London During the Georgian Period

One of the more notable events of the period that occurred in 1707 was the passing of the Acts of Union. This consisted of two different Acts of Parliament, one in England and one in Scotland. The purpose of the Acts of Union was to join the two kingdoms together as the United Kingdom of Great Britain. Although the two were separate kingdoms they did both share the same monarchy and this did not change. This was not the first time there were measures taken to unite the two countries. Three previous attempts during the 17 th century proved unsuccessful.

Newspapers began appearing during the early years of the 18 th century. One of the most popular was the Spectator. Over time other newspapers popped up as well and followed the Spectator’s lead by locating to Fleet Street.

King George I began his reign in August of 1714. Around this time Lord Burlington was designing several buildings around London that would set the tone of architecture over the next several decades.

Theatre in London would be dramatically changed during 1737. During the Stuart period, theatre was very popular and frequently enjoyed by the King. During the Georgian period it was less popular and considered to be a bit boisterous. To calm and control the theatres in London all performances were censored. Surprisingly, this censorship was not reversed until a couple hundred years later in 1968.

London had for quite some time only one bridge that crossed the Thames River. Under the reign of George II, which began in 1727, a second bridge was constructed which is known as Westminster Bridge. Construction on this bridge that was made out of stone occurred between 1739 and 1750. Around this time the shops that lined the London Bridge were taken down and the bridge was eventually widened.

The British Museum also opened up in 1759. The collection that was first displayed came from Sir Hans Sloane. After Sloane passed away his collection of strange items was purchased by the government.

London during the Georgian period could be quite dangerous. The death penalty was imposed for crimes that were less than major. The Bow Street Runners were established and they operated similarly to modern day police officers.

Another one of the more notable events occurred during the reign of George III who took over in 1760 after the passing of his grandfather, George II. The British colonies in America declared their independence in 1776. There had been several issues between the British government and the colonies that eventually led to this act including the notorious Boston Tea Party in 1773.

For several years George III refused to acknowledge the independence of the British colonies. He chose to continue a war with the hope that the colonials would get sick of fighting and eventually give up. Finally in 1781 Lord Cornwallis surrendered which led to the signing of the treaties of Paris. Once Britain recognized the states of America as independent, George III was friendly towards their new government.