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Hub AI
West London AI simulator
(@West London_simulator)
Hub AI
West London AI simulator
(@West London_simulator)
West London
West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary.
The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: Central London, North London, East London and South London. West London was part of the historic county of Middlesex.
Early West London had two main focuses of growth, the area around Thorney Island, site of Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster, and ribbon development heading west - towards Westminster - from gates in the walls of the City of London. In the 17th century these areas of growth would be linked by high status new developments, which formed a focal point in their own right, later becoming known as the West End of London.
The development of the area began with the establishment of the Abbey on a site then called Thorney Island, the choice of site may in part relate to the natural ford which is thought to have carried Watling Street over the River Thames in the vicinity. Tradition dates the foundation to the 7th century AD with written records dating back to the 960s or early 970s. The Island and surrounding area became known as Westminster in reference to the church.
The legendary origin is that in the early 7th century, a local fisherman named Edric ferried a stranger in tattered foreign clothing over the River Thames to Thorney Island. It was a miraculous appearance of St Peter, a fisherman himself, coming to the island to consecrate the newly built church, which would subsequently develop into Westminster Abbey. He rewarded Edric with a bountiful catch when he next dropped his nets. Edric was instructed to present the King and St. Mellitus, Bishop of London with a salmon and various proofs that the consecration had already occurred . Every year on 29 June, St Peters day, the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers presents the Abbey with a salmon in memory of this event.
The Palace of Westminster subsequently developed, with Parliament being based there from its establishment in 1265. The presence of the centre of government as a distinct focus for growth, accompanied by the proximity of the City, ensured that western London was the fastest growing part of early London.
The growth of the City of London beyond its city walls was much faster outside the western gates of Ludgate and Newgate than it was outside the gates to the north or to the east; this rapid growth was due to the roads from these western gates leading to the political centre of Westminster. The large and prosperous extra-mural ward of Farringdon Without, extensively urbanised during the 12th century, has been described as London's First West End.
From the 15th to 17th centuries, growth along the roads from Ludgate (Fleet Street and The Strand) and Newgate (Holborn and High Holborn) accelerated, and came to extend far beyond Farringdon Without, into Holborn, Bloomsbury and Westminster.
West London
West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary.
The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: Central London, North London, East London and South London. West London was part of the historic county of Middlesex.
Early West London had two main focuses of growth, the area around Thorney Island, site of Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster, and ribbon development heading west - towards Westminster - from gates in the walls of the City of London. In the 17th century these areas of growth would be linked by high status new developments, which formed a focal point in their own right, later becoming known as the West End of London.
The development of the area began with the establishment of the Abbey on a site then called Thorney Island, the choice of site may in part relate to the natural ford which is thought to have carried Watling Street over the River Thames in the vicinity. Tradition dates the foundation to the 7th century AD with written records dating back to the 960s or early 970s. The Island and surrounding area became known as Westminster in reference to the church.
The legendary origin is that in the early 7th century, a local fisherman named Edric ferried a stranger in tattered foreign clothing over the River Thames to Thorney Island. It was a miraculous appearance of St Peter, a fisherman himself, coming to the island to consecrate the newly built church, which would subsequently develop into Westminster Abbey. He rewarded Edric with a bountiful catch when he next dropped his nets. Edric was instructed to present the King and St. Mellitus, Bishop of London with a salmon and various proofs that the consecration had already occurred . Every year on 29 June, St Peters day, the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers presents the Abbey with a salmon in memory of this event.
The Palace of Westminster subsequently developed, with Parliament being based there from its establishment in 1265. The presence of the centre of government as a distinct focus for growth, accompanied by the proximity of the City, ensured that western London was the fastest growing part of early London.
The growth of the City of London beyond its city walls was much faster outside the western gates of Ludgate and Newgate than it was outside the gates to the north or to the east; this rapid growth was due to the roads from these western gates leading to the political centre of Westminster. The large and prosperous extra-mural ward of Farringdon Without, extensively urbanised during the 12th century, has been described as London's First West End.
From the 15th to 17th centuries, growth along the roads from Ludgate (Fleet Street and The Strand) and Newgate (Holborn and High Holborn) accelerated, and came to extend far beyond Farringdon Without, into Holborn, Bloomsbury and Westminster.