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.