The name London is derived from Lyn-dun, the fortified town on the lake.

London's history started with Aulus Lautius, ruler of Britain under Emperor Claudius AD 43 - 50. By the 1st Century A.D., London was already a town of considerable importance, at which time it was known as Londinium. The Roman Legions eventually withdrew from Britain in AD 410. The Saxons invaded in the 6th Century and founded the original St. Paul's Cathedral in 604. King Alfred made London the capital of Britain in the 9th Century. Since the 13th Century, in the reign of King John, citizens of the City of London have had the right to elect their own Lord Mayor and The Mansion House has been the official residence of the Lord Mayor since 1753.

Other notable events in London's history include:

• London Bridge was completed in 1209 and remained the only stone bridge over the Thames for five and a half centuries and the only bridge in the city until Blackfriars Bridge was built in 1769.
• Queen Elizabeth I opened the Royal Exchange in 1566.
• The Great Plague swept London in 1665.
• The Great Fire in 1666, starting in a bakery on Pudding Lane, destroyed two thirds of the city, destroying St. Paul's Cathedral and The Royal Exchange, before it was put out four days later.
• St Paul's Cathedral was rebuilt between 1675 and 1710 and designed by Sir Christopher Wren.
• Buckingham Palace has been the official residence of the Monarch since 1837 when Queen Victoria moved her court from St James' Palace.
• The first London Underground line ran from Farringdon to Paddington via Kings Cross and was opened in 1863.
• The Houses of Parliament serving both the House of Commons and the House of Lords was built between 1840 and 1850. Its clock tower houses Big Ben.
• The City of London has been rebuilt since World War II (1939-1945) following heavy bombing. Most of the repair work was completed by the end of the 1950's.

London is one of the world's most important financial and cultural centres. The City of London or 'The City' is a small area of one square mile, which was the original settlement and now forms the business and financial district.

Local history to A. M. Best's London office includes "Minories", which is named after an Abbey of Nuns of the order of St. Clare, which was founded by Edmund Earl of Lancaster, Leicester and Derby, brother to King Edward I in 1293. In close proximity to the Minories is The Tower of London, which over the years has served many purposes, including: a Palace; a Prison; place of execution; housed royal armouries; the Mint; the Royal Observatory; the Royal Menagerie; the Public Records; and today houses the Crown jewels. The Tower of London was built by William the Conqueror in 1066.

• Travelling to A.M. Best Europe Ltd.

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