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London · History

From Londinium to Wren's dome: two thousand years in the City

The City, the ‘Square Mile’, is the original London: this is where the Romans founded Londinium, where William the Conqueror built his tower and where everything burned in 1666. This walk runs from the Roman wall to the dome of St Paul's, following the thread of the centuries.

  • 6 stops
  • 2.7 km
  • 2 h
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
West front and dome of St Paul's Cathedral from Ludgate Hill

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 The Roman wall at Tower HillThe stones that enclosed Londinium still stand beside the Tube station, guarded by a bronze emperor.
  2. 2 The Tower of LondonThe fortress William the Conqueror built to keep an eye on Londoners has been a palace, a prison, an arsenal and a mint.
  3. 3 The Monument to the Great FireA 61-metre column whose height matches the distance to the bakery where the fire of 1666 began.
  4. 4 The Royal Exchange and BankLondon's first exchange was born at this junction, named by a queen and is still crowned by a golden grasshopper.
  5. 5 Guildhall and the Roman amphitheatreThe City has been governed from here for six centuries, right above the arena where Romans watched gladiators fight.
  6. 6 St Paul's CathedralChristopher Wren's masterpiece: the dome that rose from the ashes of 1666 and survived the bombs of 1940.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

From Londinium to Wren's dome: two thousand years in the City

Roman stones in plain sight

A stretch of Londinium's wall and the outline of a buried amphitheatre, marked out in the paving of a square.

Fire and rebuilding

The Great Fire of 1666 and the city of stone that Christopher Wren raised in its place.

Power and money

Kings, mayors and merchants: the Tower, Guildhall and the Exchange explain who ran London.

Keep exploring

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