Sognare sugli atlanti, vol. II Living in London

Eva Picco

London: a brief history of the city

Can you name any buildings? What is the name of the river? Can you see such ships on the river nowadays? When were the photos taken?

A. Before you read the text build your own picture dictionary. Match words to pictures.

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

(Text adapted from https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/a-brief-history-of-london)

plaster - brick - stone - railway station - navy - goods

Sognare sugli atlanti, vol. II Living in London

Eva Picco

B. Find the correct title to each paragraph.

The Great Fire of London (1666), Medieval London (1066-1485): a crowded and smelly city, Anglo-Saxons, Romans and The Square Mile, Tudor London (1485-1603), 19th Century London, 18th Century London, 20th Century London, The New Century, the Blitz

1.

Romans invaded Britain in AD 43 and founded the city of Londinium. The original city was small. Around AD 60 Romans built a wall around the city to protect it from invasion. The area inside the defensive wall is now known as The Square Mile, or The City, and is the financial centre of the UK.

2.

The Romans left at the beginning of the 5th Century as the Roman Empire crumbled, leaving London largely deserted. Britain was invaded by the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes (who came from Holland, Germany and Denmark). They were farmers and lived outside big towns.

3.

The Normans invaded from France and William the Conqueror took control. He began to build a castle to guard London - the Tower of London. The city grew up within the original Roman walls. Houses were made of wood and plaster and crowded together. Rubbish was thrown out of the windows onto the streets below. Street names in the Square Mile show evidence of Medieval London. They tell of the trades and shops in those times. Pudding Lane, Bread Street and Milk Street are some examples. The tailor shops were based in Threadneedle Street, and you can also find Ropemakers Square, Silk Street, and Poultry. There are streets with“gate in their name, such as Bishopsgate, Moorgate, etc. These were the original gates in the defensive wall, where people could enter or leave the city.

4.

London was the centre of trade and government under the Tudor monarchs. We know that there were about 200,000 people living in London by 1600. The river Thames was very important in Tudor times as Britain’s navy was expanded. Dockyards were built and ships were sent to explore the world.

5.

A small fire, accidentally started in Pudding Lane in the City of London in September of 1666, was the cause of an enormous fire which lasted four days and destroyed 80% of London. Very few people lost their lives, but buildings which had been crammed very close together and were made of wood were easily destroyed. After the fire all new buildings were made of stone and brick.

6.

Britain was a very powerful nation in the 18th Century. Goods were brought into London from all over the world. During this century, London also became an important financial centre.

7.

Queen Victoria was crowned in 1837 and died in 1901. During her reign London expanded enormously as industry came to Britain and railways were built linking much of Britain to the capital. London was the centre of world trade and had a large, powerful Empire. Many of the buildings in London today were built in Victorian times. The most famous is probably the Houses of Parliament, built in 1834. London underground railway (The Tube) opened in 1862.

Sognare sugli atlanti, vol. II Living in London

Eva Picco

8.

London continued to grow both in population and spread during the 20th Century. Between 1919 and 1939, London doubled in size as the suburbs were extended.

9.

There was a lot of damage to London during the Second World War. During the Blitz, many people took shelter in the underground railway stations

10.

Londoners marked the end of the century by building The Millennium Wheel, or "London Eye”. It is now one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. A huge exhibition centre, the "Millennium Dome" was also built. The population of London in 2016 was about 8.69 million.

GLOSSARY

AD It refers to a year after Jesus Christ was born

build (verb) - built (past) To make something by putting bricks or other materials together

crumble To break into small pieces

grow up (verb)-grew (past) To develop (crescere)

trade The activity of buying and selling, or exchanging goods/services

dockyard A place where ships are built and repaired

spread To extend its surface area (ampliare)

cram/crowd A lot of things into a small space

suburb An area on the edge of a city where people who work in the town or city often live

damage To harm or spoil something (danneggiare)

take shelter Find protection

C. Which column do the words in the glossary belong to?

London buildings verbs referring to the city

none of the others

D. Which historical period do the images show?

Put them in the correct chronological order in the timeline.

a. b.

Sognare sugli atlanti, vol. II Living in London

Eva Picco

c. d.

e. f.

Sognare sugli atlanti, vol. II Living in London

Eva Picco

Inner and outer London

Why is the map divided in two areas? Which photos show inner/outer London? Can you

describe them? What do they have in common? What are the differences? Why?

a. b.

c. d.

Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs (a borough is a division of a large town) which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London.

Sognare sugli atlanti, vol. II Living in London

Eva Picco

Outer London is the name for the group of London boroughs that form a ring around Inner London. Together the inner and outer boroughs form London. (Adapted from Wikipedia)

Before your read the text work on vocabulary.

E. Match the opposites.

wealth old industrial jobs

inner poor quality of life

employment poverty

wellbeing outer

equality unemployment

skilled jobs inequality

F. Loop game. Match the words to their definition in order to have a glossary.

housing a system of heating buildings by warming air or water at one place and then sending it to different rooms in pipes

central heating a person who controls or plans urban development

planner construct new buildings in (an urban area), typically after demolishing the existing buildings

redevelop (especially of a building or area) in a poor or neglected state after having been prosperous

run-down make or become better

improve the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives

environment buildings for people to live in (It: abitazione)

PROBLEMS OF URBANISATION IN THE INNER CITY - INEQUALITIES

(Text adapted from : http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/urban_environments/urbanisation_medcs_rev3.shtml)

Inequalities exist in all urban areas. Inequality means extreme differences between poverty and wealth, and in people's wellbeing. It also concern access to things like jobs, housing, education, services, open land, safety and security.

Often people who live in inner-city areas have a poor quality of life. This is because the inner-city is typically a zone with older housing and declining industry.

The diagram below compares the quality of life for someone living in an outer London borough with that of someone who lives in an inner London borough.

Sognare sugli atlanti, vol. II Living in London

Eva Picco

Unemployment and incidents of long-term illness are higher in the inner-city boroughs. Households usually have central heating and more than one car in the outer-city boroughs.

Governments and planners try to redevelop run-down inner-city areas. Inner-city redevelopments, such as those in London's Docklands, can improve the physical environment of the area and improve the quality of housing. But it can also create even greater inequalities because life becomes more expensive. Often the old industrial jobs are replaced by skilled jobs and new people move to the area.

London Docklands

Graph showing quality of life in outer London

Graph showing quality of life in inner London

Sognare sugli atlanti, vol. II Living in London

Eva Picco

G. Use the information in text and the bar graphs to make comparisons about life in inner

and outer London. Fill the following grid.

INNER LONDON OUTER LONDON

QUALITY OF LIFE

EMPLOYMENT

HEALTH

HOUSING

CENTRAL HEATING

CARS

H. Fill the following chart about redevelopment of inner-city areas.

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

I. Look at the photos. What towns/city are shown in the photos? Make comparisons using

the Carroll Diagram below.

a. b.

c.

Sognare sugli atlanti, vol. II Living in London

Eva Picco

d.

YOUR TOWN LONDON

LANDFORM (mountains, hills, plain)

WATER BODIES (rivers, lakes, sea, canals)

TYPES OF BUILDING (skyscrapers, castles, blocks of flats)

PUBLIC TRANSPORT (buses, tube, railway)

GREEN AREAS (parks, playing fields, gardens)

POPULATION

J. Compare the town where you live to London in pairs.

K. Imagine you can choose to move to London or stay in your town. Which do you prefer,

your town or London? Why? Discuss in pairs. Here is some useful language.

I prefer/like/don’t like/hate living in … because …

Big cities are more …/…er than small towns.

There is/are … in big cities . Instead there is/are/isn’t/aren’t … in small towns.

L. Class debate The class is divided into two groups.

Group A take up the positive aspects of living in a small town. Discuss them first within the group (10 min) and then try to convince group B of your points.

Group B take up the positive aspects of living in a big city. Discuss them first within the group (10 min) and then try to convince group A of your points.

Sognare sugli atlanti, vol. II Living in London

Eva Picco

Homework. Look at the map. Why is it divided in two parts?

Do you remember the name of the river that runs through London?

A. Watch the animation “The evolution of London: the city’s near-2,000 year history

mapped” and fill the following grid using the following words

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/may/15/the-evolution-of-london-the-citys-near-

2000-year-history-mapped

growth , over 2000, 5th, Saxon, brick, 200,000, three quarters, the largest, from 2 to 6,

cleaner-greener, one in six, development, 600, urban.

Sognare sugli atlanti, vol. II Living in London

Eva Picco

1. Greater London is square miles wide.

2. The first road network was built years ago.

3. Romans abandoned Britain in the century.

4. Place names with endings such as –ham, -ton, -wich, -worth, are of origin.

5. The Tudor period saw a in population.

6. By 1600 the population was people.

7. The Great Fire of 1666 destroyed of London.

8. Between 1714 and 1840 London became one of cities in the world.

9. Georgian buildings were built of fireproof , not timber.

10. In Victorian era London’s population grew million.

10. Early 20th century people left the centre for suburbs.

11. A green belt limited growth.

12. In the Second World War buildings was damaged.

13. A new suburban followed.