The capital of the UK is a huge metropolis, extending for 48 km to the north and south of the River Thames. London - is the largest and most cosmopolitan city in Europe. It is the center of lawmaking and focal point of financial life. It administers the fate of the British nation. I think Londoners have every reason to be proud of their city, this amazing and dynamic urbanity «spot» where there are famous museums, historic buildings, cathedrals and churches, green parks and gardens.
If you flew over London you would see the city spread out below you. There would be the Monument, the tall buildings in Fleet Street, and very soon afterwards the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster which contains Big Ben. If you plane turned slightly northward at this point you would fly over St. James’s Park, Hyde Park, and later you will reach Kensington Gardens and the densely populated area of Kensington.
The oldest part of London is the City. The City is the heart of London, its business part. Here a lot of banks, offices, and firms are concentrated. To my mind, during the day the city is full of people. Among first historic buildings is the Tower of London, built in 1087. It is one of the oldest buildings in England. Duke of Edinburgh wrote in his book on the 900th anniversary of the Tower, "in its history, the Tower of London was a fortress, a palace, a storage of the royal jewels, an arsenal, a mint, a prison, an observatory, a zoo, and the place, attracting tourists." Today, the Tower is included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. On the territory of the Tower of London are The Crown Jewels, The Medieval Palace, The Tower of Martin, The White Tower, The Tower Green, The Fusiliers' Museum, The Yeoman Warders and the Tower ravens. Ravens are one of the most famous sights of The Tower of London. Legend says that if the ravens leave the Tower of London, the English monarchy will fall.
Westminster is another central and important part of London. I think it is a paradise for tourists, because it focused many attractions: famous Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace - the current residence of the Queen, the symbol of London - Big Ben clock tower at the Parliament, Westminster Abbey itself - a monument, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, The Tate Gallery. Opposite the Houses of Parliament is a Ferris wheel "London Eye", has gained enormous popularity among residents and guests of the British capital.
The London Eye is one of the largest Ferris wheel in the world, located in the London borough of Lambeth on the south bank of the Thames. With a height of 135 meters (about 45 stores) overlooking almost the entire city. Ferris wheel is a family project spouses architects David Marks and Julia Barfield. Implementation of the project to life took six years.
The London Eye has 32 fully enclosed and air-conditioned cabins, pods for passengers, made in the form of eggs. As I learned, capsules represent the 32 suburbs of London. Each 10-tonne capsule can accommodate up to 25 passengers. The wheel rotates at a constant speed of 26 centimeters per second (about 0.9 miles per hour) to one revolution takes about 30 minutes. The wheel does not stop to take on the "board" passengers, as the speed allows passengers to get on and off at ground level. Wheel stops only for disabled and elderly people to make a landing / landed safely.
I think Trafalgar Square is one of the main attractions of the British capital. The area is located in central London, at the crossroads of three major streets of Westminster - the Strand, Whitehall and the Mall. The area formerly known as the area of King William IV was renamed in honor of the victory of Trafalgar British fleet under Admiral Nelson at Cape Trafalgar in 1805.
In the center from 1843 is a dark gray granite column Nelson 44 m high with a statue of the Admiral on top. At the corners of Trafalgar Square installed four podiums. In these pedestals architect Sir Charles Barry planned to install statues of four other famous Britons. The first pedestal for installation of the equestrian statue of himself bought King George the Fourth for the huge sum in those days - nine thousand guineas. The other two were later allowed to erect statues of the two commanders-colonialists - Lord Havelock crushed the rebellion in India, and Sir Charles Napier, the conqueror of the Indian province of Sind. But the fourth pedestal is still empty: for more than a hundred years the British have not been able to decide who is worthy of it to take. Frescoes, cast figures of lions and fountains adorn the column.
Buckingham Palace was built in 1803 by the Duke of Buckingham in 1837 and became a royal residence. There are 661 rooms in the palace. Eighteen of them are open to the public only at certain times of the year. The Queen herself and her husband live in a 12-room apartment in the north wing of the palace overlooking the Green Park. Tour of the palace hold from 09.30 to 16.30, and includes a visit to the Art Gallery and the Throne Hall, Buckingham Palace and the Royal Mews. I think the daily changing of the guard ceremony at the square in front of the palace is an entertaining spectacle. If the British flag is not hung on the building, it means that the queen away. When she is present, palace can’t be attended. Today Buckingham Palace is not only a working residence of the Queen and Prince Philip, but the Duke of York, the Earl and Countess of Wessex as well. In addition, here are working rooms of the court and more than 450 employees of the palace.
Westminster Palace is famous for the Houses of Parliament. There is the throne of the Queen and the place
the Lord Chancellor, who is chairperson of the House of Lords in this beautiful Gothic building. The Palace of Westminster was almost completely destroyed by fire, but in 1840 was rebuilt. The only part of the old palace, has remained unchanged to the present day is The Westminster Hall. Now the palace is called the House of Parliament and it placed the House of Lords and House of Commons of the British Parliament. The Clock Tower with the bell «Big Ben» is famous all over the world. The Houses of Parliament can be visited by the public. It is one of the oldest buildings in London.
The project was presented and talked over at the School European Club meeting on the 05.23.2013.
