A TOUR ROUND LONDON

The Romans came to England many years ago. They built a town on the River Thames and called it LONDINIUM, now we call this big city London. London is the capital of G.B. and Northern Ireland. There are 4 parts in it. They are «The West End, the East End, The City and Westminster. More than 7mln. people live here.

Buckingham Palace is the biggest royal palace in the

world. It became the official royal palace of the

British monarch of the time of Queen Victoria, whose monument you can see in front of the Palace.

Buckingham Buckingham PalacePalace

There are many great rooms in the

Palace: Green Drawing Room, Throne Room, White Drawing

Room and the Art Gallery, which is

rich in paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens

and Claude Lorraine. Now

Queen Elizabeth II lives in Buckingham Palace. The 12 state rooms are used by Queen Elizabeth II

and members of the royal family.

Green Drawing Room

Throne Room

White Drawing Room

Rembrandt

Rubens

Lorraine

In the presence of the Queen the Palace is closed for public.Every day a lot of

tourists come to see the change of the

guard’s of honour. The Guardsmen in their

red coats and bearskin caps march behind the

Drum Major and the Band.

It is the most famous church in the English-speaking world. Its stones and monuments can tell a lot about the English history.

Westminster AbbeyWestminster Abbey

The history of the Abbey starts in 1050 when King Edward decided to build an abbey. Only a small part of the original Norman monastery survived. Most of the present building dates from the 13th century - the Abbey was then rebuilt in gothic style.

Many politicians, kings, schoolars and artists are buried in the

Abbey. The most famous of them

are Isaak Newton and Charles

Darvin. In total about 3300 are buried in the

Church. Since 1066 it has been a Coronation

church.

Looks magnificent, doesn’t it? British people also call it the Houses of Parliament or the Palace of Westminster. It is the seat of Britain's two parliamentary houses, the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

Westminster PalaceWestminster Palace

In Medieval times the Palace of Westminster was a royal residence. The Palace became the seat of the Parliament when the court moved to Whitehall Palace in 1530.In the 19th century a fire destroyed most of the building leaving Westminster Hall and Jewel Tower intact. A new complex of buildings in neo gothic style was completed in 1870. The complex incorporates the buildings that survived the fire – Westminster Hall and Jewel Tower.

Westminster Hall is used today for major public ceremonial events.The palace contains around 1,100 rooms, 100 staircases and 4.8 kilometers (3 mi) of corridors.

Big Ben is one of London,s best – known

landmarks. It took 13 years to build it

and it was completed in 1856. Its a clock

tower 316 feet long at the northern end of

the Houses of Parliament in

Westminster. In fact it is the name of 13

ton bell hung within. The bell was named after Sir Benjamin

Hall, whose nickname was Big Ben, as used

to be very tall.

Big BenBig Ben

But if you say «Big Ben» today most people think of the tower and the clock, not the bell. The clock is the largest for – faced chiming clock in the world. Its four dials are 23 feet square. The minute hand is 14 feet long and the figures are 2 feet high. The clock alone weights about 5 tons.

Big Ben is an excellent timekeeper which has rarely stopped. Its unique sound is broadcast to the nation and around the world. There is a microphone in the turret connected to Broadcasting House. It looks most spectacular at night when the clock faces are illuminated. When parlament is in session a light shines above the clock face. Big Ben is a very important tower of London.

Greenwich is the famous place in London.

Three hundred years ago it was a village and now it’s part of London. There is the Greenwich

Observatory there. I have got some photos of it with me. Can you see a red ball? It’s on the

top of the pole. It’s one o’clock in England now.

The Greenwich Observatory is the centre of time and space, because the

prime meridian of the Earth, which divides

East from West, passes through there. If you

stand over the line, you can have one foot in each hemisphere.

Greenwich ObservatoryGreenwich Observatory

London EyeLondon EyeLondon Eye at a height is 135 m. It is the biggest Terries wheel in Europe. The L.Е. is located on the South bank of the river Thames. The river Thames has always been part of London history. It is in the centre of London. There are more that 20 bridges over the Thames. If you look forward you’ll see the Tower Bridge.

The Tower Bridge, built by Queen Victoria and opened in 1894, connects Tower with the South part of London and is a symbol of the city.

Tower Tower BridgeBridge

The Tower Bridge is a swinging bridge of Gothic style, the most beautiful one on the River Thames.

The Tower of London is one of the main sights. William the Conqueror built it on the river Thames.

Tower of LondonTower of London

The name «The white Tower» dates back to the 11th century, when it was painted white. Its square walls are very tall.

The Tower of London was a fortress, a residence of kings, a prison, the Kings Zoo and now it's a museum. You can see a lot of interesting things in the rooms of the twenty towers. Its also famous as home of the Crown Jewels.

Of course in The Tower you must see the ravens black birds.

Legend says that if ravens are alive the Tower – the Crown is alive.

St. Paul’s CathedralsSt. Paul’s Cathedrals

One of the greatest English Churches St. Paul’s Cathedrals isn’t far from the Tower of London. It took 35 years to build it. It’s a beautiful building with many columns and towers. Nelson was buried here.

The national library of the United Kingdom is one of the world’s largest research libraries. The British Library was founded in 1753 year.

British British LibraryLibrary

There used to be a fruit and vegetable market here. Today Covent Garden is known for its many open-air cafés, restaurants, pubs, market stalls and shops. Many street performers entertain tourists and other visitors… Covent Garden is always crowded, especially during weekends and in summertime.

The Covent Garden district is also home to several theaters, the recently renovated Royal Opera House is located here.

Covent GardenCovent Garden

Trafalgar SquareTrafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square is in the centre of London. With its position in the heart of London it is the main tourists’ attraction. Its trade – mark is Nelson’s Column, which stands in the middle and the four lion statues that guard the column. It is called in memory of Trafalgar (1805), a British naval victory of the Napoleonic Wars

In the north corner of the Square you can find the National Gallery which is one of the worlds.

The Square used to be famous for its pigeons. Feeding the

pigeons was a popular activity with Londoners and tourists.

There has been a Christmas ceremony every year since 1947. A Christmas tree is presented by Norway. The Mayor of Oslo comes to London to light the tree at the Christmas ceremony!

The founder of the museum Marie Grosholc (madame Tussaud) was born in 1761 years. At the beginning of the19th century Marie Tussaud’s works were already known. In 1884 her grandson, Joseph Rendal Tussauds, placed figures in the museum near Baker Street.

Madame Tussaud MuseumMadame Tussaud Museum

Madame Tussaud’s famous works are Benjamin Franklin, the Queen, her self-portrait. Museum has got wax models of famous people from all over the world.

The models look like real people. You can make fantastic photos with these models. The museum is very popular. Two million tourists go there every year. Probably, it is the best museum in the planet.

If you go down Baker Street you can find the museum of the legendary detective Sherlock

Holmes.

Museum of Sherlock Holmes

This character was created by Arthur Conan Doyle. Opened in 1990 this museum shows in period rooms, wax figures and Holmes things».

The EndThe End