England page 12-13
London
London is one of the most exciting cities in the world,
with a thousand years of history.
A big, vibrant ever changing place, renowned for its
history, pageantry and architecture,
London is crammed with more than 300 museums and collections,
including some of the greatest in the world. It is a city
full of galleries that hold great paintings from the last
five centuries - and the wackiest of modern art. It is a
city full of treasures from the greatest civilisations of
the world - and tiny homely details of life in times past.
Museums about decorative arts, and war, toys,tennis. design,
and domestic interiors,movies and medicine
Historical London
Buckingham Palace
The Queen's official London residence,
Marble Arch
Originally designed as the front entrance to
Buckingham Palace, Marble Arch had to be placed to
one side because it wasn't wide enough to allow State
coaches to pass through.
Watched over by traditional Yeoman warders and the famous
ravens, the Tower of London is a marvellous testament to
its 900 year history.
The Royal Mews
Moved to Buckingham Palace during the
1760s, were rebuilt by Nash in the 1820s and remain some
of the finest working stables in existence. The magnificent
gilded and polished state carriages and coaches, together
with their horses and equipage, are housed here. These
vehicles are at the very essence of British state
occasions, epitomised by Her Majesty's Gold State Coach
used at every Coronation since 1831.
Windsor Castle
Official residence of The Queen and royal residence for 9
centuries. Windsor is one of the largest and
oldest inhabited castles in the world. Largely a result of
massive 19thC rebuilding by George IV, the castle covers
some 13 acres and its precincts are almost a mile around
Round Tower at Windsor
Part of the original medieval fortress, the Round Tower at Windsor
Castle is one of the oldest surviving parts of the ancestral home of
the British monarchy.
Frogmore House
Set amid the extensive grounds of Home
Park of Windsor Castle. The house dates from the 1680s
and was a favoured retreat of Queen Victoria and later of
King George V and Queen Mary.
Hever Castle and Gardens
This romantic 13thC moated castle was once Anne
Boleyn's childhood home. It was acquired in 1903 by
William Waldorf Astor who restored it'
Tower of London
One of the most fortified buildings in the world,
is guarded by the famous Beefeaters.
Begun in 1078 by William the Conqueror, the Tower has been a
palace, prison, treasury, arsenal and even a zoo! Today the
Tower houses the priceless Crown Jewels.
Big Ben
A huge, historical clock tower,
that rings out the old and rings in the new on 31December,
Nelson's Column
standing in the centre of Trafalgar
Square, Britain's greatest naval hero
Tower Bridge one of the great symbols of London,
The Royal Albert Hall built between 1867 and
1871, the design of this simple domed brick and terracotta
structure is thought to have been influenced by Gottfried Semper,
a refugee friend of Prince Albert.
Eros
This elaborate statue has overlooked Piccadilly Circus
since it was erected there in honour of the Seventh Earl of
Shaftesbury, who revitalised the former slums of Soho.
Hampton Court
Built between 1514 and 1520 for Cardinal Wolsey, this fine old red
brick manor house has been enhanced over the years by many
monarchs. Today Hampton Court Palace is a famous
landmark on the banks of the River Thames.
Houses of Parliament
At the Houses of Parlianent in Westminster, the public
may watch the debates when
Parliament is in session.
This is a working institution. It is in a superb building by
Barry and Pugin with medieval survival, (Westminster
Hall).
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is the oldest Tudor palace in England.
Kensington Palace State Apartments
At Kensington Palace State Apartments a
series of rooms from the Victorian era, the restored Kings
Apartment, the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection and
works of art from the Royal Collection.
Banqueting House
The only remaining part of the 17th-century Palace of Whitehall
and is famous for its Rubens ceiling and architecture
by Inigo Jones.
Eltham Palace
Eltham Palace is home to a spectacular 1930s Art Deco
country house and a magnificent medieval Great Hall, which
stood at the heart of the medieval palace, the boyhood home
of Henry VIII.
British Museum
Once, famous people like Karl Marx, Thomas Hardy and W B
Yeats used to work in the British Museum's Reading Room. In
spring 1998, a new British Library and Reading Room
opened in St Pancras. The exciting new building
was designed by Sir Colin Wilson. Housing the National
Library of the United Kingdom, it is one of the great
libraries of the world, with an amazing 150 million
separate items in storage. This is a treasure house of the
written word! which include rare
and unique items such as the Lindisfarne Gospels
from the Gutenberg Bible , the first Western printed book using
movable type, and Shakespeare's First Folio of
1623
Leeds Castle
Built upon 2 islands in a lake, dates from the
9thC and was a favourite home of medieval queens. Henry
VIII converted it from a stronghold to a royal palace but the
most recent restoration was in the 1920s
one of Britain's finest Gothic buildings.
Religious Buildings Of Historical London
Queen's Chapel of the Savoy
The Queen's Chapel of Savoy stands on an area of land
presented to Count Peter of Savoy by Henry III in 1246.
Henry VII caused a great hospital for 'pouer, nedie people'
to be built here in 1512. The hospital boasted 3 chapels of
which only the one dedicated to St John Baptist still remain
St Giles-in-the-Fields Church
Built 1731-33 and designed by the architect Flitcroft, the
church contains parish records from 1615. The Plague
started in the parish.
St Martin-in-the-Fields Church
Historic church overlooking Trafalgar Square, designed by
James Gibbs and built in 1726.
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