Old London and the Wall

Reflecting
(The Roman Wall many centuries old)

Ancient London was ruled by the Romans

In 200 AD, They built this wall

Over 2 miles long and 100 feet tall

It stretched from Black Friars Bridge on the River Thames to the London Tower

The Wall protected the village from intruders

And in 1666 spared the center core from the Great Fire

Understanding

The London Wall was the defensive wall that protected the square mile of London.  Although the exact reason for the construction of the wall was unknown, it may have been to defend the city against the Picts, a confederation of Celtic tribes living in what was later to become Scotland.

Negotiation

In the 17th century, London suffered heavily.  The Black Plague of 1665 killed up to half the population, about 500,000 people.   The plague was caused by the fleas that resided on black rats that were regular passengers aboard merchant ships.  It spread rapidly throughout Europe and in 1665, erupted in London.

Masks worn by doctors during the Black Plague

During this time, many people decided to flee London for the countryside.  The nobility left the city for their estates in the country.  By the summer, the roads were clogged with people desperate to escape the city.  As a result, the Lord Mayor closed the gates to the city to anyone who did not have a certificate of health.  These certificates became a currency of great worth.

It was rumored that dogs and cats spread the disease.  As a result, the Lord Mayor ordered all dogs and cats to be killed.  This was a huge mistake.  The result of this was that the rats no longer had any natural enemy, so the rat population exploded.

Despite this mistake, there was Heroism found during the plague.  One small village that was badly ravaged by the plague  ( brought on by a shipment of old clothes sent from London).  The villagers led by their courageous clergyman decided that the only way to stop the spread of the plague was to voluntarily quarantine the village, refusing to leave until the plague had run its course.  Eventually, 259 died out of 292 villagers.   Every year, the event is commemorated by the Plague Sunday Service in Eyam.

Eventually, the plague subsided.  But this was not the last tragedy to ravage London.  In 1666, London was swept by a Great Fire.

Innovation

So what did the wall accomplish.  For one it isolated the city.  The city was in ruins.  But the Wall did protect the city core from destruction.

Soon the wall was destroyed, torn down and forgotten.

Ironically, the German bombing during the Blitz of 1940 helped reveal parts of the wall.

Navigating

Today, we live in better times. It is great that we don't have to build walls to protect and isolate ourselves.  It is the internet that has broken down many socio and economic walls.  Trading and interacting no longer has to be done just by ships.  Today, we communicate online and conduct most of our business there.