The Famous sights of the UK
THE TOWER OF LONDON
The Tower of London is one of the most imposing and popular of london's historical sites. It comprises not one, but 20 towers. The oldest of which, the White Tower, dates back to the 11th century and the time of William the Conqueror. Nowadays a lot of tourists visit the Tower of London, because of the Tower'evil reputation as a prison. The Tower is famous as home of the Crown Jewels. Today they can be viewed in their new jewel house. They include the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother which contains the celebrated Indian diamond.
Many stories associated with British history come from the Tower. In 1483 King Edward IV's two sons were murdered in the so-called Bloody Tower. Over two centuries later the skeletons of two little boys were found buried beneath steps in the White Tower.
Traitor's Gate has steps leading down to the River Thames. Countless prisoners, including the future Queen Elizabeth I of England, were brought to the Tower by barge and ascended the steps before being imprisoned. For many it was their last moment of freedom before their death. But Elizabeth was released from the Tower and became Queen. The king's second wife, Anne Boleyn, was brought to trial there in 1536 and beheaded. Six years later her cousin, Catherine, Henry VIII's fifth wife, suffered the same fate. Sir Thomas More was beheaded there in 1535.
Of course, no visit to the Tower would be complete without seeing the ravens; huge black birds who are an official part of the Tower community. Legend states that if the ravens were to leave the Tower the Crown will fall, and Britain with it. Under the special care of the Raven Master, the ravens are fed a daily diet of raw meat. And there is no danger of them flying away, because their wings are clipped.
STONEHENGE
Stonehenge is truly a symbol of England, he immortalized himself in thousands of pictures in dozens of movies. This is quite a mystical place, and its location is not accidental – it is associated with sunsets and sunrises, phases of the moon. What can I say-a real ancient Observatory, which miraculously survived to the present day.
ExpositionStonehenge is situated 130 km south-west ofLondon.The Idea of the ProjectThere are a lot of opinions. But main of them are:
— An ancient observatory
— The place for worshipping the Gods
— An ancient calendar, though there are no inscriptions made.
The mysterious stone circle consists of blocks 4-7 meters tall and 45 tons weigh. It’s also a secret how ancient Celts (of whoever lived there at that time) delivered the stones to the valley of Salisbury (where Stonehenge is situated)
Stonehenge is one of the most outstanding observatory of ancient civilizations, the exposition of which gives the opportunity to define solar and lunar eclipses, the days of winter and summer solstices, etc.
Stonehenge, one of the great Seven Wonders of the World, but what do we really know about it. What was its purpose, how was it built and by whom. Many different answers come up when asking the question "What was the purpose of Stonehenge", some say that it was a horrid place, which
the Druids used for religious sacrifice, but most others have a more positive idea. A temple of the sun, a Pagan Cathedral, or a holy sanctuary in the midst of blessed ground, or maybe a clock or even a place to Predict Eclipses. No one really knows what it was used for; this is due to a great number of facts surrounding all of these ideas.
Many ideas come up when talking about why this great structure was built along with an equal amount on who built it. The Druids is the most common response because the Druids inhabited most of the area in which Stonehenge is built. The Pagans are another common answer to this age
old question because of the building structure of Stonehenge how it resembles a Pagan Cathedral. Whoever built Stonehenge, they were an extremely advanced society either on purpose or by complete fluke. Many say that because of Stonehenge’s exact solar and lunar alignment. That is was the most common thought is that it was built to predict eclipses for worshiping. The following essay is going to state the facts and myths about the great Stonehenge. By the end of this essay, hopefully a solid conclusion will be found to be the most plausible answer for
Stonehenges construction.
BIG - BEN
What can be compared to an amazing famous masterpiece of true British architecture, the symbol of one of the most famous cities in our world, and, without any denial, the real emblem of the British way of life — Big Ben? This impressive clock tower has been counting the time of the Kingdom for more than one hundred and fifty years.
It should be mentioned that the modern official name of the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament is Elizabeth Tower and as it could be seen from the name the tower eternizes one of greatest British monarchs — Elizabeth II to commemorate her Diamond Jubilee as the Queen of the UK. Prior to this name that the tower got in 2012 the famous landmark was called just the Clock Tower.
The story of Big Ben as we all know it started in 1859 when the Londoners first heard the sound of the great bell of the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament. In fact, Big Ben is the name of the huge hour bell inside the 96 meter tall tower which was raised according to the design of Augustus Pugin and became the high point of his architecture genius. But the landmark did not get the name of its architect. There are two main theories according the name Big Ben — it could be the nickname of Sir Benjamin Hall, the commisioner of works on the Houses of Parliament, or Benjamin Caunt, the boxing champion of that time; both of them were large men and could have a nickname Big Ben. Nevertheless, this short name appeared to be perfect for the famous landmark.
At the time of its appearance on the map of the city, the tower was a real wonder of its time with its massive14 ton bell inside, and the clock itself was the largest in the world. The impressive neo-gothic tower has four seven-meter clock dials on each side. Despite its impressive size, Big Ben is a perfect accurate timekeeper — a stack of coins on the big pendulum regulates the clock.
You can hear the chimes of Big Ben every hour and since 1923 these chimes have become one the special symbols of the coming New Year. The unforgettable Elizabeth Tower or Big Ben as we all know it is a perfect point to start a wonderful journey over the great city — London.
Big Ben is not really a clock, but the biggest bell inside the tower of Westminster Palace.
BUCKINGHAM PALACE
Buckingham Palace is one of the major tourist attractions in London. It is the official residency o the British monarchy. At the moment British monarchy is led by Queen Elizabeth II. Each time the royal family is in the palace, a flag flies on the roof.
The palace was built in 1705 by the Duke of Buckingham. In 1761 King George III bought this palace for his wife. It became a private house of Queen Charlotte and was known as “The Queen’s House”. During the 19th century the house was enlarged and became the official royal residence. Queen Victoria was the first monarch to reside in the palace. She moved there in 1837 leaving Kensington Palace, where she grew up.
Buckingham Palace has nearly 600 rooms, including a throne room, a ballroom, a dining-room, picture gallery and even a swimming-pool. Some of its rooms can be visited in summertime, only when the Queen is not at home. One of the most interesting parts of the palace is the Queen’s Gallery, where works of art of the royal collection can be seen.
Royal garden and stables are also curious sights. Every year more than 50 000 invited guests are entertained at garden parties, receptions and banquets.
Many tourists come here to see the Queen Victoria Memorial which is set right in front of the Buckingham Palace. Every day at 11 am Changing of the Guard ceremony takes place. It is the time when colorfully dressed New Guard parades along the building and replace the existing Old Guard. The ceremony is accompanied by music and attracts a lot of viewers.
TOWER BRIDGE
The Tower Bridge is one of the unique and amazing sights of England. This great structure for the crossing is located in the central part of London, the capital is Great Britain, and unites both banks of the River Thames. Nearby is the Tower - the most famous and terrible prison in the world. It is in honor of this dungeon the bridge has the name of Tower, because it was built as a ferry from this dungeon.
The project for the construction of the bridge was worked by one of the most outstanding architects of England, John Horace. He took part in the competition among the most famous architects and became the winner. Horace suggested building a drawbridge over the River Thames to relieve traffic on other sites. The authorities of England thought for a long time and after 8 years agreed and approved the proposed draft. Preparatory work began, which lasted two years. In 1886 construction began, which lasted for long eight years. The bridge was officially opened in 1894. Its construction required about 1 million pounds, tens of thousands of tons of metal, natural stone and granite. 350 people worked to erect this outstanding structure, 10 people were killed during construction work.
The bridge is presented in the form of beautiful towers, which perfectly convey all the charm of the Gothic style. The towers are connected by a huge platform, and towering like huge castles. The platform serves to move people from one end to the other. Also there are galleries and corridors that provide people with a safe movement. There is a clear timetable at what time the parties divorce this wonder-creation. Previously, they were divorced as soon as it was seen the ship. The sentry signaled, and the divorced sides parted. The signal sounded for people who were in a hurry to leave the roadway. After the ship floated, the swing flights again converged.
Now the schedule has changed, if before the bridge was bred 30 times a day, now it is 3-5 times. Tourists wishing to admire this event can climb the upper platform by the elevators that are installed in the towers, or use the spiral staircases coming from the roadway.
MADAME TUSSAUD'S MUSEUM
Marie Tussaud was born in Strasbourg in 1761. Her father died two months before she was born, and her family moved to Switzerland.
Her mother worked for a German doctor. The doctor was an unusual man who enjoyed making wax models of parts of human body. He soon got a reputation for making good likeness of people's heads as well.
He moved to Paris because he wanted to earn money by making models of the rich and famous. Soon Marie and her mother joined him in Paris. When she was six years old, the doctor taught her how to work in wax. Her portraits became so popular that by the time she was twenty she was living in the Palace of Versailles because the royal family invited her to live there.
Madam tussaud's wax museum is the most popular museum in the world. There are wax models of the famous and infamous people both living and dead.
Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Marilyn Monro, Michael Jackson, Charlie Chapling, the British Royal Family, Bill Clinton etc. There is no other place in the world where you can see all the celebrities at once, even if they are only wax figures.
The museum is situated in Marylebone Road, not far from the street, which is famous as home of the first great detective in fiction of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.
Thеrе are several halls at Madam tussaud's: the Grand Hall, the Chamber of Horrors and «The Spirit of London» exhibition.
The wax figures are standing and sitting and sometimes even moving and talking. They are extremely realistic and when they look at you, their eyes sparkling, you often feel uncomfortable in their company.
Over the years hundreds of celebrities have made their way to Madam tussaud's studio. Most people agree to be portrayed, but some refuse. Mother Teresa was one of the few who снизилась, saying her work was important, not her person.
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
It is a well-known fact that Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London and St paul's Cathedral are the three most famous buildings in England.
Westminster Abbey is a Gothic building, which is situated opposite the Houses of Parliament. It is a great work of many people of different centuries. The oldest part of the building dates from the eighth century. In the 11th century Edward the Confessor after years spent in France founded a great Norman Abbey. In 200 years Henry III decided to pull down the Norman Abbey and build a more beautiful one. Since then the Abbey remains the most French of all English Gothic churches, higher than any other English church (103 feet) and much narrower. The towers were built in 1735-1740. Abbey is simply wonderful with its Chapel of Henry VII, and its fan-vaulting.
The Chapel is made of stone and glass. It is so прекрасно built that it even seems unreal. It contains an interesting collection of swords and standards of the «Knights of the Bath». The Abbey is famous for its stained glass.
Since the time of William the Conqueror Westminster Abbey has been the crowning place of the kings and queens of England. The Abbey is sometimes compared with a Mausoleum, because there are tombs and memorials of almost all English monarchs, many statesmen, famous scientists, writers and musicians.
The magnificent tombstones of kings and queens are made of gold and precious stones. There are gold-and-silver banners of the Order of the Garter hanging from the ceiling. The greatest writers such as Geoffrey Chaucer, Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, Alfred Tennyson, Thomas Hardy and Kipling are buried there. Westminster Abbey also contains memorials to William Shakespeare, Walter Scott, Robert Burns, George Byron and some other writers.
Here in the Abbey there is also the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, a symbol of the nation's grief.
In the Royal Air Force Chapel there is a monument to those who died during the battle of Britain, the famous and decisive air battle over the territory of Britain in the Second World War.