Mum's Monday: London by Edward Rutherfurd

This book is about London; I am surprised of how far back the history is written in this book. Right from the melting of the ice age and the formation of the river, we now know as the Thames that flows through London.

We now meet Segovax’s family amongst others living by the river in Londinos, as it was called in the past. It is interesting to read about the ups and downs of Segovax’s family life, but what does keep me reading is the threat that the Romans would invade. It is the case of when, so me as the reader is just waiting for the invasion to happen as we know from history they eventually do. There is a certain amount of tension and anticipation in the story. It is however, nice to see Segovax eventually sees the sea.

We now see that London is now becoming more built up by the Romans and that it is now called Londinium and it is interesting to read that the river Thames was then called by the name of Tamesis. It is fascinating to read that even back then London was an important place with a busy port. We now read that ‘Around the year 500’ the river Tamesis becomes named the river Thames, as it is called today. It is interesting and educational to read about all the other nations that invaded Britain to help make it as it is today.

Londinium has now become named Lundenwic. It is interesting to see all the name changes over the early centuries. Who’d have thought one place could have been called by so many names? I didn’t realise London had all these names. It is also interesting to read of how some of the London boroughs got their names.

We now read that St. Pauls exists but not how it is today. By the year 1066 we now read that London is now called London and Westminster Abbey has been built. It is educational to know the time line of when London became known as it is today.

London has grown, it is interesting to read that more and more recognisable places are being mentioned. I also like Alfred’s logic when he starts work as an armourer. It is also interesting reading the description of the chain mail armour and the way in which it is made as well.

Near St. Paul’s Cathedral as it was in the past it is mentioned that the London Mint’ is on the left, even back around 1066 London was becoming close to what we have today in 2019. I had no idea how long certain things have actually been around in, however many forms over the past years.

In 1078 we see the beginning of the stone structure that becomes the ‘Tower of London’. The ravens have been mentioned during this book so far. It is interesting to read that ravens have been a part of London for many more years than how long the stone tower has been built.

Most if not all have heard of the ‘Great fire of London’ which started in Pudding lane, but there was another big fire in 1087. Little is known about this one so it is interesting to read some new information about London in this book.

Around the year 1170 London has grown, it seems from what I read it is becoming more and more the way it is today with even more recognisable names being mentioned like Holborn for instance.

Something that is interesting is the reference to London being a ‘Commune’ with a Mayor. London and other places have Mayors but I have never heard of these places being referred to as a ‘Commune’. Stories that makes me consider looking up more information can only be a good thing, as you can learn a lot more from the snippets of the detail in this book. London still does have a Mayor today in 2019, but London is well known as the capital city of the United Kingdom, not as far as I am aware a commune. As I read on it is clear why London is not a commune, one it wasn’t wanted and two it is to do with the Tax system and the Magna Carter Charter. This book is certainly informative.

It is interesting to read even more recognisable names around London interweaved into the everyday lives of the characters in this book. One name that is mentioned is the ‘Savoy’. We now know it as the ‘Savoy Hotel’. Although the Savoy is not as it is in its present form in this book, the name is certainly older than I first thought it was. The same can be said for other places in London, another example being ‘Charing Cross’.

It is strange to read that a ‘True Londoner’ thought of London bridge as being the centre of the universe. It seems in and around the year 1357 Londoners had big ideas about London. It is good that we have since learned in 2019 we know it as only London bridge and just one of the bridges crossing the river Thames in London the capital of the United Kingdom.

What is an ‘Eye opener’ is to read that three centuries before the time of the Plague we know about in London it occurred then as well. I always thought there was only one occasion the ‘Black Death’ as it is also known as, but to read that it happened more than once is fascinating and proves you can potentially learn something new every day, especially from reading this book.

As I read it is mentioned that the river Thames is getting dirtier and a familiar named person, ‘Whittington’ ‘Richard Whittington’, the name Richard shortens to Dick, and in this book ‘Dick Whittington says that he will basically become the Mayor of London and clean up the river Thames. The story in history is the Dick Whittington does become the Mayor of London, but I still wouldn’t drink from the Thames and no one should, ever!

It is interesting to read in this book about the earth tremor in May 1382. This book has certainly been well researched. I am learning so much more about London history I didn’t know.

It is a surprise to read about the famous ‘The Canterbury Tales’. It came as a shock to just read the name out of the blue. It has now become a household recognisable name from the humble beginnings I read in this book.

This story doesn’t cease to surprise as the Plague returns for the second time, it is strange that only the one in the 1600’s, the third one, is the most well-known and not two outbreaks of it before.

Also the Canterbury Tales mentioned in this book, it seems are not the ones known today. It is however, unclear of how the ones today did come about.

It is interesting to read that William Shakespeare had a brother called Ned, which is something I previously didn’t know. In this part, London is growing and the theatre scene is becoming popular.

It is interesting how that in an extremely cold winter in London where the river Thames froze over helped to be of use to the origin of the theatre called the ‘Globe’

As shown in this book you cannot have a story about London and not mention the ‘Gun powder plot’ on the Houses of Parliament, although this is mentioned it is rather skipped over in just one paragraph.

It is nice to see London under Charles the Second now in a lighter mood after being under a more serious rule. Sadly, as with good times and the such like they don’t last forever, as now the plague has hit London again. The description of both types of the plague, which are Bubonic and Pneumonic forms. This part is tragically interesting to read also kept me in suspense as to who would catch the plague next.

As history has shown us following the plague came the ‘Great fire of London’, in this part with having the characters in the book in amongst the terrible event, it somehow humanises the fire, where it is shown real people were obviously affected by the tragedy. This part is again well written and researched.    

It is interesting because I feel that it has been well researched, to read the beginnings of ‘Greenwich Mean time’ and why it came to be.

The rebuilding of London after the fire is advancing extensible. This includes the rebuilding of St. Pauls Cathedral, as I read this book/story, it seems the familiar famous dome was initially frowned upon for the reasons of a religious nature. Religion was and played a huge part in London over the past for years.

The research about the ‘Great fire of London’ monument is well done and shows that the author must have visited it. As it does show visiting a place during research can really enhance your written description knowledge of something in a story. The monument can be found in Pudding lane which is a lane off of Lower Thames St the A3211 the closest underground station is Monument station on the yellow Circle line and the green District line.

Chapter fifteen was a mix of bad and good, I don’t agree that the true heir wasn’t recognised but I am glad that it worked out for the Baker Isaac Fleming thanks to the church of St. Brides. This church can be seen in London on St. Brides Avenue off Bride lane off of Fleet street. The nearest underground station is Blackfriars on the yellow Circle line and the green District line.

Reading further jumping over the years it is interesting to read about the Cutty Sark, how the London underground trains came to be electric amongst other things in London, and now ‘Jack the Ripper’ has been mentioned. I had forgotten about when he had carried out his infamous murders, so it came as a surprise and I now know an inevitable reference would have to be included as part of London history.

Reading through the campaign for ‘Votes for Women’, some of this is controversial as a character in this story involves a child, I will stay neutral, I just try to make sure I vote as so many women fought for us females to have it. Now I can only guess at the newspaper headline on a spring day in April 1912, as it is sadly around the time the Titanic sank, and this story only mentions seeing a headline nothing else.

Now as I read on, you cannot have a book about London history without mentioning the Blitz during World War Two. It is a shock and sad, what happened to Jenny, the good thing is she didn’t suffer.

It is brilliant how the story circles around back to the river Thames. I would have summed up this story myself but this is really well done using one of the characters, who is an Archaeologist digging a site in London recapping essentially the whole book. This is an amazing well thought out clever ending to a book about London.

I did wonder on what event/year this book would end and it is actually the year 1997.