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The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben
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The palace of Westminster, usually known as the Houses of Parliament, dates only from the 19th century, but it stands on the site of the palace founded by Edward the Confessor.
The Palace of Westminster was used both as a royal residence and as a parliament house until 1512. On October 16, 1834, the old Palace of Westminster was almost destroyed by fire. After the fire, it was decided to erect a new Palace of Westminster on the old historic site. The modern palace was begun in 1840. The foundation stone of the new building, designed by Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin, was laid in 1840, and Queen Victoria opened First Parliament there in 1849. The new Palace of Westminster extends over 8 acres of ground, contains 11 quadrangles, and includes 1000 rooms and 100 staircases.
There are two towers in the Palace of Westminster: the Victoria Tower and the Clock Tower. The Victoria Tower holds the records of both the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The British flag (called the Union Jack), flying from Victoria Tower shows that Parliament is in session. The light in the Clock Tower also indicates that Parliament is in session.
The clock came into service in 1859 and was nicknamed "Big Ben". It chimes the hours to the tune of Hendel's music. Big Ben is the biggest clock bell in Britain. It weighs 13,5 tons.
The Clock Tower is 318 feet high. You have to go up 374 steps to reach the top. So the clock looks small from the pavement below the tower. The four clock dials are 22,5 feet in diameter, the hour hands are nine feel long and the minute hands are 14 feet. The bell weighs 13,5 tons and the hammer which strikes it weighs 8 tons.
The clock bell was called Big Ben after Sir Benjamin Hall, who was given the job of having the bell hoisted up.
Sir Benjamin was a very tall and stout man, whose nickname was "Big Ben". One day he said in Parliament, "Shall we call the bell St. Stephen's? St. Stephen is the name of the tower". But someone joked, "Why not call it Big Ben?" Now the bell is known all over the world by that name.
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey is the historic building to which every visitor goes sooner or later. It was founded in 1050 as a monastery. Later it was rebuilt, by Henry III. In the 18th century the West Towers were added. The present building dates from about 1480.
As the scene of coronation of English kings, Westminster Abbey continues a tradition established by William the Conqueror who was crowned on Christmas Day, 1066. When Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on June 2, 1952, the ritual was essentially the same although the architectural setting had changed.
Westminster Abbey is in the centre of London. Many great Englishmen are buried in the Abbey: Newton, Darvin, Watt and others. Here we can see a lot of monuments to and tombs of great men. There is a corner usually called "Poets' Corner", where the famous British poets lie. Near the West Door of the Abbey the Unknown Warrior lies in a simple grave.
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St. Paul’s Cathedral
St. Paul's Cathedral is the City's greatest monument and Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece. Sir Christopher Wren was the most famous of all English architects. St. Paul's Cathedral was built in 1675 - 1708 and was the fifth church put on the same site. The earliest cathedral was erected in 604. The second, built in stone 675 - 685, was burned by the Danes in 962, and the third was destroyed by fire in 1087. The Normans rebuilt it in 1180. After its destruction in the Great Fire in London in 1666, it was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren. During World War II it was hit by enemy bombs, one of which destroyed the High Altar. Although destroyed in World War II, it exists and is now seen and used by people.
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the Queen. It was built in the 18th century and rebuilt later by the architect John Nash. Nash began his work in 1825, but the palace was not completed until 1837. The first Queen to live there was the young Queen Victoria.
Above the State Entrance is the central balcony where the Royal Family appears on occasions of national importance.
The Royal Standard flying over Buckingham Palace is the sign that the Queen is in the residence. The absence of the Royal Standard over the east front of Buckingham Palace means that the Queen is absent from London.
Royal Horse Guards ceremony always arouses the interest of visitors.
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is in the centre of the West End of London. It was named so in commemoration of the victorious naval battle of Trafalgar in 1805, in which Admiral Lord Nelson was fatally wounded. The Nelson Column was erected in the 1840s. On the top of the imposing column is a 17 feet-tall statue of Lord Nelson. The total height of the monument is 184 feet. On the pedestal are bronze relieves cast from a captured French cannon, representing Nelson’s most famous victories. The four bronze lions are the work of the English architect of Landseer.
On the north side of Trafalgar Square are the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. The National Gallery was built in 1824. It contains one of the finest collections of pictures in the world. There are more than 850 masterpieces of all the European schools of painting.
In the Northeast corner is the well-known church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. The church was built in 1222 and rebuilt in 1726. Trafalgar Square is one of the busiest places in London. During the rush hours, when people go to and from their work, it is hardly possible to cross the streets. At that time the quickest transport is the Underground railway. All over traffic is slowed down by crowds of people and all kinds of vehicles.
The Tate Gallery
There is another art gallery in London - the Tate Gallery. It was founded in 1897. It is named after its founder Henry Tate, a sugar manufacturer. The Gallery has rich collections of pictures by 16th century English artists as well as paintings by foreign painters of the 19-20th centuries - by impressionists and post impressionists. It also has a large sculpture collection.
Albert Hall
Albert Hall is a circular brick building under a glass-and-metal roof. The Hall was built in 1867 - 1871. It is a big concert hall, seating 8,000. Albert Hall is used for concerts, athletic events, for public gatherings and other functions.
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The Tower of London
In 1066 the Normans built a castle on the edge of London, in the south-eastern corner of the old Roman city walls. The Normans joined up the walls with a Dutch and fence to make a yard, in which they probably built a wooden tower. About ten years later William the Conqueror ordered the building of the great stone tower, later called the White Tower.
The Tower of London long continued to be both a fortress and a palace. It was also a prison. At first prisoners were often foreign princes and nobles who had been captured in war. But later on, in Tudor times, the Tower became the place where famous and infamous people were sent, and perhaps tortured and executed. After the Stuart period few prisoners were brought to the Tower. Instead more and more visitors came to see the ancient armour and weapons and the Crown Jewels.
Now the Tower is simply Britain's most famous and most visited historic building.
According to tradition the Tower is guarded by the Yeoman Warders or "Beefeaters". They still wear their old bright and colourful Tudor uniforms.
Tower Bridge
Not far from the tower of London is Tower Bridge, built across the Thames in 1894. It was designed so that it could be used equally by road traffic and by ships going up the River Thames. When a ship approached, everybody was cleared off the bridge, which then split in two, and raised itself in the air so that river traffic could pass through.
After a few minutes, the bridge was lowered again, and pedestrians, carriages, and cars could continue their journey.
In this busiest time, the road was raised and lowered 50 times a day. Parliament decided that pedestrians should be able to cross the river at any time, so when the lower half of the bridge was used by ships, people could (if they wished) cross by two walk ways, 45 meters above the Thames.
Piccadilly Circus
London's West End is the richest part of the city, and its heart is Piccadilly Circus. This is London's theaterland, and at night it is bright with electric signs. Under the Circus lies one of the busiest stations of London's underground railway network.
In the centre of the Circus stands the bronze statue of Eros on a high pedestal above the fountain. It was erected by architect Alfred Gilbert in 1892.
North of the Circus, the streets shade off into Soho and to Oxford Street and the Telecom Tower. South of the Circus, in Haymarket, there is the colonnaded Theatre Royal, founded in 1720. West of the Circus, is the Royal Academy of Arts. The West End also covers Mayfair and Marble Arch, the shopping centres of Oxford Street and Bond Street. (from Поликарпова 1994).
(from Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture 2002).
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