2. LONDON
London is the capital city of England and the
United Kingdom, and the largest city, urban
zone and metropolitan area in the United
Kingdom, and the European Union by most
measures. Located on the River Thames,
London has been a major settlement for two
millennia, its history going back to its founding
by the Romans, who named it Londinium.
3. Big Ben
Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell
of the clock at the north end of the Palace
of Westminster in London, and often
extended to refer to the clock and the
clock tower. The tower is now officially
called the Elizabeth Tower, after being
renamed to celebrate the Diamond
Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The
Elizabeth Tower holds the largest four-
faced chiming clock in the world and is the
third-tallest free-standing clock tower. The
tower was completed in 1858 and had its
150th anniversary on 31 May 2009, during
which celebratory events took place. The
Elizabeth Tower has become one of the
most prominent symbols of both London
and England and is often in the
establishing shot of films set in the city.
4. London Eye
The London Eye is a giant Ferris
wheel situated on the banks of the
River Thames in London, England.It
is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe,
and the most popular paid tourist
attraction in the United Kingdom,
visited by over 3.5 million people
annually. The London Eye adjoins the
western end of Jubilee Gardens, on
the South Bank of the River Thames
between Westminster Bridge and
Hungerford Bridge, in the London
Borough of Lambeth. The site is
adjacent to that of the former Dome
of Discovery, which was built for the
Festival of Britain in 1951
5. Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is the official
London residence and principal
workplace of the British monarch.
Located in the City of Westminster,
the palace is a setting for state
occasions and royal hospitality. It
has been a focus for the British
people at times of national rejoicing
and crisis.
Originally known as Buckingham
House, the building which forms the
core of today's palace was a large
townhouse built for the Duke of
Buckingham in 1705 on a site which
had been in private ownership for
at least 150 years. It was
subsequently acquired by George III
in 1761 as a private residence for
Queen Charlotte, and known as
"The Queen's House".
6. Saint Paul´s Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a
Church of England cathedral St
Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate
Hill, the highest point in the City
of London, and is the mother
church of the Diocese of London.
The present church dating from
the late 17th century was built to
an English Baroque design of Sir
Christopher Wren, as part of a
major rebuilding program which
took place in the city after the
Great Fire of London, and was
completed within his lifetime.
7. Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge (built 1886–1894) is a
combined bascule and suspension bridge
in London, over the River Thames. It is
close to the Tower of London, from
which it takes its name.
The bridge consists of two towers tied
together at the upper level by means of
two horizontal walkways, designed to
withstand the horizontal forces exerted
by the suspended sections of the bridge
on the landward sides of the towers.
Originally it was painted a mid greenish-
blue colour. The nearest London
Underground station is Tower Hill on the
Circle and District lines, and the nearest
Docklands Light Railway station is Tower
Gateway.
8. Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church,
in the City of Westminster, London, located just to
the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the
traditional place of coronation and burial site for
English, later British and later still (and currently)
monarchs of the Commonwealth realms. The abbey
is a Royal Peculiar and briefly held the status of a
cathedral from 1540 to 1550.Westminster Abbey is a
collegiate church governed by the Dean and Chapter
of Westminster, as established by Royal charter of
Queen Elizabeth I in 1560Henry III was unable to be
crowned in London when he first came to the throne
because the French prince Louis had taken control of
the city, and so the king was crowned in Gloucester
Cathedral.
9. Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and
tourist attraction in central London, United
Kingdom, built around the area formerly
known as Charing Cross. It is in the borough
of the City of Westminster. At its centre is
Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four
lion statues at its base. There are a number
of statues and sculptures in the square,
with one plinth displaying changing pieces
of contemporary art. The square is also
used for political demonstrations and
community gatherings, such as the
celebration of New Year's Eve.
The name commemorates the Battle of
Trafalgar (1805), a British naval victory of
the Napoleonic Wars over France. The
original name was to have been "King
William the Fourth's Square", but George
Ledwell Taylor suggested the name
"Trafalgar Square".
10. River Thames
he River Thames flows through southern
England. It is the longest river entirely in
England and the second longest in the
United Kingdom, behind the River
Severn. While it is best known because its
lower reaches flow through central
London, the river flows alongside several
other towns and cities, including Oxford,
Reading, Henley-on-Thames, Windsor,
Kingston upon Thames and Richmond.
The river gives its name to several
geographical and political entities,
including the Thames Valley, a region of
England around the river between Oxford
and west London, the Thames Gateway,
the area centred on the tidal Thames,
and the Thames Estuary to the east of
London. The tidal section of the river is
covered in more detail under Tideway.
11. National Gallery
The National Gallery is an art
museum on Trafalgar Square,
London. Founded in 1824, it
houses a collection of over 2,300
paintings dating from the mid-
13th century to 1900. The Gallery
is an exempt charity, and a non-
departmental public body of the
Department for Culture, Media
and Sport. Its collection belongs to
the public of the United Kingdom
and entry to the main collection is
free of charge. It is the fourth
most visited art museum in the
world, after the Musée du Louvre,
the Metropolitan Museum of Art
and the British Museum.
12. Picadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and
public space of London's West End in the
City of Westminster, built in 1819 to
connect Regent Street with the major
shopping street of Piccadilly. In this
context, a circus, from the Latin word
meaning "circle", is a round open space
at a street junction
Piccadilly now links directly to the
theatres on Shaftesbury Avenue, as well
as the Haymarket, Coventry Street
(onwards to Leicester Square), and
Glasshouse Street. The Circus is close to
major shopping and entertainment areas
in the West End. Its status as a major
traffic intersection has made Piccadilly
Circus a busy meeting place and a tourist
attraction in its own right.
13. Underground
The London Underground is
a metro system in the United
Kingdom, serving a large part
of Greater London and some
parts of Buckinghamshire,
Hertfordshire and Essex .It
incorporates the first
underground railway in the
world, which opened in 1863
The first tunnels were built
just below the surface; later
circular tunnels (tubes) were
dug through the London
Clay.
14. Greenwich Observatory
Royal Observatory, Greenwich in London
played a major role in the history of astronomy
and navigation, and is best known as the
location of the prime meridian. It is situated on
a hill in Greenwich Park, overlooking the River
Thames. The observatory was commissioned in
1675 by King Charles II, with the foundation
stone being laid on 10 August.[1] At that time
the king also created the position of
Astronomer Royal, to serve as the director of
the observatory and to "apply himself with the
most exact care and diligence to the rectifying
of the tables of the motions of the heavens,
and the places of the fixed stars, so as to find
out the so much desired longitude of places for
the perfecting of the art of navigation." He
appointed John Flamsteed as the first AR. The
building was completed in the summer of
1676. The building was often given the title
"Flamsteed House", in reference to its first
occupant.
