ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the context for those that follow. It is an overview of the way in which late 20th century and early 21st century migration into the capital has tinted its landscape. Within the limitations of a chapter it is impossible to cover all the diverse aspects of the migrant experience in London, the multiplicity of incomers who have arrived for both the long and short term and the varied outcomes of that migrant presence. The themes selected are those deemed most central to the lives of all residents in a capital city; space and place, interaction by means of language and cultural connection, economic activity, and religion, particularly the freedom to observe, or not, at will. As is mentioned below the immigrant place in British society is currently (January 2015) an impassioned topic and one that is being debated at all levels. It is hoped that this chapter may help dispel some of the myths that surround the migrant landscape in early 21st century London.
