie outside the city centre, including Hampstead Heath and the remaining Royal Parks of Greenwich Park to the southeast[401] and Bushy Park and Richmond Park (the largest) to the southwest,[402][403] Hampton Court Park is also a royal park, but, because it contains a palace, it is administered by the Historic Royal Palaces, unlike the eight Royal Parks. You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. [152] The Metropolitan Police have made detailed crime figures, broken down by category at borough and ward level, available on their website since 2000.

[261], The accent of a 21st-century Londoner varies widely; what is becoming more and more common amongst the under-30s however is some fusion of Cockney with a whole array of ethnic accents, in particular Caribbean, which help to form an accent labelled Multicultural London English (MLE). in Kennington. [330] There are plans for a second high speed line linking London to the Midlands, North West England, and Yorkshire. London Real grew a devoted fanbase, many of whom requested tutoring and mentorship.