The Tower

By Maddie Pounder

The Tower, “the citadel of London” is a historic castle located on the north end of the Thames River in central London (De Saussure 84). De Saussure remarks that the complex is about a mile in circumference and is surrounded by a wide moat. Because the Tower was built on the river it has cannons pointed outward at all times to maintain security.

Custom House

By: Cooper Sarafin

Built on the side of the Thames, the first Customs house was raised in the 14th century. It was responsible for handling the export of wool which made the country so prosperous. After the great fire in 1666, they rebuilt it in the same location, but made it larger to handle growing trade.

De Saussure speaks of how busy the building is and of the skill by which the officers find contraband. He also speaks of his annoyance that he had to pay to bring in his worn clothes to the country where everywhere else it was not the custom.

Sources:

Thames River

By Abbey Wells

At 215 miles long, the River Thames is the longest river in England. Cesar de Saussure describes it as “too beautiful not to be worth a description. It takes its rise in the county of Oxford and early navigable. The Thames is everywhere wide, beautiful, and peaceful” (93-94). He continues on to compare the width of the Thames to the length of the London Bridge, but also mentions that the bridge is “not built over the widest part of the river, yet is 800 feet long” (p. 94).

London Bridge

By Liesl Magnus

When Cesar de Saussure visited London in 1725, he noted that “[After] leaving the Monument, you get to the Thames bridge, which is built out of stone. A stranger standing on the bridge can scarcely tell that it is one, houses on either side making it look like a pretty street.” 

The Monument

By Chris Denham

In 1666, a fire erupted on Puddings Lane and it would spread to decimate two-thirds of the City of London.  Following these traumatic events, Parliament decreed that a monument be erected in the bakers’ district where it began, so that London would always remember the cost it paid.  Cesar De Saussure’s letter describing London in 1725 spent a page on describing this iconic sight.

Penny Post

By Sarah Abeling 

The Penny Post was a series of small post offices established on principal streets throughout the City of London. De Saussure claims that they are very useful otherwise it would be "inconvenient in such a large town as London to have to run from one end of it too the other every time you had anything special to communicate" (153).

The Royal Exchange

By Cassidy Young

The Royal Exchange sits right at the end of Cheapside, at the beginning of Cornhill. De  Saussure said that the building was very impressive, "built in modern style of the beautiful Portland stone" (p. 79). He also remarked that the architecture was very fine, and spoke in great detail of the many statues that were inside of and in front of the Royal Exchange. 

Guildhall

By Yusra Bourara

Guildhall is a building located in the city of London that has been used as a town hall for many years and still serves as the administrative centre for the city of London. It is located off the streets of Basinghall and Gresham. The name “Guildhall” refers to the whole building along with its main room, also known as the medieval great hall.