E X T E N S I O N THE ATTRACTION OF LONDON If you were an ambitious young man living in the Provinces, the city of London in the 1580 s offered the hope of fame and fortune, but you had to be clever enough to find your way in it. It was growing quickly, with a population of nearly 200,000 and it was beginning to develop outside its Medieval city walls, which were dominated by the Tower of London in the East and St Paul s Cathedral in the west. In between these, there were numerous churches, because citizens had to live and pay taxes in a Parish. They were obliged by law to attend Protestant Church service every Sunday and were often fined or put in prison if they did not do this. Westminster was already the focus of political power, and the rich houses of the nobility stood on the north side of the river Thames, over which crossed only one bridge, London Bridge. This was famous in the Medieval and Renaissance world for its 19 arches1 and shops and houses built up to seven stories high. The only other transport across the river was by boat, and there were many water-taxis , especially when the South Bank began to develop as an area of entertainment, with theatres, bear-baiting 2, cock-fighting3 and brothels4. 1. arch: a half circle. 2. bear-baiting: a cruel game in which dogs made bears very angry. 3. cock-fighting: the sport of watching cockerels fight and kill each other. 4. brothel: house where prostitutes live and work. 37