New Century

   At the start of the new century, London was a larger, busier place than it had ever been before. Giant liners traversed the oceans; electric lighting was beginning to appear, and horseless carriages could occasionally be seen on the streets. Wars brought its alteration and changes in the structure of the City. In particularly, bombardments during the Great War. After this war the network of railways was enlarged and metro lines were made longer and more comfortable for Londoners. The 'metroland' was born, being named after the Metropolitan Line whose trains entered the countryside and brought people to the suburbs. The first world war had not had a major impact on London, but the second one changed the city completely. In 1941 the blitz took place, and bombs rained down nightly on London. After the destruction of war came a feeling of optimism and renewal as the rebuilding began. London in the sixties had its own unique atmosphere, a heady hallucinogenic gas that induced a feeling of well-being and sensitivity to colour. People flooded in and the tourist industry prospered. The sixties saw people crowding with equal enthusiasm to both open-air rock concerts and political demonstrations.
   At the beginning of this decade, the architecture of the city began to change; and there was a brutalism which was out of keeping with the general social atmosphere of the time. Tower blocks were erected all over the city; St Paul's became concealed in a concrete copse and this tendency came to fruition with the infamous Centre Point.
   Since then many of the tower blocks have mercifully been pulled down, and a more imaginative approach has been taken with new buildings. London today has many examples of interesting and pleasing modern buildings. London is changing rapidly, is becoming a more vital, a cleaner, a more prosperous place. As usual, London is a mixture of the good and the bad. For the tourist it remains a safe and a fascinating environment - providing a unique historical perspective, mixed with entertainment of the most up-to-date kind.