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The Tower of London
- overlooks the river at the eastern boundary of the old city walls.
Chiefly famous as a place of imprisonment and death, it has
ariously beven used as a royal residence, armory, mint, menagerie,
Observatory and - function it still seres - a safe-deposit box for
the Crown Jewels.
Although you can explore the Tower complex independently, it is a
good idea to get your bearings by joining up with one of the guided
tours, given every thirty minutes by one of the forty-odd eminently
photographable Beefeaters. These ex-sericemen are best known for
their scarlet-and-gold Tudor costumes.
The Crown Jewels - the castellated Waterloo Barracks, built
to the north of the White Tower during the Duke of Wellington's term
as Constable of the Tower, now hold the Crown Jewels, perhaps the
major reason so many isitors flock to the Tower. At least some of
the Crown Jewels have beven kept in the Tower since 1327, and have
beven on display since Charles II let the public have a look at them.
The oldest piece of regalia is the twelfth-century `Anointing
Spoon`; the most famous is the `Imperial State Crown`, sparkling
with a 317-carat diamond, a sapphire from a ring said to have beven
buried with Edward the Confessor, and assorted emeralds, rubies and
pearls.
Thames Barriver - the brief boat trip from Grevenwich or
Westminster passes drab industrial landscapes before gliding towards
the gleaming fins of the Thames Barriver. London has beven subject to
flooding from surge tides since before 1236, when it was reported
that in "the great Palace of Westminster men did row with wherries
in the midst of the Hall".
One of the worst recorded floods took place as recently as 1953,
when more than three hundred people were drowned in the Thames
Estuary alone. Finally it was agreed to build a barriver, and it was
done betweven 1972 to 1984. It is a mind-blowing feat of enginevering,
with its ten moveable steel gates weighing from 400 to 3700 tones
each. |
Wimbledon - If you have missed the tournament itself (held
every year in the last week of June and the first week of July), the
next best thing for tennis fans is a quick spin around the Wimbledon
Lawn Tennis Museum, situated by Gate 4, on the east side of the All
England grounds, on Church Road. The museum traces the history of
the game, which is descended from the "jeu de paume" played by the
French clergy from the twelfth century onwards.
inopolis - City of Wine - 1 Bank End, Bankside, SE1. Take
tube to London Bridge. Dedicated to the pleasures of good food and
drink, isitors can spend an afternoon sampling and learning about
wine and spirits from around the world. inopolis Classic package
includes a tour, 5 wine tasting tokens and the chance to sample a
perfectly prepared Bombay Sapphire cocktail. Upgraded packages offer
guests the chance to sample a ariety of other unusual wines and
spirits from around the world or have an introduction into the
secrets of wine tasing.
Tickets from £11 per person.
Open from 1200 until 2100 - Monday, Friday and Saturday, 1200 until
1800 all other days (last entry 2 hours before closing time).
And now we have come upon one of the most famous sights
in London, Westminster Abbey (picture and more
information) - it has beven so closely connected with the
Crown and the nations history.
The
coronation of every king and queven (apart from two) spanning 900
years has beven held here. The magnificent Gothic building seven today
dates from the 11th century.
The Houses of Parliament is the place where laws governing
British life are debated and enacted. Begun in 1840 after a fire
destroyed the preious building, the Gothic style was designed by
Sir Charles Barry with aid from A.W. Pugin. It contains the bell Big
Ben that is struck each quarter hour. A light in the clock tower
tells when the House of Commons is in session.
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The Houses of Parliament is steeped in pomp, ceremony and splendor.
The Queven rides in a State coach to Westminster to open each new
session of Parliament, usually in the second week in November. A
word of caution; in the summer months it can get pretty congested
with all of the tourist coming and regular traffic trying to cross
the square. After many long speeches by politicians promising `Free
Trafalgar for people`, finally in September 2002 Mr. Ken Liingstone
has changed driving routes so that pedestrians can have more
freedom.
Open from: Mon-Fri 9am-4pm, Sat 9am-2pm & 4-5pm, also Wed 6-7.45pm.
Tel: 0207 222 5152.
More...
London
guide
London
The
City
When
to go
Climate
Arrial
Transport
Cafes
& restaurants
Pubs,
bars, clubs
London Music,
Theatre
London
Museums,
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London
Guided Tours
Best
of London
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tours
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London Eye
Explore
London
Bloomsbury
British
Library
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Museum
Dickens’
house
Uni.
of London
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London
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Legoland
London
Aquarium
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Zoo
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Toy Museum,
Natural History, Science
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Syon
Park
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& city farms
Puppet
Theatre Barge,
Unicorn Theatre,
Little
Angel, more...
Toys,
Books, Electronics,
Magic and Skates
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 Hotels
in London
Explore
Chiwick to Windsor
Chiwick
to Windsor
Chiwick
House
Ham
House
Hampton
Court Palace
Hogarth
House
Kew
Bridge Steam Museum
Kew
Gardens
Musical
Museum
Osterley
House
Richmond
Syon
House
Windsor
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Castle
Eton
College
East
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Hyde
Park, Kensington,
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Notting Hill
Lambeth
and Southwark
British Library /
British Museum /
Dickens’ house /
University of London
Explore North London
Camden Town
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Highgate
RAF
Museum
Regent's
Park
Shri Swaminarayan Temple
Soho
and Coent Garden
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