Royal Commission on the Amalgamation of the City and County of London the ancient City of London had been prominent political topics since the 1830s. Recommendations by royal commissions given in 1837, 1854 and 1867 had largely been left unimplemented. The Local Government Act 1888 had set up a County of London which surrounded, but did not include, the square-mile and main business district of the City of London. London was therefore governed by the Corporation of London at its core and the London County Council for its metropolitan area. When the first London County Council was elected, the Progressive Party, closely allied to the parliamentary Liberals, took control. The first chairman
Capriccio of the City of London Fire of London column built in 1677 by architect Sir Christopher Wren who was commissioned to reconstruct much of the city after the fire. Towards the back of the scene is Wren's St Paul's Cathedral which was built between 1676 and 1710. Capriccio of the City of London Capriccio of the City of London is an early 18th century oil painting made by the Dutch Griffier family, who became well known in England. Jan Griffier and his children, Jan and Robert, created the landscape. This canvas shows London almost a century after the devastating Great Fire of London of September