London – the cultural centre of Britain

London is an ancient city. It grew up around the first point where the Roman invaders found the Thames narrow enough to build a bridge. They found a small Celtic settlement then known as Londinium and by 300 A. D. they had turned into a sizable port and an important trading centre with a wall which enclosed the homes of about 50 000 people.

One in seven of the population of the United Kingdom is a Londoner. About 7 million people live in London. London dominates British life. It’s the home of the nation’s commerce and finance, the main centre of its legal system and the press. It has the largest university and the greatest possibilities for entertainment and for sport in the country. London is one of the famous capital cities of the world, and every year attracts crowds of visitors from home and abroad. They come to explore its historic buildings, to see its museums and galleries, its streets and parks, and its people.

The built-up area of London stretches 50 kilometres from east to west and many of its districts are linked with particular activities, for example, parliamentary and government activity centres on Parliament Square of Westminster and Whitehall. Just as «Westminster» stands for Parliament so «Whitehall» is often used as the name for central Government. Off Whitehall in a small side-street Downing Street – is a quiet, unimpressive house - № 10 – the official home of Prime Minister.

Just as Wall Street in New York is the centre of commerce and finance so the City of London, sometimes called «the square mile», is the centre of money matters. Fleet Street near St. Paul’s Cathedral used to be a busy street full of London, provincial and foreign newspaper offices such as «The Daily Express», «The Daily Telegraph». Fleet Street is still used to describe the newspaper industry.

London is full of parks and green spaces. Hyde Park, originally a royal hunting forest, is the largest park in London. Beyond Hyde Park lies another royal park, Kensington Gardens. Children gather by the statue of Peter Pan, James Barrie’s well-known book character, or sail their model boats on the Round Pond. In the north of London is Regent’s Park with a zoo and an open-air theatre.

Like many capital cities, London grew up along a major river. The Thames divides London sharply in two. Most of central London is on the north bank of the river. The Thames at London is tidal and there have been several serious floods. The risk of this is increasing as southern England is sinking in relation to sea level. Threat of disaster, however, has been lessened by the construction of a flood barrier.

It is always interesting for tourists to take a trip along the Thames in a boat as it gives a striking panorama of London. The best way to see the city quickly is from the top of London red double-decker buses. Special tourist buses go on two-hour circular tours. The other quick and easy way of getting around London is by «tube» – the Underground railway. During the «rush hours», when office workers hurry to and from work, the tube train doors can hardly close behind the crushed crowd.

The City.

Tradition. The City is not the whole of central London: it is just a small area east of the centre, the site of the original Roman town, so it is the oldest part of the capital. The City has a long and exciting history, and it is proud of its independence and traditional role as a centre of trade and commerce. The City's administration is headed by the annually elected Lord Mayor, whose official residence is the Mansion House. Once a year, in November, the Lord Mayor's Show takes place. It is a colourful street parade in which the newly elected Lord Mayor travels along the streets of the City in a golden coach, which is over 200 years old. In the evening a splendid meal is served in the Guildhall, to which the Prime Minister and members of the government are invited.

Commerce and finance. The City of London is one of the biggest banking centres of the world, and you can find the banks of many nations in the famous Threadneedle Street and the surrounding area. Here, too, you will find the Bank of England. Nearby is the Stock Exchange, which is like a busy market, except that, here not food but shares in commercial companies are bought and sold. A little further along, in Leadenhall Street, is Lloyds, the most famous insurance companies in the world.

The Old Bailey. The Central Criminal Court of the country is also to be found in the City, in the western part of it. It is called the Old Bailey, after the. street in which it is situated. Some of Britain's most famous murder trials have taken place here. Nearby is the area known as the Temple – a group of buildings where many lawyers have their offices.

The press. Fleet Street is famous as the home of the national newspapers but, in fact, only two of them – The Daily Express and The Daily Telegraph – are still in Fleet Street. However, people still say Fleet Street when they mean the press.