Learning the Lessons from London's Past

We constantly talk about learning the lessons of the past. In my latest book,?Amongst the Ruins, I explore some of the most dramatic reasons why we should take heed of our most calamitous moments in history – the collapse of civilizations. If we can understand what went wrong, we are forewarned and forearmed. Cities and historic communities disappear for five main reasons – climate change, war, economic failure, natural hazards and human error – sometimes, such as on Easter Island (Rapanui) or Ani the former capital of medieval Armenia, it is all of the above!

Which brings me to London. Here is a place where history has constantly repeated itself over the last two millennia. Everyone knows about 1666 and the Great Fire of London. But the city has suffered from at least nine other fires, all catastrophic neighbourhood or city-wide conflagrations. The last great flood of London?occurred in 1928; in December 1663 Samuel Pepys recorded ‘the greatest tide that ever was remembered in England to have been in this river: all White Hall having been drowned.’ Pandemics have?hit the city no less than five times, including the Black Death, the Great Plague and most recently Covid-19. War and conflict have seen London change hands from Iron Age communities to Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans, saying nothing of revolting peasants, civil war and the destruction wrought by the Blitz.?

By all accounts London should be a pile of rubble, and?yet it here it is, surviving in all its messy, beautiful glory… so what should we learn from this?

Firstly, location, location, location: London has an irresistible geography. It sits at the first easily crossable point on a tidal river that allowed access to England’s rich interior and, at the same time, provided shelter for sea-going ships that could eventually travel the world. And, the city’s relatively flat topography has also helped, allowing it to expand where other locations limited growth. More recently, it benefits hugely from being in a time zone that overlaps with other global markets.

Secondly, there has been a consistency about London. Yes, there have been other principal cities – Colchester during the early Roman period, Tamworth, Winchester and the other Anglo-Saxon capitals before England was England, but London has been at the country’s political centre for over 1000 years. Alternative seats of power have never worked.

But it is the diversity of the city that has been critical both to its long-term survival and its extraordinary growth. Diversity in terms of economy: be it the manufacturing of luxury goods such as clocks, furniture or clothing, or the banking and finance sector which led to it being a global finance hub, or the enormous quantities of goods traded through its ports (London was the world’s busiest port until the second world war). Add the service sector to this mix and it’s clear that the city’s range of businesses allowed it to ride failures in one area. Indeed, the biggest risk to London’s prosperity is an overreliance on a single sector, as evidenced by the banking crisis…

And it’s not simply the range of business that has underpinned London’s success, it a diversity of people. London has always been a multicultural place – the first citizens of Second Century?Londinium?came from across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Today it’s possible to hear 300 different languages in the city, and worship as 14 alternative faiths. Such a range of people with different skills and backgrounds crucially makes for a creative, entrepreneurial place. And with that diversity?should?come a greater sense of understanding and tolerance.?

Geography, consistency, diversity, creativity and tolerance are the keys to London’s success. Make note, only the former is guaranteed…

Amongst the Ruins?by Yale Press is out 11 April 2023. John Darlington is Executive Director of World Monuments Fund Britain

A shortened version of this article appeared in the Evening Standard 12 April 2023