banks of the Thames. Parts of London  London is traditionally divided into several parts: the City of London, which is the financial center of the United Kingdom, the West End, which is the area of museums, art galleries, largest department stores, cinemas, and hotels. West End and is associated with wealth and luxury; and the East End, which is the industrial part of London and is very important for the commerce. The Tower of London Most of London sights, such as the Tower, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, and others are famous all over the world. The Tower of London was founded in the 11 th century by William the Conqueror. The Tower in the past was a fortress, a palace, and a prison, Though the kings were born, lived and were married there, it happened also that kings and queens were murdered in the Tower. It was said that whoever held the keys to the Tower, held the keys to the kingdom.  The Tower of London The Tower has several towers: the Jewel Tower, where the Royal precious jewels are kept, the White Tower, in which the Kings of England held their Court, and others. One of the towers is called the Bloody Tower where the king Edward V and his brother were murdered. The Duke оfYork. Queen Anne Boleyn, the Princess (afterwards Queen) Elisabeth and many other people were in prison in the Tower. Now the Tower is a museum and the Crown jewels and other treasures are kept there. The Guard, known as "beefeaters" still keep watch. The Ceremony of the Key, that is centuries old takes place every night. Now the only inhabitants of the Tower are ravens There is a legend that the Tower will fall if it loses its ravens. Therefore the birds with clipped wings are carefully The Beefeater guarded. The Houses of Parliament  The Houses of Parliament and the Clock tower "Big Ben" The Houses of Parliament are the most beautiful buildings not only in London, but in the whole Europe. The Houses of Parliament are also called the Palace of Westminster. The Queen enters the Palace of West- minster only on the day of the opening of Parliament at the beginning of the session. She wears a crown and many jewels when she makes her speech from the Throne in the House of Lords. A fire destroyed the old Houses of Parliament. The new Houses of Parliament were built in 1857. The famous 320 foot (97.5 meters) clock Tower is called "Big Ben" after Sir Benjamin Hall under whose direction the construction of the clock was conducted.  St. Paul's Cathedral It took the architect Christopher Wren 35 years to build the Cathedral. It is one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture in Europe. It has ahuge dome with a golden ball on the top. The interior of the Cathedral is very beautiful too. The British Museum There are many museums and art galleries in London. The British Museum is famous for its rich library (about 7 000 000 books). It is also the Museum of History, Archaeology, Art and Ethnogra The British Museum con the most important collec in Britain.  The Buckingham Palace The Buckingham Palace the place where the Queen England lives.  Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square is the geo centre of London. It was named in the memory of Admiral Nelson's victory in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805 The tall Nelson's Column stands in the middle of the square. Oppo the Nelson monument is the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. They contain the finest art collections of the world.  Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey is the place where the coronation of nearly all kings and queens has taken place since the time of the Conquest. Many of them are bur here as well as some other famous people of the country. Westminster Abbey is famous for its architecture and history. There are the graves of some of the world's famous writers, poets and scientists: Chaucer, Charles Dickens, Tennyson, Thomas Hardy, Kipling and others are buried here. There in the Poet's Corner the
Аноним
