Founding of London (Londinium). The Roman Governor of Britain (Ostorius Scapula) gives orders to build a permanent base on the north bank of the Thames. Londinium comes from the Celtic Londinion and may relate to a personal name

Sack of Londinium by Boudicca. Boudicca, Queen of East Anglian tribe the Iceni, instigates a revolt. Camulodunum (Colchester), Verulamium (St Albans) and Londinium are sacked. Eventually Roman military prowess restores government. Many lives are lostIMPERATORI_ROMANI

Londinium destroyed by fire. A fifth of the City is destroyed by flames. The cause of the fire is thought to be accidental

City wall and gates built. Built of Kentish ragstone, the City's Roman Wall is nearly two miles long and surrounds an area of 330 acres. It is interspersed with a number of gates: Aldgate, Bishopsgate, Newgate and Ludgate. Cripplegate leads into the already established Fort in the north west corner of the City. Aldersgate in the west side is constructed in the fourth century

London Mint established. It is 289 AD. Carausius has become Emperor of Britain. To emphasise his independence from Rome, the first mint is opened. Gold and silver coins and copper ones washed with silver are issued. The mint was probably closed in 326 AD

St Paul's Cathedral built. The first of four cathedrals to be built on this site is founded in the reign of St Ethelbert, King of Kent. He was the first Christian King in England. It is built by Mellitus, a monk who accompanied St Augustine to Britain. The cathedral is dedicated to St Paul. It was destroyed by fire in 675 and in 961 by Danish invaders

King Alfred recaptures London from the Danes . Alfred is King of Wessex from 871 to 899. He faces a formidable opponent in the Danish army which has destroyed other kingdoms in England. In 878, after a series of earlier sackings, London is again threatened by Danish forces but they are repelled by skillful manoeuvring on the part of the English forces

London receives a charter from William the Conqueror. Following his victory at Hastings, William is crowned King in Westminster Abbey. In a charter written in Anglo Saxon, he grants the City of London the right to the freedoms and independence the citizens of London had enjoyed under Edward the Confessor. This unique independence is still the basis of many City privileges

The White Tower is built . Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester supervises the building of the White Tower in Caen stone. At the time it is the largest non-religious building in the country. It is 90 feet high with walls up to 15 feet thick. It was to serve as a palace, a treasury and a stronghold guarding the river entrance into the City

Thomas A Becket born in Cheapside . Born in Cheapside, Becket is to become both Chancellor and Archbishop of Canterbury. After his martyrdom in Canterbury Cathedral he becomes England's most important saint and his shrine becomes a place of pilgrimage from all over Europe

Foundation of St Bartholomew's Hospital . St Bartholomew's, the oldest hospital in London, is founded by Rahere, an Augustinian monk. He had suffered an attack of malarial fever whilst on a pilgrimage to Rome and vowed to build a hospital on his return

The Weavers' Company receives its charter . The Weavers' Company becomes the first of the chartered craft guilds in the City. Today there are still over one hundred guilds in the City of London

New London Bridge begun . Work starts on a stone bridge across the Thames, replacing an earlier wooden bridge. It takes 33 years to complete but lasts into the 19th century

An elephant arrives at the Tower Menagerie. The first elephant ever seen in England arrives as a gift from Louis IX of France to King Henry III. The elephant joins other exotic animals, like a polar bear and leopards, in the menagerie at the Tower of London

Football banned in the City . The King orders the sheriffs to ban football and other idle sports. Instead the City inhabitants are encouraged to practise their archery skills

Peasants' Revolt . Incensed by unjust taxation, peasants from Kent and Essex march on London, ransacking buildings in the City and beheading the Archbishop of Canterbury on Tower Hill. The revolt comes to an abrupt end when one of the rebel leaders, Wat Tyler, is slashed by the Lord Mayor William Walworth's sword and stabbed by an esquire of King Richard II at Smithfield

Dick Whittington becomes Mayor . Richard Whittington, a wealthy London mercer, is appointed Mayor by the King. Whittington is elected on three further occasions. Having no heirs he uses his money to establish a number of charitable organisations as well as bequeathing funds to repair Newgate and found a library at Guildhall

Rebuilding Guildhall . Work begins on rebuilding Guildhall, the centre of City government. It takes 20 years to build the magnificent hall which is 152 feet long and 48 feet wide and, in size, is second only to Westminster Hall

St Paul's struck by lightning . On 1 February 1444 the spire of St Paul's Cathedral is struck by lightning and catches fire. But with the assistance of many citizens the fire is quenched by vinegar

Princes in the Tower . 12 year-old King Edward V should have been crowned king after the death of his father Edward IV. Instead, he and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York are confined to the Tower of London while their uncle takes the throne as Richard III. After this year they are never seen alive again... Nobody knows what happened to them although they are popularly supposed to have been murdered by their wicked uncle

Dissolution of many London monasteries. Although Henry VIII had ordered the suppression of smaller monasteries in 1536, it is not until 1538 that the larger London monasteries such as Charterhouse and Blackfriars are dissolved and their assets confiscated. Monks and nuns are turned out onto the streets and monastery buildings are demolished or sold off

The coronation of Edward VI . The coronation of King Edward VI was preceded by a procession through the streets of the City. Stands for spectators were set up along Cheapside, the conduits flowed with wine, and a Spanish acrobat slid down a rope strung from the spire of St Paul's Cathedral to the Deanery

Earliest map of London . George Hoefnagel surveys London for what is to become the earliest printed map of London. It shows that London has now spread well beyond the City walls

Drawing of the first lottery at St Paul's Churchyard . The first recorded lottery has been drawn. The draw took place in a temporary building adjacent to the West door of the Cathedral. 40,000 lots were drawn and the prize money consists of plate, tapestry and money

The Opening of the Royal Exchange . Thomas Gresham's Royal Exchange is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth in January. It is a 'place for sale of all kinde of wares, richely stored with varietie of all sorts.'

First Blackfriars Theatre opened . Richard Farrant has opened a playhouse at Blackfriars. Although the City Corporation has forbidden the existence of theatres, Farrant has circumvented this rule by claiming the use of the venue for choir practice in order that choirs may sing for the Queen. The first of Shakespeare's plays ever to be performed at this theatre was probably Love Labour's Lost in 1591

Waterworks at London Bridge . A waterwheel is installed in one of the arches of London Bridge which works a pump that can supply water into residences in many of the surrounding streets. Peter Morice, the man who invented the system, had demonstrated its efficiency by pumping water right over the steeple of the church of St Magnus

Stow's Survey of London published . John Stow, a tailor living in Aldgate, publishes a history and topographical survey of London. It will become the most important history of London and an enormously valuable record of a City that will very soon be almost totally destroyed in the Great Fire

East India Company founded . In 1599, when the Dutch monopoly on pepper sent the price soaring from three shillings to eight shillings a pound, the London merchants formed an association in order to develop their own trade with the East Indies. The following year the Company and Merchants of London Trading with the East Indies is granted a charter

Civil War and Cheapside Cross . Parliament orders removal of symbols of the old faith including the demolition of several of the famous crosses found in the streets of London. On 2 May the cross in Cheapside, which had stood since medieval times, is pulled down

First coffee house . The first coffee house in London is opened in St Michael's Alley, off Cornhill. Coffee is advertised as 'a very good help to digestion, quickens the spirits, and is good against sore eyes'

First cheque issued at a London bank . Nicholas Vanacker becomes the first person to draw a cheque on a London bank. The cheque for £10 is drawn on Messrs Clayton and Morris of Cornhill

The Great Plague . Bubonic plague strikes London with full force. At its peak more than 8,000 die in a single week and by the end of the year it has claimed the lives of around 100,000 Londoners

The Great Fire of London. The fire, which broke out early in the morning of 2 September, rages for five days and is estimated to have consumed 13,200 houses, St Paul's Cathedral, 87 churches, six chapels, the Guildhall, the Royal Exchange, Custom House, 52 livery company halls, three gates, and four stone bridges

New Temple Bar completed. A new western 'gate', designed by Sir Christopher Wren is completed in this year. Marking the boundary of the City of London on the road to Westminster it will become the ceremonial entrance to the City

Work starts on the new St Paul's Cathedral. Since 1670, Sir Christopher Wren has been working on a new design for the Cathedral. The Government agrees to allow the remains of the old building to be demolished

The Monument completed. The Great Fire is commemorated by a Doric column, designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke. Constructed of Portland stone it is 202 feet high and costs £13,450 11s 9d

The first Turkish bath in London . Opened in a side road off Newgate Street, the Turkish bath consists of spacious rooms with tiled walls, where, for a charge of four shillings, a man can enjoy sweating, cupping, shaving, rubbing and bathing. Women are allowed to visit twice a week

First fire insurance company . The ravages brought about by the Great Fire have finally necessitated the need for building insurance. Nicholas Barbon has started his 'insurance office for houses'. He plans to insure up to 5,000 homes in the City

Frost Fair on the Thames . From early December 1683 to the beginning of February 1684 the Thames is frozen. The ice is thick enough to support the erection of market stalls and booths. Even an ox is roasted successfully. The King, his family and members of the Court come to enjoy the festivities

Edward Lloyd's Coffee House . Ship owners and maritime traders favour coffee houses rather than taverns as venues in which to conduct business. The most popular coffee house has proved to be Edward Lloyd's which opens in the 1680s. The first evidence of his premises is a note in the London Gazette in February 1688/9. The international insurance business can be said to trace its origins to the coffee houses of late 17th-century England

Bank of England founded . First proposed by William Paterson in 1691, the Bank of England is founded and is granted the duties on the tonnage of ships and upon beer, ale and other liquors. First housed in Mercers' Hall and then in the Grocers' Hall, it will move to its present site in 1734. The first governor of the bank is a Huguenot, Sir John Houblon

New synagogue in Bevis Marks. Spanish and Portuguese Jews in London needing somewhere to worship open a new synagogue in the City. The architectural style reflects a Christian nonconformist chapel. The construction of the synagogue is undertaken by a Quaker, Joseph Avis. Furniture from the Cromwellian and Queen Anne period adorn the interior

A fly epidemic . A fly epidemic in August becomes so serious that many of the streets are covered to the extent that 'the people's feet made as full an impression on them as upon thick snow'

St Paul's Cathedral completed . The 78 year-old Sir Christopher Wren sees his son place the final stone on the summit of St Paul's Cathedral in this year. The new Cathedral had taken 36 years to build at a cost of £850,000. Most of the money had been raised by a tax on coal imports into the City

Regulation to keep to the left on London Bridge may have led to the UK driving on the left . To combat increasing congestion on the Bridge, the City Corporation introduces a rule requiring traffic to keep to the left. This rule will also, it is hoped, stave off threats to press for more bridges over the river thus removing London Bridge's monopoly. The regulation is adopted by the Government in the Highway Act of 1835

Jack Sheppard escapes from Newgate Prison . The 22 year-old burglar, having already escaped from Newgate and several other prisons, escapes. Having broken through to the cell above by way of the chimney, he proceeds to break through six further doors and then lowers himself 60 feet down to the ground using his bed clothes. Sheppard is captured yet again and finally hanged in November 1724

Elizabeth Canning disappears . Nineteen year-old Londoner Elizabeth Canning disappears on 1 January 1753 and reappears on 29 January, claiming that she had been kidnapped. She eventually accuses one Mary Squires of the crime. Squires is tried and sentenced to death, but is then pardoned. Subsequently, Canning is tried for perjury and transported to America. To this day no-one has discovered the truth of the case

Publication of Dr Johnson's Dictionary . Dr Samuel Johnson is living at 17 Gough Square, off Fleet Street when his Dictionary of the English Language is published in 1755. His labour of love has taken him nearly nine years to complete but sets the standard by which all future dictionaries will be judged

First of the City gates demolished . Bishopsgate, Ludgate and Cripplegate are the first of the City gates to be demolished, as part of the City's street improvements drive

Hanging signs banned . The proliferation of trade and shop signs hanging outside London buildings are obscuring each other and deemed a health hazard. The Cities of London and Westminster require signs to be placed on the walls of premises

First Lloyd's Register published . The first Lloyd's Register of Shipping is published, intended to give ship owners, maritime traders and insurers a factual summary about the vessels they owned, chartered and insured

Blackfriars Bridge opened . Designed by Robert Mylne the first bridge over the Thames between Blackfriars and Southwark is opened. It becomes the third bridge over the river and costs £230,000. Until 1785 it remains a toll bridge. The bridge is replaced between 1860-9 by the present structure

Stock Exchange established . A group of brokers has bought a building in Threadneedle Street. It is intended to use it as a Stock Exchange. Two committees have been created to govern it: a Committee of Proprietors and a Committee for General Purposes. Brokers can use the Exchange for a fee of 6d per day

Gordon Riots . In this year Lord George Gordon instigates a series of riots against plans by the Government to repeal anti-Roman Catholic legislation. He leads a mob of protesters to Parliament with a petition. Many sites in the City and Westminster are attacked and many people are killed. Gordon is tried for treason but acquitted

John Keats born in the City . The poet John Keats is baptised at St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate on 18 December 1795. He is the son of Thomas Keats, innkeeper, and his wife Frances. His date of birth, according to the baptismal register, was 31 October. He becomes a medical student at Guy's Hospital but abandons his studies for poetry. Although dying at the early age of 25, his reputation as one of the great Romantic poets is established

The Great Fog . The burning of coal for domestic and industrial use has resulted in a series of fogs because of soot based particles in the atmosphere. On 27 December a very bad fog develops which lasts for eight days. One newspaper reports that it extended as far as the Downs, south of London

Frost Fair. The Frost Fair on the frozen River Thames begins on 1 February and lasts for four days. This is the last Thames Frost Fair as the removal of London Bridge and the building of the embankments speeds up the flow of the river, stopping it from freezing

Guildhall Library opens . The original Guildhall Library existed between 1425 and 1549. Now a new Library opens. Its collections relate mainly to the City, Southwark and Middlesex. It is for the benefit of Members of the City Corporation and accredited students. The library develops into a major reference library for London history and English local studies

Mr Shillibeer's omnibus . George Shillibeer sets up the first regular passenger bus route running from Bank in the City to Paddington. The fare for the whole journey on this horse-drawn omnibus is 1s 6d for inside passengers and 1s for those sitting outside on top

New London Bridge opens . King William IV and Queen Adelaide open the new London Bridge built by Sir John Rennie. It has taken seven years to build and is considerably wider than the medieval London Bridge it is replacing

Removal of menagerie from Tower of London . Alfred Cops, Keeper of the Menagerie at the Tower since 1822, has made sterling efforts to improve the collection. The Constable of the Tower, the Duke of Wellington, however wants the animals to be moved to Regent's Park where the Zoological Gardens have been established. The Duke's wishes prevail

Isabella Mayson (Mrs Beeton) born . Isabella Mayson is born in Milk Street, off Cheapside. In 1856 she marries publisher Samuel Beeton and her organisational abilities and dynamism contribute greatly to the success of their publishing house. She is best known, however, for Beeton's book of household management

Fenchurch Street Station opened . The London and Blackwall Railway open the first railway terminus in the City of London at Fenchurch Street. No steam locomotives are used on this line until 1849 so trains have to be dragged from Blackwall to Minories by cable and then have to reach Fenchurch Street by their own momentum. Gravity and a helping hand from station staff enable trains to leave the platform

First public lavatory erected in London . The first modern public lavatory is erected at 95 Fleet Street. It is for men only and is discreetly called a 'public waiting room.'

London's first pillar box . The idea of a pillar box is popularly credited to the novelist Anthony Trollope who worked for the Post Office. Before this date, people had taken their letters to receiving offices, the sub post offices of their day, or relied on itinerant collectors. London's first pillar box was on the corner of Farringdon Street and Fleet Street, and there were 10 collections a day, between the hours of 9am and 10pm

London divided into postal districts . To facilitate the postal service, London is divided into ten districts. Each district is given a letter code, for example, N, S, EC or NW and residents are encouraged to add the district letter(s) to their address

First underground railway opens . The Metropolitan Railway, the world's first underground railway, opens, running between Paddington and Farringdon. In the first six months of its operation, an average of nearly 28,000 passengers daily make the 18 minute journey

Abolition of public hangings at Newgate . The last person to be executed in public outside the gates of Newgate Prison is Michael Barrett. He had been one of the men responsible for a bomb attack on the Clerkenwell House of Detention in 1867

Jack the Ripper . A mysterious killer, allegedly calling himself 'Jack the Ripper', murders and mutilates prostitutes in the East End of London during the summer and autumn of 1888. The body of one of his victims, Catherine Eddowes, is found in Mitre Square, just inside the eastern boundary of the City. No-one is ever convicted of these murders and the Ripper's true identity remains unknown

Tower Bridge completed . After eight years of construction, Tower Bridge, designed by City architect Horace Jones, is opened by the Prince of Wales. The river had remained navigable during the whole construction. The bascule bridge allows an opening of 200 feet and headroom of 135 feet, enough to allow access for almost all vessels to the Pool of London

Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee . Queen Victoria arrives at the steps of St Paul's Cathedral for a service held on 22 June to commemorate her reign of 60 years

Central Criminal Court opens. Built on the site of Newgate Prison, the Central Criminal Court is opened by King Edward VII. Its popular name, 'the Old Bailey' is derived from the name of the street on which it stands

Zeppelins over London . While the First World War is being fought in the trenches of France and Flanders, a new and terrifying threat to Londoners comes from the skies. The German airships (or Zeppelins) are hard to manoeuvre and control but still succeed in raiding London. The first bomb in the City falls on Fenchurch Street

Daily Express building . The black glass and chrome exterior of this building is a startling addition to Fleet Street. Its sheer modernity immediately trumps the showy headquarters of rival The Daily Telegraph situated nearby. Hailed as the first curtain-walled building in London, its silver and gilt, Art Deco lobby provides a frontage for editorial offices and a complete printing works

The Blitz begins . The City suffers badly as bombing raids begin during the Second World War. Churches, livery halls and other historic buildings are destroyed. Despite initial resistance, London Underground agree that 79 of its stations can be used as shelters during air raids and spending the night in a tube station becomes routine for many Londoners

London Olympics . London hosts the 14th Olympic Games at Wembley Stadium. Although London is still suffering the after effects of war, the prestige of staging the Olympics provides a welcome boost to morale. The United States dominates the gold medal list

Festival of Britain . 'I want to see the people happy. I want to hear the people sing'. So said the Minister responsible for the Festival of Britain. Strong on the celebration of achievements in technology and full of bright hopes for future renewal, this popular festival struck the right chord, and is still held up as a shining example of design excellence

Clean Air Act . 'Pea-souper' fog epitomises olde-worlde London in Hollywood movies, but is a feature of London life well into the 20th century. In the Great London Smog of 1952 a lethal combination of fog and smoke generated by domestic coal fires kills 12,000 Londoners. The Clean Air Act attempts to control domestic smoke pollution by introducing smokeless zones in which only smokeless fuels can be burnt

Sir Winston Churchill's funeral . Politician and wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill dies on 24 January 1965 and is given a state funeral. His body lies in state at Westminster Hall and is then taken to St Paul's Cathedral for his funeral service, before it arrives at Bladon churchyard in Oxfordshire for burial

Barbican Centre opens . Designed by the architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II, Europe's largest arts complex houses a theatre, art galleries, cinemas, concert hall and library

Lloyd's Building opens . In 1979, the Richard Rogers Partnership is commissioned to design a new building for Lloyd's of London in Leadenhall Street. Although a simple rectangle in plan, it subverts conventional office building in locating services such as lifts, toilets and fire stairs to the exterior walls, thus enhancing the drama of the 12-storey atrium at its core

Guildhall Art Gallery reopens . The original Gallery was established in 1885 to house and display works of art acquired by the City of London Corporation. Burnt down during an air raid in 1941, the gallery occupies temporary accommodation until a new gallery, designed by Richard Gilbert Scott, is opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1999. Roman London's long-lost amphitheatre is discovered during construction and opens to the public in 2002

Temple Bar returns to the City . Built by Sir Christopher Wren in the 1670s, Temple Bar was removed in 1878 in an attempt to ease traffic congestion. In 1880, having lain in pieces in a yard for 10 years, it was acquired by the brewer Sir Henry Meux who re-erected it at his mansion in Theobalds Park in Hertfordshire. However, interest in this monument never waned and in 1976 the Temple Bar Trust is set up with the intention of returning Temple Bar to the City. Work to dismantle it at Theobalds Park is begun in 2003 and it is re-erected in its new home at Paternoster Square in 2004

City of London Information Centre. This innovative building is designed by Ken Shuttleworth of Make Architects, and replaced its predecessor that gave 50 years' unbroken visitor service to the City of London, ensuring continuing service for the 21st century

Olympic and Paralympic Games . The Games come back to London and the City is an official 'host authority', with the marathons passing directly in front of Guildhall