Places of Interest

London is very old but there are not so many old buildings there because during the Great Fire in 1666 old London burnt down. The oldest historical buildings in London are the Mansion House, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower, and Westminster Abbey.

St. Paul’s Cathedral is one of the tallest buildings in the City. The Mansion House is the residence of the Lord Mayor. It is in the City too. Tower is about 9 centuries old. It was built close to the City of London as a citadel, then it became a palace and later it was known as a prison. The English history is full of famous people who lost their lives there. Tower is a museum and a treasury now, crown jewels are kept there.

Westminster Abbey has been the place of coronation. Many famous Englishmen are buried there. Newton, Darwin, Dickens are among them. Westminster Abbey is beautiful in architecture.

The famous squares in London are Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus. Trafalgar Square with a Nelson’s Column in the centre and fountains is well-known in the world as a place of mass meetings. Piccadilly Circus with its clubs and shops is the centre of London’s theatres.

There are many parks in London. Hyde Park is the largest. It is famous for its Speaker’s Corner, a special area in the park where speakers of all types make speeches. In St. James’s Park the Buckingham palace is situated. It is the residence of the queen. It is interesting to watch the changing of the guard every morning in front of the palace.

Big Ben is a Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament.

There are many museums and art galleries in London. The most well-known among them are the British Museum, the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery of sculpture. The British Museum is one of the largest museums in the world. The British Museum is a library as well.

The world-known Madame Tussaud’s exhibition has a collection of life-size portraits in wax. Madame Tussaud’s portraits are always up-to-date and topical.

Many famous people lived in London. Among them Heinrich Heine, the German poet, Mozart, the German composer, who composed his first symphony her, I.P. Pavlov, the famous Russian physiologist, and many other scientists, artists, etc. Karl Marx lived 30 years here. He is buried in Highgate Cemetery.