London
London is the capital of Great Britain, its political, economic
and commercial centre. It is one of the largest cities in the world
(together with Tokyo and New York) and the largest city in Europe.
The city is very old. It has more then 20 centuries old history.
Once, London was a small Roman town on the north bank of the Thames, but
slowly it grew into one of the world’s major cities with population of
about 8 million. Fewer people live in the centre now, but the suburbs are
still growing.
Traditionally London is divided into several parts: the City,
Westminster, the West End and the East End. They are very different
from each other.
The city is the oldest part of London, it's financial and business
centre. Numerous banks, offices and firms are concentrated here
including the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and the Old Bailey.
Few people live in the City but over a million come to work here. Two
masterpieces are situated within the City: St. Paul's Cathedral and
the Tower of London. St. Paul's Cathedral was built in the 17th
century by Christopher Wren. The Tower of London was built in the
11th century. It was used as a fortress, a palace and a prison. Now
it's a museum.
Westminster is the aristocratic official part of London. It includes
Buckingham Palace where the Queen lives and the Houses of Parliament
stretching for nearly 1000 feet along the north bank of the Thames. The
Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament is famous for its big
hour bell, known as "Big Ben".
Westminster Abbey is the place where coronation of nearly all kings
and queens has taken place. Many of them are buried here as
well as some other famous people of the country (G. Chaucer,
Tennyson, Newton, Ch. Dickens, T. Hardy, R. Kipling, etc.).
The West End is the richest and most beautiful part of London. It
is a symbol of wealth and luxury. The best hotels, restaurants,
shops, clubs, parkland houses are situated there. English
aristocracy lives in this region. One of the busiest streets in the
West End is Oxford street. There are many various shops in it
which attract — customers from different countries of the world.
By the day the whole of London is busy. At night, the offices are quiet
and empty, but the West End stays alive, because this is where Londoners
come to enjoy themselves. There are two opera houses here, several concert
halls and many theatres, as well as cinemas, and in nearby Soho the pubs,
restaurants and night-clubs are busy half the night.
Trafalgar Square is the geographical centre of London. It was named
in the memory of Admiral Nelson's victory at the battle of Trafalgar
in 1805. The tall Nelson's Column stands in the middle of the
square.
Opposite the Nelson’s monument is the National Gallery and the
National Portrait Gallery. They contain the finest art collections
in the world. Not far from the National Gallery is the British
Museum famous for its rich library (about 7,000,000 books).
One of the most popular museums in London is Madame Tussaud’s. Almost
every visitor has seen Madame Tussaud, an old lady of 81 standing at the
entrance of her own exhibition. She is made of wax, like all the models of
people in the museum. Madame Tussaud’s brings together a host contemporary
celebrities from many different walks of life during many centuries. Kings
and queens, politicians and military leaders, presidents and writers,
scientists and musicians, actors and actresses stand, sit and lie in many
different rooms of exhibition. The history of Madame Tussaud’s goes back
over 200 years during which time the exhibition has formed an integral part
of experience of countless million of visitor to London.
The East End is an industrial district of London. There are many
factories and the Port of London there. The region is densely
populated by working class families, those people who have built the
palaces of the West End. Old residents of the East End are proud to
be called cockneys, which means true Londoners, hereditary inhabitants of
the area. They love the district very much.
London is situated on the river Thames. A hundred years ago, the river was
crowded by ships, leaving for Java and Japan, New Zealand and New York, but
now people travel by air, and London’s main airport, Heathrow, is one of
the busiest in the world.
The London Underground is the oldest one in the world. The first line,
opened in second middle of XIX century, was like a tube. That’s why it was
called the Tube.
Like all big cities, London has streets and concrete buildings, but it
also has many big parks, full of trees, flowers and grass. Sit on the grass
(you’re allowed to!) in the middle of Hyde Park or Kensington Gardens, and
you will think that you’re in the countryside, miles away.
London is one of the world’s most enjoyable capital of Europe.
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