London Sightseeing Tour

Project done by Bogolubova S.Zaslonkina M.School № 9

Tolstovo-Vasukovskoe

London is a very old city. It began life two thousand years ago as a

Roman fortification at a place where it was possible to cross the

River Thames. Today London is the capital of the country, a huge port, and one of the most beautiful and

interesting cities in the world with a population of over 8 million people.

Not far from the Tower of London there is Westminster Palace, or the Houses of Parliament, with the famous Clock Tower Big Ben. The present Houses of Parliament were built after the old palace was burnt down in 1834. The building contains the House of Commons and the House of Lords, on the corner next to Westminster Bridge stands St. Stephen`s Tower, which houses the famous bell, Big Ben. “Big Ben” is the biggest bell in Britain, which weighs over 13 tons. A light at the top of the Tower at night indicates that parliament is sitting.

Today the Tower is Britain’s most famous museum, whose working day finished every night at 10 o’clock with the ancient Ceremony of the Keys. Now the only inhabitants of the Tower are ravens. Over the years people thought that if the ravens ever left the Tower, the monarchy would fall. So King Charles the Second decreed that six ravens should be always kept in the Tower. The wings of the birds are clipped, so they cannot fly away.

The Tower on the north bank of the Thames is one of the most ancient buildings in London. It was founded in the 11th century by William the Conqueror to guard eastern approaches to the city. In the Central White Tower the Kings of England held their Court. During its long history the Tower has served as a fortress, a palace, a mint, an observatory, and a state prison.

A tall stone monument stands by the river Thames in London. It is made of red granite, is about 21 metres high, weighs about 180 tons. It was presented to Britain by the King of Egypt to commemorate the victory of Lord Nelson at the Battle of the Nile. Cleopatra’s Needle dates from 1475 BC, which makes it London’s old monument.

The British Airways London Eye is the largest observation wheel in the world. It was created as a millennium landmark. It towers 135 m. over the Thames River and carries 800 passengers at a time on a thirty minute ride. The London Eye offers visitors views up to 40 km.

The Natural History museum was first opened to the public on Easter Monday in April 1881. The Museum was originally just a department of the British Museum. The great private collection of Sir Hans Sloane formed the basis of the British Museum on his death in 1753. The Museum houses the finest natural history collection in the world-68 million specimens of animals, plants, minerals, rocks and fossils. The Museum is open every day of the year-apart from 3 days at Christmas.

The idea of the Tate Gallery took shape in 1890. In that year Henry Tate’s gift of 65 paintings and 2 sculptures was offered to the nation, but a gallery had still to be built to house them. When opened seven years later, the Tate Gallery consisted of eight rooms. It was, moreover, a mere annex to the National Gallery. The Tate Gallery has become the national collection of British painting of all periods, the national collection of modern foreign painting. It also has become the national collection of British and foreign sculpture.

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