Text 12 the city of london. The city

The City is the heart of London, its commercial and business part. Numerous banks, offices, firms and trusts are concentrated there. The area of the City is about a square mile. It is an area with a long and exciting history, and it is proud of independence and traditional role as a centre of trade and commerce. The City does not refer to the whole of central London but rather to a small area east of the centre, which includes the site of the original Roman town.

The City of London is one of the major banking centres of the world and one can find the banks of many nations here. Here, too, you can find the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and Lloyds, the most famous insurance company in the world.

Only five thousand people live in the City. Before and after the business hours the streets of the City are crowded with more than a million people who came there to work.

Lord mayor of london

The Manshion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor, is also in the City. Since the time of Richard Whittington, who was the Mayor of London in 1397, 1398, 1406 and in 1419, the election of a new Lord Mayor of London has been celebrated by a pageant, known as the Lord Mayor’s Show. This is held every year on November 9. On this day the new Lord Mayor rides through the streets of London in his splendid coach, drawn by six horses.

In the thirteenth century, after the citizens of London had chosen a new Mayor, they had to go with him to the King’s palace in Westminster and ask the king to approve their choice.

Today the procession starts in the City and goes past St. Paul’s Cathedral as far as the boundary of the City of Westmin­ster. It crosses the boundary and stops at the Law Courts, where the Lord Mayor is presented to the Lord Chief Justice. The Mayor makes a solemn promise to carry out his duties faithfully, and the Lord Chief Justice hands the Mayor his sword of office. Then the procession continues to Westminster, and returns to the Mansion House, which is the Lord Mayor’s official residence.

Lord Chief Justice — Лорд главный судья

Fleet street

Fleet Street has been the meeting place for newspaper men since the 18th century, when writers met to talk in its coffee­houses. And up to now Fleet Street is the Street of news.

Fleet Street is now the centre of journalists and newspaper men. Offices of most English daily and evening papers are situated in this street.

Fleet Street is the centre of Britain’s national newspapers. The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Express have their offices here, and The Times, The Guardian and many others are nearby.

Publishing houses of many big foreign newspapers are also there. Fleet Street is busy day and night. It is packed with vans, cars, motorcycles, newsboys every day between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. when the latest news is ready to go out all over the world.

The tower of london

The City is the oldest part of the capital. Among the first historic buildings is the Tower of London, built in 1087.

The history of London is closely connected with the Tower. They say that London is the key to England and the Tower is the key to London. The Tower of London was founded by William the Conqueror. It was begun with the aim of protecting Londoners from invasion by the river. Since then the Tower has served as fortress, palace, state prison and royal treasury, now it is a museum. During the reign of Henry VII part of it became a menagerie and it was one of the citizens’ entertainments to watch a bear being led to the water’s edge to catch salmon. It is now over a century since a Thames salmon was caught — although as late as the 1820s the fish sold at Billingsgate were all caught locally.

Tower Bridge is close by the Tower of London and also is St. Paul’s Cathedral, the greatest of English churches.

treasury — сокровищница

menagerie — зверинец (бродячий)

entertainment — развлечение

salmon — лосось, семга