How War has shaped London’s Identity

Britain may not have been occupied in war since the Norman Conquest of 1066 but the nation has still been shaped by centuries of conflict. London in particular stands as a witness to both imperialism and the atrocities of two world wars. The marks of war remain all around us in architecture and art, as useful pointers to the traumas that have helped define Britain and its values.

Roman London

The Roman invasion in 43 AD led to the foundation of Londinium, which eventually became the capital of the south-east of England. The settlement was surrounded by the original city wall, with the Barbican estate named after the castle-style gate which stood there. Remains of the wall can still be found in various places including near Tower Bridge Tube station and the the Museum of London.

The Norman Conquest and London

William the Conqueror built the Tower of London among other fortifications along the Thames but perhaps the most significant Norman contribution to the capital was the granting by charter of the city’s independence.

That independence allowed London to develop its own policies and bodies such as an independent police force.

The Napoleonic Wars

Trafalgar Square. Waterloo Station. Our culture has been deeply influenced by the Napoleonic Wars. The original Waterloo bridge was actually a toll-bridge intended to increase funds for the struggling government. Dedicating it to the Battle of Waterloo was a clever way of justifying this controversial use of public funds, even though most people avoided the charge by crossing at Blackfriars. The bridge gave its name to the station, and we now use it to describe that whole part of the South Bank.

Apsley House was the Duke of Wellington’s residence. It’s original address was the rather special “1, London” and it is now an English Heritage property jammed with historic artefacts.

The symbolic eagles of Napoleon’s Grand Army were gresented to the Prince Regent in the East India Club in St James’ Square. The setting is now commemorated as the Waterloo Room.

The monuments of these wars are all around us and even below us: Nelson lies in the crypt beneath the dome of St Paul’s.

The First World War

The First World War began the shift in sculpture and memorials from nationalistic propaganda pieces to commemorative monuments. Works such as the Cenotaph honour the common soldier rather than the glorious generals of the time. Aside from the human losses, London was prey to early Zeppelin bombing in 1915. The explosions first hit Stoke Newington then worked their way south through Dalston to Hoxton and Shoreditch. The destruction and death toll were relatively low but this was the first time an invader managed to kill civilians in London.

The Second World War

The Blitz was notoriously brutal on London. While the Allies carried out much more devastating attacks in Germany and Japan, London was literally reshaped by the Luftwaffe’s campaign. The high-rise concrete estates sitting amid centuries-old streets were often the result of wartime bomb sites being redeveloped in the 1950’s and 1960’s with the functional aesthetic of that time. The Barbican is a prime example of an area redeveloped in that way.

Bomb damage is still visible on historic buildings such as St Paul’s and the entrance to the V&A. These reminders of how vulnerable London was just two generations ago make the challenges of modern London seem like “First World” problems indeed.

IRA Attacks

The Ring of Steel around the City has restricted vehicles and created a solid system of checks and surveillance ever since the Bishopsgate Bomb in 1992. These are the cameras and police booth checkpoints you still see around the City.

The Baltic Exchange trading floor was destroyed in that attack just months after being used in the film of E.M. Forster’s novel “Howards End”. The Gherkin now stands on this site.

The IRA’s campaign forced other defensive measures such as the removal of bins from Tube stations. Those safety measures have been retained and even strengthened in the modern era of terror attacks, whether they come from backpack bombers or “lone wolf” killers using motor cars as weapons. The threats remain but if you pause to look at the architecture, monuments and even town-planning around you it is clear that London and its people are stubborn survivors, with centuries of endurance that are not going to end any time soon.

Stewart Vickers @vickhellfire

The post How War has shaped London’s Identity appeared first on Felix Magazine.