The Guide to London

Some Interesting Places of the Capital

The Guide to London

•London is the biggest city in Britain. Over seven million people live and work here. London is also one of the most important cities in the world. It is a centre for business and tourism. There are many exciting things to do in it. London is a fun city!

THE TOWER OF LONDON

•In 1066, William the Conqueror came to England. William was the Duke of Normandy in France. He won the Battle of Hastings and he became the king of England. He built the White Tower of London as his home in London. Now it is the tallest part of the tower of London. Many tourists visit the Tower of London every year to see the Crown Jewels and the ravens that live there.

THE TOWER OF LONDON

TRAFALGAR SQUARE

•Trafalgar Square is London`s most famous square. It was built in 1829 to celebrate the naval victory at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The National Gallery is in Trafalgar Square. It is the most famous art gallery in London. It has many famous paintings.

TRAFALGAR SQUARE

BUCKINGHAM PALACE

•Buckingham Palace is the London home of the Queen. More than 50,000 guests visit the palace every year. Soldiers always guard the palace. At 11:30 every morning, you can watch the soldiers guard. Soldiers have guarded the palace since 1660.

BUCKINGHAM PALACE

THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT

•Westminster Palace is one of the most famous buildings in the world. It is the meeting place of two legislative bodies: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Houses of Parliament has over 1000 rooms and over 3 km of corridors.

THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT

THE HOUSE OF LORDS

•The House of Lords is the meeting place of its members: bishops, archbishops and lords. The House of Lords is decorated in refined style with tiers of red seats. The Lord Chancellor is in charge of the House of Lords. He sits on the Woolsack. It is a cushion stuffed with wool to symbolize what was once England`s chief source of wealth.

THE HOUSE OF LORDS

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

•The House of Commons is decorated in a simple style with tiers of green seats. The government sits on one side of the room with the Opposition on the other. There are stripes on the floor in front of each side. The Speaker keeps order during debates.

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

BIG BEN

•The Houses of Parliament are in Westminster. They are the centre of the British government. People call the tall clock tower of the Houses of Parliament “Big Ben”. In fact, Big Ben is the name of one of the bells. The bell Big Ben weighs 14 tones.

BIG BEN

ST. PAUL`S CATHEDRAL

•St. Paul`s Cathedral is a very large church in London. It was built by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London in 1666. From the top there is a good view of the City of London. You can visit the cathedral by walking across The Millennium Bridge, from the South Bank.

ST PAUL`S CATHEDRAL

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

•Westminster Abbey is one of the most famous churches in London. It is very near the Houses of Parliament. The Abbey is more than 900 years old. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned there in 1953. Many famous people are buried in Westminster Abbey, like Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

THE GLOBE THEATRE

•William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564. Later he lived in London. Shakespeare wrote thirty-seven plays. These famous plays were performed in the Globe Theatre. A fire destroyed the theatre in 1613. A new Globe Theatre was built in the same place in 1997 and you can see Shakespeare`s plays there today.

THE GLOBE THEATRE

COVENT GARDEN

•There are a lot of shops in Covent Garden. In the 1600`s, Covent Garden was a fruit and flower market. Now you can buy clothes there. Covent Garden is famous for its street performers. You can see circus performances, singing and theatre on the street.

COVENT GARDEN

TOWER BRIDGE

•There are more than twenty bridges over the River Thames in London. Tower Bridge is the only bridge in London that rises to allow boats through. It took eight years to build Tower Bridge. The building started in 1886. Many tourists go on boat trips from Tower Bridge to Westminster. Many of bridges are lit up at night. They look very beautiful.

TOWER BRIDGE

THE LONDON EYE

•The London Eye is a big wheel that takes you 135 metres above London. It is the slowest big wheel in the world and the best way to see the whole city. You can see for 40 kilometres in all directions. You can see famous buildings like St. Paul`s, the Palace of Westminster and Windsor Castle.

THE LONDON EYE

HARRODS

•Harrods is the most famous shop in London. It is in Knightsbridge. You can buy anything you want in Harrods! It has the motto “All things for all people everywhere.”

HARRODS

THE OVAL CRICKET GROUND

•Cricket is a bat and all game played by two teams. It is played outside in summer. There are eleven players in each team. Cricket has been played for several centuries. It was first played in England but it is now played in many countries including Australia. The first test match between England and Australia was held at the Oval.

THE OVAL CRICKET GROUND

LONDON UNDERGROUND

•The London Underground is called “The Tube”. It is the oldest underground railway in the world. The Metropolitan Line opened in 1863. It stops at 275 stations and runs over 253 miles. 2,670,000 journeys are made on it each day.

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