Unit 7. London

"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." – Samuel Johnson (1709-1784).

Today, more than 200 years later, Johnson's words still ring true. There are few places that offer such a variety of sights, entertainments, educational and business opportunities, world-famous museums and theatres, and superb shopping.

London is naturally a very English city. London is always full of life. The streets are crowded with traffic. High 'double-decker' buses rise above the smaller cars and vans.

The main geographical feature of the city is the River Thames, which meanders through central London, dividing it into northern and southern halves.

London is one of the largest cities in the world. More then 10 million people live in London and its suburbs.

Traditionally London is divided into several parts: the City, Westminster, the West End and the East End.

The City is the Heart of London, its commercial and business centre. It occupies a territory of a square mile. During a day, it is full of people, nearly half a million people work there.

The West End is the richest part of the city with its beautiful avenues, parks and gardens, grand hotels, theatres and fashionable shops. It is a symbol of wealth and luxury.

While the City is the money of London and the West End is the good of London, the East End is the hands of London, which built the banks of the City and beautiful mansions and hotels of the West End. It is a district, inhabited by the workers. There are many factories and the Port of London there.

If you want to get some glimpses of London, you’d better start sightseeing with the Tower of London, which comes first among the historic buildings of the city. It was built as the fortress after the Norman invasion of England in 1066. It has been used as the Royal Palace, as an observatory, an arsenal and a prison.

A twenty minutes’ walk from the Tower will take you to another historic building – St. Paul’s Cathedral, the greatest of English churches. It was built by a famous English architect Sir Christopher Wren.

Not far from Cathedral is Westminster Abbey. The best part of the Abbey is a wonderful chapel, dating back to the 16th century. Many English kings and queens are buried there. On the south side of Westminster Abbey is Poet’s Corner, where the greatest English writers are buried. Here also are memorials to Shakespeare, Burns, Byron, Scott and so on.

Across the road from Westminster Abbey is Westminster Palace. It is a remarkable example of Gothic architecture.

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the Sovereign. The daily ceremony of the Changing of the Guards takes place in its courtyard.

Piccadilly Circus has become an important meeting point — for traffic as well as sightseers.

The majority of London's places of entertainment are concentrated around Piccadilly Circus. This area is now famous for its theatres, clubs and shops.

Whitehall is a street in central London running from Trafalgar Square to the Houses of Parliament and containing many important buildings and government offices: the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices, the Treasury, Admiralty and Ministry of Defence.