1. BIG BEN
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Big Ben is the nickname
for the Great Bell of
the clock at
the north end of the Palace of
Westminster in London, and
often extended to refer to the clock and the clock tower. The tower is officially known as Elizabeth Tower, renamed to celebrate the Diamond
Jubilee of Elizabeth II in
2012; previously it was known simply as the Clock Tower. The tower holds the
second largest four-faced chiming clock in the world (after Minneapolis City
Hall). The tower was completed in
1859 and had its 150th anniversary on 31 May 2009, during which celebratory
events took place. The tower has become
one of the most prominent symbols of the United Kingdom and is often in the establishing shot of films set in London.
The bottom 200 feet (61.0 m) of the tower's
structure consists of brickwork with sand coloured Anston limestone cladding. The remainder of the tower's
height is a framed spire of cast iron.
The tower is founded on a 50 feet (15.2 m) square raft, made of 10 feet
(3.0 m) thick concrete, at a depth of 13 feet (4.0 m) below ground
level. The four clock dials are 180 feet (54.9 m) above ground. The
interior volume of the tower is 164,200 cubic feet (4,650 cubic metres).
Despite being one of the world's most famous tourist
attractions, the interior of the tower is not open to overseas visitors, though
United Kingdom residents are able to arrange tours (well in advance) through
their Member of Parliament. However, the tower currently has no lift,
though one is planned, so those escorted must climb the 334 limestone stairs to
the top.
2. LONDON EYE
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The London Eye is a
giant Ferris
wheel on the South Bank of the River
Thames in London. Also known
as the Millennium Wheel, it has also been called by its owners the British
Airways London Eye, then the Merlin Entertainments London Eye, then the EDF Energy London Eye. Since mid-January 2015, it has been known as the Coca-Cola London Eye, following an
agreement signed in September 2014.
The
structure is 443 feet (135 m) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 394
feet (120 m). When erected in 1999 it was the world's tallest Ferris wheel. Its
height was surpassed by the 520 feet (158 m) tall Star
of Nanchang in 2006, the 541
feet (165 m) tallSingapore Flyer in
2008, and the 550 feet (168 m) High Roller (Las
Vegas) in 2014. Supported by an A-frame on one side only, unlike the taller
Nanchang and Singapore wheels, the Eye is described by its operators as
"the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel".
It is
Europe's tallest Ferris wheel, and
offered the highest public viewing point in London until it was superseded by the 804
feet (245 m) observation
deck on the 72nd floor of The Shard,
which opened to the public on 1 February 2013. It is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the
United Kingdom with over
3.75 million visitors annually, and has made many appearances in popular culture.
The
London Eye adjoins the western end of Jubilee Gardens (previously the site of the former Dome
of Discovery), on the South Bank of the River Thames between Westminster Bridge and Hungerford
Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth.
The
London Eye was designed by architects Frank Anatole, Nic Bailey, Steve Chilton,
Malcolm Cook, Mark Sparrowhawk, and the husband-and-wife team of Julia
Barfield and David Marks.
Mace was responsible for construction
management, with Hollandia as the main steelwork contractor and Tilbury
Douglas as the civil
contractor. Consulting engineers Tony Gee & Partners designed the
foundation works while Beckett Rankine designed the marine works.
Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners assisted The Tussauds Group in obtaining planning and listed
building consent to alter the wall on the South Bank of the Thames. They also examined and
reported on the implications of a Section 106 agreement attached to the original contract, and
also prepared planning and listed building consent applications for the
permanent retention of the attraction, which involved the co-ordination of an
Environmental Statement and the production of a planning supporting statement
detailing the reasons for its retention.
The rim
of the Eye is supported by tensioned steel cables and resembles a huge spoked bicycle
wheel. The lighting was redone with LED lighting
from Color
Kinetics in December 2006 to
allow digital control of the lights as opposed to the manual replacement ofgels over fluorescent tubes.
The
wheel was constructed in sections which were floated up the Thames on barges
and assembled lying flat on piled platforms in the river. Once the wheel was
complete it was lifted into an upright position by a strand
jack system made by Enerpac. It was first raised at 2 degrees
per hour until it reached 65 degrees, then left in that position for a
week while engineers prepared for the second phase of the lift. The project was
European with major components coming from six countries: the steel was supplied
from the UK and fabricated in The Netherlands by the Dutch company Hollandia,
the cables came from Italy, the bearings came from Germany (FAG/Schaeffler
Group), the spindle and hub were cast in the Czech Republic, the capsules were
made by Poma in France (and the glass for these
came from Italy), and the electrical components from the UK.
3. LONDON BRIDGE / Tower BRIDGE
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London Bridge have spanned the River
Thames between the City
of London and Southwark,
incentral
London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1974, is a box
girder bridge built from
concrete and steel. This replaced a 19th-century stone-arched bridge, which in
turn superseded a 600-year-old medieval structure. This was preceded by a
succession of timber bridges, the first built by the Roman founders of London.[1]
The
current bridge stands at the western end of the Pool
of London but is positioned
30 metres (98 ft) upstream from previous alignments. The traditional ends
of the medieval bridge were marked by St Magnus-the-Martyr on the northern bank and Southwark Cathedral on the southern shore. Until Putney
Bridge opened in 1729, London
Bridge was the only road-crossing of the Thames downstream of Kingston-upon-Thames. Its importance has been
the subject of popular culture throughout the ages such as in the nursery
rhyme "London Bridge Is Falling Down"
and its inclusion within art and literature.
The
modern bridge is owned and maintained by Bridge House Estates, an independent charity
overseen by the City of London Corporation. It carries
the A3 road, which
is maintained by the Greater London Authority. The crossing also delineates an area
along the southern bank of the River Thames, between London Bridge and Tower
Bridge, that has been designated as a business improvement district.
The abutments of modern
London Bridge rest several metres above natural embankments of gravel, sand and
clay. From the lateNeolithic era
the southern embankment formed a natural causeway above
the surrounding swamp and marsh of the river's estuary; the
northern ascended to higher ground at the present site of Cornhill.
Between the embankments, the River Thames could have been crossed by ford when the
tide was low, or ferry when it was high. Both embankments, particularly the
northern, would have offered stable backheads for boat traffic up and
downstream – the Thames and its estuary were a major inland and Continental trade route from at least the 9th century BC. There is
archaeological evidence for scattered Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age settlement
nearby, but until a bridge was built there, London did not exist. Two ancient fords were in use a few miles
upstream, beyond the river's upper
tidal reach. They were aligned with the course of Watling Street and led into the heartlands of the Catuvellauni,
who at the time of Caesar's
invasion of 54 BC were
Britain's most powerful tribe. Some time before Claudius' conquest of AD 43, power shifted to the Trinovantes,
who held the region northeast of the Thames estuary from a capital at Camulodunum.
The first London Bridge was built by the Roman military as part of a
road-building program to help consolidate their conquest. 4. BUCKINGHAM PALACE
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Buckingham Palace
is the London residence and administrative
headquarters of the reigningmonarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the
centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It has been a focal point for
the British
people at times of national
rejoicing.
Originally
known as Buckingham House, the building at the core of today's palace was a
large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703 on a site that had been in
private ownership for at least 150 years. It was acquired by King George IIIin 1761 as a private residence for Queen Charlotte and became known as "The Queen's
House". During the 19th century it was enlarged, principally by
architects John Nash and
Edward Blore, who constructed three wings around a central courtyard.
Buckingham Palace became the London residence of the British monarch on the
accession of Queen
Victoria in 1837.
The
last major structural additions were made in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries, including the East front, which contains the well-known balcony on
which the royal family traditionally congregates to greet crowds. The palace
chapel was destroyed by a German bomb during World War II; the Queen's
Gallery was built on the site
and opened to the public in 1962 to exhibit works of art from the Royal
Collection.
5. COVENT GARDEN
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Covent Garden
is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit
and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist
site, and the Royal
Opera House, which is also known as "Covent Garden". The district
is divided by the main thoroughfare of Long Acre,
north of which is given over to independent shops centred on Neal's
Yard and Seven Dials, while the south contains the
central square with its street performers and most of the elegant buildings,
theatres and entertainment facilities, including the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and the London Transport Museum.
Though
mainly fields until the 16th century, the area was briefly settled when it
became the heart of the Anglo-Saxon trading town of Lundenwic. After the town was abandoned, part of
the area was walled off by 1200 for use as arable
land and orchards by Westminster
Abbey, and was referred to as "the garden of the Abbey and
Convent". The land, now called "the Covent Garden", was seized
by Henry VIII, and granted to the Earls
of Bedford in 1552. The 4th Earl commissioned Inigo
Jones to build some fine
houses to attract wealthy tenants. Jones designed the Italianate arcaded square along with the church
of St Paul's. The design of the square was
new to London, and had a significant influence on modern town planning, acting
as the prototype for the laying-out of new estates as London grew.
A small
open-air fruit and vegetable market had developed on the south side of the
fashionable square by 1654. Gradually, both the market and the surrounding area
fell into disrepute, as taverns, theatres,
coffee-houses and brothels opened up; the gentry moved away, and
rakes, wits and playwrights moved in. By the 18th century it had become a
well-known red-light district, attracting notable
prostitutes. An Act of Parliament was drawn up to control the area, and Charles
Fowler's neo-classical building was erected in 1830 to cover and help
organise the market. The area declined as a pleasure-ground as the market grew
and further buildings were added: the Floral Hall, Charter Market, and in 1904
the Jubilee Market.
6. WEMBLEY STADIUM
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Wembley Stadium is a football stadium
in Wembley, London,
England, which opened in 2007, on the site of the originalWembley Stadium, which was demolished from
2002–2003. The stadium hosts
major football matches including the FA Cup
Final and home matches of the England national football team.
Wembley
Stadium is a UEFA category four stadium. With 90,000 seats, it is the second-largest stadium in
Europe and thelargest stadium in the United
Kingdom. It is owned by The Football Association through its subsidiary Wembley
National Stadium Ltd (WNSL).
Designed
by HOK Sport and Foster and Partners, it includes a partially
retractable roof and the 134-metre-high (440 ft) Wembley Arch. The stadium
was built by Australian firm Multiplex at
a cost of £798 million.
In
addition to the FA Cup Semi-Finals and Final, the stadium
hosts the season-opening FA Community Shield, the League Cup Final,
the Football League Trophy and the Football League play-offs. The stadium
also hosts the FA Trophy,
the FA Vase and the National League play-offs. It hosted the 2011 and 2013 UEFA Champions League Finals,
the Gold medal matches at the 2012 Olympic Games football
tournament. The stadium also hosts the rugby
league Challenge
Cup Final, the NFL International Series and music concerts.
7. WESTMINSTER ABBEY
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Westminster Abbey,
formally titled the Collegiate Church of St. Peter at Westminster,
is a large, mainly Gothic abbey
church in the City of Westminster, London, located just to
the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the most
notable religious buildings in the United Kingdom and has been the traditional
place of coronation and burial site for English and, later, British monarchs. Between 1540 and 1556 the
abbey had the status of a cathedral. Since 1560, however, the building is no
longer anabbey nor a cathedral, having instead the
status of a Church
of England "Royal
Peculiar"—a church responsible directly to the sovereign. The building
itself is the original abbey church.
According
to a tradition first reported by Sulcard in about 1080, a church was founded at
the site (then known as Thorn Ey (Thorn Island)) in the 7th
century, at the time of Mellitus, a
Bishop of London. Construction of the present church began in 1245, on the
orders of King Henry III.
Since
1066, when Harold
Godwinson and William the Conqueror were crowned, the coronations of
English and British monarchs have been held there. There have been at least 16 royal
weddings at the abbey since 1100. Two were of reigning monarchs (Henry I and Richard II), although, before 1919, there had
been none for some 500 years.
8. BRITISH MUSEUM
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The British Museum is a museum dedicated to human history, art, and culture,
located in the Bloomsbury area of London.
Its permanent collection, numbering some 8 million works, is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence and originates from all continents,
illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginnings to
the present.
The British Museum was established in 1753, largely
based on the collections of the physician and scientist Sir Hans
Sloane. The museum first opened to the public on 15 January 1759, in Montagu House in Bloomsbury,
on the site of the current museum building. Its expansion over the following
two and a half centuries was largely a result of an expanding British colonial
footprint and has resulted in the creation of several branch institutions, the
first being the British Museum (Natural History) in South
Kensington in 1881.
Some objects in the collection, most notably the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon,
are the objects of controversy and of calls for restitution to their countries
of origin
The
British Museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and
Sport through a
three-year funding agreement. Its head is theDirector. The British
Museum was run from its inception by a 'Principal Librarian' (when the book
collections were still part of the Museum), a role that was renamed 'Director
and Principal Librarian' in 1898, and 'Director' in 1973 (on the separation of
the British Library).
A board of 25 trustees (with the Director as their accounting officer for the purposes of reporting to
Government) is responsible for the general management and control of the
Museum, in accordance with the British Museum Act 1963 and the Museums and Galleries Act 1992. Prior to the 1963 Act, it was chaired
by the Archbishop of Canterbury, theLord
Chancellor and the Speaker of the House of Commons.
The board was formed on the Museum's inception to hold its
collections in trust for
the nation without actually owning them themselves, and now fulfil a mainly
advisory role. Trustee appointments are governed by the
regulatory framework set out in the code of practice on public appointments
issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
9. St PAUL'S CATHEDRAL
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St Paul's Cathedral, London, is an Anglican cathedral,
the seat of the Bishop of
London and the mother church of the Diocese of
London. It sits on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of
London. Its dedication to Paul the
Apostle dates back to
the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. The present church, dating from the
late 17th century, was designed in the English
Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren. Its construction,
completed in Wren's lifetime, was part of a major rebuilding program in the
City after the Great Fire of London.
The cathedral is one of the most famous and most
recognize sights of London. Its dome, framed by the spires of Wren's City
churches, dominated the skyline for 300 years. At 365 feet (111 m) high, it was
the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1962. The dome is among the highest
in the world. St Paul's is the second largest church building in area in the United
Kingdom after Liverpool Cathedral.
St Paul's Cathedral occupies a significant place in
the national identity.It is the central subject of much
promotional material, as well as of images of the dome surrounded by the smoke
and fire of the Blitz. Services held at St Paul's have
included the funerals of Lord Nelson,
the Duke of Wellington and Sir Winston
Churchill; Jubilee celebrations for Queen
Victoria; peace services marking the end of the First and Second
World Wars; the wedding of
Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer, the launch of the
Festival of Britain and the thanksgiving services for the Golden Jubilee, the 80th
Birthday and the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.
St Paul's Cathedral is a working church with hourly
prayer and daily services.
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