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Leicester

Leicester

Leicester (pronounced ) is a city in the English East Midlands, on the River Soar. It is the traditional county town of Leicestershire, and since 1997 has been a self-governing unitary authority. It lies on the edge of the National Forest. In 2002 the population of the city proper was estimated at 283,578, with 330,574 living in the urban area. Technically it is the most populous city in the East Midlands, but Nottingham's urban area is much larger. Nottingham The urban area spreads outside the boundaries of the city proper, and includes Oadby, Wigston, Braunstone Town, Birstall, Glenfield, Blaby, Thurmaston, Syston and Leicester Forest East. For areas within the city, see Areas of Leicester. Leicester is one of the oldest cities in England, having been founded by the Romans, and is now one of the most ethnically diverse.

General information

The city is next to the M1 motorway, and is on the Midland Main Line between London and Sheffield. High-speed trains operated by Midland Mainline can reach London in just over an hour. It is also served by rail lines to Birmingham via Nuneaton, and to Peterborough. Major industries in Leicester today include food processing, hosiery, footwear, knitwear, engineering, electronics, printing and plastics. Peterborough The city centre is mainly Victorian with some later developments, which have usually been integrated in smoothly. The heart of the city centre is the Clock Tower, which is at the intersection of five routes into the city - High Street, Churchgate, Belgrave Gate, Humberstone Gate, and Gallowtree Gate. Today the latter two are pedestrianised, and vehicles are restricted on the others. The city centre is home to the Haymarket and the Shires shopping centres, both of which face the clock tower. Leicester Market, Europe's largest covered market, is nearby. The historic core of the City lies slightly to the west, and monuments here include the Castle, the Anglican cathedral of St Martin, the mediaeval churches of St Mary de Castro and St Nicholas, the Guildhall and the Jewry Wall. It is set to become a major city with many developments on the horizon implemented by the [http://www.leicesterregeneration.co.uk Leicester Regeneration Company] including a major [http://www.leicester.gov.uk/departments/print.asp?pgid=3562 theatre] designed by Rafael Viñoly. In 1990 Leicester was designated the UK's first Environment City, and won the European Sustainable City Award in 1996. Leicester has a large multi-ethnic population, mainly from the Indian subcontinent. There are many Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras and Muslim mosques around the city, mostly converted from existing buildings. The only Jain Temple in the western world is near the city centre ([http://www.jaincentre.com The Jain Centre]). The area around Belgrave Road is known as the Golden Mile, and contains many Indian restaurants, jewellery shops, and other shops catering to the large Asian community in the neighbourhood. Many people travel to the area specifically for the restaurants, which serve authentic Indian cuisine. The annual Diwali celebrations are also held here and at the nearby Abbey Park, and are the biggest outside of India. There are also many of Afro-Caribbean descent (mainly from Antigua & Barbuda, Montserrat and Jamaica), the community being centred around Highfields to the southeast of the city centre, and Leicester plays host to the second-largest [http://www.lccarnival.org.uk/ Caribbean Carnival] in the UK after Notting Hill.

History

According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, the mythical king of the Britons King Leir founded the city of Kaerleir (Leicester). He was supposedly buried by Queen Cordelia in a chamber beneath the River Soar near the city dedicated to the Roman god Janus, and every year people celebrated his feast-day near Leir's tomb. William Shakespeare's King Lear is loosely based on this story. King Lear] In fact, Leicester is one of the oldest cities in England, with a history going back nearly 2000 years. The Roman city of Ratae Coritanorum was founded in AD 50 as a military settlement upon the Fosse Way Roman road. The city was named after the Corieltauvi, the Celtic tribe that dwelt in the area before the Romans arrived. Ratae Coritanorum grew into an important trading and military centre and one of the largest towns in Roman Britain. The remains of the baths of Roman Leicester can be seen at the Jewry Wall, and other Roman artefacts are displayed in the Jewry Wall museum adjacent to the site. According to the Venerable Bede Leicester city was the site of some of the earliest Christian Martyrdoms in Britain. The Dates are unknown, but in his Historia Ecclesiastica Bede describes how several people were persecuted and put to death for their faith in Christ in Leicester at the same time as St. Alban the first English martyr was killed in the Roman city of Verulamium (beside modern-day St Albans). As St Alban is supposed to have been executed some time between 303 and 313 AD, it is supposed that the Leicester Martyrs must also have died around this time. : "At the same time suffered Aaron and Julius, inhabitants of the city of Leicester [or Caerleon], and many others of both sexes, in other places; who, having been tormented on the rack till their members were dislocated, and having endured various other unheard-of cruelties, yielded their souls, after the conflict was over, to the joys of the city above." - The History of the Primitive Church of England. Book One, Chapter Seven St Bede the Venerable. The Roman town was largely abandoned when the Romans left Britain in the 5th century, but was later re-settled by Saxons. In the 9th century, Leicester was captured by the Danes (Vikings) and became one of the five boroughs (fortified towns) of Danelaw, although this position was short lived. The Saxon Bishop of Leicester fled to Dorchester-on-Thames and Leicester was not to become a bishopric again until the 20th century. It is believed the name "Leicester" is derived from the words castra (camp) of the Ligore, meaning dwellers on the 'River Legro' (an early name for the River Soar). In the early 10th century it was recorded as Ligeraceaster = "the town of the Ligor people". The Domesday book later recorded it as Ledecestre. Leicester had become a town of considerable importance by Medieval times. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book as 'civitas' (city), but Leicester lost its city status in the 11th century owing to power struggles between the Church and the aristocracy. It was eventually re-made a city in 1919, and the Church of St Martin became Leicester Cathedral in 1927. The tomb of King Richard III is located in the central nave of the church although according to local tradition he is not actually buried there. He was originally buried in the Greyfriars Church in Leicester, but his corpse was exhumed under orders from Henry VII and cast into the River Soar. Leicester played a significant role in the history of England, when in 1265 Simon de Montfort forced King Henry III to hold the first parliament of England at the now-ruined Leicester Castle. On 4 November 1530, Thomas Cardinal Wolsey was arrested on charges of treason and taken from York Palace. On his way south to face dubious justice at the Tower of London, he fell ill. The group escorting him were concerned enough to stop at Leicester. There, Wolsey's condition quickly worsened and he died on 29 November 1530 and was buried at Leicester Abbey, now Abbey Park. With the construction of the Grand Union Canal in the 1790s linking Leicester to London and Birmingham, Leicester began rapid industrialisation. The main industries being hosiery, footwear and, especially in the 20th century, engineering. All are however in decline now. By 1832 railways had arrived in Leicester with the opening of the Leicester and Swannington Railway, which provided a supply of coal to the town from nearby collieries. By 1840 the Midland Counties Railway had linked Leicester to the national railway network, which further boosted industrial growth. The Great Central Railway arrived in 1900, providing an alternative route to London. However this closed in 1966. The borough expanded throughout the 19th century, most notably in 1892 annexing Belgrave, Aylestone, Knighton and North Evington. The city obtained its current boundaries in 1935, with the annexation of the remainder of Evington, Humberstone, Beaumont Leys, along with part of Braunstone. It became a county borough when these were established in 1889, but as with all county boroughs was abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in 1974, becoming an ordinary district of Leicestershire. It regained its unitary status in 1997. In the decades after World War II Leicester gained a large population of immigrants from the Indian sub-continent, and from Uganda in the early 1970s. These immigrant groups make up around 40% of Leicester's population, making Leicester one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United Kingdom. Among the more recent arrivals are a group of Dutch citizens of Somali origin, apparently drawn by its free and easy atmosphere and by the number of mosques. In the U.K., Leicester today is widely regarded as a model of inter-communal tolerance, however for a short period in the 1970s the neo-fascist National Front recorded high votes in the city. Leicester is expected by 2012 to become the first major city in Britain in which the ethnic minority population will form a majority.

Coat of Arms

The Corporation of Leicester's coat of arms was first granted to the city at the Heraldic Visitation of 1619, and is based on the arms of the first Earl of Leicester, Robert Beaumont. The field is a white cinquefoil on a red background, and this emblem is used by the City Council. After Leicester became a city in 1919, the city council applied to add to the arms, permission for which was granted in 1929, when the supporting lions, from the Lancastrian Earls of Leicester, were added. The motto "Semper Eadem" was the Motto of Queen Elizabeth I, who granted a royal charter to the city. It means "always the same". The crest on top of the arms is a white or silver legless wyvern with red and white wounds showing, on a wreath of red and white. The supporting Lions are wearing coronets in the form of collars, with the white cinquefoil hanging from them.

Politics

On April 1, 1997, Leicester City Council became a unitary authority, local government up until then having been a two-tier system with the city and county councils being responsible for different aspects of local government services (a system which is still in place in the rest of Leicestershire). Leicestershire County Council retained its headquarters at County Hall in Glenfield, just outside the city boundary but within the urban area. The administrative offices of Leicester City Council are in the centre of the city at the New Walk Centre and other office buildings near Welford Place. Some services (particularly the police and the ambulance service) still cover the whole of the city and county, but for the most part the two councils are independent. After a long period of Labour administration (since 1979), the city council from May 2003 was run by a Liberal Democrat/Conservative coalition, which collapsed in November 2004. The minority Labour group ran the city until May 2005, when the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives formed a new coalition. Leicester is divided into three Parliamentary constituencies. Leicester East and Leicester West are represented by Keith Vaz and Patricia Hewitt respectively - both members of the Labour Party. The third seat, Leicester South, became vacant in May 2004 on the death of Labour politician Jim Marshall. A by-election was held on July 15, and was won by Parmjit Singh Gill of the Liberal Democrats, with a 21% swing. This by-election saw almost 4,000 votes go to a Respect party candidate, who opposed the Iraq war. However, in the 2005 general election, Labour's unsuccessful byelection candidate and former Council leader Sir Peter Soulsby won Leicester South back for the party, and Vaz and Hewitt retained their seats.

Education

Leicester is home to two universities, the University of Leicester (Royal Charter 1957) and De Montfort University (founded in 1992 from Leicester Polytechnic). It is also home to the National Space Centre, due in part to the University of Leicester being one of the few universities in the UK to specialise in space science. Leicester City Local Education Authority has had a troubled history since its formation in 1997 as part of the local government reorganisation - a 1999 Ofsted inspection found "few strengths and many weaknesses", and although there has been some improvement since then the LEA's capacity to sustain improvement of education is still judged to be "not secure" ([http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/manreports/2260.pdf 2004 Performance Assessment]). While many state schools provide a good standard of education, there have been long-running problems with several of the large community colleges, in particular New College. Current plans to improve the city's education system include the opening of City Academies part-sponsored by the Church of England and a local Christian businessman (a new school on the Saffron estate, and a replacement for New College), a £260 million "Building Schools for the Future" project using the Private Finance Initiative, the granting of state school status to the Leicester Islamic Academy, and the reorganisation of the city's special schools. All of these measures are controversial. Following an overspend of £3.5 million by the department of Lifelong Learning, Steven Andrews (Director of Education and Lifelong Learning) left the council in June 2005 - the terms of his leaving included a reduced severance payment in return for the suppression of an auditors' report into the overspend. John Crookes, the head of the Lifelong Learning department, left the council at the same time.

Arts

The city plays host to an annual Pride parade (Leicester Pride), a Caribbean Carnival (the largest in the UK outside London), and the Summer Sundae music festival. Arts venues in the city include:
- The Haymarket Theatre
- The Phoenix Arts Centre
- The De Montfort Hall.

Sport

De Montfort Hall Sports teams include Leicester City F.C. (football), Leicester Tigers (rugby union), Leicester Riders (basketball), and the Leicestershire County Cricket Club. The city has also hosted British and World track cycling championships at its Saffron Lane velodrome. Leicester is now sometimes regarded (by its inhabitants at least) as the sporting capital of the UK.

Recent titles won by local teams

- 1996 County Cricket Championship
- 1997 League Cup
- 1998 County Cricket Championship, Zurich Premiership
- 1999 Allied Dunbar Premiership
- 2000 Allied Dunbar Premiership, League Cup
- 2001 Allied Dunbar Premiership, Zurich Championship, Heineken Cup
- 2002 Zurich Premiership, Heineken Cup
- 2004 Twenty20 Cup
- 2005 Zurich Premiership To celeberate the successes of 1997-98, the Leicester Mercury organised the placement of a statue portraying a cricketer, a footballer, and a rugby-player on Gallowtree Gate, not far from the Clock Tower at the heart of the city.

Areas

- Aylestone, Aylestone Park
- Beaumont Leys, Bede Island, Belgrave, Black Friars, Braunstone Park, Braunstone Frith
- Charnwood, City Centre, Clarendon Park, Crown Hills
- Dane Hills
- Eyres Monsell, Evington, Evington Valley
- Frog Island
- Goodwood
- Hamilton, Highfields
- Horston Hill, Humberstone, Humberstone Garden City
- Knighton
- Mowmacre Hill
- Nether Hall, New Humberstone, New Parks, Newfoundpool, North Evington, Northfields
- Rowley Fields, Rushey Mead
- Southfields, South Knighton, Spencefield, Spinney Hills, St Matthew's, Stoneygate
- Thurnby Lodge
- West End, West Knighton, Western Park, Woodgate

Places of Interest and Landmarks

Parks: Leicester Botanic Gardens, Abbey Park, Victoria Park, Gorse Hill City Farm Industry: Abbey Pumping Station, National Space Centre, Great Central Railway Places of Worship: Shree Jalaram Prarthana Mandal (Hindu temple)[http://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/360_images/2002/11/shree_jalaram_prathana_mandal.shtml], Jain Centre [http://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/360_images/2002/11/jain_temple.shtml], Leicester Cathedral Historic Buildings: Leicester Guildhall, Belgrave Hall, Jewry Wall Shopping: Haymarket Centre, The Shires, Fosse Park (just outside the city).

Famous people

- David and Richard Attenborough
- Henry Bates
- Alastair Campbell
- William Carey
- Graham Chapman
- Thomas Cook
- John Deacon
- Simon de Montfort
- George Fox
- Stephen Frears
- Lady Jane Grey
- Liam Herringshaw
- Emile Heskey
- Kevin Hewick
- Engelbert Humperdinck
- David Icke
- Greville Janner
- Kasabian
- Dominic Keating
- Chris Kirkland
- Daniel Lambert
- Gary Lineker
- Bill Maynard
- Mark Morrison
- Joseph Merrick (the Elephant Man)
- Gabriel Newton
- Parminder Nagra
- Joe Orton
- Phil Shaw
- Showaddywaddy
- C. P. Snow
- Una Stubbs
- Willie Thorne
- Sue Townsend
- Thomas White
- Colin Wilson
- William Wyggeston
- Alastair Yates Note: This includes all those who spent at least part of their lives here. Not all were born or have spent their entire life there.

Leicester Firsts

- First BBC local radio station
- First Space Shuttle Simulator outside USA
- First automatic multi-storey carpark in Europe
- First Tesco outside of London
- First European Environment City
- First roundabout in the UK

Twinning

Leicester is twinned with:
- Chongqing, China
- Krefeld, Germany
- Masaya, Nicaragua
- Rajkot, India
- Strasbourg, France

Local media

Leicester is home to the Leicester Mercury newspaper, and the MATV (Midlands Asian Television) cable channel. Local analogue radio stations are:
- BBC Radio Leicester (FM)
- Leicester Sound (FM)
- BBC Asian Network (AM)
- Sabras Radio (AM) The local DAB multiplex has the following stations:
- BBC Radio Leicester
- Leicester Sound
- Sabras Radio
- Galaxy Digital
- Capital Disney
- A Plus
- The Storm
- Classic Gold Gem
- Heart 106

External links

- [http://www.localhistories.org/leicester.html History of Leicester]
- [http://www.geocities.com/leicestercityguide Leicester City Guide]
- [http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/ Leicester Mercury]
- [http://www.wartimeleicestershire.com/ Wartime Leicestershire]
- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester BBC Leicester]
- [http://www.leicester.gov.uk/ Leicester City Council] Category:Local government in Leicestershire category:Cities in England Category:Unitary authorities in England

IPA chart for English

This is a concise version of the International Phonetic Alphabet for English sounds. See International Phonetic Alphabet for English for a more complete version. Note that the parentheses indicate optionality; the IPA code does not actually contain parentheses.

# Although the symbol technically represents an alveolar trill, which is absent from most dialects of English, it is nevertheless widely used instead of in phonemic transcriptions. # See bad-lad split for more discussion of this vowel in Australian English. # See cot-caught merger for more discussion of this vowel in American English.

East Midlands

East Midlands
Image:EnglandEastMidlands.png
Admin HQ	Nottingham
Area - Total	4th in England 15,627 km²
Population - Total (2001) - Density	8th in England 4,172,179 267/km²
NUTS 1:	UKF

The East Midlands is one of the regions of England and consists of most of the eastern half of the tradional region of the Midlands. Its main settlements are Nottingham (the region's largest city), Leicester (the region's most populated city) Derby, and Northampton. Other settlements in the region include Bolsover, Boston, Chesterfield, Corby, Daventry, Grantham, Kettering, Hinckley, Lincoln, Long Eaton, Loughborough, Lutterworth, Oakham, Mansfield, Matlock, Market Harborough, Melton Mowbray, Newark, Rushden, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Uppingham, Wellingborough and Worksop. The highest point in the region is Kinder Scout, in the Peak District, at 636m. It is divided into the following local government areas:

#Derbyshire #Derby #Nottinghamshire #Nottingham #Lincolnshire #Leicestershire #Leicester #Rutland #Northamptonshire

Image:EnglandEastMidlandsNumbered.png

The East Midlands is also a six-member constituency for the European Parliament. Its MEPs are
- Derek Clark (UKIP)
- Chris Heaton-Harris (Conservative Party)
- Roger Helmer (Conservative Party)
- Robert Kilroy-Silk (Veritas)
- Bill Newton Dunn (Liberal Democrats)
- Phillip Whitehead (Labour Party) EMDA, the East Midlands Development Agency, holds funds from central government to enable regeneration. Nottingham East Midlands Airport is situated between the three main cities, in Leicestershire with a Derbyshire postcode and the region is served by Midland Mainline and GNER high-speed trains to London. The M1 motorway also serves the three largest conurbations. Local media include:
- The East Midlands region of BBC Television, based in Nottingham, which produces several regional television programs, including the news program BBC East Midlands Today. This excludes most of Northamptonshire.
- MATV, based in Leicester, which caters to the area's large South Asian population.
- BBC Radios Derby, Leicester, Lincolnshire, Northampton and Nottingham. BBC Radio Leicester was the first local radio station in the United Kingdom.
- Many commercial radio stations: Leicester Sound, Trent FM (Nottingham) Ram FM (Derby and Burton-on-Trent), Peak FM (Chesterfield and North Derbyshire), Lincs FM (Lincolnshire and Newark-on-Trent) and Sabras Radio.
- Several newspapers, the largest of which include the Nottingham Evening Post, Derby Evening Telegraph, and Leicester Mercury. A looser definition of the East Midlands would include the City of Peterborough, Burton-upon-Trent in Staffordshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire.

External links

- [http://www.emda.org.uk/main East Midlands Development Agency]
- [http://www.eastmidlandsassembly.org.uk East Midlands Regional Assembly]
- [http://www.go-em.gov.uk Government Office for the East Midlands]
- [http://www.midlandsmates.co.uk Meeting people in the East Midlands] Category:Regions of England

Traditional county

The British Isles are divided into the following traditional counties (also ancient or geographic counties or historic counties).
- England—Traditional counties of England
- Scotland— Traditional counties of Scotland
- Wales—Traditional counties of Wales
- Ireland—Traditional counties of Ireland

Leicestershire

Leicestershire (abbreviated Leics) is a landlocked county in central England. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester: traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire. The county borders onto Lincolnshire, Rutland, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire. County Hall, situated in Glenfield, about 5 km (3 miles) northwest of Leicester city centre, is the seat of Leicestershire County Council and the headquarters of the county authority. The City of Leicester is administered from offices in Leicester itself and the City Council meets at Leicester Town Hall. The River Soar rises to the east of Hinckley, in the far south of the county, and flows northward through Leicester before emptying into the River Trent at the point where Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire meet. A large part of the northwest of the county, around Coalville, forms part of the new National Forest area extending into Derbyshire and Staffordshire. The highest point of the county is Bardon Hill at 278m/912ft, which is also a Marilyn.

History

MarilynMain article: History of Leicestershire. Leicestershire was recorded in the Domesday Book in four wapentakes: Guthlaxton, Framland, Goscote and Gartree. These later became hundreds, with the division of Goscote into West Goscote and East Goscote, and the addition of Sparkenhoe hundred. Leicestershire's external boundaries have changed little since the Domesday Survey. The Measham-Donisthorpe exclave of Derbyshire has been exchanged for the Netherseal/Overseall area, and the urban expansion of Market Harborough has caused Little Bowdon, previously in Northamptonshire to be annexed. In 1974, the Local Government Act 1972 abolished the county borough status of Leicester city and the county status of neighbouring Rutland, converting both to administrative districts of Leicestershire. These actions were reversed on 1 April 1996, when Rutland and the City of Leicester became unitary authorities.

Demographics

The population of Leicestershire (excluding the city of Leicester) is 609,579 (2001). The county covers an area of 2,084 sq km (804 sq mi). The largest population centre is Leicester, followed by Loughborough. Other major towns include Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Coalville, Hinckley, Market Harborough, Melton Mowbray, Oadby and Wigston.

Towns and villages

See the list of places in Leicestershire.

Places of interest

- Ashby Canal
- The Battlefield Line (a heritage railway)
- Belvoir Castle
- Bosworth Battlefield
- Bradgate Park
- Brampton Valley Way (linear park and foot/cycle path to Northampton)
- Donington Park
- Nottingham East Midlands Airport
- Foxton Locks
- The Great Central Railway, Loughborough
- High Cross
- Launde Abbey
- Leicester Botanic Gardens
- Moira Furnace
- Stanford Hall
- Twycross Zoo

External links

- [http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/ Leicester Mercury]
- [http://www.wartimeleicestershire.com/ Wartime Leicestershire]

National Forest, England

The National Forest, which covers an area of 520 km² (200 square miles) of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire, is described as "a forest in the making". It stretches from Leicester in the east to Burton-upon-Trent in the west, and links the ancient forests of Needwood and Charnwood. Planting of the forest began in 1990. The National Forest Company is a private company attempting to plant 30 million new trees over 135 km² (33,000 acres) by convincing landowners to alter their land-use. It is hoped to increase tourism and forestry-related jobs in the area. By 2003, some 5 million trees had been planted. The stated goal is to afforest one-third of the area. National Forest Company Although this many trees have been planted already, they are still very small - and it will be many years before a developed forest can be seen. However, some areas are starting to develop already. At the centre of the National Forest, is Conkers, a visitor centre located just outside the village of Moira, Leicestershire. In addition to Conkers, a number of tourist attractions lie within the National Forest area including the medieval castle at Ashby de la Zouch, Swadlincote Ski Centre, the stately home of Calke Abbey, and 19th century blast furnace, Moira Furnace. As well as Ashby de la Zouch, the towns of Burton upon Trent, Swadlincote and Coalville are also located within the forest area.

External links

- [http://www.nationalforest.org/ The National Forest] Category:Derbyshire Category:Staffordshire Category:Leicestershire Category:Forests and woodlands of the United Kingdom

Wigston

Wigston (or more properly Wigston Magna to distinguish it from the nearby Wigston Parva), is a town in Leicestershire, just to the south of Leicester, on the Welford Road which leads to Northampton. It runs directly into Oadby to the east, with which it shares Oadby and Wigston district council, and Leicester to the north. An area known as South Wigston is actually to the west. Wigston was the subject of W.G. Hoskin's pioneering historical study, The Midland Peasant (London: Macmillan, 1965), which traced the social history of this village from earliest recorded history into the 19th century. In the Middle Ages it was known as Wigston Two Spires as, unusually there were two mediaeval churches there, All Saints and St. Wistans. St Wistans is known as that because it was one of the places where the body of St Wistan rested before burial. First, he was buried at Repton and finally in Evesham. St Wistan was a Mercian Prince who was assassinated but was regarded as a Martyr. It was the birthplace of George Davenport, a notorious highwayman, and Abigail Herrick, the mother of Jonathon Swift author of Gullivers Travels. There is a [http://www.lrmf.org.uk/m_26_wig.htm Framework Knitting Museum] here, as it was an important occupation in this area. Category:Towns in Leicestershire

Birstall

There are at least two places called Birstall
- Birstall, Leicestershire
- Birstall, West Yorkshire

Glenfield, Leicestershire

.]] Glenfield, archaically known as Glenfields, is a suburb of Leicester, England. It is part of the Blaby district, constituting a civil parish, and has a population of about 10,000. The town is directly to the west of Leicester and is just off junction 21A of the M1 motorway. It is the site of Glenfield Hospital, the headquarters of Leicestershire County Council, and of Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service. The majority of the village was built in the 1920s-50s, when the Faire Estate was built. In the 80s and 90s another large estate was built on former farm land behind Ellis Park. On Station Road there is a large Co-Op superstore with petrol station, Glenfield Televisions, Glenfield Kitchens, Numark Chemists and a few other small shops. There are also shops around the Square, Stamford Street and Faire Road. The heart of the community is around the Square, with St Peter's Church (CofE), the church hall and the post office on Church Street, the Methodist Church and Hall and the public library (offering generous Internet access) just inside Station Road, and Park House (parish council), the Memorial Hall, Scout Hut, Playground, Glenfield Primary School and the nursary school all located just inside Stamford Street. Stamford Street was the home of painter Brian Organ. Salcombe Drive was the home of the pundit Graham Barnfield. There are a variety of pubs, take-aways, restaurants and hotels in the Glenfield area. In the village centre, The Nag's Head serves pub food and Indian meals, with more traditional eating to be found in The Forge (formerly the Griffin). The Railway Inn (near to the site of the former Glenfield Station)is also a popular pub. There are Chinese and fish and chip takeaways in the village. On Dominion Road, there is The Dominion Pub, with Fish and Fry and Trodo's Taverna (Greek) directly opposite. Near County Hall is The Gynsills, a large pub and hotel. Heading out towards Groby is The Brant, a traditional English Hotel and pub serving food. Glenfield has its own village newspaper, The Glenfield Gazette, and the parish council own several areas of recreational land, including Ellis Park, Station Park and the Playing Fields. Near to the Brant is the "Millennium Green", which is managed by a local trust. Glenfield is only 3 miles away from Leicester, and 1 1/2 miles from the Beaumont Leys Shopping Centre. The M1 can be easily accessed at Junction 21a to the South of the village (Southbound only), which makes Fosse Park accessible. The M1 North can be reached in minutes along the A50 towards Markfield, Groby and Coalville. The A46 leads around the north of Leicester, with access to Anstey and then the A6 to Loughborough. Glenfield was the site of the first station from Leicester West Bridge on the Leicester and Swannington Railway opened in July 1832 as the world's third steam railway. Just before reaching the station the line passed through Glenfield Tunnel, which at 1 mile 36 yards long was at the time the world's longest railway tunnel and was built by Robert Stephenson; the tunnel can still be seen. Category:Towns in Leicestershire

Blaby

Blaby is a village in central Leicestershire, England, some five miles south of Leicester city centre and with a population of around 6,240 (2001 figures). While there are few buildings of outstanding historical or achitectural interest, old Blaby contains some ancient and picturesque dwellings and has a charming 'olde worlde' feel. Old Blaby also contains The Baker's Arms, a thatched public house that dates back to 1485 and is thus the second oldest pub in Britain (after 'The Trip to Jerusalem' in Nottingham). Otherwise 'new' Blaby is less a village than a suburb of Greater Leicester, with most shops and amenitites standing on the A426 between Leicester to the north and Lutterworth to the south. Fosse Park shopping centre and the M1 and M69 motorways are just a few miles away. It gives its name to the Blaby district and also to the Parliamentary constituency that was held by former Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson between 1974 and 1992. Since 1992 its MP has been Andrew Robathan.

External links

- [http://www.leicestershireparishcouncils.org/blabyparish/ Parish council]
- Category:Villages in Leicestershire

Thurmaston

Thurmaston is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. It is just north of Leicester. In 2000 its population was estimated at 9,305. Thurmaston lies on the River Soar and is something of a boating centre. There are two marinas, one of which is also a boat-yard, and numerous less official mooring sites. Thurmaston, despite being small, is one of the most noticeable places as you exit Leicester to the North. Its prominent location has seen much development in recent years. In 2002 a new Asda supermarket opened, pushing the old Co-op out of business. The old Co-op site, across the road from Asda, is now being developed into a new outdoor shopping centre, already housing a McDonalds, Dumelm Mill and Sports Soccer. Other stores on the site have yet to be confirmed but Argos and Next are rumoured. Thurmaston also houses some of the main offices for Walkers Crisps. A Thurmaston urban district was formed in 1894 from what was then urbanised southern part of the parish. This is now part of Leicester, and has never since been known as Thurmaston and was given the name Rushey Mead. The village is somewhat split in two by the Midland Main Line, which is the main London to Sheffield line. To the east of the line is the newer part of the village. To the west is the old village, which stands on the old Fosse Way. The local football team Thurmaston Magpies once boasted former England international and current Leicester City striker/defender Dion Dublin in its ranks. Category:Villages in Leicestershire

Syston

:This article is on Syston in Leicestershire. There is also a Syston in Lincolnshire — see Syston, Lincolnshire Syston is a town and civil parish in the district of Charnwood in Leicestershire, England. There has been a settlement on the site for over 1000 years, the earliest records being those in the Doomsday book. The Roman road known as the Fosse Way passes through Syston, which is now largely a commuter town for Leicester, which it is immediately north of. The town is on the Ivanhoe Line and is served by Syston railway station.
External links

- http://www.solosite.net/stn/ category:Towns in Leicestershire

M1 motorway (England)

:This article concerns the M1 motorway in England. There are M1 motorways in Northern Ireland (see M1 motorway (Northern Ireland)) and the Republic of Ireland (see N1 road). The M1 is a major north-south motorway in England connecting London to Yorkshire, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford. The motorway is 187 miles (301 km) long and was constructed in stages between the 1950s and 1970s, with a further extension in the late 1990s. It was the first full-length motorway to be built in the United Kingdom, and was opened on November 2 1959 between junctions 5 and 18, along with the M10 and M45 spurs. The M1 was first opened as a St Albans Bypass (j5-10a and M10) and London to Birmingham route (j10-18 and M45) broadly following the route of the A5. It started south of St Albans on the Watford Bypass which connected it to the main A1 at Apex Corner. At the northern end it linked to the A5 at Crick, with a spur (M45) to connect to the A45 to Coventry and then on to Birmingham. The alternate branch (M10) at the southern end was to the North Orbital Road (the forerunner to the M25) at Park Street (where the A5 also meets it). The M1 was extended in two stages to London, terminating between the junctions of the A406 "North Circular" with the A5 ("Staples Corner") and A41 ("Brent Cross Flyover"). The first stage to London terminated at "Fiveways Corner", just north of the present Junction 2 (the A1 junction) and the original slip road is retained as an emergency exit route. The M1 was also planned to start further in to London (on ringway 1) than its present southern terminus. The northbound flyover from the other side of the roundabout, as well as the flare in the carriageways, show that the M1 was to go over the roundabout here. The first motorway service station in the UK was built at Watford Gap and later immortalised in song by Roy Harper. The M1 was always going to Yorkshire, and a series of extensions took it through the East Midlands. Originally, the M1 was to end at Doncaster, however it was decided to go over what was going to be the "Leeds and Sheffield Spur", with the stub of the M1 becoming, and opening as, the M18. There were plans to reroute the M1 from just south of the M62, round the west of Leeds and to the A1 at Dishforth, however these were changed to a curving route to the east of Leeds, with the M621 completing a "D" shaped ring. The termini of both these motorways were sub-standard, messy junctions. In 1999, the M1 was extended to join the A1 at Hook Moor, with the three miles of the old M1 renumbered as an extention of the M621. This is the only bit of road to have been renumbered from M1. It now broadly follows an arc to the west of the route taken by the older A1; though less direct, this route takes it closer to the major population centres of the East Midlands. A close approximation of its route using A-roads is: A5, A426, A6, A60, A57, A61. It passes close to Milton Keynes, Northampton, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham, Mansfield, Sheffield and Leeds. It also connects with the M6 and M45 motorways near Rugby, the M18 near Rotherham, the M25 near Potters Bar, the M69 at Leicester, and the M62 and M621 near Leeds.

Route

- Junction 1 - at the junction of the A5/North Circular, known as Staples Corner, at Brent Cross, west of Golders Green - A406
- Junction 2 - "Fiveways interchange" at Hendon, west of Finchley, with A1
- Junction 3 - London Gateway Service Area (formerly Scratchwood) only - was to be a link to the A1.
- Junction 4 - Edgware
- Junction 5 - A41, Watford and Radlett, spur road to Central Watford (built in 1990s)
- Junction 6 - north Watford and south of St Albans
- Junction 6a - for M25
- Junction 7 - for M10 west of St Albans
- Junction 8 - east of Hemel Hempstead
- Junction 9 - for A5 (northwards) and A5183 (southbound) between Redbourn and Markyate
- Junction 10 - south of Luton, sole exit to: : Junction 10a - spur for Luton south and for London Luton Airport (airport not actually on M1)
- Junction 11 - west of Luton
- Toddington Service Area
- Junction 12 - north-east of Toddington, Bedfordshire - A5120
- Junction 13 - south-east of Milton Keynes, west of Bedford - A421
- Junction 14 - east of (central) Milton Keynes - A509, A4146
- Newport Pagnell Service Area
- Junction 15 - south of Northampton - A45, A508
- Junction 15a - south-west of Northampton, north-east of Milton Keynes (via A34, A5). Uses exit for:
- Rothersthorpe Service Area - A43
- Junction 16 - west of Northampton, east of Daventry - A45 / A4500
- Watford Gap Service Area
- Junction 17 - for M45
- Junction 18 - east of Rugby - A5, A428
- Junction 19 - the "Catthorpe interchange" for M6 and A14
- Junction 20 - east of Lutterworth - A4303 (to A5), A4304
- Junction 21 - for M69, south-west of Leicester - A563
- Leicester Forest East Service Area
- Junction 21a - for northern Leicester - A46
- Junction 22 - east of Coalville - A50 for Leicester and A511 for Ashby-de-la-Zouch
- Junction 23 - west of Loughborough, east of Shepshed - A512
- Junction 23a - A42, Donington Park Service Area (northbound)
- Junction 24 - west of Kegworth, for Nottingham East Midlands Airport, Nottingham South, Donington Park Service Area (southbound) - A453, A50, A6.
- Junction 24a - for A50
- Junction 25 - Sandiacre between Derby and Nottingham A52
- Trowell Service Area
- Junction 26 - Nuthall north-west of Nottingham - A610
- Junction 27 - Annesley north-west of Hucknall - A608
- Junction 28 - west of Sutton-in-Ashfield, Mansfield, east of Alfreton
- Tibshelf Service Area - A38
- Junction 29 - south-east of Chesterfield - A617
- Junction 30 - north-east of Chesterfield - A616, A619, A6135
- Woodall Service Area
- Junction 31 - "Aston Roundabout", east of Aston-cum-Aughton - A57
- Junction 32 - for M18
- Junction 33 - between Rotherham and Sheffield
- Junction 34 - Tinsley Viaduct between Rotherham and Sheffield, for Meadowhall
- Junction 35 - Thorpe Hesley, east of Chapeltown
- Junction 35a - for A616
- Junction 36 - west of Hoyland - A61
- Junction 37 - west of Barnsley - A628
- Junction 38 - west of Royston - A637
- Woolley Edge Service Area
- Junction 39 - west of Crigglestone - A636
- Junction 40 - west of Wakefield - A638
- Junction 41 - north-west of Wakefield
- Junction 42 - for M62, J29
- Junction 43 - for M621 (Leeds)
- Junction 44 - for Rothwell and the A639
- Junction 45 - not yet open
- Junction 46 - for East Leeds and for the A63
- Junction 47 - north of Garforth
- Junction 48 - motorway ends and joins with the A1

External links

- [http://www.uk-roads.org.uk/ UK Roads Portal]
- [http://www.ukmotorwayarchive.org/ UK Motorway Archive]
- [http://www.cbrd.co.uk/motorway/m1/ CBRD Motorway Database - M1]
- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/northamptonshire/asop/northampton/m1.shtml BBC website The Backbone of Britain contains link to a video of 2'42" in length] 1

London

London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. As Europe's richest city, London produces 17% of the UK's GDP, and is one of the world's major business and financial centres. The capital of the former global empire, London is a leader in culture, communications, politics, finance, entertainment and the arts and has considerable influence worldwide. arts]] arts] London is the most populous city in the European Union, with an estimated population on 1 January 2005 of 7,500,000 and a metropolitan area population of between 12 and 14 million. London's population includes an extremely diverse range of peoples, cultures, and religions, making it one of the most cosmopolitan, vibrant and energetic cities on earth. A resident of London is referred to as a Londoner. Over 300 languages are spoken in London, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world. Initially it was a Roman city and known as Londinium and then as Lunnainn, Llundain and Londain in the Scottish, Welsh and Irish languages respectively. London is known by these names in other languages. London is the home of many global organisations, institutions and companies, and as such retains its leading role in global affairs. A city where cutting-edge meets tradition, London is a major tourist destination and transport hub. It has a great number of important buildings and iconic landmarks, including world-famous museums, theatres, concert halls, galleries, airports, sports stadia and palaces. London is one of the world's major global cities (along with New York City, Tokyo and Paris).

Defining London

Today, "London" usually refers to the conurbation known as Greater London, which is divided into thirty-two London Boroughs and the City of London and forms the London region of England. Historically, "London" referred to the square mile of the City of London at the conurbation's heart, from which the city grew. Between 1889 and 1965 it referred to the former County of London which covered the area now known as Inner London. There are other definitions of "London" which cover varying areas, such as the London postal district; the area covered by the telephone area code 020; the area accessible by public transport using a Transport for London Travelcard; the area delimited by the M25 orbital motorway; the Metropolitan Police district; and the London commuter belt. The coordinates of the centre of London (traditionally considered to be Charing Cross, near the junction of Trafalgar Square, the Strand, Whitehall and the Mall) are approximately . The Romans marked the centre of Londinium with the London Stone in the City.

Geography and climate

London Stone, with Green Park and St. James's Park to its right]] Greater London covers an area of 609 square miles (1,579 km²). London is a port on the Thames, a navigable river. The river has had a major influence on the development of the city. London was founded on the north bank of the Thames and there was only a single bridge, London Bridge, for many centuries. As a result, the main focus of the city was on the north side of the Thames. When more bridges were built in the 18th century, the city expanded in all directions as the mostly flat or gently rolling countryside around the Thames floodplain presented no obstacle to growth. There are some hills in London, examples being Parliament Hill and Primrose Hill, but these provided fine prospects of the city centre without significantly affecting the directions of the spread of the city and London is therefore roughly circular. The Thames was once a much broader, shallower river than it is today. It has been extensively embanked, and many of its London tributaries now flow underground. The Thames is a tidal river, and London is vulnerable to flooding. The threat has increased over time due to a slow but continuous rise in high water level and the slow 'tilting' of Britain (up in the north and down in the south) caused by post-glacial rebound. The Thames Barrier was constructed across the Thames at Woolwich in the 1970s to deal with this threat, but in early-2005 it was suggested that a ten-mile-long barrier further downstream might be required to deal with the flood risk in the future [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4162905.stm]. London has a temperate climate, with warm but seldom hot summers, cool but rarely severe winters, and regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year. Summer temperatures rarely rise much above 33°C (91°F), though higher temperatures have become more common recently. The highest temperature ever recorded in London was 38.1°C (100.6°F), measured at Kew Gardens during the European Heat Wave of 2003. Heavy snowfalls are almost unknown. In recent winters, snow has rarely settled to more than an inch (25 mm). London's average annual precipitation of less than 24 inches (600 mm) is lower than that of Rome or Sydney. London's large built-up area creates a microclimate, with heat stored by the city's buildings: sometimes temperatures are 5°C (9°F) warmer in the city than in the surrounding areas.

History

microclimate bombings of London]] The name London is commonly thought to have come from the Latin name Londinium, as London was founded by the Romans during their reign over the land, around 43AD – although there is some slight evidence of pre-Roman settlement. The [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/timelines/england/rom_roman_invasion.shtml BBC History website], however, claims that the name Londinium is actually "Celtic, not Latin, and may originally have referred to a previous farmstead on the site"; the root is 'Lond' meaning 'wild' (i.e. overgrown or forested) place. This fortified Roman settlement was the capital of the province of Britannia. According to findings displayed in London Museum, the initial language of London was Latin with much Greek spoken due to the presence of Greek speaking Roman soldiers and businessmen. Another suggestion for where the name of the city comes from could be that of the mythical leader, King Lud. It was said that Lud laid out the first set of roads in the city. His statue can be seen hidden at the church of St Dunstan's In The West, Fleet Street. Around AD 61 the Iceni tribe of Celts lead by Queen Boudica stormed London and took the city from the Romans. The Celts burnt the relatively new Roman town to the ground, and archaeological digs have revealed a layer of red ash beneath the City of London, which is believed to be the burnt remains of the old Roman town. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Londinium was abandoned and a Saxon town named Lundenwic was established approximately one mile to the west in what is now Aldwych, in the 7th century. The old Roman city was then reoccupied during the late-9th or early-10th century. Westminster was once a distinct town, and has been the seat of the English royal court and government since the mediæval era. Eventually, Westminster and London grew together and formed the basis of London, becoming England's largest – though not capital – city (Winchester was the capital city of England until the 12th century). London has grown steadily over centuries, surrounding and making suburbs of neighbouring villages and towns, farmland, countryside, meadows and woodlands, spreading in every direction. From the 16th to the early-20th century, London flourished as the capital of the British Empire. In 1666, the Great Fire of London swept through and destroyed a large part of the City of London. Rebuilding took over 10 years, but London's growth accelerated in the 18th century, and, by the early-19th century, it was the largest city in the world. London's local government system struggled to cope with this rapid growth, especially in providing the city with adequate infrastructure. In 1855 the Metropolitan Board of Works was created to provide London with infrastructure to cope with its growth. In 1889 the MBW was abolished, and the County of London was created which was administered by the London County Council, the first elected London-wide administrative body. Probably the most significant changes to London in the last 100 years were as a result of the Blitz and other bombing by the German Luftwaffe that took place during World War II. The bombing killed over 30,000 Londoners and flattened large tracts of housing and other buildings across London. The rebuilding during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s was characterised by a wide range of architectural styles and has resulted in a lack of unity in architecture that has become part of London's character. Until their 1997 ceasefire, London was regularly a target for IRA bombers seeking to pressurise the British government into negotiations with Sinn Féin on Northern Ireland. On 7 July 2005, there was a series of coordinated bomb attacks by Islamic extremist suicide bombers on three underground stations and a bus. The explosions came less than 24 hours after London was awarded the 2012 Summer Olympics and as the G-8 summit was underway in Gleneagles, Scotland. A series of explosions also took place on 21 July 2005; however, in the latter incident, there were no fatalities.

Modern London

2005 Today Greater London comprises the City of London and the 32 London boroughs (including the City of Westminster). 12 of these boroughs are defined as Inner London, the remaining 20 defined as Outer London. The dominant centre of activity in London is the City of Westminster (including the West End) which is the main cultural, entertainment and shopping district, the location of most of London's major corporate headquarters outside of the financial services sector, and the centre of the UK's national government. The City of London (also known as the "Square Mile") is at the centre of international finance, and is Europe’s main business centre. The headquarters of more than 100 of Europe’s 500 largest companies are all in London. The London foreign exchange market is the largest in the world, with an average daily turnover of $504 billion, more than the New York and Tokyo exchanges combined. While very busy during the working week, most parts of the City tend to be quiet at weekends, since it is primarily a non-residential area. London is one of the most visited cities on earth. Tourist attractions are located mainly in Central London, comprising the historic City of London; the West End with its many cinemas, bars, clubs, theatres, shops and restaurants; the City of Westminster with Westminster Abbey, the Royal palaces of Buckingham Palace, Clarence House etc., the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea with its museums (the Science Museum, Natural History Museum, and Victoria and Albert Museum) and Hyde Park. Other important tourist attractions include St Paul's Cathedral, the National Gallery; the South Bank and Bankside areas of Southwark with the Globe Theatre and the Tate Modern; London Bridge, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, and the Tate Britain on the Embankment; and the British Museum in Bloomsbury. There are many other places of interest across the city.

Culture

:Main article: Culture of London. London is an international centre of culture in all its forms - music, theatre, arts, museums, festivals and much more.

London Districts

See also: Inner London, Outer London.

Central London

City of London

Outer London]] The City of London is the principal financial district of the United Kingdom, and is one of the most important in the world. It is governed by the Corporation of London, an ancient body headed by the Lord Mayor of London. The City also has its own police force, the City of London police. Once dominated by the dome of St Paul's Cathedral, it is now home to many skyscrapers, including Tower 42 (formerly, and popularly still, known as the NatWest Tower) and 30 St Mary Axe (popularly known as the "Gherkin", built in 2003). The City has only a small (c. 7,000) resident population, but a daytime working population of more than 300,000. Its primacy as the chief financial district has been directly challenged in recent years by Canary Wharf in East London.

The West End

Canary Wharf.]] The West End is the most popular shopping and entertainment district in London. Trafalgar Square is the most prominent landmark. Oxford Street is one of the best-known shopping streets in the world. Running from Charing Cross Road in the east to Marble Arch in the west, via Oxford Circus where it crosses Regent Street, it is home to many large department stores and shops (Selfridges, John Lewis, Marks and Spencer). Tottenham Court Road runs north from the eastern end of Oxford Street towards the north of the city centre, and is best known for its plethora of hi-fi, computer and electronics stores. West of the City, Covent Garden is home to the Avenue of Stars, London's version of Hollywood's Walk of Fame. South of Oxford Street's eastern end is Soho, a network of small streets crowded with restaurants, pubs, clubs, smaller shops and boutiques, and theatres and cinemas, as well as media companies and film, advertising and post-production companies. Soho is also well known for its very lively club and bar scene, the notorious sex industry and as the major "gay quarter" of the city. Piccadilly is an elegant thoroughfare running from Piccadilly Circus in the east to Hyde Park Corner in the west. It is adjacent to Mayfair, and Green Park. Regent Street and Bond Street are important thoroughfares.

East London

East London saw much of London's early industrial development and much of it now is being extensively redeveloped as part of the Thames Gateway. It was also key to London's successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics, and is now scheduled to undergo extensive regeneration in the run-up to the games. This is the second time in modern history that East London has seen large-scale rebuilding: it took the full force of the Blitz in World War Two, with post-war reconstruction leaving a legacy of bleak housing estates and tower blocks in several areas.

The East End

tower block The East End of London is closest to the original Port of London, and tended for that reason to be the area of the city where immigrants arriving into the port would settle first. Successive waves of immigrants include the French, the Huguenots, Belgians, Jews, Gujaratis, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and many other groups. The East End extends from the eastern side of the City of London and includes areas such as Whitechapel, Mile End, Bethnal Green, Hackney, Bow, Millwall and Poplar. The area has many places of interest including many of London's markets, (for example Columbia Road Flower Market, Spitalfields Market, Brick Lane Market, Petticoat Lane Market), and several museums, including the Geffrye Museum and the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green.

Docklands

Bethnal Green]] The London Docklands, on the Isle of Dogs along the Thames in the East End, has developed enormously since the early-1980s. For a period in the early-1980s, many warehouse buildings in Wapping had been occupied and used as artists studios and low-cost loft living spaces. This inevitably drew the attention of property developers who gradually (and then not so gradually) moved in to take over. The London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) was set up in 1981 to accelerate the process, and the first phases of major development started to reshape the area, culminating in Canary Wharf, whose best-known feature is the 1 Canada Square office tower (which is often incorrectly called "Canary Wharf"), which has been the UK's tallest skyscraper since 1991. A massive-scale development within the last three or four years has added a great many more skyscrapers, and many large businesses (investment banks, law firms, etc.) have moved in. A new headquarters for HSBC and Barclays as well as the European headquarters of Citigroup, have now been completed, and are in use. Attracted by this growth, restaurants, bars and nightclubs have opened, there are three interconnected shopping malls beneath the Canary Wharf structure, and a cinema complex has opened in the area. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) serves the area, connecting to the London Underground at Bank, Shadwell, Canning Town and Stratford stations. There has also been a great deal of gentrification and residential development in the area: North of the Thames around Limehouse Basin and toward Wapping, as well as south of the Thames in Rotherhithe where former wharfs and the old docks have been converted into high-priced loft apartments for a community of bankers, software developers and others working in the financial service industries in and around Docklands. Further east in the London Borough of Newham are London City Airport and the ExCeL Exhibition Centre.

West London

West London includes many of the traditionally fashionable and expensive residential areas such as Notting Hill, made better known in 1999 by a film of the same name starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. Within the district is the famous antique market at Portobello Road. Kensington and Chelsea are the most expensive places to live in the country. The area is also famous for the Kings Road, a distinguished and attractive shopping street and thoroughfare. Further to the west, at White City, near Shepherd's Bush, is the principal operating centre for the BBC, while in the extreme west, in the London Borough of Hillingdon, lies Heathrow Airport. Considered more south-west than West London on account of its being the only London borough to straddle the River Thames, Richmond upon Thames includes the attractive riverside districts of Richmond and Twickenham. This corner of London is home to Richmond Park, London's largest, and Twickenham, the home of English rugby union.

North London

North London includes suburbs such as Hampstead and Highgate, which retain a village atmosphere. North London is more hilly than the south, and many of the hills give excellent views across the city. Large parks include Hampstead Heath, which includes Parliament Hill, noted for its fine views over the city, and the Hampstead bathing ponds; and Alexandra Park, site of Alexandra Palace. Many areas have significant minority populations including Stamford Hill, home to a significant community of Orthodox Jews, the Green Lanes area of Harringay and the Finsbury Park area have large Turkish and Greek communities. Islington is considered one of the more affluent areas in London, due to large scale gentrification, although it is in fact one of the most deprived boroughs in the country; it is also home to Arsenal football club. North London's other world-famous football team, Tottenham Hotspur, play in nearby Tottenham.

South London

South London contains such diverse districts as Wimbledon (famous as the home of the major tennis Wimbledon Championships), Bermondsey, and Dulwich. Redevelopment of the Elephant and Castle, a road intersection and district close to the centre, is due to start in 2006. Greenwich is on the banks of the Thames where the river broadens into a wide meandering reach of muddy water. It is an historic neighbourhood and boasts a fine park and the Royal Greenwich Observatory. It is also has a popular market. Brixton, Camberwell and Peckham are home to many families (and their descendants) who immigrated to London from the West Indies during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, sometimes known as Afro-Caribbeans.

Demographics

Afro-Caribbeans London had about 860,000 people in 1801 (in comparison, Paris had about 670,000 in 1802), and the population of