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London 1792 -
Over 800,000 sheep and 150,000 head of cattle were driven into London to Smithfield market every year. Along with the vast numbers of pigs they often created mayhem in the streets along with a great stench around slaughter houses and tanneries. See London directory c.1792
London 1812 -
The last frost Fair was in 1814. Old London Bridge is still in existence on this map, restricting the flow of the river to such an extent that in severe winters the more placid water upstream of the bridge occasionally froze allowing frost fairs on the ice. The Old bridge was replaced in 1831. See Cary’s Accurate plan of London c.1812.
London 1800 -
The ancient forests of Middlesex were long gone and London had a scarcity of wood so coal was burnt for cooking and heating. Shipped by barge from the Tyne over 800,000 Newcastle Chaldrons of coal were supplied to the city in 1801. There were no standard weights and measures, a Newcastle Chaldron being 53cwt (5906 lbs or 2700 kilos) while a London Chaldron being only 28 cwt (3136 lbs or 1425 kilos). The city was always shrouded in smoke which did not lift until the Clean Air Acts of the 1950’s. See Map of London c.1800
London 1826 -
Cruchley’s 12 miles round London showing London and it’s vicinity just before the railways led to an increase in it’s headlong expansion. London’s first railway opened in 1836 from Greenwich to London Bridge and was just 4 miles long. Regents Park and Hyde Park still have fields to their western edges but not for long. The population of the city had now risen to around 1,400,000 which was a 40% increase since 1800.
London 1840 -
Londoners had grown used to the new London Bridge by 1840. Opened in 1831 it had replaced the crumbling bridge of the nursery rhyme “London Bridge is falling down”. Old London Bridge was finished in 1209 and consisted of 19 arches and was 915 feet in length. For centuries it had houses and shops on each side which restricted the carriage way to around 20 feet causing considerable congestion. An act of Parliament of 1756 to remove the houses allowed the carriageway to be widened to 31 feet.
The foundations were not of stone but huge baulks of elm. Over the years repairs to the piers had restricted the flow to such an extent that at high tide the river level varied by quite a few feet either side of the bridge. At this period it was easier to travel along the Thames by boat rather than by carriage. Alighting on one side of the bridge to rejoin another boat on the other side at high tide was the safest thing to do. However that did not prevent some trying to “shoot” the bridge without alighting and as a consequence many drowned. See Mogg’s Strangers Guide c.1840.
London 1837 -
London now had 6 bridges. The New London Bridge had opened six years earlier but only had a brief impact on congestion because of rapid population growth.
Bridge building in London was always against the vested interest of the ferryman and waterman who earned their living from the river. They were granted substantial compensation whenever a new bridge was built to make up for lost earnings. See Plan of London c.1840
London 1847 -
Just 14 years since it’s first railway, indeed the world’s first railway in a major city, London is crisscrossed with track. Thousands of young labourers had flocked to the city from all corners, but especially from Ireland, to work on construction. This influx of labour helped to increase the population to around 2,250,000. See Country in the vicinity of London c.1847.
London’s history that is illustrated in our maps:
London 1736 -
The lightly shaded area on Homann’s map of London is London’s earliest congestion zone, Hackney carriages had to pay to operate in this area. By the 1760’s over 800 of them were plying their trade along with great numbers of sedan chairs.
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