Transcript London Sightseeing tour

London
Sightseeing tour
Big Ben
Big Ben is one of London’s most
famous landmarks. In fact, Big
Ben is not the name of the
clock on the Tower of
Westminster (which is part of
the Palace of Westminster), but it
is the nickname of the bell
inside. It is actually called the
Great Bell of Westminster and
was made in 1858.
Nobody knows for sure why
Big Ben is called Big Ben, but
many people think it was
something to do with Sir
Benjamin Hall, a rather fat man
who was in charge of the building
works at Westminster and whose
nickname was ‘Big Ben’.
Even in this technological age,
the clock is still wound by hand.
The Tower of
London
The Tower of London is one of the
world’s most famous buildings, and
now welcomes two million visitors
each year.
It has been a palace, a prison, a
royal mint and even a zoo!
Today, the Tower is best know as a
historical museum and more the to
1000000 people visit it each year.
About 150 people and 8 ravens liven
the tower. And of course the whole
place is crawling with ghost.
Today the 18 acre riverside site is
home to the Crown Jewels,
(sometimes popularly known as
Beefeaters, who are the traditional
guards at the tower) and the
legendary ravens.
The Houses of
Parliament
Home of the British Government,
the building is actually called the
Palace of Westminster, but is
more commonly known as the
Houses of Parliament.
These are the elected House of
Commons and the House of
Lords, made up of hereditary and
life peers
St. Paul’s
Cathedral
Work on this, the most impressive
church in London began in 1675
to a design by Sir Christopher
Wren. It was built to replace old
St Paul's which was destroyed by
the Great Fire of London in 1666.
The present building has been
luckier. It survived the World War
II bombings which flattened a
great many of the surrounding
buildings.
Westminster
Abbey
An architectural masterpiece of
the thirteenth to sixteenth
centuries, Westminster Abbey.
It has been the setting for every
coronation since 1066 and for
numerous other royal occasions.
Today it is still a church dedicated
to regular worship and to the
celebration of great events in the
life of the nation.
Many British monarchs, writers,
poets, musicians and scientists
are also buried here.
Trafalgar
Square
Trafalgar Square is in the centre of
London. Some people say it is the most
beautiful place in London. In the
middle of it stands a tall column – a
monument to Admiral Nelson. There
are two beautiful fountains there. Four
bronze lions look at the square from
the monument. There are two
beautiful fountains in the square.
The British
Museum
The largest and oldest national
museum has mummies from
Egypt, Roman antiquities found in
the Thames, beautiful Japanese
warriors` clothes from hundreds
of years ago, and Aztec death
masks made of precious stones.
No visit to London is complete
without a visit to this most
famous museum. You could even
look at Lenin`s library ticket (the
museum used to be attached to
the British Library).
Buckingham
Palace
Buckingham Palace is the London
home of The Queen and Prince
Philip. Queen Victoria was the
first monarch to take up residence
here after the architect John Nash
transformed it from Buckingham
House into a palace
Try and guess
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It is in the centre of London. William the Conqueror built it in the eleventh century. It was a
fortress, a palace, a prison and the King’s Zoo. Now it is a museum.
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It is one of the greatest English churches. It is a beautiful building with many columns and towers.
It is one of the great English churches. Sir Christopher Wren built it in the 17th century. It took Sir
Christopher Wren 35 years.
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The largest and oldest national museum
Some people say it is the most beautiful place in London. In the middle of it stands a tall column – a
monument to Admiral Nelson. There are two beautiful fountains there.
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The Home of the British Government.
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It is the name of the large clock and the bell. You can hear its sound every hour in London.
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It is one of the most famous and beautiful churches in London. It is more than nine hundred years
old. Many English kings and queens are buried here.
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The Queen of England lives here. It is a wonderful building with a monument in front of it which is
the Queen Victoria Memorial