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The Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament)

 

The Palace of Westminster, known also as the Houses of Parliament, is the place where two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) conduct their sittings. The Palace lies on the north bank of the river Thames in the London borough of the City of Westminster.

 

Big Ben

Big Ben is one of the most famous landmarks in the world. The clock tower is situated on the bank of the River Thamesand it is the part of the Palace of Westminster.

Officially Big Ben is only the name of the biggest of the five bells in the clock tower also known as St. Stephen’s Tower.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is one of the most popular landmarks in London. It is the London home of the British Royal family. The 600 room palace is surrounded by a 40 acre garden.

Tower of London

This royal fortress, on the north bank of the river Thames, was built by William the Conceror in 1066. The Tower, or Bloody Tower, has been the host to many famous executions and imprisonments, including those of Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey and Sir Walter Raleigh.

The London Eye

The London Eye, next to County Hall, is another of London’s most modern landmarks. It is the world’s biggest ferris wheel, and carries 800 passengers at a time on a thirty-minute ride. From its highest point of 450 feet, it promises views of up to 25 miles.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

The dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral is the second biggest dome in the world, after St. Peter’s in Rome.

The first St. Paul’s Cathedral was built in 604 AD but burnt down in 675. The rebuilt cathedral was again burnt down in the Great Fire of London in 1666.

On the 2nd of September, 1666, the Great Fire of London destroyed a large area of the city including St. Paul’s Cathedral. Sir Christopher Wren was given the task of designing and rebuilding St. Paul’s – a task that was to take him thirty-five years to complete. The most dramatic aspect of St. Paul’s was its great dome. It was the second largest dome ever built (the largest was St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome).

The Millennium Dome

The Millennium Dome is a large -shaped building, originally used as a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millennium (opened on January 1, 2000). It is located on the Greenwich Peninsula in south-east London.

The dome structure is the largest domed structure in the world. It contains 100 m-high yellow support towers, one for each month of the year, or each hour of the clock face, representing the role played by Greenwich Mean Time. It has become one of the United Kingdom's most recognisable landmarks.

 

 


Date: 2016-01-03; view: 1375


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