Created by František Kouba
Topic 13 London The name London comes from the Romans. The Romans came to England in AD 43. They built houses and made a town to the river Thames. They called the town Londinium. It was a rich town with about 50,000 people living in it. But soon after AD 400, the Romans left Londinium to go back to Rome, and nobody lived in the town for many hundreds of years. King Alfred built the town again. When Henry the Eighth was king in 1509, 50,000 people lived in London again. But the year 1600, there were 200,000, but a lot of them lived in old and dirty buildings. In 1665, 100,000 people died from an illness called the plague. A year later, in 1666, there was a big fire – the Fire of London. More than a quarter of a million Londoners lost their homes in the fire. It destroyed St Paul´s Cathedral and eighty- eight other churches. A new St Paul´s Cathedral was built between 1675 and 1711. Some interesting places The Queen has her London home at Buckingham Palace. It is at the end of the Mall – a long road that begins at Trafalgar Square. At half past eleven the soldiers at Buckingham Palace “change the guard”. It takes about thirty minutes. And in August and September, you can usually visit some of the rooms in the palace. The Tower of London is now a museum. More than two million people visit it every year. Yeoman Warders (also called Beefeaters) tell them all about the Tower. You can see the Crown Jewels, and visit the Bloody Tower and the White Tower. Tower Bridge is near the Tower of London. It is one of the most famous bridges in the city. St Paul’s Cathedral is not far away, on Ludgate Hill. It was built by Christopher Wren after the Fire of London. Westminster Abbey is more then nine hundred years old, and it is very famous London church. The Houses of Parliament are near the Westminster Abbey. This is the home of British government. The clock high up on the building is called Big Ben. When are you tired of looking at buildings, you can sit or walk in one of London’s beautiful parks. Hyde park has a lake in the middle (called Serpentine), and you can take the boat out on the water. You can listen to the speakers at Speaker’s corner. People from all over the world come and speak here. Kensington Gardens are next to Hyde park. You can see the statue of Peter Pan, the famous boy in the children’s story. Regent’s Park is the home of London ZOO. There is also a theatre in the park. In the summer you can sit out under the night sky and watch a play by William Shakespeare. St James’s Park is next to the mall. It is smaller, but many people think it is the most beautiful. In London there are a lot of famous theatres. You can hear wonderful music too at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, at the Royal Albert Hall etc. And what about museums and galleries, The British Museum is the biggest museum in Britain. Tickets are free. The Museum of London is one of the most interesting museums in the city. Four million people visit the National Gallery in the Trafalgar Square every year. There are more then two thousand pictures. Tickets are free. Madame Tussaud’s is famous for its people made from wax. You can see famous people from the past and famous people of today – Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Pavarotti, Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Sylvester Stalone, Shakespeare etc. Shops The most famous shop in London is Harrods. Oxford street has many big shops – Selfridges, Marks and Spencer… Charing Cross Road is famous for its bookshops. Covent garden was once a big food market but now it has lots of small shops and cafes. There are two very famous markets in London. Petticoat Lane market – it is good place to buy cheap clothes and things for home. And Portobello Road market – where you can buy old clocks, old chairs and tables, and hundreds of other things. Eating In Soho, in the West End of London you can eat food from Italy, India, China, Japan, Greece etc. There thousands of pubs in the city. The City It is the oldest part of London, the home of the Bank of England, and many other big offices. About five thousand people live in the City, and at the weekends it feels empty. But between Monday and Friday, nearly half a million people come here to work in the banks and offices. In the middle of the City there is St Paul’s Cathedral. In the City there is a very tall building – 60,6metres high – the Monument. Christopher Wren built this, and it stands on the place where the Fire of London began in 1666. Some interesting and exciting days. Every year in June, “foot guards” and “horse guards” have a parade for the Queen. This is called “Trooping the Colour”. The “colour” is the flag that the soldiers carry. The exciting Notting Hill Carnival is on the last Sunday and Monday in August. The second Saturday in November, Londoners can see their Lord Mayor’s show – a parade from Mansion House, the Lord Mayor’s home, to the strand. The Lord Mayor is the most important person in the city after the Queen. Who are they? Beefeaters – are soldiers. Their real name is Yeoman Warders of the Tower. The Beefeaters guard the Tower and the Crown Jewels, and they help visitors. Cockneys – they are Londoners, but not every Londoner is a real Cockney. The real Cockney can hear Bow bells – the bells of St Mary-le-Bow from their houses. Cockneys have their pearl “kings and queens”. The pearly kings and queens take their names from the pearly buttons on their clothes. They work in London’s street markets. (Petticoat Lane). They don’t dress their pearly clothes every day. “Night out” in the West End Piccadilly Circus is a very busy place in the West End. In the middle there is a statue. But it is not the statue of a famous man or woman. People don’t know its real name. They say: “It is Eros the Greek god of love”. Near Piccadilly Circus there are lot of theatres, cinemas and restaurants. We can get food from twenty different countries in these restaurants.
The most famous shop in London is Harrods.
Oxford street has many big shops – Selfridges, Marks and Spencer…
Charing Cross Road is famous for its bookshops.
Covent garden was once a big food market but now it has lots of small shops and cafes.
is the home of London ZOO. There is also a theatre in the park. In the summer you can sit out under the night sky and watch a play by William Shakespeare
are next to Hyde park. You can see the statue of Peter Pan, the famous boy in the children’s story.
It is the oldest part of London, the home of the Bank of England, and many other big offices. About five thousand people live in the City, and at the weekends it feels empty. But between Monday and Friday, nearly half a million people come here to work in the banks and offices. In the middle of the City there is St Paul’s Cathedral. In the City there is a very tall building – 60,6metres high – the Monument. Christopher Wren built this, and it stands on the place where the Fire of London began in 1666.
Hyde park has a lake in the middle (called
Serpentine), and you can take the boat out on the water. You can listen to the speakers at Speaker’s corner. People from all over the world come and speak here.
– are soldiers. Their real name is Yeoman Warders of the Tower. The Beefeaters guard the Tower and the Crown Jewels, and they help visitors.
The British Museum is the biggest museum in Britain. Tickets are free. The Museum of London is one of the most interesting museums in the city. Four million people visit the National Gallery in the Trafalgar Square every year.
is near the Tower of London. It is one of the most famous bridges in the city.
- they are Londoners, but not every Londoner is a real Cockney. The real Cockney can hear Bow bells – the bells of St Mary-le-Bow from their houses. Cockneys have their pearl “kings and queens”. The pearly kings and queens take their names from the pearly buttons on their clothes. They work in London’s street markets. (Petticoat Lane). They don’t dress their pearly clothes every day.
Tower of London is now a museum. More than two million people visit it every year. Yeoman Warders (also called Beefeaters) tell them all about the Tower. You can see the Crown Jewels, and visit the Bloody Tower and the White Tower.
Queen has her London home at Buckingham Palace. It is at the end of the Mall – a long road that begins at Trafalgar Square. At half past eleven the soldiers at Buckingham Palace “change the guard”. It takes about thirty minutes.
The name London comes from the Romans. The Romans came to England in AD 43. They built houses and made a town to the river Thames. They called the town Londinium. It was a rich town with about 50,000 people living in it. But soon after AD 400, the Romans left Londinium to go back to Rome, and nobody lived in the town for many hundreds of years.
St Paul’s Cathedral is not far away, on Ludgate Hill. It was built by Christopher Wren after the Fire of London.
is more then nine hundred years old, and it is very famous London church.
The Houses of Parliament are near the Westminster Abbey. This is the home of British government. The clock high up on the building is called Big Ben.
It lays north-west of Europe, across the Channel La Manche. The western coast of Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea. On the eastern coast there is the North Sea.
There is an important difference between the terms Great Britain and United Kingdom. Great Britain includes England; its capital is London; Wales with Cardiff and Scotland with Edinburgh. United Kingdom includes all of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with the capital Belfast.
Queen Elizabeth II is head of the constitutional monarchy and the government is responsible to her for its decisions. She is also Head of the Protestant Church of England
The United Kingdom consists of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Great Britain has a population of about 57 million people. The official language is English.
. Many decisions for the UK are made in London through the Parliament, consisting of the elected House of Commons and the unelected House of Lords.
Great Britain borders Ireland on the west and France on the south. The shortest connection to Europe is by ferry boat from Dover in southern England to Calais in France. Or there is the Channel Tunnel.
In Great Britain the climate is temperate (mírné) and humid (vlhké) due to the Gulf Stream. Winters are mild and summers are not very hot. It rains a lot and the grass is greener than in Central Europe.
The British rivers aren’t very long but some important ports are on them. The most famous river is the Thames in London.
The national anthem is: God Save The Queen: And each part of the United Kingdom has its own symbol: England – red rose, Ireland – shamrock (jetel), Wales – leek (pórek), daffodil (narcis), Scotland – thistle (bodlák)
The British flag is called : Union Jack
It symbolizes the Union of England, Scotland and Ireland. The flag is made up of the crosses of the patron saints of England ( St. George’s Red Cross on a white field ), Ireland (St. Patrick’s red diagonals on a white field) and Scotland (St. Andrew’s white diagonals on a blue field). Wales is not represented because when the flag first appeared it was already united with England.
The landscape of England is mostly rolling hillsides (zvlněná, kopcovitá). The highest mountain is Ben Nevis in Scotland – it is 1 342m high.
