4.London and city transport
London and city transport
London – the capital
London is situated on the river Thames in south-east England. It is the capital of the United Kingdom. At the same time it is the largest city in the country and the 9th largest city in the world - its population is about 10 million with suburbs and it occupies an area of 1600 square kilometers. The name London came from the Romans. They called the town Londinium. It is a political, cultural and economic center of state and the seat of Government.
the City of London, places of interest
There are many places of interest. We can see them by walking or by various means of transport.
Tower of London is the typical symbol of the capital of Britain. It is the oldest surviving building in London. It used to be a Royal Palace, a Zoo, a prison. Many important personalities were arrested and executed there. There are men, who are wear very typical uniformes and they are called beefeatears. And there are 6 ravens, to protect the whole kingdom according to the legend: If they leave the Tower, the kingdom will not exist. Nowadays the Tower is a museum and also we can see Crown Jewels and royal robes there.
Tower Bridge stands next to the Tower. It is the last bridge on the River Thames. It can break in the middle and be risen up (it takes 90 seconds) to allow big ships pass through.
St. Paul’s Cathedral is built in Baroque style and is the second largest church in the world after St. Peter‘s in Rome. It is a place of many weddings and funerals of Royal family and other famous persons. Area around St. Paul’s Cathedral is the oldest part of London. There are many banks and offices here.
Westminster Abbey is the important historical building in London. It was rebuilt many times. The Westminster Abbey is built in Gothic style. There are buried some of English kings and queens, for example Elizabeth I, her half-sister Mary I (Bloody Mary), Richard II and his wife Queen Ann of Bohemia.
Trafalgar Square is abeautiful place with many historical sights. This Square is the main square in London. Trafalgar Square was named after Admiral Nelson's victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Nelson's statue is situated here.
Piccadilly Circus - In the middle of this square there is a little statue of Eros, God of Love. It’s famous by its advertisements. Piccadilly Circus is the centre of entertainment. There are many cinemas (in this place or around), theatres, House of Rock.
Buckingham Palace is wonderful Classicist building which serves as the seat of the Queen and the Royal Family. It was built on the begining of 18.century by Lord Buckingham and since times. In front of the Palace is the Baroque monument with golden statue of Queen Victoria.
Whitehall is the street where the government offices are. Horse Guards parade takes place here.
Downing Street 10 is the official home of British Prime Ministers, two horse guides stands before the entrance. Today’s Prime Minster is Gordon Brown.
The Westminster Palace is the official seat of British Parliament. British Parliament consists of three parts:
MONARCH – Queen Elizabeth II
HOUSES OF LORDS – There used to be over 1200 members in this house and they were peers & peeresses, bishops & archbishops (representatives of the Church of England), lawyers. After the reform the member of peers and peeresses has been radically reduced to 92 members.
HOUSE OF COMMONS – here are the members of political parties. The leading political party is the Labour Party. The head of the Labour Party is Tony Blair. He became British Prime Minister. The others parties are Conservative Party or the Liberal Democratic Party. The head of this House is Speaker.
The symbol of British Parliament is clock tower Big Ben. It has its name after the bell that is on the top.
London is also known for its typical red phone – boxes
theatres, galleries, concert halles
London is the center of cultural, political and social activities. Tourists come here at all seasons of the year to visit the monuments, museums, galleries, scientific institutions, but also the theatres, of which there are about fifty in London.
The National Gallery is full of works of the world master painters - Rembrandt, Rubens, Leonardo da Vinci, Manet, Monet etc.
Madame Tussaud’s is museum with wax figurines. It is an attraction for tourists. They can see many famous people from history and today there and they can take a foto with them.
The British Museum is the largest museum in the world. It has the biggest collection of all kinds of animals and minerals. There is also a museum of clock.
Barbican Centre - In the City there is also the centre of entertainment called Barbican centre. It is a huge complex of theatres, cinemas, concerts halls and very expensive flats.
London Dungeon is the world‘s first medieval horror museum.
The Nacional Theatre is the compex, that is consists of three theatres.
There is also the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London.
shopping centers
Most of the people do the shopping because they have to. They have to buy food, clothes, sometimes equipment. Or they just want to have anything new. Some people, especially women and girls, love shopping. They can’t live without it. It’s necessary for them to go through the shop and look what new they have and what is cheaper and what is more expensive. It’s a form of relaxation for them, which costs them a lot of money.
Oxford Street is the main shopping centre. The best-known department store in Oxford Street is Selfridges.
Regent street and Bond street – there are large department stores such as John Lewis, Marks and Spencer or expensive jewellery shops and other fashion boutiques. The largest department store of London is Harrods, where you can buy almost anything. .
parks
There are many parks in London. The largest of them is Hyde Park.
Hyde Park is very famous for Speaker’ Corner, which is the symbol of freedom of speech. Anybody can come there and speak about everything what he wants, but he mustn’t offend the Queen and her family. In the centre of Hyde Park is a lake called The Serpentine
Next to Hyde Park we can see Kensington Garden with Kensington Palace where live some members of the Royal Family. Not far from here there is a Czech embassy.
Regent’s Park is London‘s most elegant park with gardens, lakes and a zoo.
Greenwich Park is famous for the observatory through which there goes zero meridian.
city transport
We can see London by walk or by various ways of transport. When you need to transport anywhere, you can use trains, trams, buses, taxis, funicular, etc. One of the typical symbols of London is red bus called double-decker or black taxi called cab.
If you need fast transport you can go by the Underground (tube). It is the oldest underground in the world. Now it has 11 lines, what is difficut for Czech people. There are also 4 airports in London. The most important are Heathrow and Gatwick.
Pechová Helena
IV. ročník