London by ex-pat Karen Fisher-Smith

The city’s core, the ancient City of London, still retains its limited medieval boundaries; but since at least the 19th century the name “London” has also referred to the whole metropolis that has developed around it. London boasts fourWorld Heritage Sites, the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St Margaret’s Church; the Tower of London, the historic settlement of Greenwich  and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. London’s population draws from a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, and over 300 languages are spoken within the city.  As of 2006, it had an official population of 7,512,400 within the boundaries of Greater London.

The West End is London’s main entertainment and shopping district, with locations such as Oxford Street, Leicester Square (where World Film Premieres are held) Convent Garden and Piccadilly Circus (with its giant electronic advertisements) acting as tourist magnets. The West London area is known for fashionable and expensive residential areas such as Notting Hill, Knightsbridge and Chelsea — where properties can sell for tens of millions of pounds. The average price for all properties in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is £894,000 with similar average outlay in most of Central London.

London’s theatre district is in Piccadilly Circus, as are many cinemas, bars, clubs and restaurants, including the city’s Chinatown district, and just to the east is Covent Garden, an area housing speciality shops. The United Kingdom’s Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet are based in London.  Europe’s busiest shopping area is Oxford Street, a shopping street nearly 1 mile—which makes it the longest shopping street in the world.

The eastern region of London contains the East End and East London. The East End is the area closest to the original Port of London, known for its high immigrant population, as well as for being one of the poorest areas in London.  The surrounding East London area saw much of London’s early industrial development.  Now, brownfield sites throughout the area are being redeveloped as part of the Thames Gateway including the London Riverside and Lower Lea Valley, which is being developed into the Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympics.

The largest parks in the central area of London are the Royal Parks of Hyde Park and its neighbour Kensington Gardens at the western edge of central London and Regent’s Park on the northern edge. This park contains London Zoo, the world’s oldest scientific zoo, and is located near the tourist attraction of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Closer to central London are the smaller Royal Parks of Green Park and St James’s Park.  Hyde Park in particular is popular for sports and sometimes hosts open-air concerts. Hampstead Heath of North London incorporates Kenwood House, the former stately home and a popular location in the summer months where classical musical concerts are held by the lake, attracting thousands of people every weekend to enjoy the music, scenery and fireworks.

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