seat of central government

  • comercial ad cultural centre
  • architecturaly influeced by Sir Christopher Wren and John Nash
  • population of about 7 million inhabitants, they mostly live in the suburs

a) THE CITY OF LONDON

  • the oldest part of the town
  • Eastend with docks situated
  • Westend – cinemas, theatres and shops
  • Tower of London – built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century; it used to be a royal palace and a prison, but it is a museum now (Bloody Tower, Crown Jewels, Beefeaters, Traitors‘ Gate, the Ceremony of Keys)
  • Tower Bridge- exhibitions in the towers, it breaks in the middle
  • St Paul’s Cathedral – built by SirWren between 1675 and 1710 and it’s considered to be his greatest work, marriages
  • The Monument – commemorates the Great Fire of London, has 311 steps, view
  • Interational finance centre

b) THE CITY OF WESTMINSTER

  • centre of political and administrative life in GB
  • The Houses of Parliament – on the left bank of Thames, rebuilt in the Gothic style` only Westminster Hall is original, visitors can go to hear debates when the Parliament is in session
  • Big Ben – clock tower built in 1858; called by Sir Benjamin Hall; 97 metres high
  • Westminster Abbey – many kings were buried and crowned here, Poet’s Corner
  • Buckingam Palace – home of the Queen, opened to the public since 1993, chnaging of the guards and Horse Guards in te Whitehall
  • No. 10, Downing Street – official residence of the Prime Minister from 1715
  • Dickens House
  • Trafalgar Sq. – Nelson’s Column, National and Tate Gallery
  • New Scotland Yard

SHOPPING AND INTERTAINMENT

  • shopping streets in West End – Oxford Str., Regent Str., Bond Str., Piccadilly
  • Convent Garden – famous fruit and vegetable market
  • About 100 theatres in the city – The National Theatre (Royal Shakespeare Company), Barbican Centre, Globe Theatre, Royal Opera House, Royal Albert Hall…
  • The British Museum, the Natural History Museum..
  • Hyde Park – originally hunting forest, Speakers’ Corner on the north-east
  • Kensington Gardens, the Regents {ark (ZOO), Kew Gardens, Green Park and St. James Park

TRANSPORT

  • Underground (TUBE) – quickest and easiest
  • Taxis
  • Green Buses
  • Doubledeckers
  • Main railway stations at Paddington, Vicoria, Waterloo…
  • Three airports – Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted