When Did London Begin to Grow? From Roman Fort to Global Metropolis

London's growth spans two millennia — not a single start date, but pivotal inflection points:

Pre-Roman

• No evidence of permanent settlement. Thames crossings, seasonal camps.

43 AD: Roman Foundation — Londinium

• Bridgehead for Claudian invasion. Strategic Thames crossing.
• By 60 AD: ~10,000–20,000. Burned by Boudicca (60/61), rebuilt.
• 100–200 AD: Peak ~60,000. Forum, basilica, amphitheater, wall (200 AD).
• Capital of Britannia Superior.

410–600: Post-Roman Collapse & Anglo-Saxon Lundenwic

• Roman withdrawal → Londinium abandoned.
• 7th C: Lundenwic (trading settlement) west of walls (Covent Garden/Strand).
• Viking raids (842, 851, 871) → Alfred refortifies Roman walls (886) → Lundenburh.

1066–1300: Norman & Medieval Explosion

• Tower of London (1078), Westminster Hall (1097), St Paul's (1087–1314).
• 1100: ~15,000 → 1300: ~80,000 (largest in England).
• Guilds, ports, wool trade, Magna Carta (1215), first Mayor (1189).

1348–1500: Black Death & Recovery

• 1348–50: 40–60% mortality. Recovery slow.
• 1500: ~50,000. But institutional continuity (livery companies, courts, Hanseatic Steelyard).

1500–1700: Early Modern Surge

• Reformation, dissolution, Atlantic trade, East India Company (1600).
• 1600: ~200,000 → 1700: ~575,000 (largest in Europe).
• Great Fire (1666) → rebuilding (Wren, Hooke) — modern street plan.

1700–1900: Imperial Capital

• 1800: 1M → 1900: 6.5M (world's largest city).
• Railways, sewers (Bazalgette), Underground (1863), docks, suburbs.

1900–Present: Metropolis to Global City

• WWII Blitz → post-war decline (1939–1980s: 8.6M → 6.8M).
• 1980s–: Financial deregulation, Canary Wharf, immigration, tech, culture → 9M+ (2023).

London didn't "begin to grow" once. It grew, shrank, burned, rebuilt, imperialized, deindustrialized, and reinvented — continuously for 2,000 years.