Westminster and its sights

Westminster is the government part of London. Most of the government buildings are here. The most imposing building is the Westminster palace, in which the British Parliaments sits (the New Palace of Westminster). At two corners of the building there are two great towers. One of them is the Clock Tower with a huge bell known all over the world as Big Ben, called so after the name of the Chief Commissioner of Works Benjamin Hall. The present building of the palace which is in the Gothic style is not old, it was built in the middle of the last century instead of the ancient one of the 11^th century destroyed by the fire.

Here you can find the Lord’s Chamber. The rich decorations include beautiful frescoes, statues, pictures. Government benches are on the left facing the Opposition benches. In the center there are throwns for the queen and the king. The Lord Chancellor sits on the Woolsack, the Clerk and his assistants – at the table. The Commons’ Chamber is much simpler than the Lords’ Chamber. In the center there is the Speaker’s Chair. Members of Parliament speak from their places addressing not the House but the Speaker. On the Speakers’ right – the Government Bench, on the left – the Opposition Bench. The green furnishing is traditional here.

Near the Houses of Parliament is Westminster Abbey. It is the ancient church where a lot of kings and queens have been crowned and buried for nearly 1000 years. The oldest part of the building dates back to the 8^th century. The Chapel of King Henry VII was built in the XVIth century. There are 3000 graves of statesmen, scientists, artists inside the Abbey (Newton and Darwin among them). Some of the tombs are decorated with gold and precious stones. If you come over to the south side you all see the Poets Corner where many of the greatest English writers are buried: Chaucer, Dickens, Hardy, Kipling. There are also some memorials to those writers and poets who are not buried there: Shakespeare, Burns, Byron, Scott, Thackeray and Longfellow.

Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of the Royal family is not far from the Houses of Parliament. You can make your way there through St. James’s Park, a quite and relaxed oasis with its flowerbeds and its ducks and pelicans on the lake. The first pelicans were brought from Russia in the XVIIth century. The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is a ceremony of historic interest. It has existed since the XIIth century. The Queen’s Guard is mounted daily, all having their traditional dress. Every year on the Queen’s Official Birthday the ceremony of Trooping the Color is carried out.

This event is the finest spectacle and attracts great number of people. The most important streets of this part are White Hall (once a palace where kings lived), a street of government offices where there’s the Cenotaph, the memorial to the fallen of both World Wars. New Scotland Yard, the centre of Police, Dawning Street where the Prime Minister has his official residence and Mall, where royal processions usually take place.

At the end of Whitehall is Trafalgar Square. In the middle of it rises the Nelson Column – a monument to Admiral Nelson for his victory in the war against Napoleon. The total height of the column is 56 meters. Four big lions in bronze are placed at the foot. Two fine fountains beautify the square. On the other side of it are the National Gallery with its richest collections of pictures and National Portrait Gallery. Trafalgar square is often the scene of political demonstrations for peace and human rights.

The City and its sights

The City extends over an area of about 2.6 square kilometers in the heart of London. About half a million people work in the City but only less than 6000 live here. It is the financial centre of the UK with many banks, offices and the Stock Exchange. There is the bank of England and the Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London. Every morning you can see clerks with high white collars who are hurrying to their work. They are dressed in tight trousers and black coats and look very much like characters from Dickens’ books.

From the end of the Fleet Street, the centre of British newspaper industry, you can see St. Paul’s Cathedral, one of the greatest English churches, built by the famous English architect Sir. Christopher Wren. St. Paul’s Cathedral with its huge domes and rows of columns is considered to be a fine specimen of Renaissance architecture. It is 110 meters high and it has one of the largest bells in the world, called Great Paul, weighing about 17,5 tone. Nelson and other great men of England are buried in the Cathedral. Sir Christopher Wren was buried there too. There are such words on his tomb: “reader, if you seek his monument, look around!”

The Tower of London which is found here as well was built in the XIth century (William the Conqueror). It has been a citadel, a prison, a mint, a royal palace, even a royal Zoo once and now – a museum. The Tower of London consists of 13 towers. The most beautiful is the White Tower. It’s 90 feet high with 15 feet thickness. It was the usual place for the medieval royal families to live. From Norman days the Tower has been a state prison: it has been a place of torture and of execution. Thomas More was once of those who were executed there. Arms and armour have always been stored in the Tower and today it contains the National Collection. The most popular sight here is the room in which the Crown Jewels are displayed.

All the traditions and ceremonies are kept up in the Tower of London, everything is left there as many centuries ago. One of the known ceremonies is the Ceremony of the Keys. When the Guard is changed at every gate there is the cry: “Halt. Who goes there?” Then the guard replies: “The key” “Whose keys? – Queen Elizabeth’s keys. – Pass Queen Elizabeth’s key. All’s well.” The Tower is guarded by the Yeomen – warders dressed in traditional medieval clothes.

Near the Tower of London there’s Tower Bridge, a marvel of engineering skill. It was built in the XIXth century. It links South and East London. Fourteen bridges (Westminster Bridge, London Bridge) cross the Thames and Tower Bridge is the finest. On the Victoria Embankment stands Cleopatra Needle, an ancient Egyptian obelisk brought here in the XIXth century.

But the City is also a market for goods of almost every kind, from all parts of the world.

The West End, The East End and the sights

The West End can be called the centre of London. It is the richest part of London, the symbol of wealth and luxury. The largest and best hotel, theatres, cinemas, shops, restaurants, museums are to be found here. Piccadilly Circus is the heart of the West End, a meeting point of half a dozen famous London’s streets.  It’s grand eloquently called “The Hub of Empire” or even of the Universe. It draws visitors from all the continents and is known as the center of London’s entertainment world.

It’s called a “circus” because the square is round. A lot of streets in the capital are lit up at night by huge advertising signs. But Piccadilly Circus is quite fantastic with enormous advertisements which are ablaze with light and dancing neon. In the center is the memorial fountain to the 8^th Earl of Shaftesbury, the Victorian philanthropist. In the middle of the fountain stands the bronze statue of Eros, God of Love. It was unveiled at the mid of the 19^th century.

The main streets of this part are regent Street, the best shopping center, Charring Cross, famous for bookstores, Oxford Street, the busiest street in London and many others. The district between regent Street and Charring Cross is Soho, where there are all kinds of foreign restaurants.

Londoners are fond of parks and gardens and are proud of them. There are about 550 parks in number with picturesque surroundings, ponds, fountains, flowerbeds and even animals as deer and water birds as pelicans, ducks, swans. The most beautiful parks are Regent park with the Zoo, the Open air Theatre, a 20 acre boating lake; St. James Park, one of the smallest royal parks. The island in the lake is preserved as a breeding-place for water-fowl; Green Park, Kew Gardens, the unique botanic garden with exotic plants and flowers. Londoners often take a rest at them, riding on horseback or getting sun-tanned, or just sitting in an open air.

One of the largest parks is Hyde park together with Kensington gardens. Boating, sailing and bathing are very popular there. Hyde Park is famous for its “Speaker’s Corner” where orators of all types declare their opinion or make speeches on politics and other subjects. Hyde Park is also a scene of political demonstrations.

Like all capitals with a long history London is rich in institutions of culture, art and science. The British Museum is one of the most remarkable museums in the world comprising works of Art, from Asia, Egypt, Rome, and Greece as well as Britain and other countries. The British Museum consisting of the national museum of archaeology and ethnography and the national library, is the largest and riches of its kind in the world. It was built in the middle of the last century. Anthony Panizzi designed the plans for the construction of the famous circular Reading Room at the British Museum.

Visitors to the museum wishing to enter the Reading Room must have a ticket for admission. They can have it only if they are over the age of 21, engaged in serious study and cannot take the books they want elsewhere. They must also have someone to sponsor them. The first thing which strikes a visitor on entering the reading Room is its unusual shape. It is a perfect circle. Many scientists and scholars from different countries are using this library because they have all the necessary books and magazines at their disposal.

Among lots of museums in London there’s one of special interest which has the name of its founder – Madam Tussauds. This is the largest exhibition of life-size wax figures. There are about 500 figures of kings, queens, statesmen, writers as well as some murderers and thieves.

The port of London is to the east of the City. Here were kilometers of docks, and the great industrial areas that depended upon shipping. This is the East End of London, formerly unattractive in appearance, but now changing because of the introduction of new industries and very expensive housing.