London, Forever Rebuilding and Reinventing Itself

An ancient city, with a history stretching back two thousand years, London is also modern and global, a city that has never ceased to renew, rebuild and reinvent itself, particularly over the past two centuries. This is the city explored in THE PRAGMATIC CONSTRUCTION OF LONDON, the volume in the Cities collection published by ACS Group devoted to the British capital.

“Choosing a beginning is always arbitrary, but this book ‘must’ start in precisely 1848,” writes Miguel Aguiló, the engineer and economist who oversees the collection and has been the driving force behind it. In the years immediately before and after that date, he adds, a series of events took place that marked “major changes in both the city and the country”. The Second Industrial Revolution, for example, was beginning to take shape. London was already a large city, but it was around this time that it entered a cycle of capital accumulation that accelerated its growth. Aguiló recalls the words of British historian Eric Hobsbawm: “Only the British economy was effectively industrialised in 1848, and consequently dominated the world.”

This pivotal year in London’s history ushered in four successive eras that strengthened its leadership and shaped the city we know today: the Industrial Revolution, empire, modernity and globalisation.

Throughout these periods, the river and the railway were two of the principal forces behind London’s successful transformation.

Wealth flowed into the city along the River Thames, through its docks and beneath its bridges. “Its great breadth turns the river into the city’s boulevard, its banks into its finest showcase and its course into its most treasured promenade. Yet it does not divide the city, thanks to the bridges that connect its two sides while also serving as landmarks along the river and points of reference for the surrounding neighbourhoods.”

The railway, meanwhile, was incorporated into the urban fabric from the outset, with stations even embedded within buildings, creating an exceptionally close connection between the centre and the outskirts. London’s dense rail and Underground networks have helped prevent the city centre from being overrun by cars. There is little parking to encourage their use, and the streets themselves are narrow. These public transport systems are used by every section of society, from the CEO to the most junior caretaker working at a major company in the City.

One particular moment stands out in London’s urban history. In 1811, Regent Street was created. Designed by architect John Nash as part of the ceremonial route from the residence of the Prince Regent, the future George IV, to Regent’s Park, it was to become one of London’s foremost shopping streets. The new thoroughfare divided the city between East and West. The West became the wealthier part of London, home to the affluent classes and the principal shopping districts, while the poorer neighbourhoods and the port were relegated to the East.

Today, however, East London is vibrant and thoroughly regenerated. “At the moment, London is exciting in the East and rather dull in the West,” Miguel Aguiló remarks, only half in jest.

Ancient churches and nineteenth-century palaces stand alongside striking glass office buildings. Museums and bridges, leafy parks and carefully restored railway stations, some of them renovated by ACS Group, form part of a city defined by multiculturalism and dynamism. London remains as fascinating as ever.