A French visitor to England in 1578 waxed lyrical that “rumour of the greatness, prosperity, singularities and splendours of London fly and run to the ends of the whole world”. Less enthusiastic observers grumbled about traffic congestion, the stench of the River Thames, and in the case of one voluble Venetian merchant, the “healthy but sickening” taste of beer, although he did praise London oysters.
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603) England’s capital was a melting pot that stirred diverse emotions. Nobles vied to be close to the royal court, and the ambitious made their way in government or through careers in the law courts. Merchants accrued fortunes in the burgeoning economic boom that busied the Port of London, while escapees from religious and political persecution on
