Multicultural London

London

London is the capital of England, the capital of Great Britain, and the capital of the United Kingdom. It is the largest town in Europe and one of the oldest towns in the world. The old Celts gave it its name, the Romans! made it the centre of their new colony, the Germanic invaders tried to burn and to destroy it, the victorious Normans made it the capital of the country.

The central part of London is full of historical remains. Nearly every building, every bridge, every street, palace, house, and stone — each of them has its own story, its own past. In London past and present are so mixed together that they cannot easily be separated and when you are in London you see the past in the present and the present in the past.

The oldest part of London is called the City. In the City the streets and pavements are very narrow and the traffic is very heavy on weekdays. That is because the most important London firms and banks have offices there. But at weekends the City is almost dead.

The most fashionable and the most expensive part to live in is the West End. It is situated between the City and Hyde Park. The City and the West End are the heart of London; they are the parts which everybody who comes to London must see and wants to see, because they are more interesting than any other part of London. All the most interesting buildings, shops and offices are situated here.

The Tower of London, the Bank of England, the Mansion House where the Lord Mayor lives, the Law Courts, and many interesting old churches are situated in the City. The Houses of Parliament with Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the National Gallery and many theatres and good shops are in the West End.

London has many bridges over the Thames, more than twenty but the most interesting of them all is the Tower Bridge situated near the Tower of London.

The Tower of London is an old castle, with high walls, high towers, small windows and large gardens. Once it was a royal residence, a strong fortress and a state prison. Here many important people, among them two wives of Henry VIII, were imprisoned and beheaded.

One of the oldest and the most famous places of London is St. Paul's Cathedral. It has been destroyed and rebuilt several times since the original construction in the 7th century. It stands in the centre of the so-called Little Britain. A large part of Little Britain was destroyed during the war: the houses that were close to the Cathedral's walls disappeared and for the first time in centuries St. Paul's Cathedral's beauty can be seen.

London is changing rapidly, is becoming a more vital, a cleaner, a more prosperous place. But there are still aspects of London which would not seem all that unfamiliar to someone who lived here at the beginning of the century. The new IMAX cinema at Waterloo symbolises what is new, but when it was built it was necessary for the authorities to clear ‘cardboard city’, a small shanty-town created by the homeless. It is now gone, but its inhabitants are still here, still to be seen huddled on the pavements covered by their blankets.

Population

The population of the 32 London Boroughs, plus The City of London is approximately 7,700,000. These boroughs are the divisions of London which have their own local government by elected Councillors. The European Union has introduced the notion of "Larger Urban Zones" aimed at making meaningful comparisons between the demographics of the major cities in Europe. The measure given for the Larger Urban Zone centred around London is 11,917,000. London is a multicultural city, as it has been since the Roman times. Now about a quarter of the capital's inhabitants are members of the ethnic minorities.

Traditions

Important Festivals of london: London has a rich cultural heritage. Many colorful, vibrant, and joyful festivals are celebrated by the people of London.

Some of the festivals that are celebrated throughout London are Guy Fawkes Night, New Year's Day Parade, Regent Streets Festival, and City of London Festival. Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated on the 5th of November to remember the failure of outlaw Guy Fawkes to blow up the Parliament for his religious beliefs. On this cold November night, people gather in parks to appreciate the display of fireworks and to burn an effigy of the brigand, Guy Fawkes, in a bonfire. Along with this, many parks have fairs, food stalls, and games. The party hosted by Battersea Park of London is extremely popular among the people of London.

Customs and Traditions: Outside the Buckingham Palace, you can see guards dressed in their trademark bright red uniforms accompanied by bearskin hats. These guards are the bodyguards of the Queen. Every day, a new troop of thirty guards march to the palace and replace the old guards. This is called the Changing of the Guards ceremony. This ceremony was started in the year 1660, since which time the King or Queen of England have been guarded by the Household Troops.

Transport

London now has seven major stations providing long distance and local services. Eurostar trains run from St Pancras Station to the Chunnel Tunnel and onto mainland Europe. The railways came to London in Victorian times. The first important station was Euston, which opened in 1837. London has a railway that goes under london. It is known as the Tube or the London Underground. London's distinctive taxis, black cabs, are as much a feature of city life as its red double-decker buses. Like the buses, black cabs are also being modernised and many are now painted other colours with advertising. All black cab drivers must pass a stringent test known as 'The Knowledge' before they are licenced to operate a taxi. This tests their knowledge of London's streets and the quickest traffic routes. You can phone for a black cab, hail one in the street or find one in a rank, especially near large railway stations or some major hotels. They carry a yellow 'For Hire' sign above the windscreen which is lit up when they are free. To stop one hold out your arm in a purposeful, and determined way. When the taxi stops tell the driver your destination. Taxis are a good option for groups of people sharing the fare, which can be steep - there is a £2.20 minimum fare at all times. Tipping at about 10% is expected. Where credit or debit are accepted there is a typical surcharge of between 10% and 15% of the metered fare.

Languages: English

English is spoken everywhere. American English often differs from British English. Our list of often confused words is here.

Weather

England's weather remains the most frequent topic of conversation. Although England does have a reputation for wet weather all year round, it doesn't rain every day all year around. However it is impossible to guarantee good or bad weather in any given month - so be prepared for anything.

Best time to visit

The summer months are when mosts Brits take their holidays, with schools breaking up for the whole of August. The summer months have the best weather but crowds at tourist attractions tend to peak around June-September.

Multicultural London

Woodlands Junior School is in the south-east corner of England. More than 270 nationalities make up the fabric of the city. Many have family roots in Africa and India, formerly governed by the British empire. Although predominantly white and Anglo-Saxon, more than a quarter of London's population is from an alternative ethnic background, making up half of the Britain's total ethnic minorities. This gives London the largest non-white population of any European city and is an important part of its cosmopolitan feel. Over 250 languages are spoken in the city, making the capital the most linguistically diverse city in the world. In the 2001 census, people living in London classed their ethnic group as the following:

· 76% as white (classified as British White, Irish or "Other White"),

· 10% as Indian, Bangladeshi or Pakistani,

· 5% as black African,

· 5% as black Caribbean,

· 3% as mixed race and

· 1% as Chinese.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1668