Fortress London: The definitive book about Levelling Up and why it matters

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Peer through the gate and imagine what it was like to be a medieval soldier working in this cramped but beautiful space. New creations included a new defensive perimeter, studded with towers, while on the west, north, and east sides, where the wall was not defended by the river, a defensive ditch was dug. Bright rented airBnBs in London through the week and travelled home to West Yorkshire on a Friday, ready to go back to London on a Monday. In the 13th century, Kings Henry III (1216–1272) and Edward I (1272–1307) extended the castle, essentially creating it as it stands today. There were several phases of expansion, mainly under kings Richard I, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries.

In particular, the top decile’s share of wealth has grown at the expense of the bottom 50 per cent of the income distribution (Piketty, 2020). He imagines the impact that Parliament settling in Exeter, York, Aberdeen, Norwich, Lancaster, Swansea for three years a piece could have. Victorious at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, the invading Duke of Normandy, William the Conqueror, spent the rest of the year securing his holdings by fortifying key positions.Bright finishes on unification a conclusion fitting for the divisive framework that the title pushes, but is fearful of what further inequality and lack of action on this could mean for the state of government, the state of the social fabric and opportunity for all within the country.

A new agenda that is oriented towards geographical equality while retaining a vigorous campaign for social justice is recommended. Sam Bright’s clear-eyed intervention will convince you that regional inequality is the problem — and that now is the time for change. A series of Norman victories along the route cut the city's supply lines and in December 1066, isolated and intimidated, its leaders yielded London without a fight. Too often opinion pieces around political issues come across as long rants and not much more than a cry into the abyss. The castle, which had not been used as a royal residence for some time, was usually left in the charge of a Constable, a post held at this time by Geoffrey de Mandeville.The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078 and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new Norman ruling class. The tower was terraced into the side of a mound, so the northern side of the basement is partially below ground level.

Only through allowing regional issues to be addressed and administered by local power and leaders would suitable, effective and happy solutions be found. Nevertheless, this debate underlines the key weakness of Bright’s book highlighting as it does the need for a much more progressive fiscal environment not just to fund new regional investments but also to facilitate a redistribution of wealth. In sectors which are already steeped in elitism, geographic immobility worsens chances for those who aim to access these professions.He has written extensively on architecture and design, and is a visiting critic and lecturer at architecture schools internationally. The upper floor contained a grand hall in the west and residential chamber in the east – both originally open to the roof and surrounded by a gallery built into the wall – and St John's Chapel in the south-east. However, this social liberalism is accompanied by a malignant concentration of power, wealth and opportunity. Hence those who already live within London, and have space to live with family in the early career years are able to apply for and accept job offers without the stress and struggle of moving out.