LONDON (3, 100)

London is the capital of the UK, its political, economic and commercial centre. It is one of the biggest and busiest ports of Great Britain. Modern London is situated on both sides of the Thames. Its population is more than eight million people. The main parts of London are: Westminster, the City, the West End and the East End.

Westminster occupies Westminster Palace or the House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral. The Palace of Westminster is the political centre of London. Westminster Abbey, beautiful for its architecture and its stained glass, presents a pageant of noble, military, political and artistic history. Westminster Cathedral is the seat of the Cardinal Archbishop and the leading Catholic Church in England. The Cathedral, designed by J. F. Bentley was built in Early Christian Byzantium style between 1895 and 1903, composed of red brick with bands of grey Portland stone.

The City is the oldest part of London. It is here that the Romans formed a settlement nearly 2 000 years ago. Now the City is financial and business centre of London. It contains the Royal Exchange, the Stock Exchange, Bank of England, The Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London, and headquarters of many of the wealthiest companies and corporations in the world. During the daytime nearly a million people work there, but less than eight thousand people actually live there.

The West End is the richest part of London, the symbol of wealth and luxury. It is the area of the largest department stores, cinemas and hotels. There are about 40 theatres, several concert halls, many museums including the British Museum and the best art galleries here. It is in the West End that the University of London is centered.

The best known streets here are Whitehall with important Government offices, Fleet Street where the most newspapers have their offices, Downing Street, the London residence of the Prime Minister and the place where the Cabinet meets. Here in the middle of the road is the simple but impressive Cenotaph, the memorial to the men who died in the two World Wars.

Piccadilly Circus is the heart of the West End. It is called “The Hub” of the Empire or even of the Universe. The Circus is a popular meeting place for both Londoners and visitors in the daytime and at night it looks quite fantastic with many advertisements shining with light. In the centre of the square is the memorial fountain with the bronze statue of Eros, God of Love.

In Trafalgar Square, Nelson stands atop his 44 meters high monument. This legendary admiral, victor of Napoleon in the Battle of Trafalgar 1805, is guarded by a quartet of bronze lions. Round the base are four bronze carvings representing scenes of Nelson’s life. On the North Side of Trafalgar Square there is the National Gallery and joined to it the National Portrait Gallery. A Christmas tree, sent as a gift each year from Norway, is set up in this square on New Year’s Eve and crowds of people gather around the tree and the lions to celebrate New Year.

Londoners are fond of parks and gardens and are proud of them. There are about 550 parks with picturesque surroundings, ponds, fountains, flower-beds and even animals as deer and water birds – pelicans, ducks and swans. The most beautiful parks are Regent Park with the Zoo, the Open Air Theatre, a 20 acre boating lake, St. James Park, Green Park, the unique botanic garden with exotic plants and flowers. One of the largest parks is Hyde Park together with Kensington Garden. The parks are Central London’s lungs.

The East End is in great contrast with the wealthy West End. It is a vast heavily industrialized area including all the main factories, mills and docks. There are no big parks or gardens here. The smells of the Thames and the cargoes unloaded from the ships hang over the East End. Here people speak the special London dialect called “cockney”.

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