Виртуальное путешествие по Лондону

• The Palace of Westminster, usually known as the Houses

of Parliament, dates only from the 19 th century, but it

stands on the site of the palace founded by Edward

the Confessor.

• The clock bell was called Big Ben

after Sir Benjamin Hall,

who was given

the job of having

the bell hoisted up .

• Sir Benjamin was a very tall and stout man, whose nickname was « Big Ben » .One day he said in Parliament, « Shall we call the bell St. Stephens? St. Stephen is the name of the tower » . But someone joked, « Why not call it Big Ban? » Now the bell is known all over the world by that name.

• Westminster Abbey is the historic building to which every

visitor goes sooner or later. it was founded in 1050 as a

monastery Later it was rebuilt by Henry 3.

In the 18 th century the west

Towers were added. The present

building dates from about 1480.

• Westminster Abbey is in the centre of London.

Many great Englishmen are buried in the

Abbey : Newton, Darvin, Watt and others.

Here we can see a lot of monuments to

and tombs of great men.

There is a corner usually called « Poets

Corner),where the

famous British poets lie.

• Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the Queen. It was built in the 18 th century and rebuilt later by the architect John Nash .

• The Royal Standard flying over Buckingham Palace is the Queen is in the residence/The absence of Royal Standard over the east front of Buckingham Palace means that the Queen is absent from London.

• In 1066 the Normans built a castle on the edge of

London, in the southeastern corner of the old Roman city walls.

• The Tower of London long

continued to be both a fortress

and a palace.

At first prisoners were often foreign princes and nobles who

had been captured in war. But later on, in Tudor times, the

Tower became the place where famous and infamous

people were sent, and perhaps tortured and executed.

• Trafalgar Square is in the centre of the West

End of London/It was named so in

commemoration of the victorious naval battle

of Trafalgar in 1805, In which

Admiral Lord Nelson was fatally

wounded .

• The nelson Column was erected in the 1840s. On the top of the imposing column, a replica of one of the Corinthian columns in the Temple of Mars at Rome, is a 17 feet-tall statue of Lord Nelson .

• Not far from the Tower of London is Tower Bridge,

built across the Thames in 1894.It was designed so

that it could be used equally by road traffic and

by ships going up the

River Thames.

• London's West End is the richest part of the city, and its heart is Piccadilly Circus .This is London's theatre land , and at night it is bright with electric signs. Under the Circus lies one of the busiest

stations of London's

underground

railway network .

• St Paul's Cathedral is the City's greatest monument and Sir Christopher Wrens masterpiece. Sir Christopher Wren was the most famous of all English architects. St Paul's Cathedral was built in 1675-1708 and was the fifth church put one the same site.

• London has many parks. Londoners call them the « Lungs of London » .They are St James's Park, Regents Park, Hyde Park and others. Hyde Park is the largest of London's public parks. In spring and summer Londoners spend their time there. They walk ,sit ,play on the grass. Inside Hyde Park there is a place for its open-air meetings, the Speakers Corner.