The Great West Door and towers The North entrance

 

 

Westminster Abbey was founded in the eleventh century during the reign of Edward the Confessor, one of the last of the Saxon Kings.

The twin towers were designed by a famous English architect Sir Christopher Wren.

In Westminster Abbey English kings and queens are crowned and marriage ceremonies of the British monarchs are celebrated.

Westminster Abbey is still today the most important place of worship in Great Britain.

The most interesting place here is the Poet’s Corner. About 293 famous people are buried there. Among them there are Charles Dickens, Kipling, William Shakespeare, Robert Burns, Byron, Walter Scott, Chaucer, Charles Darwin, Isaak Newton and many others.

There are two addresses in London that the whole world knows. One is 10 Downing Street, where the Prime Minister lives. The other is Buckingham Palace - the official London residence of the Queen. It is one of London’s most popular historical buildings. And it is one of the most interesting places in London for the tourists.

This famous palace, first built in 1703, is in the very centre of London. It is two places, not one. It is a family house, where children play and grow up and it is an official residence of the Queen. It isn’t open to the public.

Buckingham Palace is like a small town, with a police station, two post-offices, a hospital, a bar, two sports clubs, a disco, a cinema, a swimming pool, and a garden, which is like a private park. There are 600 rooms and three miles of red carpet. Two men work full-time to look after the 300 clocks. About 700 people work in the Palace.

The ceremony of the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is a great tourist attraction. It takes place daily at 11.30 a.m. and lasts half an hour.

London has many fine squares. Some of them are quiet, others are busy like Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus.

Trafalgar Square is the geographical centre of London. It is located in the centre of the West End.

Trafalgar Square is named in the memory of Admiral Nelson’s great victory at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805 during the Napoleon war. The national hero of this battle was Lord Horatio Nelson, admiral of the British fleet. Admiral Nelson lost his life in Trafalgar.

Nelson Column, which is 51 m. high and two beautiful fountains are located in the middle of Trafalgar Square.

On the North side of this square there is the National Gallery of Art - one of the most important Art Galleries in the world. It has a fine collection of European paintings. It includes paintings of the British, Italian, Spanish, French and other famous schools. It is especially famous for its examples of Rembrandt and Rubens.

The National Gallery was founded in 1824 when the House of Commons bought a collection of 38 paintings from a banker, John Julius Angerstein, who then opened his home for viewing the collection. As the collection grew the need for a larger gallery was answered in 1831 with a building in Trafalgar Square.

Now the National Gallery contains a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900.

Not far from the National Gallery is the British Museum.

The British Museum is one of the greatest and best - known museums in the world. It was founded in 1753 by a decision of the Parliament. It occupies a splendid great building.

The British Museum is the best-known national museum of antiquities and ethnography. The collections of the British Museum contain the antiquities of Egypt and Greece. The British Museum has one of the largest libraries in the world (about 7.000.000 books that occupy more than 80 miles of shelves). There are many old books and manuscripts there. Many great people worked in this library.

For years Piccadilly Circus has been the heart of the West End.

Piccadilly Circus itself was created in 1819 by the architect John Nash. In the middle of it there is a famous central fountain. On the top of this fountain stands a statue of Eros, the Greek god of love. This statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus is one of the symbols of London. It’s a work of the sculptor Sir Alfred Gilbert.

Piccadilly Circus is the meeting-point of 6 streets. It’s always full of cars and people. There are many theatres, shops and restaurants there. Piccadilly Circus is a West End shopping centre. There are many shops with big advertisements, belonging to different foreign firms there.

London is also famous for its beautiful parks. The most famous of them are: Kensington Gardens, St. James’s Park, Regent’s Park, Hyde Park.

Hyde Park is the largest park in the West End of London. This is the most prominent and famous London park. It has been a royal park since 1536. Hyde Park is about 2 km long and over 1 km wide.

In the 19^th century it became a popular place for public meetings. It is a very democratic park. The park has Speaker’s Corner where anyone can make a speech about anything they want. Speaker’s Corner is situated near the north-eastern entrance of Hyde Park.

Hyde Park is a popular area for free time activities, including jogging, running and horse riding.

One of the beautiful things in London is Madame Tussaud’s museum.

Madame Tussaud’s is the most famous museum of wax figures in London with branches in a number of major cities. It was set up by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud. This wax museum was opened in 1835. It is well-known all over the world. It represents wax figures of the famous and infamous people of the past and present. Today’s wax figures at Tussaud’s include historical and royal figures, film stars, sports stars and famous murderers. There are about 4 hundred figures in the museum.

But the whole picture of London will not be completed if we don’t mention one more interesting place. It is the London Eye.

The London Eye is the biggest wheel in Britain. It is also known as the Millennium Wheel. The London Eye is situated on the south bank of the river Thames. It is the tallest observation wheel with 40 km panoramic views on a clear day. The wheel is 135 m high. The architects are David Marks and Julia Barfield. It has 32 cabins for 25 people each. It takes about 30 minutes to climb into the sky. Up, up and away. The London Eye is very popular with tourists because there is a wonderful view from it. The London Eye was opened 8 years ago in 1999. It is a symbol of London today.

Vocabulary exercises

I.Give the English equivalents for the following words and word combinations

· варто подивитися

· бути тісно пов’язаним з

· шлюбні церемонії

· центральний фонтан

· відомий архітектор

· багато колон і веж

· один з найбільших дзвонів у світі

· спроектований

· центр політичного життя

· підніматися у небо

· Британський флот

· картина, живопис

· правління монарха

· пам’ятки старовини

· належати до

II. Answer the questions

1. What sights are worth seeing in London?

2. What river does London stand on? What do you know about this river?

3. What bridge is the most famous in London? Why?

4. What place of interest is said to be the key to London?

5. What place is the heart of political life of Great Britain? Why?

6. Which two the greatest and most famous churches are there in London? What do you know about them?

7. Which addresses in London and for what are known all over the world?

8. What square is the geographical centre of London? What memory is it named in?

9. What is London’s National Gallery famous for?

10. What museums of London are best-known in the world? Why?

11. What can you say about Piccadilly Circus?

12. What are the most beautiful parks in London?

13. What is the London Eye? Why is it so popular with tourist?

14. Whom of famous English architects and sculptors can you name?