London, England

London, England

As well as being the capital of England, London is the capital of the

United Kingdom. It is one of the greatest, most colourful and

interesting cities of the world, and it tops the list of the cities I

would like to visit. I know a lot about it - I have studied its map,

seen a lot of postcards, talked to people who have been there.

Sometimes I close my eyes and imagine I walk down Piccadilly, Regent

or Oxford Street, cross the Thames by London or Tower Bridge, or knock

on the door of Number 10, Downing Street, just to say “Hi!” to Tony

Blair.

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London is a city which was never planned. It has accumulated. So, it

includes the City of London, the West End and the East End. The city

is really large – more than 8 million people live in so-called Greater

London – that is, London and its suburbs. It stands on the both sides

of the river Thames and 14 bridges span the river. The Thames,

described variously as “liquid history” and the “noblest river in

Europe” is graced in London with a score of bridges, tunnels and a

barrier, but until 1750, when the first Westminster Bridge opened,

London Bridge was the one and the only. The first one built in stone

from 1176 to 1209 became renowned throughout Europe for its houses and

a chapel dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury. Several of London

bridges have special features – Hammersmith Bridge has ornamental

metal work and Vauxhall has larger than life bronze figures

representing pottery, engineering, architecture, agriculture, science,

fine arts, local government and education. Among the boats which ply

the river, few attract more attention than the Oxford and Cambridge

University Boat Race.

London was founded by the Romans in 43 A.