London

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Basic info

Capital city of England and the United Kingdom

Centre of business, finance, fashion, politics, etc.

Population: 8,174,100 inhabitants Area: 1,577 sq km Mayor of London: Boris Johnson Districts: City and 32 boroughs Located on the River Thames Mild climate

Districts of London

City of London (the "Square Mile") The West End East End West London East London South London North London Docklands

LandmarksTower of London

The Tower of London was built by William the Conqueror in 1066

It is known as a prison

Famous prisoners: Anne Boleyn, Sir Walter Raleigh, Elizabeth I.,..

Buckingham palace

Place where the Queen lives

It has been the official London residence of Britain's monarch since 1837

Queen Victoria was the first monarch to live there

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge has stood over the River Thames in London since 1894

It is the only Thames bridge which can be raised

Palace of Westminster

Known as the Houses of Parliament

There is the House of Lords and the House of Commons

From the 11th century until 1512 the Palace was the royal home to the Kings

Big Ben

It is one of the most famous landmarks in the world

Also known as St Stephen's Tower

The clock tower is situated on the bank of the river Thames and is part of the Palace of Westminster

Westminster Abbey

It is one of the oldest buildings in London

The Abbey was built by Edward the Confessor

Every King and Queen has been crowned in Westminster Abbey since William the Conqueror in 1066

Many Kings and Queens and famous people are buried there (Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, David Livingstone,  Sir Isaac Newton, Rudyard Kipling,…)

St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral was built between 1675 and 1711 by Sir Christopher Wren

The dome of St Paul's Cathedral is the second biggest dome in the world, after St Peter's in Rome

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square was constructed in the 1840s

The Square is named after the British victory (Battle of Trafalgar in 1805)

Dominating the square is the Nelson's Column

On the north side of Trafalgar Square is the National Gallery

To the west is the West End To the east of Trafalgar Square is the St

Martin's-in-the-Fields church

St James's Palace

St. James's Palace is one of London's oldest palaces

Built largely between 1531 and 1536

It was a residence of Kings and Queens of England for over 300 years

The Monument

The Monument is a 61 metres tall

It is in the heart of the City of London

It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, as the City's memorial to the Great Fire in 1666

Museums, galleries

In London there are many museums and galleries

They are one of the main tourist attractions in London

Almost all of them have free admission

The British Museum

The British Museum was established in 1753

First opened to the public was on 15 January 1759

There are objects from prehistoric to modern time from around the world

National Gallery

It is an art gallery on Trafalgar square

It was founded in 1824

There is a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from 1250 to 1900

There are paintings by Botticelli, da Vinci, Rembrandt, Turner, Van Gogh,..

Victoria and Albert Museum

It was founded in 1852

This museum has one of the largest collections of arts and crafts including furniture, jewelry, ceramics and textiles

Natural History Museum

It was opened in 1881

It is the largest natural history museum in Britain

There are 5 main collections – botany, mineralogy, zoology, entomology and paleontology

There is a famous collection of dinosaur skeletons

Science Museum

The museum was founded in 1857

It is a museum of science

There are exposed science inventions (the oldest surviving steam locomotive, the first jet engine, a reconstruction of model of DNA,..)

Tate Modern

It is a modern art gallery

There is a collection of international modern art from 1900 to the present day

It is the most visited modern art gallery in the world

Madame Tussauds

It is a wax museum

A museum was founded by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud

Some of famous mannequins: Mahatma Gandhi, Fidel Castro, Elton John, Princess Diana, Van Helsing,..)

Transport

The London Underground (the Tube) - the oldest metro system in the world (1863)

Buses – Double–decker bus Docklands Light Railway (DLR) Trams Taxi Planes- Heathrow airport

Gatwick airport

Stansted airport

Luton airport

City airport

Parks

In London there are a lot of green and open places

The most popular London Parks are: Hyde Park Kensington Gardens Green Park St. James's Park Regent's Park Greenwich Park Richmond Park Bushy Park

Music clubs, pubs

Night life is one of the main features of London

There are many music clubs and pubs with the best DJ’s in the world

These places are important for people – they can relax there

Some famous clubs: Fabric, Turnmils, Cafe De Paris, China White, Funky Buddha, Underworld and of course bars and clubs in district of Soho

Questions for you

How many districts are there in London?

Where is the House of Lords?

Which monarch lived first in Buckingham Palace?

Name 3 museums in London

Name 3 parks in London

Other name for London underground