There is hardly anything as enticing as taking a time travel. At times it seems that there is nothing left of the old-time England in the present-day London; however, when looking closer at what it looked like a couple of centuries ago, one can possibly see the track of London progress. However, embracing the entire city in every single epoch is practically impossible; hence, the points of the time travel will be 1500, 1740 and 1880, while the key sights will be Borough High Street, the City, the Strand and Westminster.
It is 1500 outside, it is the middle of summer, and it is unbearably hot. It seems especially hot in London; even the Suffolk Place, with its usually stone-cold walls, seems steaming. Just a single step is taken, and the Borough Street devours the traveler with its quietness and semidarkness. It is better not to make much noise here – well-known for its criminal masterminds, the street is quite dangerous (Elmer & Grell, 2004).
Finally, the City appears in its glory, hassle and smell of fish and rotten food. In the middle of a working day, it is hard to stroll down the street in a nonchalant manner – merchants of all sorts, driving carriages or walking on foot, hardly seem to care about manners. Eventually, the City ends, and the brick walls of Somerset Savoy of the Strand shines through. Next goes the Westminster; and, though the brick wall is in the way, it is easy to imagine Henry VII dealing with his monarch issues and dreaming of Anne Boleyn.
The next stop is 1740. Though nearly 250 years have passed, for a present-day city dweller, this is pretty much like travelling to prehistoric times. The Borough Street, however, has changed a lot – taking a great chunk of St. George’s Fields, it has stretched considerably. What is more important and pleasant, there are less people in there. Perhaps, built up to East Side, it has room for more criminals and their shady deals (Rule & Wells, 2003).
And here is the City; to think that it used to be pretty much the entire London! The latter has stretched, squeezing the City to a size of a very small area. By the way, the virus of trade has entered this place as well: one out of eight families trades gin here now. The Strand has suffered changes as well – instead of a has-been first Somerset House destroyed by the fire, St. Mary le Strand is built, and the Westminster has acquired its famous western towers.
At last, 1880 comes. Sir Horace Jones has taken over the Borough Street. There is no more place or the criminals, and the place is much cleaner. The City is now a small part of huge London. However, merchants are still there – every now and then, one can hear them lavishing their goods, and the Strand welcomes Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzan.
As for Westminster, it still remains just as glorious and grandeur, and somewhat corrupt (Stephen, 1996). Queen Victoria reigns now, and it seems that the women of England’s elite have never been as virtuous and pious as in XIX century.
Taking a retrospective on this short but inspiring time travel, one has to admit that London has changed greatly over these centuries, which is quite expected, given the fact that the travel embraced several epochs and four and a half centuries.
Horse-drawn carriages are no longer anywhere in the vicinity, a lot of famous buildings have been demolished and the famous smog has vanished without a trace once and for all together with steamers. However, it is necessary to mention that there is still a certain air of refinement and traditions mixed with a pinch of sensation and a famous five-o’clock in the air. Perhaps, some things are never meant to be changed.
Reference List
Elmer, P., & Grell, P. O. (2004). Health, disease and society in Europe, 1500 1800: A sourcebook. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press.
Rule, J. & Wells, R. (2003). Crime, protest and popular politics in Southern England, 1740-1850. London, UK: Continuum International Publishing Group.
Stephen, J. F. (1996). History of the criminal law of England. New York, NY: Routledge.