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2. The London
Eye is a giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River
Thames in London, England. The entire structure is 135 m (443 ft) tall and
the wheel has a diameter of 120 m (394 ft). It is the tallest Ferris wheel in
Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom,
visited by over 3.5 million people annually.
3. Tower
Bridge
Not far from the Tower of London
there is Tower Bridge - a
masterpiece of engineering skill. Tower Bridge was built at the end of the
19th century to match the medieval style of the fortress. This bridge is
opened to let big ocean ships move up the Thames from the ocean. The
territory between the Tower and the bridge is called the Pool for that
reason. Not far from the Tower of London there is Tower Bridge - a masterpiece of engineering
skill. Tower Bridge was built at the end of the 19th century to match the
medieval style of the fortress. This bridge is opened to let big ocean ships
move up the Thames from the ocean. The territory between the Tower and the
bridge is called the Pool for that reason.
4.
Big Ben
St. Stephen's Tower is
more often called Big Ben, which is actually the name of the largest bell on
the clock tower and a part of the Great Clock of Westminster. Its official
name is the Great Bell of Westminster. It is 13.5 tons. The origin of the
name belongs to Sir Benjamin Hall, the chief Commissioner of Works, when the
Houses of Parliament were rebuilt in 1850. Sir Benjamin Hall was a very tall
and stout man. His nickname was "Big Ben".\
5. Westminster area is also called the City of Westminster. It is the most important
part of London, where Parliament and most government offices are located.
Westminster Abbey is regarded as the centre of this area. They say. the City was
founded here near the monastery as far back as the 7th century.
In the 11th century King Edward the Confessor decided to build a
great abbey church there. It was a monastery for a long time.
William the Conqueror was crowned there and since then many
kings and queens of England followed this tradition. There is the ancient
Coronation Chair beneath which there is the Stone of Scone (the ancient Scottish Coronation
Throne that was brought to England by King Edward I as a sign of defeat of
Scotland.
Many English kings and queens and other famous statesmen,
writers, scientists are buried in Westminster Abbey. Among them there are two
queens rivals Elizabeth I Tudor and Mary Stuart. Oliver Cromwell. Charles
Dickens. Rudyard Kipling, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. It is famous for the Poet's Corner,
where most popular writers (Kipling. Chaucer, Hardy, Dickens), poets and musicians
are buried.
6. The National Gallery -The National Gallery (a great picture museum) is situated
on Trafalgar Square. It contains a wonderful collection of works from the
British, French, Italian, Dutch and Spanish schools, which existed between
the 13th and the 19th centuries.
What is the name of a famous
architect, who built The Gallery?
7. Oxford
street. Shopping in London is very easy and interesting. Oxford street
is the most popular and biggest shopping centre in the capital of Great
Britain. Various department stores and shops attract many natives and people
from other countries.
Selfridge`s is one of the largest
and most popular department stores in Oxford street. There are over 230
various departments in this department store. This department store is not
very cheap. For example, Marks and Spenser`s offers a cheaper shopping.
8.Buckingem Palace (the Palace) is the official London residence of the Queen
and the Royal family. When the Queen is at the residence the flag is flying
on top of Buckingham Palace. It was a country residence of the Duke of
Buckingham. But in the 19th century it was rebuilt for King George. The
square in front of the Palace is decorated with Victoria Memorial built in 1911.
9. Trafalgar Square is the geographical centre of the British capital. The square
was named "Trafalgar" to commemorate Admiral Nelson's victory at
the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. There is the monument in the centre of the
square known as Nelson's Column.
Around the monument there are four bronze bar-reliefs, representing scenes of
Nelson's life and death.
The statue is guarded at the base by four bronze lions. Nelson
was killed in the battle but the victory was won. The English consider
Admiral Nelson to be a national hero for his victory in the war against
Napoleon.
10. Hyde park
The parks are probably the main attraction of the West End. They
occupy the most part of its territory. They say, if gardens and parks are
"lungs" of a city, Londoners must have good health. There are many
lawns in the parks where people lie or sit about.
Hyde Park is the largest and the most popular of the London parks. This
park is famous for its Speaker's Corner which attracts a lot of tourists.
Here people of different beliefs and persuasions can say what they want for
those who want to hear it. Marble Arch is also here. It was built to
commemorate Lord Wellington's victory over Napoleon in the battle of
Waterloo.
Next to Hyde Park there is the famous luxury department store
which is called Harrods.
11.St. Paul's Cathedral is in the centre of London and is considered to be an
architectural masterpiece.
After the Great Fire the City had to be built again. The
commission of six architects was organized for the rebuilding and Sir
Christopher Wren was the most talented of them. This architect drew a plan
which greatly determined the look of today's London though it was not
realized in every detail. It was forbidden to build wooden houses in the City
of London.
St. Paul's Cathedral was the greatest work of Sir Christopher Wren.
It is one of the largest churches in the world. Sir Wren was building the
Cathedral for 35 years, completed it in 1711, and his aim was to build a
church that could rival the great St. Peter Basilica in Rome. St. Paul was built of white
stone as well as many other buildings in the City of London. But smoke and
soot made the stones black and only the columns and edges were washed by the
rain and remained white. That is how the building got its peculiar
white-and-black look.
On top of St. Paul's Cathedral is a high dome, which contains the Whispering Gallery,
where whisper can be heard at a great distance.
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