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London is the political, economic and cultural capital of England and the United Kingdom. With its population of more than 8.5 million people, its 600 square miles in area and many London attractions, this magnificent city is one of the largest in Europe. It is the home of more than 270 different nationalities speaking more than 250 languages. Landmarks The city is a very popular destination among tourists for its most instantly recognizable landmarks. Buckingham Palace is said to be the “crowning glory” of London’s travel attractions. It is the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II and is only open for public tours in the summer. Nearby is the Palace of Westminster, or also known as the Houses of Parliament – the place where the House of Lords and House of Commons conduct their sittings and where laws are debated and passed. Image Source As a part of the Palace we have Big Ben – the name used to describe the famous clock tower but which officially refers to the huge Great Bell located at the top of it. If you wish to enjoy a breathtaking view over the city, go to The London Eye – the world’s highest observation wheel that can carry 800 passengers at a time on a thirty-minute ride. We should also mention Tower Bridge – the only Thames bridge that can be raised and among the most recognizable in the world. Big Ben Hyde Park London Eye Tower of London

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London is the political, economic and cultural capital of England and the United Kingdom. With its population of more than 8.5 million people, its 600 square miles in area and many London attractions, this magnificent city is one of the largest in Europe. It is the home of more than 270 different nationalities speaking more than 250 languages.

LandmarksThe city is a very popular destination among tourists for its most instantly recognizable landmarks. Buckingham Palace is said to be the “crowning glory” of London’s travel attractions. It is the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II and is only open for public tours in the summer. Nearby is the Palace of Westminster, or also known as the Houses of Parliament – the place where the House of Lords and House of Commons conduct their sittings and where laws are debated and passed.

Image SourceAs a part of the Palace we have Big Ben – the name used to describe the famous clock tower but which officially refers to the huge Great Bell located at the top of it. If you wish to enjoy a breathtaking view over the city, go to The London Eye – the world’s highest observation wheelthat can carry 800 passengers at a time on a thirty-minute ride. We should also mention Tower Bridge – the only Thames bridge that can be raised and among the most recognizable in the world.

•Big Ben•Hyde Park•London Eye•Tower of London

•Tower Bridge•Westminster Abbey•St Paul’s Cathedral•Buckingham Palace•British Museum•National Gallery

Shopping

Image SourcePeople from all over the globe visit London to take advantage of the huge array of shops. One could spend a whole day in Harrods and Selfridges or go to Oxford Street, Carnaby Street or Regent Street to find the best shopping offer. The many markets of London are also very impressive. For example, people who enjoy antiques should definitely visit the Portobello Road Market and those who prefer trying delicious ready-made food or buy unusual clothes should visit the Broadway Market.

Art and Science

Image SourceNot only is London one of the best cities in the world for shopping, but it is a great place to “soak up some culture”. It is worth mentioning that many of the city’s best and most visited museums and galleries are free. Here we have the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Portrait Gallery and the famous Tate Modern.

The most popular of all of London’s museums is the British Museum. It is dedicated to humanhistory, art, and culture. Its permanent collection, numbering some 8 million works, is amongthe largest and most comprehensive in existence and originates from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present.

Fun

Image SourceWhen it comes to having a drink or something to eat, London provides plenty of opportunities. Make sure to check out some of areas east of the city for bars like Shoreditch and Hoxton. You may enjoy going to Big Chill Bar, Jam and Kick, Bluu and many others. Also,you will never be short of places to sit and enjoy a meal as there are more than 6,000 restaurants in the city.

There are options both for the wealthier – London boasts 65 Michelin-starred restaurants such as Gordon Ramsay’s, Hibiscus and The Ledbury – and for the more modest of travelers, for example the Bombay café Dishoom and the bargain sourdough pizza place Franco Manca. If you are looking for something a bit more quirky, you may enjoy the Beach Blanket Babylon. There dining is like stepping between a Georgian English manor house and a French chateau, or the Circus restaurant, where dinner is interrupted by various surprise cabaret and circus acts who parade around on the tables.

Big Ben Big Ben is the world-known name used for the Great Bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London. It is one of the instantly recognizable landmarks in the city. Every year, it attracts millions of tourists and has become one of the most prominent symbols of the United Kingdom. Technically, the name Big Ben was first given to the huge hour bell inside the Clock Tower (officially known as Elizabeth Tower), which weighs more than 13 tons (13,760 kg). However, it is often extended to refer to the clock and the tower itself.

HistoryThe massive hour bell was probably named after Benjamin Hall – a Welsh civil engineer and politician and the First Commissioner of Works. He was responsible for many environmental and sanitary improvements in London and oversaw the later stages of the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament, including the installation of the bell in the clock tower. However, according to some sources, the bell was named after Benjamin Caunt, a British heavyweight boxing champion.

Image SourceIn 1844, after the Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire the year before, a decision was made that the new buildings for the Houses of Parliament should include a tower and a clock. The first attempt at a massive hour bell cracked, so the metal was melted down and recast, butthe second bell cracked as well. Then, a lighter hammer was used and the bell rotated to present an undamaged section to the hammer.

The Clock Tower

The clock – the largest in Great Britain – is famous for its reliability and the accuracy of its mechanism, designed by Edmund Beckett Denison. It is a remarkable fact that even when the nearby House of Commons was bombed during World War II, the tower survived and clock kept on striking the hours. There is a phrase in Latin under the clock which in translation means O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First.

Facts

Image SourceThe clock tower – constructed between 1843 and 1858 – rises 316 ft high (96m) and consists of a 200ft (61m) high brick shaft topped by a cast iron framed spire. The clock faces are 180ft /55m above ground level. Each of its dials is seven metres in diameter and there are 312 pieces of glass in each of it. As regards the minute hands, they are 4.2 metres long and weigh about 100 kg (including counterweights), and the numbers are approximately 60cm long.

It is a tradition for the chimes of Big Ben to be broadcast by the BBC on the 31 December. The first time that was done was in 1923. In 2009 was the 150th anniversary of the tower, the clock and the bell. It was marked with a light projection and received extensive media coverage in Great Britain and abroad, thus connecting Big Ben with a wide range of audiences.

Image SourceIn the beginning of next year, the Clock Tower will fall silent for a couple of months due to the start of one of the biggest refurbishment projects in its history. To be fair, this is not the first time it has stopped. In August 1976 its chimes were silenced for nine months due to its breakdown caused by one of its weights. However, the planned £29 million “facelift” is said to provide the best opportunity yet to make sure the clock continues ticking for at least another 150 years. Other notable London attractions close by are London Eye and Westminster Abbey.

Hyde ParkHyde Park is one of the most visited attractions in London. It is part of the Royal Parks of the city (lands originally owned by the monarchy in the United Kingdom) and with its 42 hectaresor 350 acres in area, is among the largest city parks in the whole world. Visitors from all over the globe are allured by the park’s extensive history, the fascinating memorials, fountains and statues that can be observed there, the variety of sport and leisure activities one can enjoy, and the many events that it continues to be a venue for.

HistoryHyde Park’s history stretches way back to 1536 when the area it covers was acquired by King Henry VIII from the monks of Westminster Abbey. He created a private hunting ground to satisfy his passion and to entertain ambassadors and dignitaries. The park’s appearance was altered completely when Charles I sat on the throne. The circular track known as The Ring was created for the members of the royal court to drive their carriages. In 1637 the king

opened the park to the general public. When William III became king in 1689, he made Kensington Palace his main residence in London.

Image SourceA drive through Hyde Park was laid out and lit by 300 oil lamps. Later known as Rotten Row (a corruption of the French “Route de Roi”), it was the first artificially lit highway in the country. Extensive renovations were carried out during the reign of Queen Caroline. Under her request, the Westbourne Stream was dammed and the large lake called the Serpentine (among the first in England designed to look natural) was created.

During the reign of King George IV, Decimus Burton, one of the chief English architects of the 19th century, designed the monumental Screen/Gate at Hyde Park Corner and the Wellington Arch. Around that time, Hyde Park was formally separated from Kensington Gardens (originally its western section) by a new road called West Carriage Drive.

Notable Sights

Image SourceHyde Park presents the visitors with many sites of interest. One of them is Speakers’ Corner – a traditional place for public speeches and debates since the mid 1800’s when protests and demonstrations were held, and internationally famous for its tolerance of free speech. Make sure to go see:

•Diana, Princess of Wales memorial fountain, designed to represent her life•The Holocaust Memorial- London’s first memorial of the victims of the Holocaust•7 July Memorial - honouring the victims of 7 July 2005 London bombings

A spectacular place is The Rose Garden featuring The Boy and Dolphin Fountain.

Hyde Park In The MoviesThere are also some interesting sculptures in the park, including Drinking Horse and Vroom Vroom, which resembles a gigantic human hand pushing a toy car. Hyde Park has often been used as location for movies. Some of the movies that have been filmed here include David Lean's 1944 classic This Happy Breed, Around the World in Eighty Days and Johnny English.

Image SourceLast but not least, the park is the perfect place for leisure and sports activities. Cycling is one of the most preferred as it is allowed on all roads and there are specially designated cycle tracks. People also love to do skateboarding, rollerblading, rowing on the Serpentine, horse riding or simply walking, jogging or running on the paths and grass areas.

London EyeOne of the symbols of London and the most visited paid tourist attractions with almost 4 million people checking it out every year, the London Eye is the world’s tallest cantilevered (supported on one side only) observation wheel and – if we are to name it like that, despite the disagreements – the world’s fourth highest Ferris wheel. After its opening in 2000, it quickly became one of the city’s most popular places of interest.

Where To Find ItThe London Eye is situated in the heart of the capital – on the South Bank of the River Thames, opposite the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben – and its ticket office is located insidethe County Hall which is the building standing directly next to the wheel. It is important to mention that this famous attraction has also been known as the Millennium Wheel, the British Airways London Eye, the Merlin Entertainments London Eye, the EDF Energy LondonEye, and – since January 2015 – the Coca-Cola London Eye. This is due to the changes in its ownership and the variety of its sponsors. These changes are also shown in its logo.

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HistoryThe London Eye’s design was the work of architects Frank Anatole, Nic Bailey, Steve Chilton, Malcolm Cook, Mark Sparrowhawk, and husband and wife Julia Barfield and David Marks. They came up with the idea for the observation wheel in a competition that took place in 1993 and which was about designing a landmark to celebrate the new millennium. None of the participants won, but the couple did not lose hope and after a while their hard work paid off and they got British Airways’ sponsorship for the project. The construction process took more than a year and a half and more than 1700 tons of steel and 3000 tons of concrete were used. The major components of the wheel came from six countries: the UK, The Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany and The Czech Republic.

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FactsThere are 32 glass capsules around the wheel, each of them representing one of London’s boroughs, and each capsule can carry up to 25 passengers. The capsules are sealed, weigh about 10 tons each, have air conditioning and allow the people inside to walk around and enjoy the breath-taking 360 degree view over the city. If there are no clouds, you will be able to see as far as the Windsor Castle (a royal residence and the preferred weekend home of Queen Elizabeth II)

Some of the famous landmarks that are clearly visible at all times are the Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and St Paul's Cathedral. It is an interesting fact that the capsules arenumbered from 1 to 33 – there is no number 13 (due to superstitious beliefs). The wheel itself is 135 meters tall, 120 meters in diameter and a ride on it takes 30 minutes. A piece of advice is to get your tickets for the ride in advance as lines can be very long.

It is an interesting fact that UK model Kate Moss and US actress Jessica Alba are the celebrities who have taken the most rides on the wheel – 25 and 31, respectively. To add, morethan 5,000 people have gotten engaged on the Eye since it opened and also more than 500 weddings have happened there. Celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay cooked for patrons in oneof the capsules during the London Restaurant Festival.

Tower Of LondonThe Tower of London is one of the city’s most visited iconic structures. It is an internationally famous historic castle, located on the north bank of the River Thames in the heart of the capital. The castle was founded in 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England and comprises of several buildings placed within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. Since the Elizabethan period, the Tower of London has been a popular tourist attractionand is protected by the UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

HistoryThe Tower of London was built around the White Tower, receiving its name in the 13th century when Henry III had it whitewashed – a typical example of Norman military architecture. The tower was built by William the Conqueror and finished by his sons William Rufus and Henry I to protect London and assert their power. It was a symbol of the might andlongevity of the new order and, arguably, the most important building of the Norman Conquest. It is important to mention that it currently houses the crypt of St. John’s Chapel, which used to be a place of worship and the area where the knights of the Order of Bath used to spend their Vigil before a royal crowning. Inside The White tower one can also observe an exhibition of armour, weapons and torture devices.

Out Of Favour

Image SourceThe Tower of London has had the function of an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, a public records office, the home of the Royal Mint and the Crown Jewels of England. Controlling the tower meant controlling the country due to its strategic setting, defensive structure and garrison. However, it is most famous for its use as a prison. The term “sent to the Tower” has its roots in the 16th and 17th centuries when those who “had fallen into disgrace” were imprisoned there. Boats loaded with prisoners used to arrive at the Water Gate (which had its name changed to Traitor’s Gate due to its function as a landing place for traitors), with many hoping to be pardoned or ransomed.

Famous "Residents"

The list of people with royal blood imprisoned here and some later executed include Edward V, Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Jane Grey (the Tower is said to be haunted by the ghost of Anne Boleyn). To add, many surviving Catholic and Protestant prisoners recorded their experiences and thus shaped the story of the Reformation in Englandand contributed to forming the Tower’s reputation as a place of torture and death. To be fair, however, only seven people were executed within the Tower before the two World Wars and executions were more commonly performed on the notorious Tower Hill to the north of the castle.

Present Days

The Tower’s main role in the 21st century is tourism. Each year, millions of people visit it to marvel at her Majesty’s precious Crown Jewels, guarded by the bold Beefeaters; explore the Coins & Kings exhibition which tells the story of the Mint at the Tower and learn about what life was like on Mint Street; wander around the chambers used by kings and queens that have been restored to their former glory; and see for themselves the six ravens under the care of theYeomen Warders, kept at the Tower in accordance with the belief that if they are absent, the kingdom will fall.

Tower BridgeTower Bridge is the most famous bridge in London and one of the most easily recognizable bridges in the whole world. Up until this day, the bridge is mistakenly called by some “LondonBridge”. The Victorian Gothic style of Tower Bridge is in harmony with another one of the capital’s most iconic structures nearby – the Tower of London. Every year, millions of visitors go there to take photos and enjoy the wonders of the Tower Bridge Exhibition.

HistoryBuilt in 1886–1894 due to increased commercial development in the East End of London and thus the necessity of a new river crossing, Tower Bridge is a combination of bascule (drawbridge) and suspension bridge. The decision for it to be a moveable bridge that can be opened to let boat traffic pass was taken due to the proximity of the harbour and its location inthe direction of the sea.

FactsTower Bridge was designed by city architect Horace Jones together with John Wolfe Barry and its construction took 11,000 tons of steel. It is owned and maintained by the City Bridge Trust, together with another four of London’s bridges (London Bridge is among them) and connects the London Borough of Tower Hamlets with the London Borough of Southwark over the River Thames.

Image SourceThe famous twin towers of Tower Bridge are tied together at the upper level by two horizontal walkways. The operating mechanism to open the bridge is hidden at the base of each tower. Before the mechanism became electrified in 1976, steam power was used to pump water into hydraulic accumulators that were used to power the engines.

The bridge has a clearance of almost 45 meters when opened and its lifts are pre-scheduled and posted on its website for visitors to check. It is still a busy crossing of the Thames as according to data over 40,000 people cross it every day but the bascules nowadays are raised only about 1000 times a year as river traffic has reduced significantly over the years (but still has priority over road traffic).

Image SourceThe deck of Tower Bridge can be accessed freely by both vehicles and pedestrians, but the towers, high-level walkways and Victorian engine rooms can only be seen for an admission feeas they form part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition. Inside it, visitors can learn all the details around the creation of one of the world’s most popular bridges and the way it works via photos, films, and other media.

They can also enjoy panoramic views from the walkways (which are 45 metres above the Thames) and have their breath taken away as they observe the traffic over the bridge and how it opens and closes to let ships pass below their feet through the 11-meter-long glass floors installed in 2004.

Image SourceIn June 2012, a set of Olympic rings was hanged from Tower Bridge to mark the remaining month until the start of the Summer Olympics and after they ended was replaced by the emblem of the Paralympic Games to mark the start of the Summer Paralympics. To add, in July 2012, the west walkway was transformed into a 61-metre-long Live Music Sculpture and 30 classical musicians were arranged along the length of the bridge. This was the works of British composer Samuel Bordoli.

Westminster AbbeyThe Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster (famously known as Westminster Abbey) is among the most remarkable historical and religious sites in the United Kingdom, one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country, as well as the most impressive single collection of monumental sculpture. It has served as the traditional place for royal coronationssince 1066 and as a burial site for monarchs, politicians, scientists and artists. Every year, it attracts over one million curious visitors to its grounds, presenting the interested with audio guides in seven languages.

HistoryIts history dates back to the 1040s with King Edward (later known as St Edward the Confessor) establishing his royal palace on Thorney Island. Enlarging an already-existing Benedictine monastery, he built a big stone church to honour St Peter the Apostle. It became known as the “west minster” to be distinguished from St Paul's Cathedral (the east minster) inthe City of London. The king became ill and died a couple of days after the church was

consecrated. Only traces of the monastery have survived up until this day – the only representation of the original building being shown on the Bayeux Tapestry.

Ceremonies

Image SourceThe most important ceremonies that took place in the abbey then were the coronation of William the Conqueror and the moving of King Edward’s body to a new tomb after his canonisation. In the mid-13 century, King Henry III rebuilt the abbey in the new Anglo-French Gothic style of architecture to honour St Edward. The church was consecrated in 1269 but the older structure stood attached to the new one for many years. Later, the magnificent Lady Chapel built by King Henry VII and receiving his name was an outstanding new additionto the abbey.

Further AdditionsAfter that, a further addition was made – the western towers were finally completed. The youngest part of the abbey is the North entrance, completed in the nineteenth century. Unfortunately, almost all of the original medieval stained glass of the building has been lost. Since 1560, the building is no longer an abbey, nor a cathedral. By Royal charter of Queen Elizabeth I, buried in Henry VII’s chapel, it was established as a Collegiate Church governed by the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, a “Royal Peculiar” – a church responsible directly tothe sovereign.

Famous Burials

Image SourceThe practice of burying national figures in the abbey began with the burial of Admiral Robert Blake in 1657. It soon spread to include politicians, doctors and the like such as the famous Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and William Wilberforce who was the leader of the movement against slavery in the UK. To add, in the centre of the nave (England’s highest) is the tomb of The Unknown Warrior, a nameless World War I soldier killed on European ground, and nearby one can see a marble memorial stone of Winston Churchill. There is also a memorial chapel to the airmen of the RAF, as well as memorials to Shakespeare, Brontë and Jane Austen in the Poets’ Corner.

The heart of the abbey holds the beautiful sanctuary, used for the coronations, royal weddings and funerals, and the most sacred spot is the shrine of St Edward, generally restricted to visitors. Some parts of the complex are free for tourists, for example the Cloister and the 900-year-old College Garden.

St. Paul's CathedralSt Paul’s Cathedral is the second largest church in area in the United Kingdom, surpassed onlyby Liverpool Cathedral, and its dome is among the highest in the world. It is the seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the Diocese of London. The Cathedral is a major attraction and draws visitors with its magnificent history and breath-taking exterior and interior.

The Cathedral Through TimeThe present Cathedral is the greatest work of Britain’s most renowned architect Sir Christopher Wren. However, it is at least the fourth church built at that site. The first one dates back to 604 AD when Mellitus was the first bishop to the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Saxons. King Æthelberht of Kent built a church dedicated to St Paul as the seat of the new bishop. This earliest Cathedral had a relatively short life. It was burnt, with much of the city, in a fire in 1087 but the next building was begun by the Normans and survived for whole six hundred years. Its style changed from Romanesque to Gothic but the vault was built of wood rather than stone.

During the later medieval period only the Abbey Church of Cluny surpassed its length and the Lincoln Cathedral and St Mary’s Church – its spire’s height. In 1561, the spire was destroyed by lightning and in 1666 the Cathedral was burned down by the Great Fire of London. It was decided that the new Cathedral will be built in a modern style. It was the brilliant scientist, mathematician and Britain’s most celebrated architect Sir Christopher Wren who designed

the new structure. The construction began in 1675 and the process took about thirty five years.The building became the symbol for the Church of England, the re-established capital, and therising empire.

Exterior

Image SourceThe dome of St Paul’s Cathedral was the tallest building in London for 300 years – from 1710 to 1962. It pierces the sky with its 111 meters in height. There are eight arches to support it and on top of it there is a large lantern. Tourists can visit the three galleries of the dome by climbing 560 steps. The Whispering Gallery just inside it is famous for its acoustics; the second one – the Stone Gallery, is situated on the outside; and the third – the Golden Gallery – on top of it, encircling the base of the lantern. From there, visitors enjoy a breath-taking view over the City.

Interior

Image SourceThe interior of the Cathedral is in the Baroque style and strikes the viewer with its Victorian mosaics, sculptures in stone and wood, paintings and monuments, the most notable being those to the Duke of Wellington, Admiral Nelson and Christopher Wren himself; and the only one that survived the Great Fire – the tomb of John Donne. The façade at the west side of the church is outstanding and consists of a grand portico (covered entrance to a building) added at the last minute in the building’s plan and bordered by two towers, and a pediment.

PopularityThe Cathedral has been featured in many photographs, the most widely known being the image of the dome encircled by smoke and fire during the Blitz (the frequent heavy bombing carried out over Britain during the Second World War), which it survived. To add, it has also been shown in films and TV programmes, the most famous of which have to be Mary Poppins and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Buckingham PalaceBuckingham Palace in the City of Westminster is undoubtedly one of the most visited tourist attractions in London. It is the weekday home and administrative headquarters of the British Royal family – Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip – as well as the London residence of the Duke of York and the Earl and Countess of Wessex. More than 50,000 people are invited to the Palace every year to take part in banquets, dinners, receptions and Royal Garden Parties.

HistoryThe original building standing at the architectural core of present-day Buckingham Palace wasa large house by the name of Buckingham House that was built in 1703 by architect William Winde for the Duke of Buckingham and Normanby. In 1761, King George III bought the houseas a private retreat for his wife Queen Charlotte who gave birth to 14 of her children there, andthus it became known as “The Queen’s House”. In 1826, during the reign of King George IV, the house was enlarged by architects John Nash and Edward Blore who constructed three wings around a central courtyard, and made into a palace.

However, both the King and his younger brother King William IV died before its completion. It was Queen Victoria who was the first British monarch to reside in the palace upon her accession to the throne in 1837. Later, the palace was expanded with a new east wing which added many rooms to the building, including a long ballroom. The famous monumental façade of the east wing that now faces the Mall and St. James’ Park was built in 1913 by Aston Webb.

The Palace

Image SourceBuckingham Palace has 775 rooms (it even has a swimming pool, a cinema, its own post office and police station) and its garden is the largest private one in London. In August and September each year, when the Royal family is absent, as well as on selected days in winter and spring, tourists can visit some of the richly decorated and exquisitely furnished with French and English furniture State Rooms, for example the Throne Room, Picture Gallery, Music Room, Drawing Rooms and Silk Tapestry Rooms. In the Ballroom on display is a traditional horseshoe-shaped table, as well as the silver gilt used to celebrate the birthday of George III.

Another place of interest open to the public is the palace’s stables, the Royal Mews, where one can take a look at some royal horse-drawn carriages.

When the Queen is present at the palace, her royal flag, called the Royal Standard, is raised. It is split into four quadrants, and the two representing England encompass three gold lions on ared field. The one representing Scotland contains a red lion on a gold field; and the one representing Ireland involves the gold Coat of arms of the country on a blue field. According to flag protocol, the Royal Standard is supreme and must only be raised when the Queen is present at the building.

Famous Change Of Guard Ceremony

Image SourceThe Buckingham Palace is guarded by five regiments of Foot Guards, dressed in red jackets and tall, furry hats called bearskins. In the Changing of the Guard ceremony, accompanied by music played by a military band, the New Guard parades towards Buckingham Palace and replaces the existing Old Guard. It lasts about 45 minutes and takes place at 11.30 every day insummer and every other day in winter.

British MuseumEstablished in 1753 and opened to the public in 1759, the British Museum is one of London's top attractions that allure more than 6 million visitors every year. It is the largest museum in Great Britain and one of the largest in the world, with its breathtaking collection of about eight million objects, illustrating and documenting more than two million years of human history and culture. The museum is the first national public museum in the world and is absolutely free of charge for all those who wish to marvel at its wonders.

History and FactsThe donation of 71,000 objects from the personal collection of the physician, naturalist and collector Sir Hans Sloane to King George II marks the foundation of the British Museum. He wanted the large collection of printed books, manuscripts, antiquities and natural specimens preserved after his death so he handed it down to the king in exchange for the sum of £20, 000 to be given to his heirs. The king gave his formal agreement to the Act of Parliament

which set up the British Museum. Later, the Cotton and Harley manuscripts were added to theSloane collection and that meant the British Museum became both National Museum and library.

The museum’s first home sat at the seventeenth-century mansion Montague House in Bloomsbury. However, before long the building became too small to store and feature the ever-expanding collection of the museum (it had received a number of gifts, predominantly books and manuscripts). The first addition, the Townley Gallery for classical sculpture, did not last long and was removed to make place for the Smirke Building.

The Museum

Image SourceDesigned by Sir Robert Smirke in Greek revival style, it was originally meant to house the personal library of King George III and after a while its south wing replaced the old Montague House. Then, a decision was made to move the natural history collections to a new building to make more room and that building became the Natural History Museum. Another new wing –the Parthenon Galleries for Parthenon sculptures – was opened later. The most recent public expansion is reflected by the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court – a glass roof indoor courtyard with the museum’s widely known restored Reading Room placed in the center. The museum also opens many permanent new galleries as well as temporary exhibition spaces.

Displays and Collections

Image SourceOne of the museum’s most captivating and renowned attractions is the Elgin Marbles – a collection of marble sculptures taken from the Parthenon in Athens. The collection was purchased by the House of Commons and handed over to the museum and it is an object of controversy – both Greece and the UNESCO claiming it for restitution. Another highlight is the extensive Egyptian collection, including statues, sarcophagi, mummies and most importantly the famous Rosetta Stone, used by Jean-François Champollion to decipher hieroglyphic writing. The stone is claimed by Egypt.

Other collections of interest include the Assyrian one, displaying relief carvings from the palaces of the Assyrian kings. One could easily spend an entire day going round the different departments in the museum which include Sudan; Asia; the Middle East; Africa, Oceania, andthe Americas and many more.

National GalleryEstablished in 1824, the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, Central London is among the capital's most prominent landmarks and it is home to one of the world’s most impressive and extensive collections of paintings (over 2,300) in the Western European tradition from the thirteenth to the nineteenth centuries. The museum is free of charge and is open to the public 361 days a year.

The National Gallery came into life when the British Government, forced by King George IV, bought the valuable collection of 34 paintings belonging to the recently deceased prosperous

Russian banker and art collector John Julius Angerstein. Given the fact that there was no suitable space available for the collection to be shown to the public, Angerstein’s former residence in Pall Mall housed the paintings.

The Gallery

Image SourceThe place was small and frequently got muggy and overcrowded. At that stage, there was no way it could be compared to the impressive art museums in Italy and France such as the world-known Louvre in Paris, the Vatican museums in Rome or the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. However, over the years the collection continued to expand and in 1838 it moved to its current location in Trafalgar Square. It is now easily one of the most prestigious collections in Europe and represents all major traditions of Western European painting, from the artists of late medieval and Renaissance Italy to the French Impressionists.

The Building

Image SourceThe building that is now the home of the National Gallery is a neoclassical one. It was designed by the English architect William Wilkins and received harsh criticism throughout the years for the “weaknesses” of its design and for its lack of space. Trafalgar Square was yet to be developed from the area where the museum was built. The location was chosen due to itsposition between the well-off West End and the poorer areas to the east, meaning it could be visited by people of whatever social status.

This argument surpassed concerns such as the pollution of Central London and Wilkins’ design. In 1876, the museum was broadened with a new east wing. Easily the most substantialaddition to the building lately, the Sainsbury Wing built in 1991 by the postmodernist architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown was added to the west of the main building of the National Gallery in the so-called “Hampton’s Site”. It is now the location of the museum’s main entrance.

Art

Image SourceThe magnificent paintings from the collection are lined up more or less chronologically. In theSainsbury Wing (to the west) one can marvel at the oldest paintings the Gallery offers, such asworks by Jan van Eyck and Giotto as well as Late Renaissance works from the renowned Michelangelo and Titian. In the North wing are featured seventeenth-century paintings from Flanders, Spain, the Netherlands and of course Italy and one can observe the expert skill of painters such as Rubens, Rembrandt and Caravaggio.

If one wishes to examine the works of art from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, they should visit the Gallery’s east wing where on display are impressionist and post-impressionist paintings from world-celebrated artists like Vincent van Gogh and Renoir.