London

         London is the capital of the U.K. of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is situated about 40 miles from the mouth of the Thames. London is one of the greatest cities in the world. Its population is more than 8 million people. London is also a financial, business, administrative, industrial, scientific, cultural, transport and sport centre. London is a very old city. It is more than 20 centuries old.

         London has 4 parts: the City, the West End, the East End and Westminster.

         The City of London is the business centre. It contains the Bank of England and big banks and offices. The City is the oldest part of London. It is a little over a square mile in area. At present fewer than 11,000 people live in the City, but nearly a million come in daily to work in its offices.

         The West End is the richest part of London. Here you can see the most beautiful places of London: wide streets, the finest theatres, cinemas and concert halls, the largest department stores, beautiful parks. Hyde Park is also in this district. It is the largest park in London. An interesting sight here is Speaker’s Corner. The rich people live in the West End.

         The East End of London includes the port, docks and many factories. This part of London is very important in the country’s economy and commerce because many workers work and live there. There is a striking contrast between the East End and the West End. The East End is the poorest part of London.

         Most of the government buildings are in Westminster. It is one of the oldest parts of the capital. The British Parliament sits in Westminster Palace. It was the king’s palace for 5 hundred years. The famous Big Ben is in one of its towers.

         Whitehall goes off to the North of the Parliament Square. It is the site of many Governmental offices, the Foreign Office, the War Office, and the Treasury.

         A small street branches off Whitehall. It is Downing Street. Its number 10 has been the official residence of the British Prime Minister for the last 200 years.

         There are many interesting historical places in London, such as the Tower, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham palace. London is famous for its museums and galleries.

         The Tower of London is an old castle on the bank of the Thames. It is 900 years old. In the early days of the English history English kings lived there. Then it was a prison. Now it’s a museum. Here the tourists can see dark stone walls with small windows. The walls are 5 metres thick.

         Westminster Abbey is very old and very beautiful, and it is full of history. Nearly all the kings and queens of Britain were crowned and buried here. Chaucer, Dickens, Hardy, Newton, Darwin were buried there too. Its Poet’s Corner contains the tombs and monuments to Shakespeare, Burns, Byron, Thackery, Scott and others.

         Trafalgar Square is so named in memory of Lord Nelson’s great naval victory in 1805, when he destroyed the French fleet in the battle of Trafalgar. The statue of Lord Nelson stands on top of the column with 4 great lions at its base.

         One of the finest historical buildings is St. Paul’s Cathedral. Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the Queen.

         London is famous for its museums and galleries. There is the British Museum, famous for its library, the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate Gallery and many others. Many tourists come here to enjoy the beauty and greatness of the English capital.