Skip to search form

Related subjects:
Lamp made in the shape of the head of an African person.
Plastic lamp
Brown flint chipped into a conical shape.
Levallois flake
Decorated gold coin.
Coin
Church with graveyard in front.
Engraving
Carriages and an escort bringing Queen Elizabeth I arrive at Nonsuch Palace, shown surrounded by countryside
Nonsuch Palace. From a Print by George Hoefnagle dated 1582
Crowded scene at a dock as goods are transported from ships
The Imports of Great Britain from France
Open book, 'The Chronicle of England', showing a double-page spread. There are 2 columns of text on each page and a woodcut image of London showing the roofs of houses and church spires.
Book
Ivory carved with the figure of a woman in classical dress with her head missing. Below her is a flower.
Tobacco rasp
Wooden trunk covered in hairskin.
Trunk
Coin showing head in profile of Sir Marc Isambard Brunel.
Medal
Wooden trunk painted with a floral design and objects it contained, including wooden tobacco containers, a peppermint lozenge box and envelopes.
Social history group
The very crowded interior of a Lyons tea room.
Etching
Front cover of newspaper.
Newspaper
A group of people clusters around a policeman who stands below a sign which reads 'Dinners a la carte'
Cutting
Page with two photographs, one of airmail passing through Paris, the other of airmail being unloaded at Capetown.
Pamphlet
Frontispiece of book printed in French.
Book
Students in a playground in front of a large school building.
Negative
List of French dishes with prices.
Menu
Poster showing a biplane flying over a silhouette of St. Paul's Cathedral towards the outline of the Eiffel Tower.
Poster

French London

There have always been close links between France and England. The Normans invaded Britain led by William the Conqueror in 1066. Huguenots fled religious persecution in France in the 17th century, causing many craftsmen to settle in London. The French Revolution brought French Royalists seeking asylum.

During World War II, General de Gaulle commanded the Free French from his London base. Since the turn of the millennium London has once again proved the destination of choice for young French expatriates.

The English now have so great an esteem for the workmanship of the French refugees that nothing vends without a gallic name.

Unattributed, 1700

France and England are geographically so close that travel between the two countries has always been relatively easy. Early English monarchs had strong family links to the French aristocracy.

In 1066 William the Conqueror was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey. He gave English lands to the Norman aristocracy and to monastic orders. Several monastic houses linked to overseas religious orders were founded in London.

During the 17th century large numbers of French Huguenots sought asylum in England from religious persecution. By the following century, they had assimilated into the native population. The French Protestant Church in Soho Square attests to their history.

Smaller groups of French Royalists found a temporary home in London following the French Revolution of 1789.

Some French also briefly fled for sanctuary during the Franco-Prussian War and Paris Commune of 1870-71. The Catholic Notre Dame de France Church in Charing Cross, as well as numerous French restaurants and the French House pub, recall their presence.

General de Gaulle, leader of the Free French, was based in London during the Nazi occupation of France in World War II. Together with his staff he maintained French resistance against the Germans throughout the war.

Postwar, Britain drew increasingly closer to the continent with membership of the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973 and the European Union (EU) in 1992.

The Channel Tunnel opened in 1994, making Paris a two and a half hour train journey from London.

The French consulate estimates that 300,000 to 400,000 French people currently live in Britain, the vast majority of them in London. Migration has been especially high since 1999.

Most French migrants are young, single and well qualified, seeking the job opportunities that London offers, especially in the financial sector. London is also home to nearly 2,000 French companies, mostly involved in the financial and business services industries.

Many French expatriates live in South Kensington, base of both the secondary school Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle and French cultural centre the Institut Français, which houses a cinema, library and language centre. The area is also dotted with French-owned cafes and bookshops. The French Embassy is located in nearby Knightsbridge.

Bibliography

Links
    The Museum of London Group is funded by the City of London and the Greater London Authority. Museum of London, London Wall, LONDON EC2Y 5HN, United Kingdom. Copyright Museum of London. Legal notices & Disclaimer. This site is maintained by the Museum Systems Team.