Westminster Abbey in a national shrine where the kings & queens are crowned & famous people are buried. Founded by Edward the Confessor in 1050, the Abbey was a monastery for a long time. The present building dates from the time of Henry III who began to rebuild the church, a task which lasted nearly 300 years. The West Towers were added in the 18^th century. Since William I, almost every English monarch has been crowned in this great church, which contains the tombs & memorials of many of Britain’s most eminent citizens. One of the greatest treasures of the Abbey is the oaken Coronation Chair made in 1300.

Near the West door of the Abbey the Unknown Warrior lies in the simple grave commemorating the men who died in the First World War.

The Abbey is also known for its Poets’ Corner. Graves & memorials to many English poets & writers are clustered round about.

St. Paul’s Cathedral (The City):

St. Paul’s Cathedral has always dominated the center of London. It stands on the site of former Saxon & Norman churches. The latter were destroyed in the Great Fire & the present building began on June 21, 1675 and completed in 1710, is work of the eminent architect Sir Christopher Wren. It is an architectural masterpiece. Londoners have a particular affection for St. Paul’s, which is the largest Protestant Church in England. Beneath the centre of the dome there is the tomb of Lord Nelson killed at the battle of Trafalgar. Its high dome, containing the remarkable Whispering Gallery with perfect acoustic, is a prominent landmark towering above the multi-storeted buildinge which line the river bank.

Trafalgar Square (The West End):

Trafalgar Square is the natural center of London. The square was so named to commemorate Nelson’s victory at the Battle near the cape Trafalgar (Gibraltar Straight) in 1805, and the monument in the center, known as Nelson’s Column, is surmounted with the Statue of Nelson 16 feet high. The pedestal of the Column is decorated with bas-reliefs representing Nelson’s most famous victories. At the base of Nelson’s Column there are four great lions.

We all know about famous English admiral Nelson but we don’t know anything about his opponents. In the Battle of Trafalgar he was facing large united fleet of Spain & France under the command of Admirals Villeneve (Admiral-in-chief) & Gravine. Nelson perished in this heavy battle but his enemies have lost 19 ships, almost all crew & Admiral Gravine. Admiral Nelson & his flagship ’Victory’ have entered the history of the world navy.

Now square has become a traffic island. When the square is not used for demonstrations, it is full of visitors feeding the pigeons or watching the traffic.

On the north side of the square are National Gallery & National Portrait Gallery. The National Gallery has an outstanding varied collection of paintings from British, Italian, Spanish French, Dutch & other famous schools.

The Tower of London (The City):

The river Thams is the main approach to London from the east. 100 years ago William the Conqueror decided to build a strong fortress to protect the city of London, which he had just conquered.

The Tower of London was one of the first & most impressive castles built after the Norman invasion of England in 1066. Since the times of William I various kings have built & extended the Tower of London & used for many purposes. The Tower has been used as a royal palace, an arsenal, a state prison, & many famous & infamous people have been executed within its walls. It is now a museum. It has many remarkable places, such as the Jewel Tower, where Queen keeps her jewels – the finest precious stones of the nation. These stones are the principal attraction for many visitors. Bloody Tower is a place, where royal persons were executed. In White Tower Queen held her court. A fine collection of armour is exhibited in the Keep. Another curious sight is famous ravens. The legend says that without them the Tower will fall. The Raven Master is a person who gives them food.

The security of the Tower is ensured by a military garrison & by the Yeoman Warders or ‘Beefeaters’ who still wear their picturesque Tudor uniform.

Tower Bridge, which is situated near, completes the panorame of Tower. It is performed in the same style as Tower but is comparetively new. Although the bridge intended to provide car movement, its halfes can raise to allow ships to pass.

Piccadilli:

Piccadilli is a fashionable shopping centre. Its famous fountain with a statue of Eros attracts tourists and young people. The reconstruction of Piccadilli Circus includes a new Tube Station, road schemes and the renovated statue of Eros.

Parks:

London is very rich on parks & gardens. Londoners have their parks & very proud of them. There are Green Park & St. James Park, Regent’s Park with the Zoo & wonderful Kew Gardens with many exotic plants & flowers. Hyde park is certainly most popular of London’s parks. It may be called as National Park. Londoners love it. On Sunday mornings in the summer you may see lots of Londoners sitting with their families on the grass or listening to the music. Hyde park is the place for all kinds of national parades & mass meetings.

Hyde Park is like many other London parks, but there is a corner of it, where you will not found anywhere in England, or anywhere in the world. That is Speaker’s corner. Here on a Sunday morning you will find a number of strange looking people, each standing on the walks, or a small platform, each is making a long & enthusiastic speech about something, which he believes is very important.

Among the packs of speakers there are serious speakers & fanatics. Groups of people, mainly tourists, gather round the speakers to see this interesting sight with their own eyes. Sometimes they ask the speaker questions Sometimes they sing together with the speaker, very often laugh at the speaker or simply enjoy themselves. Speaker’s Corner is the only place in Britain, where all kinds of opinions live peacefully side by side, because nobody minds them.

But London is not only important cultural centre, it is also an indusrtial city. There are large aircraft and automobile plants; the city produces electronical devices, chemicals, clothing and footwear as well. Besides it, London is the largest port of GBR and main railroad terminal. The most important airport of GBR – Heathrow – is also in London.

London (supplementary)

London is the capital of Great Britain, its political and commercial centre. It is one of the biggest and busiest ports of the United Kingdom. London is situated on the banks of the river Thames.

London is one of the largest cities in the world and a very old city. London is more then 20 centuries old.

London consist of many parts. The West End is a symbol of wealth and prosperity. The best theatres and cinemas and the richest shops are found here, in the West End. Splendid houses and lovely gardens are typical of this part of London.

The East End is the poorest district of London. There are plants and factories, workshops and docks here. The streets are narrow and the houses are poor. Working-class families live in the East End. Trafalgar Square is the geographical center of London. In the center of this square there is a statue of Nelson. Admiral Nelson won victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.

The City is the oldest part of London. The City is the financial and business part of London. Numerous banks, offices and trusts are concentrated here.

There are many ancient buildings within the City, such as the famous St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London which was built nine centuries ago. This Tower was used as a royal palace, a fortress and political prison. Now it is a very popular museum.

Whitehall is the place of many Government office. Not very far from whitehall the Houses of Parlament are situated.

Big Ben, the famous clock on the Clock Tower, is known in all the countries in the world.

London is the center of the cultural life in Britain. There are many museums, theatres, cinemas, and art galleries in the capital of Great Britian. The National Gallery, the Tate Gallery and the Potrait Gallery are known everywhere in the world. The British Museum is the biggest museum in London. It has a big collection of different things-paintings and drawings, coins and statues. The British Museum has a very rich library. Near the British Museum yju can see the University of London. London is also a big port and an industrial center of Great Britain. But when speaking of London one ways thinks of Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey is famous not only for its architecture, Westminster Abbey has its world's famous Poet's Corner where many greatest English poets and writer are buried: Charls Dickens, Tennyson, Kipling and other. Here are memorials to Shakespeare, Burns, Walter Scott and to a great Americam poet Longfellow.

More London

London is situated in the south-east of England. Its history stretches back some 2000 years. Today millions of visitors strive from all the parts of the world to discover what this exciting city has to offer.

The heart of London is Buckingham Palace. It’s the principal home of the sovereign and has been so since the young Queen Victoria came to throne. The Palace looks like a big English country house, surrounded by trees and lawns. A military band holds the morning ritual of the changing of the guard…

The Thames has played a major part in London’s history. Downstream, it curves towards, Greenwich where lies a superb group of buildings amongst which there are the Royal Naval College, Maritime Museum and the world’s famous Observatory. The famous clipper Cutty Shark now is in dry dock – she is another link with Britain’s maritime past when she sailed to China Seas carrying great cargoes of tea. She was famous as the fastest clipper afloat and once she set a record of 363 miles in one day.

Important and historic buildings lie on the banks of the Thames. As the river has always been a highway to London’s commercial and pleasure craft, upstream from Greenwich lie the massive walls of the Tower of London.

The tower was built 900 years after the Romans left. It has been a palace, a prison, a fortress and today houses the Crown jewels. The White Tower is the most impressive of the group of buildings. Its walls contain a chapel and the most amazing weapon collection. The guardians of the tower have an encyclopedic knowledge of history and traditions. Next to the Tower lies St Catherine’s dock. It was first developed about 800 years ago, and as the city grew and prospered, the docks grew also. Its present walls are graceful warehouses once held ivory, marble, exotic species and wines. The docks have been transformed into a maritime museum. Some of the buildings now contain galleries, shops and restaurants. St Catherine’s dock is a very pleasant place to pause for a while.

Tower Bridge seams to symbolize London and dominates the river. Its massive towers of steel and stone complement the Tower closely. However, the bridge is not quite ancient as it looks. It’s a marvel of Victorian engineering. It was built for road traffic, but its halves can raise to let the ships pass through.

Just upriver from Tower Bridge is the famous Square Mile of the city of London – the business center of the world. The City’s most famous building is St Paul’s Cathedral – Sir Christopher Wren’s great masterpiece. The present building designed after the Great Fire of London in 1666 took Wren 25 years to finish. It still dominates the City’s skyline. The Cathedral has seen many historic events – in this century there was Winston Churchill’s burial ceremony and the great Royal Wedding was taking place in it.

Again we follow the curve of the Thames and move upriver. Next to the Westminster Bridge is the Palace of Westminster. Once the principal Royal Residence it what rebuilt in its present elaborate style in the middle of the last century, and here the members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons debate. The twin-towers of the Westminster Abbey can be glimpsed next to Parliament. Every coronation since William the Conqueror has taken place here. At Westminster Bridge’s northern end stands the clock-tower Big Ben. The opposite face of the clock overlooks the busy Parliament Square.

Each district of London has its famous shopping streets. Shops range from the small smart boutiques and hundreds of fascinating specialist shops to the great stores with household names.

The tube train connections from every part of the city help to make all-year shopping easy and pleasant.

No other great city has so many green and leafy open spaces close to the center where the sight and sound of traffic can be completely lost. London’s parks seem as though the English countryside has been transported to the town. Many of the parks were once Royal hunting grounds or gardens and still preserve much of their original style. St James’s Park is London’s oldest Royal Park. Like all the other parks it has its own distinct character and attractions for every season of the year…