MEMBERS had a treat on June 12 when Anthea Streeter took them through the history of London from Roman days to the 21st century with the help of pictures.

She began with a familiar painting of the present skyline viewed from across the Thames and then went back in history to see how the buildings of Londinium began with its forum and amphitheatre.

After the Romans, came the Anglo-Saxons and then the Normans.

As was natural, much architecture was then influenced by France.

Buildings grew bigger and St Paul’s Cathedral in the 14th century became the largest building in England. The great change, however, began in the 17th century and is still going on, with buildings growing ever higher and larger.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, there has been a great tendency to very high buildings, often close together.

Post-modern buildings, said Anthea, are being constructed, and space is disappearing. At the present time five very tall buildings are going up in London.

Her account was very thorough, but perhaps it left some of us wondering, Has London grown too big to be appreciated?