Sights of London

London is the center of the Britain’s cultural life. It has more theatres and concert halls, art galleries and museums, than any other city in Britain.

There are numerous places of interest in the capital such as the National Gallery, which houses the national collection of pictures. The masterpieces by almost all the greatest European painters can be found there. The collection of portraits is housed in the Portrait Gallery. The British Museum is well known as one of the largest museums in the world. It has a rich library and the famous collection of manuscripts. The world famous Madam Tussaud Museum contains wax figures, the models of the members of the royal family, politicians, film stars, rock- and pop-music singers. In the Chamber of Horrors you may view notorious criminals and their executioners. 

There are many fascinating historical sights in London, such as the Tower, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace (the official residence of the Queen) and many others.

Trafalgar Square is the geographical center of London. It was named so to commemorate Admiral Nelson’s great naval victory of 1805 when he destroyed the French Fleet in the battle of Trafalgar. In the middle of the square there is the magnificent Nelson Column with the statue of Lord Nelson, the British national hero, on the top. It is 170 feet high. Trafalgar Square is the traditional place for public meetings and demonstrations, the best starting point for tour in London and the favourite place for pigeon feeding.

Another important square of London is Parliament Square with the Houses of Parliament on the left and Westminster Abbey on the right. The Houses of Parliament stretch along the Thames North Bank. The Union Jack (the flag of the United Kingdom) flies over its Victoria Tower when the Parliament is in session. The Clock Tower is 97 metres tall, with a huge clock of 7 metres in diameter. Its bell was named Big Ben after Benjamin Hall, the chief supervisor of the construction works in 1858. He was incredibly tall and thin and had a nickname Big Ben. The bell chimes the hours and quarters and the tower itself has become the symbol of Great Britain.

Famous St. Paul’s Cathedral was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, the greatest England’s architect. The most notable feature of it is the enormous dome. It took Wren 35 years to build the Cathedral. He was almost 80 years old when the construction was accomplished. There are memorials to many distinguished Englishmen in the Cathedral. When Wren died he was buried under the roof of his own masterpiece. These words are written on his grave: ”If you want to see his monument, look around”. He also took part in rebuilding  the city after the Great Fire of London. Not far from the Cathedral there is a high tower, 61 metres tall, which was built by Christopher Wren in memory of this awful disaster.

 The Tower of London is an old castle on the bank of the Thames. It was started by William the Conqueror more than 9 centuries ago. He ordered to build this castle to protect London from invaders. New walls, towers and a moat were added by the English kings until its construction was completed by Edward I in the 13-th century. Formally it served as a fortress, the residence of English monarchs, the main royal treasury, the largest royal mint, a storehouse for official documents, the chief arsenal of the kingdom, the royal menagerie and a state prison for king’s enemies. Many lives came to untimely end within the Tower walls in medieval times. King Henry VI, the sons of Edward IV, Henry VIII’s wives, Sir Thomas More and many other crowned and famous historic personalities were kept, mysteriously murdered or beheaded and buried within the Tower.

Since Queen Victoria’s rein the Tower has become one of the world’s great tourist attractions. Now it’s the museum of royal jewellry and arms. There are many old customs in the Tower that have survived the centuries. Since the Tower’s history the gates and the safekeeping of prisoners have been entrusted to the Yeomen Warders, better known as “Beefeaters”. They still guard the Tower and wear the Tudor uniform. The most famous and oldest of the Tower’s customs is the ceremony of the Keys. It presents the official locking of the Tower for the night. The wild animals are not kept in the Tower any more but one can see some black ravens here. By tradition, these birds have been living in the Tower from its very beginning. Their presence has been protected by the legend that the Tower and the whole kingdom will fall if the tower loses its ravens. Nowadays there are usually 6 black ravens, whose wings are clipped. The birds have names and are fed and taken care by a Yeoman Warder known as the Raven Master.

 London, rich in history and culture, ancient traditions and architectural relics, always welcomes its visitors.