London

London

London is situated on the river Thames about forty miles from its mouth. It is divided into two unequal portions by the river: the more important, standing on the north bank, and the south bank. London today stretches for nearly thirty miles from north to south and for nearly thirty miles from east to west. This is the area known as “Greater London”. Greater London includes not only the City and the County of London, but the outer suburbs. County of London was established in 1889 and consists of 28 metropolitan boroughs, each with its own mayor and its own council. It is London municipal authorities that are responsible for many of the public services, housing, education and town-planning.

The two landmarks that are a guide to the growth of London are St. Paul’s Cathedral in the City and the group of buildings near Westminster Bridge.

St. Paul is the patron saint of London. St. Paul’s was built in 1675-1710, but wasn’t the first church on the same site. Old St. Paul’s was built in Gothic style during Norman times. It was the heart of everyday life in the City of London. It was burnt in the Great Fire that destroyed London in 1666. The cathedral that replaced it, the most striking building in the City, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, the architect who designed many of other city churches. Wren’s first design of St. Paul’s was rejected. His second design was approved by King, and Charles II issued a warrant of approval to allow the project to proceed. The Cathedral was largely created and carved from stone from the royal quarries at Portland in Dorset. Nearly 150 staff are needed to run St Paul’s. Between two or three million visitors a year visit St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Westminster Abbey is regarded as the center of the Westminster area. Most of the kings and queens of England since William the Conqueror have been crowned here. The most beautiful and oldest part of the abbey is the Chapel of Henry VII. It is noted for the fan-shaped decoration of its ceiling, and the animals carved on the seats.

The Palace of Westminster had been used both as a royal residence and as a parliament house until King Henry VIII moved from there in 1512. On 16 October 1834 the whole building caught fire. It was decided to erect a new Palace of Westminster on the old historic site, and to plan it so as to serve the needs of Parliament. The clock was nicknamed “Big Ben”.

Buckingham Palace is the official London Residence of Her Majesty the Queen and is one of the best known symbols of the British monarchy. The transformations that give the building its present character were carried out by architects John Nash and Edward Blore. In some ways the Palace resembles a small town. There are 600 rooms and three miles of red carpet. There can hardly be a single one of the 600 or so rooms in the Palace that is not in more or less constant use. The senior member of the Royal Household is the Lord Chamberlain. His responsibilities include overseeing all the departments of the household. Above the State Entrance is the central balcony, where the Royal Family appear on occasions of national importance. When The Queen is in the residence, the flag flies over the Palace.

The name “The Tower of London” has long been used for the whole of the great fortress and palace founded by William the Conqueror. During its long history the Tower has served as a fortress, a palace, a mint, and a state prison. It has the history of a place of murder and execution. A lot of notable and noble persons were executed in the Tower. The last person to be beheaded in the Tower, as well as in England, was Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat. He was publicly executed on Tower Hill in 1747. Today the Tower is Britain’s most famous museum.

London Museums are another tourist attraction. The most important collection of historical paintings in the UK is housed at the National Gallery. The National Gallery started with a small collection of 38 paintings. Master-pieces of such great painters as Hogarth, Constable and Reynolds are exhibited there.

The most comprehensive collection of antiquities is to be found at the British Museum. The Museum was founded in 1753. One of its most interesting sections is the National Library. It has more than 6 million books. The British Museum has a wonderful art gallery, too. It has unique collections of sculptures, drawings and paintings of the Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks and so on.

The Trafalgar square was named in commemoration of the victorious sea battle of Trafalgar in 1805. In 1829 the square was laid out by John Nash. Nelson’s Column was erected in 1842. Its pedestal is decorated with bas-reliefs of famous sea battles. These bas-reliefs were cast of cannons captured from the French.