In 1800 London was already the largest city in the world. Over the course of the next century its population grew rapidly to reach over 7 million by 1914. It was also the wealthiest city, a major manufacturing, services and financial centre and the first city to have extensive networks of suburbs connected to the centre by public transport systems. Historians have often depicted London after the Industrial Revolution as an industrial backwater that declined into the mass exploitation of labour through 'sweating', dominated by City and merchant interests. This book instead argues that London was a centre of nineteenth-century British economic growth. Modern economic theories of cities are used to explain the causes of metropolitan economic development and emphasis is placed on the changing role of the metropolis within Britain and the wider world economy. The evolution of London did not occur on purely free market terms. Transport, infrastructure and public services were all regulated and considerable debate took place over the proper boundaries of private enterprise, municipal endeavour and stage regulation.

So, the supply of urban services is an important component of metropolitan history, particularly in the changing relationship between government and private endeavour. Individual chapters comprehensively survey a wide variety of topics including: population and migration; employment and industry; the standard of living; changes in retailing and leisure; housing and suburbanisation; transportation; the utilities of gas, water and electricity; post and telecommunications; individual industry studies; the City and finance; social welfare and local government. This fascinating history will appeal to a wide audience from amateur to specialist interests in economics, history, urban studies and geography.