Parrot Contents: 1. A brief History of London. 2. Places worth visiting. 3. View from the London Eye. 4. Meeting with famous people in Madame Tussauds 5. Competition/The best compositions “ My impressions from London”. 6. British Quiz Journalists: Students: Marcin Karaskiewicz, Jan Sikora, Tymon Huchla
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Teacher: Lidia Jabłońska-Kwiatkowska
A brief history of London - Almost 2000 years ago: The Romans invaded Britain. They built a town beside the River Thames, and named it Londinium. - By the year 200: Londinium was the biggest town in Britain. It had a bustling market square, a fort for Roman soldiers, and arena where savage gladiator battles were fought. - Around 400: The Romans left Britain. Over the next 600 years, people called the Saxons, and then the Vikings, lived in London. During this time Westminster Abbey was built. - 1066 The Norman ruler William the Conqueror took control of England. He built the Tower of London as his royal palace. At that time, only around 15,000people lived in London. - By 1300: London had grown intone of the world’s biggest cities, with around 80,000 people. Its twisting streets where alive with shops and stalls. Horses were bought and sold at Smithfield Market. - In the 1400s: The city expanded, swallowing nearby villages. Grand mansions, such as Banqueting House, where built. The south bank of the Thames was crammed with rowdy inns and lively playhouses like Shakespeare’s Globe. - In the 1500s: King Henry VIII had St. James’s Palace built, and St. James’s Park laid out as royal gardens. Ships such as the Golden Hinde set sail from London’s busy docks. - 1665 – 1666 The Great Plague ravaged London, killing around 100,000 people. The next year, the Great Fire of London broke out, destroying most of the city. Later, the Monument was built to remember those dark days. - In the 1700s: London was quickly rebuilt after the fire. Elegant houses were laid around spacious gardens. St Paul’s Cathedral was built, as well as the Bank of England and the British Museum. The city’s population swelled to around million. ~2~
- Early in the 1800s: London was the heart of the vast British Empire. The riverbanks were crowded with factories, and the population boomed to around 6 million. Parts of the city became miserable slums, festering with disease. - 1830 – 1860: In 1837, Queen Victoria moved into Buckingham Palace. Three years later, building began on the Houses of Parliament. Then, in 1851, an exhibition was held in Hyde Park to celebrate Britain’s achievements in science and industry. The V&A and the Science Museum were built from its profits. - 1863: The world’s first underground train line opened in London. Around the same time , steam trains rumbled over London’s bridges, bringing thousands of new people into the city. - Early 1900s: London’s growing train network meant that the city itself grew too, as people moved to greener scrubs close by. Westminster Cathedral was built in 1903. - 1940s: In the Second World War, the city was devastated by a series of air raids known as the Blitz. Over 20,000 Londoners died, and millions were left homeless. As the bombs fell, the British government met in the secret underground Cabinet War Rooms. - London today London recovered from the war, and got bigger. Around 8 million people now lives there. Striking new office buildings such as City Hall, the Lloyd’s Buildings and 30 St. Mary Axe sit side-by-side with famous places from the past.
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Places worth visiting
Day 1: London Eye: The stunning views from the top .On a clear day, you can see for over 40km (25 miles), all the way to Windsor Castle. Each capsule takes about 30 minutes to go all the way around. They travel slowly, so passengers can step on and off without the wheel having to stop. This huge observation wheel was built to celebrate the new millennium. It was only meant to be up for five years, but was so popular it was made a permanent addition to London’s skyline. The London Eye is 135m (450ft) high – that’s three times than Tower Bridge. Its 32 glass capsules travel in a slow circle as the wheel turns. From the top, passengers inside get spectacular views across London.
National Gallery: There are over 3,300 paintings on display in the National Gallery, which is free to go inside. Here, you can see works by some of the most famous names in the history of art, such as Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Vincent van Gogh, or Monet. You can see also watch films and listen to talks telling you more about some of the gallery’s most famous paintings.
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Trafalgar Square: This famous square was built to celebrate the British naval victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. In the middle of the Square stands Nelson’s Column, topped with a statue of Admiral Lord Nelson, who led the famous victory. Today the Square is a popular place for national celebrations, political rallies and outdoor displays of modern art.
London Transport: London has the world’s largest public transport system. Every day, around 6.5 million people travel on the city’s buses and underground trains. In 1829, London’s first double decker bus was pulled by horses. Then, in 1863, the world’s first underground train line opened. Today, London has almost 300 underground stations. More than anywhere else. You can also get about in black taxi cabs. f
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Day 2: Tower of London: This ancient fortress is actually a complex of 21 towers, enclosed within thick stone walls. Over the past 900 years, the Tower as been used as a royal palace, an astronomical observatory, and even a zoo. But the Tower is best known as a prison, where enemies of English kings and queens had their heads chopped off. Today it’s a museum, housing the priceless Crown Jewels.
Natural History Museum: This striking Victorian building contains a vast collection of animals, plants, rocks, and fossils from all around the world. Among the natural wonders on display are a snarling model of a Tyrannosaurus rex, one of the world’s biggest trees, a living colony of ants, and a life-sized model of a blue whale hanging from the ceiling of the Mammal Hall.
Buckingham Place: Since 1837, this enormous place has been the official home of the kings and queen of Great Britain. Inside are almost 800 lavishly decorated rooms, including 52 bedrooms and 78 bathrooms. The palace also has a chapel, post office and cinema. Most of Buckingham Place is private, but you can visit some of the beautiful State Rooms on public tours in the summer.
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St. James’s Park: This is one of London’s prettiest, and oldest, parks. A small lake runs through it, where you can spot all sorts of birds and wildfowl, including ducks, geese, swans and pelicans. The bridge across the lake (called Blue Bridge) offers great views of Buckingham Palace. In the other direction is Horse Guars Parade, where traditional military ceremonies are held in June each year.
Westminster Abbey: The first abbey (monastery church) on this site was built over 1,000 years ago, although the soaring building you see today was constructed between the 13th and 16th centuries. Since 1066, all of Britain’s kings and queens have been crowned at Westminster Abbey in glittering ceremonies. Most of them are buried here too, as well as famous British writers, politicians, soldiers and scientists.
Day 3 The British Museum: Established in 1753, the British Museum is the oldest public museum in the world, and one of the biggest. It’s free too. Its vast collection includes Egyptian mummies and priceless medieval manuscripts. At the heartthrob the museum is the beautiful glassroofed Great Court, and a huge round library called the Reading Room.
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Madame Tussauds: Madame Tussauds is the world’s most famous wax museum. French artist Marie Tussaud opened her museum on Baker Street in 1835. Since then it has grown into one of London’s most popular tourist attractions . Around two million visitors come here each year to have their pictures taken with the lifelike.
Day 4: Hampton Court Palace: Is a royal palace placed, south west and upstream of central London on the River Thames. Redevelopment began to be carried out in 1515 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, a favourite of King Henry VIII. In 1529, as Wolsey fell from favour, the King seized the palace for himself and later enlarged it. Along with St James's Palace, it is one of only two surviving palaces out of the many owned by King Henry VIII.
Day 5: City Hall: This Strangely shaped glass building is where the Mayor of London works. It has ten floors of busy officers, as well as a viewing platform at the top that gives you great views up and down the River Tames. City Hall’s round shape means it loses heat less than rectangular buildings, which makes it better for the environment.
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Millennium Bridge: This sleek steel footbridge spans the Thames between St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Tate Modern, linking the north and south banks of the city. The Millennium Bridge is first new footbridge to cross the Tames in over 100 years. It was built to celebrate the new millennium, and designed to look like a blade of light streaking across the river. Written by: Marcin Karaskiewicz 3d
View from London Eye
Photography by: Marcin Karaskiewicz 3d
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Meeting with famous people in Madame Tussauds
Photography by:
Marcin Karaskiewicz 3d
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MY EXPERIENCE FROM LONDON I am going to describe my experience from a school trip to London. Visiting London was a wonderful experience.
I am interested in architecture in London and I don't think only about churches, castles and palaces. I think mainly about everyday casual things such as houses that were very small but had gardens and there was enough place for even 13 people. Streets were very narrow and I wonder how Londoners could drive there. Of course churches and palaces were also very beautiful, built usually in late gothic style. It is obvious that London is a very big city but I have never expected it to be so big. I felt that some streets were endless. Thanks to this trip I know why London has so many underground lines. The city of London is the historic heart of London. Today the city is a mostly commercial district dominated by the stately buildings and skyscrapers that house offices for the finance industry. Everyone wears an elegant suit.
In London things are very expensive in comparison with Polish prices. However, there are too many people for me because I prefer isolated and remote places. Now it's time to talk about family that took care of me and my three friends. I and my friends were quite excited when we were selected to English families. I wanted a typical British family, but it didn't turn the way I wanted. When our guide introduced me to Mr Kidhani ( I am sure that I have misspelled his surname, but I don't know how to write it properly :( ) I knew that he wouldn't be a typical, native man from England and indeed he wasn’t. He looked Jamaican but I've never asked him about his nationality. I really liked Mister Kidhani. He was very nice and friendly. He knew how to talk to people who weren't very experienced in talking in foreign language. Mister Kidhani had wife and three children with whom we didn't talk a lot. The oldest guy from siblings seemed kind and cool. I was shocked that people in England eat pizzas, spaghetti etc. for supper. For breakfast they eat cornflakes and toasts which is rather normal. Taking everything into consideration my experience is very positive. I am looking forward to visiting London once again in the future. I think that London is interesting and worth visiting Bye London Tymon Huchla. Written by: Tymon Huchla
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BRITISH QUIZ After your visit London, please try to answer the following questions: 1. What is the full name of the country where we have just been to? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. What is the full name of Queen? How old is She? When did She become the monarch? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Could you name, at least, three architects famous for their works in London/England? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Have you heard about any British writers during this trip to England? Who has been mentioned? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Where were all the monarchs crowned? Who was the last monarch crowned there? When was it? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. What is special about the Tower of London? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. Why is the Rossetta Stone of such great importance? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. How is London protected against the floods? When was it
built?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9. How big is London? How is it divided? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. Can you name at least three Queens? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11. Do you remember the names of at least four London Bridges? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you very much
Copied by Jan Sikora
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