The question of which part of London is considered to be its geographical center is of concern not only to those who like to study their home planet by map. Many tourists, getting into the capital of Great Britain, have a hard time navigating in this metropolis. Fortunately, most of the most interesting sights are fairly easy to find. Guided tours can also be booked in London .
Buckingham Palace
There is hardly a person who would never hear of Her Majesty Elizabeth II. So, her official residence - Buckingham Royal Palace - is located in the area of Pall Mall and Green Park. If a standard flutters over the building, this means that the nun is in her beloved capital.
The Royal Palace acquired its status at the accession to the throne of great-grandmother Elizabeth II - Victoria - in 1837. Today, the statue of this monarchine is the first to meet everyone who comes to the fence of the residence to inspect the grand dwelling of the Windsor Dynasty.
Buckingham Palace consists of 775 rooms. 52 of them are royal chambers and guest rooms. There are also about 20 public facilities. In 92 of them offices are located, and 188 are used for technical needs and leisure staff. In addition, the royal residence has 72 bathrooms and bathrooms. The total area of the palace is 20 hectares, and 17 hectares houses the largest private garden in London with an artificial lake.
Guard changing ceremony
Guardsmen in bright red uniforms and high fur hats are the same attractions as palaces and temples decorating the center of London.
The changing ceremony of the guard is held at Buckingham Palace daily at 11:30 in the summer, and every other day in other seasons. The duration of the ceremony is 45 minutes. Sometimes a military parade for the solemn changing of the guard is canceled due to bad weather.
The tradition dates back to 1660. In Buckingham Palace, it began to be held in 1837, when Queen Victoria moved there.
Colorful action is accompanied by the sounds of orchestral music. Part of the parade takes place outside the fence of Buckingham Palace, and tourists and Londoners usually watch the rest of the ceremony through its fence.
Tower (Tower of London)
This fortress is one of the main attractions of the British capital. It is believed that it was around him that modern London was formed. The city center without it is impossible to imagine today. The castle covers an area of 1170 square meters. m and is a square. On the outside, the Tower of London is surrounded by two wall rings with many towers. On the internal defensive line 13 towers rise. As for the outer ring, it is much longer than the first. To protect it from the water, at one time 6 towers were erected along the banks of the Thames, with a beautiful view of the magnificent Tower Bridge in central London.
In the southwestern corner of the space, which is located between the two zones of the walls, there is a meadow with Plaha, on which many prominent representatives of the English nobility, including the three queens - the wives of Henry the Eighth, were executed. The last decapitation in the Tower Meadow took place in 1747.
Today, this fortress in central London is open to tourists. They are invited to get acquainted with the exhibits exhibited at the Tower Museum and the Armory. Among them, the treasures of the British crown are of particular interest.
The castle also houses the oldest Christian church in the British capital, St. Peter's Chapel, which is almost 1000 years old.
Tower Bridge in central London
Although this structure is considered by many to be medieval, it was only built in 1894. Tower Bridge, decorating the center of London, is a drawbridge with two towers placed on intermediate supports. The total length of the structure is 244 m and its height is 65 m. Pedestrian galleries of the bridge have been used as a museum since 1982.
The management of the Tower Bridge to this day is carried out in the old fashion: he has a captain and a team consisting of military sailors. They beat off the flasks and stand watch.
Initially, the bridge was bred daily, but at the moment this ritual takes place only several times a week and crowds of tourists are going to watch it.
Palace of Westminster
Talking about the main attractions of London, you can not ignore this magnificent building in the Neo-Gothic style, built in the middle of the 19th century, where the English parliament sits today. The palace has 3 towers. The highest of them reaches a height of 98.5 m. It is named after Queen Victoria of Great Britain. At the time of construction, the tower was considered the highest in the world among secular buildings.
At the base of the building is the Sovereign Entrance, which is an arch 15 meters high, surrounded by statues. The cast-iron pyramidal roof of the building is crowned by a 22-meter flagpole. The Victoria Tower houses parliamentary archives for more than 500 recent years. They occupy 12 floors and contain almost 3 million documents of national importance.
In the northern part of the palace is the Elizabeth Tower. It is better known as Big Ben (see below for more information).
Another interesting building of the palace is the Central Tower. It is octagonal and has a height of 91 m. The tower is located in the middle of the palace building and rises above the Central Hall. Initially, the structure was designed as a chimney for 400 fireplaces located in different rooms of the palace. However, it turned out that the architects were mistaken in the calculations and today the construction performs a decorative function.
In the middle of the west facade of the Palace of Westminster is St. Stephen's Tower. Two more similar structures are located at the ends of the facade, which is located on the Thames side. These are the towers of the Speaker and the Chancellor.
Big Ben
When the main and most recognizable sights of London are described, their list is often opened by the most famous tower of Great Britain.
It was built as part of the new Royal Palace, erected after a fire in 1834, and is a magnificent building in the Neo-Gothic style. The author of the construction project was Augustus Pajin. The height of the Big Ben tower with a spire is 96.3 meters. At its base is a 15-meter concrete foundation 3 meters thick.
In the upper part of the tower at a height of 55 meters there are watches with four smoky glass dials with a diameter of 7 m. At night, they are illuminated from the inside. Above the clock is a bell tower with 5 bells. The largest of them was named Big Ben. According to one legend, he was so christened in honor of the construction manager of the building, Sir Benjamin Hall.
Although Big Ben is one of the most recognizable sights of our planet, access to it is closed for tourists. This is done for security reasons. In addition, there are no lifts in the tower, so the few who are allowed to go up to the clock mechanism have to overcome 334 not very comfortable steps.
Trafalgar Squaa
In response to a question about what area is located in central London, any person who has visited the British capital at least once will no doubt call Trafalgar.
This famous landmark is located at the intersection of Whitehall, Strand and Mall Streets. Until the 19th century, the square was named after William the Fourth and got its modern name in 1805 after the famous naval battle that cost the life of the best admiral of Great Britain.
In the center of Trafalgar Square, stands the Nelson's Column. It is built of dark gray granite, has a height of 44 m and is a kind of pedestal for the statue of the famous admiral. The column is decorated with voluminous images made from Napoleonic cannons.
Other famous buildings located on Trafalgar Square
If the Tower is the historical center of London, then Trafalgar Square is geographical. Along its perimeter are the London National Gallery, St. Martin’s Cathedral in the fields, the Admiralty Arch, as well as the buildings of several embassies.
Since the 1840s, the area has been decorated with 3 monuments installed in its corners. They are statues of George the Fourth, as well as Generals Charles James Napier and Henry Havelock. At the same time, the fourth pedestal was built on Trafalgar Square. It was empty until 2005, when a sculpture was installed on it, depicting disabled artist Alison Lapper. After 4 years, a glass installation “Hotel Model” appeared in its place. Today, on the fourth pedestal of Trafalgar Square, you can see a huge bottle, inside which is placed the model of the ship "Victoria". It was on board that the admiral was mortally wounded, from whom he died at the age of 47.
The London Eye
This is one of the largest spike in Europe was built from 1998 to 2004. It is located on the south bank of the Thames. The authors of the project are David Marx and Julia Barfield. The total weight of the huge wheel with all the mechanisms is 1700 tons.
The London Eye has 32 booths in the shape of huge eggs. Each of them comfortably accommodates up to 25 passengers, who can view from within half an hour the historic center of London, its outskirts and some suburbs.
The wheel speed is approximately 0.9 kilometers per hour. It does not stop to drop off passengers and “take on board” the following, and these operations have to be carried out on the go. In good weather, visibility from the cab is up to 40 kilometers.
Tourists and Londoners can ride a ferris wheel daily. From September to March, passengers are boarded from 10:00 to 20:30, and from April to August, another half hour is added to the working time of the attraction.
Hyde park
Royal or Hyde Park in central London (Rangers Lodge, W2 2UH, open from 5:00 to 24:00) is one of the most famous in Britain and covers an area of 1.4 square meters. km It was founded before the Normans conquered the British Isles. However, it was made open for walks of Londoners only in the 17th century by order of King Charles the Second.
In the northeastern part of Hyde Park is the world famous Speakers Corner. It appeared in 1872 when a law was passed that allowed everyone to publicly express their opinions on any topic, including discussing the actions of royalty. Every day from 12:00 there you can listen to the speeches of everyone who wants to share their views on politics with fellow citizens, as well as discuss pressing social and moral issues.
In addition, on the territory of the park are Lake Serpentine, where you can swim, and the gallery of the same name. By the way, in this reservoir during the London Olympics were swimming in open water.
Serpentine Gallery
As already mentioned, this attraction is located in Hyde Park. It was opened in 1970 in the classic tea pavilion, built in the mid 30-ies of the last century. At one time, the patroness of the gallery was Princess Diana. Today, at the entrance to the building, which houses a permanent exhibition, you can see the work devoted to it by Peter Coates and Ian Hamilton Finlay.
Serpentine Gallery annually orders the creation of new temporary pavilions for world-famous architects. They are happy to design unique structures, inside which conferences are held on the theme of art, special film screenings, as well as cafes.
Over the years, such world-renowned artists and sculptors as Man Ray, Andy Warhol, Henry Moore, Alan McCollum, Paula Rego, Damien Hirst, Bridget Riley, Jeff Koons and others have been exhibited at the Serpentine Gallery.
Westminster Abbey
This magnificent temple has for many centuries been a traditional place of coronation, marriage and burial of the kings of Great Britain. Westminster Abbey (address: 20 Deans Yard London SW1P 3 PA), specifically the Collegiate Church of St. Petra, began to be built in 1245, and acquired its final appearance only after almost 5 centuries after numerous reconstructions.
The main building of the temple has the shape of a cross. The greatest length, from the western door to the outer wall of the Chapel of Our Lady, is 161.5 m, and the highest height of the Western towers is 68 m. The total area of the room is approximately 3000 square meters. m. At the same time, the abbey can accommodate up to 2 thousand people.
At the very beginning of the central gallery of the abbey, you can see images of all-Christian saints by the icon painter Sergei Fedorov. In addition, in the abbey there is a place of pilgrimage for lovers of English literature - Poets Corner, which houses the graves of such famous writers of past centuries as Charles Dickens, Chaucer, Samuel Johnson, Tennyson and Browning.
Few people know that in 1998 statues of martyrs of the 20th century were installed over the portico of the western entrance to the temple. Among them, a fighter with racial discrimination, Martin Luther King, a priest Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was executed by the Nazis in the concentration camp Flossenbürg, Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna, dumped by the Bolsheviks in a mine near Alapaevsk in 1918, and others.
Globus theatre"
Many of those who buy tours to London, definitely want to visit the Globus Theater, located on the south bank of the Thames. The building, which hosted the premieres of many Shakespeare's plays, was built in 1599. Unfortunately, it burned down after 14 years.
The modern Globe building (address: New Globe Walk, SE1), erected in 1997, is an exact copy of the historic theater. Some of the seats in his auditorium are located directly in the open air, so you can visit the performances of the Shakespeare troupe from mid-May to September 20.
To visit the Globe, it is best to take the subway and get to Cannon St or Mansion House stations.
Covent Garden
The Royal Theater in the eponymous district of London was founded in 1732 and enjoyed great popularity among residents of the British capital.
The current building (address: Bow Street WC2E 9DD) is the third in a row. It was built in 1858. The audience hall of the Covent Garden Theater seats 2,268 people.
Covent Garden is also called the Royal Opera House and stars of the first magnitude shine on its stage.
Compared to other London sights, the building does not seem so impressive in appearance, but the design of its interiors makes an indelible impression on the audience.
Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus is located in Westminster. The area was built in 1819. For its construction, it was necessary to demolish the house with a garden that belonged to Lady Hatton and interfered with Regent Street's connection with the important shopping street Piccadilly.
The main attraction of the square is the Shaftesbari Memorial Fountain. The facility is located in the southwestern part of Piccadilly Circus. It is dedicated to the famous philanthropist Lord Shaftesbari. At the top of the sculptural composition is the winged figure of a naked arrow symbolizing Anteros, who is the “god of selfless love”.
The square also houses the underground Criterion Theater, founded in 1874, and the London-Pavilion music hall, built in 1859.
At the beginning of the century, the building was connected to the Trocadero Center.
Tate Gallery
In the building, located at Millbank SW1B 3DG, near the Palace of Westminster, tourists can get acquainted with the famous National Collection of British Art. It is the world's largest collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings by English authors of the 16-20 centuries. The manufacturer, Sir Henry Tate, founded the collection. The gallery was opened to the public in 1897.
After 30 years, a wing was added to the building, which housed the work of foreign painters. In 1987, the Clor Gallery was launched, which presents one of Turner's most extensive collections of paintings.
Now you know what interesting architectural sights decorate the center of London. In addition, every year the capital of Great Britain becomes a venue for various cultural, sports and other spectacular events of world and European scale. They, as well as historical and architectural monuments, are one of the reasons for the popularity of tours to London.