An area guide to London from Assetsure
The Romans founded London in AD 43 and built a settlement on the banks of the river Thames with a wooden bridge connecting the North & South Banks. The waters of the Thames were tidal and quite deep and the Romans decided that this would be a good place to built a port and thus by the first century London had begun to establish itself as a major centre of trade. London or Londinium as it was known was first ruled by Aulus Lautius who was appointed by the Roman Emperor Claudius, you could say that the current ruler some 2000 years and much history later, is Ken Livingstone who is appointed by a much more democratic means.
Getting There
One of the first problems for anyone that visits this vast city is actually pinning down where it starts and ends. Some say that London is the city and the West end, others that it includes all of the locations situated within the London postcodes. Nowadays it is safe to say that London is anywhere within the M25 motorway and that covers approximately 610 square miles and is home to some 12 million people. if you want to know where the centre of London is, then strictly speaking it is Charing Cross, this is where all distance measurements are made from at to. Most people coming on a holiday to London will be on a sight seeing holiday and as such will want to book a hotel or guest house as close as possible to most of the major London tourist attractions. This usually means the West End of London where all the top hotels can be found. There are of course plenty of decent ( and cheaper hotels) further out in to the suburbs and with London’s extensive Transport system, getting around is not a problem.
Demographics
From an information for visitors point of view, London needs little introduction, suffice to say it is the capital of England and few people would argue that it is one of the most cosmopolitan and important cities in the world. A centre for banking, insurance and finance and now officially the most populous city within the European Union, London enjoys the status that it appears on almost every persons lists of cities to visit. As well as business London, it is a thriving centre of entertainment and is literally teaming with architectural treasures and museums. including no less than four world heritage sites. A visit to London never disappoints, there is so much to see and do and experience.. If you include the London Metropolitan areas, the total population of London touches 12 million persons, and is extremely diverse in both terms of culture and religion. Over 300 languages are spoken and every conceivable facet of life from every part of the globe can be found here.
Travel & Transport
London is a major international transport hub, presently the largest in the world and is well served by the Airports at Heathrow Gatwick, Stansted & Luton as well as the London City Airport. It also has Europe’s largest underground rail network.
London Rental Property & Accommodation
For persons coming to London to live and work the task is harder as often longer term London accommodation is needed. Often property is rented in the area in which employment is sought or close by to friends that have already rented property. Out side of the central regions London can have quite a disjointed feel to it, like a collection of towns and villages that all seem to role in to one. Often decisions of where to live happen pretty much by chance especially if you are new to the capital and are looking for a flat share. Prices do vary greatly from postcode to postcode and after being in the capital for a short period of time you will soon get to know which are the property rental hot spots. To describe London on a single page is nigh on impossible so to help are users we have decided to split it up in to separate postcode regions. London property prices are currently at a premium as it is a very popular city in which to purchase homes. In recent years large numbers of foreign investors have been buying property in the capital and this combined with large bonus payments made to city workers has meant that property prices have reached astronomic levels. London attracts new residents every hour of every day and there is also a very healthy rental market for property. Although property prices are expensive, Buy to Let landlords can expect to receive good rental yields from their property.
Areas of London
For those new to London or those looking for accommodation we would mention that London is arranged on a post code basis using letters that roughly equate to points on the compass. Each area has a postcode but it doesn’t follow that the higher the number becomes the further out in to suburbia you are travelling. Areas are more likely to be arranged alphabetically than in distance order. Some of the Metropolitan areas within the M25 do not following this system and use a more local post code. To further confuse matters areas are also divided in to 32 separate boroughs. This are responsible for local government and setting the council tax for example. The London postcode system is divided up as follows, next to each code is the name by which the area is more typically known.
