Hi Polux,A useful source would be the Museum of London but I imagine that it's not convenient for you to make a day trip of it but you could try their website - Museum of London - Museum of London The 1600's in London were a time of plague and fire, two of the most significant events in London history. The plague of 1665 that caused thousands of deaths and the Great Fire in 1666 devastated much of medieval London. In a way, the fire was benificial. It destroyed much of the overcrowded buildings and streets which allowed city planners of the day to redesign the city with more forethought and with newer materials, most of the buildings that were destroyed were wood. One of the oldest pub's in London is Ye Olde Chesire Cheese in Wine Office Court off o Fleet Street. It was rebuilt after the Great Fire and looks more or less as it did then as it does now. The step at the front door is so worn down that it has a metal grate on top of it and a list of all the Monarchs that have ruled England and later Great Britain is on the outside wall. The London diarist Samuel Pepys, Dr Johnson who compiled the first dictionary and Charles Dickens are all reputed to have visited this pub. Many new buildings and churches were built after the fire with many being designed by Sir Christopher Wren including St.Paul's Cathedral.
Another useful museum for London related information is the London Transport Museum. Though transport related it gives details of how London expanded rapidly in the late 19th C into the urban sprawl it is today - Home - London Transport Museum
Foyles is a famous London bookshop. Their website has loads of books about London, just type it as your keyword but there is a book specific to your time period, London: A Century in the City by Brian Girling caught my eye.
I used to live and work in London as a bicycle courier so I got to know it well and I am forever fascinated by its history. The 1900's were a period of rapid expansion for London with trade and migration creating a boom in wealth and the population. This is the period of British history that was marked by some of Britain's most celebrated military victories (and the occasional defeat), expansion of her Empire and the Industrial revolution. By the second half of the century London had become one of the biggest, if not the biggest, citys and trading ports in the world when what had previously been poor quality land to the east of the city developed into a massive shipping port with docks, wharfs and warehouses constructed. Great public works were started - Bazalgette constructed the sewer system, the London Underground was started (it celebrates its 150th anniversary this year), the construction of the Thames embankment and many grand streets and parks.
I hope this gives you some ideas on where to find out more but just ask if you have any questions.
p.s. Are you on the French or Spanis side of the Pyrenees? I lived in Toulouse for a few years too. Lovely part of the world.
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