The 18th century was a period of rapid growth for London, reflecting an increasing national population, the early stirrings of the Industrial Revolution, and London's role at the centre of the evolving British Empire. By the end of the century nearly one million people lived in London, about one tenth of the population of Great Britain.[1] By 1715, London's population reached an estimated 630,000 people, roughly equaling that of Europe's largest city until that time, Paris.