London in the Georgian era

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About London in the Georgian era

No need to tell me that it is an illusory mission! I know this too well! If only London had not been vandalized and disfigured by greedy developers and philistine politicos! Things would be far easier for me!

Historical context(in short):

Britain and England:

The political revolution during the Stuart age could not have happened if there had not been a revolution in thought. This influenced not only politics,but also religion and science. By 1714 people's ideas and beliefs had changed enormously.
The real protestant revolution did not,in fact ,happen until the 17th century,when several new religious groups appeared. But there were also new scientific ideas,quite separate from these new beliefs.. For the first time it was reasonable to argue that everything in the universe had a natural explanation,and this led to a new self-confidence.

Another reason for this self-confidence was the change in Britain's international position during the 17th century. In 1603,in spite of the Armada victory of 1588 and in spite of the union of England and Scotland under one sovereign,Britain was still considered less important than France,Spain and the holy roman empire. But by 1714 the success of its armies against France had made Britain a leading european power. At the same time Britain had so many new colonies that it was now in competition with earlier colonial nations,Spain,Portugal and the Netherlands.

Well before the end of the 18th century Britain was as powerful as France. This resulted from the growth of its industries and from the wealth of its large new trading empire,part of which had been captured from the french. Britain now had the strongest navy in the world;the navy controlled Britain's own trade routes and endangered those of its enemies. It was the deliberate policy of the government to create this trading empire,and to protect it with a strong navy. This was made possible by the way in which government had developed during the 18th century.

For the first time,it was the King's ministers who were the real policy and decision-makers. Power now belonged to the groups from which the ministers came,and their supporters in parliament. These ministers ruled over a country which had become wealthy through trade. This wealth,or "capital",made possible both an agricultural and an industrial revolution which made Britain the most advanced economy in the world.

London:

In 1666,following a year of terrible plague,a fire destroyed most of the City of London. 87 churches,including the great medieval cathedral of st Paul,were destroyed. The greatest british architect of the time,sir Christopher Wren was ordered to rebuild them in the modern style,which he did with great skill. A new law made sure that all buildings were made of brick or stone. The jewel of the new city was the new cathedral,designed by Wren. Almost every church in the new city was also designed by Wren,or by his able assistant Nicholas Hawksmoor.

During the 18th century,efforts were made to make London healthier. Streets were built wider,so that carriages drawn by horses could pass each other. From 1734,London had a street lighting system. After 1760 many towns asked parliament to allow them to tax their citizens in order to provide social services,such as street cleaning and lighting. Each house owner had to pay a local tax,the amount of which was decided by the local council or corporation.

As these local authorities grew,they brought together the merchants and industrial leaders. These started to create a new administrative class to carry out the council's will. Soon London was so clean and tidy that it became the wonder of Europe. Indeed London had so much to offer that the great literary figure of the day,Samuel Johnson,made the now famous remark,"when a man is tired of London,he is tired of life. For there is in London all that life can afford."