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Top ten tours - attractions
A brief history of London
London has come along way since it was founded as a trading port and business centre by the Romans in AD43. London was and always has been a trading port, and once the greatest of them all. The docklands area has now been transformed into gleaming office blocks and luxury apartments. As the port of London declined, investment poured into Heathrow airport, which is now the world's second largest cargo port.
An imperial city of villages... The old Roman city know as simply the "City" remains to this day a business district and the City of Westminster is still the religious, political and cultural centre. The "City" is where the money is made and Westminster is where the money is spent. The hamlets and villages surrounding these two cities, were nearly all swallowed up during the 19th century. These settlements became suburbs of a greater London covering over 620sq miles, the capital of a Great Empire. London still feels like a city of villages today!
London today... London is the cultural, financial and political heart of the UK, and financial capital of Europe. London is Europe’s richest city and is the largest investment banking centre in Europe and leads the world in international bond trading, foreign exchange trading and cross-border lending. London's economy is largely based on the performance of the growth of other nations.
The facts... There are currently four World Heritage Sites located in London - Palace of Westminster, Tower of London, Maritime Greenwich and Kew Gardens. London has over 40,000 shops and some 80 individual markets. There are 6,128 restaurants (22% of Britain’s restaurants) including menus from more than 50 major country cuisines, and 36 Michelin star rated restaurants. Don't forget the 3800 pubs, 233 nightclubs, 150 theatres and 300 museums. Open space accounts for 30% of the London area including 147 registered parks and gardens and eight royal parks. The largest park is Richmond Park covering nearly 3000 acres.
Top ten tours - attractions
1) The National Gallery comes as a surprise to visitors to discover that the museum houses the national collection of western European art, not only British works, but from all schools, from the late 13th century to 1900. Artist represented include Titian, Caravaggio, Monet, Van Cogh, Turner, Raphael, Constable, Rubens, Van Dyke and Leonardo da Vinci and many more. There is FREE entrance into the gallery.
2) The British Museum was the first secular public museum of its kind in the world, representing all human knowledge and achievement. The museum's functions are to collect, preserve and exhibit. The museum is famous for housing a great collection of Egyptian artifacts (mummies) the Elgin marbles and the Rosetta stone. British items include the Sutton Hoo ship burial. There is FREE entrance into the gallery.
3) Westminster abbey is a royal church and once a Benedictine monastery. Most importantly Westminster abbey is the place that all Kings and Queens have been crowned in the last 1000 years apart from two exceptions (King Edward VIII and King Edward V). The abbey is also a place where many British monarch's have been entombed and over the centuries and so the church has evolved into a national mausoleum of sorts. Tombs and memorials to statesmen, poets, scientist, and composers clutter the aisles, walls and floors of the great church. The abbey is also one of Britain's great architectural gems, rarely rivaled.
4) Tate Britain is the national gallery of British art. Located in London, it is one of the family of four Tate galleries which display selections from the Tate Collection. The other three galleries are Tate Modern, also in London, Tate Liverpool, in the north-west, and Tate St Ives, in Cornwall, in the south-west. The collection dates from the Tudor period in the 16th century to the present day.
5) Tate Modern is the national gallery of international modern art. Created in the year 2000 from a disused power station in the heart of London, Tate Modern displays the national collection of international modern art. This gallery is also FREE.
6) The Tower of London is London's castle. The oldest part of the Tower of London is the white tower dating from the 11th century. The building now consists of 24 towers staggered around rings of concentric walls. You will be able to see the English crown jewels including the largest diamond in the world, the imperial state crown and imperial state crown of India. The Tower also houses a superb collection of royal armour and weaponry. See a mediaeval palace and enjoy lunch in the armories cafe.
7) St Paul's Cathedral is the people's church compared with Westminster abbey being the royal church. There has been a St Paul's church on the site for 1400 years. The present building is the fifth on the site and took 35 years to construct. The great architectural feature of the building is the magnificent dome, the interior of which is painted with allegorical scenes from the life of St Paul. Visitors can climb the 533 steps to the golden gallery on top of the dome, the views across the city are the best.
8) The London Eye is the world's highest observation wheel reaching the height of 450 ft. Each glass capsule can take up to 30 passengers, who enjoy 360 degree views of the city. The cost is £13.00 per adult, £6.50 per child (under fives free), £10.00 per senior.
9) Victoria and Albert Museum is a museum of fine and applied art of all countries, styles and periods. It was once said that the museum 'has proved an extremely capacious handbag'. Into which has been deposited the tapestry cartoons of Raphael, British watercolours, the great bed of Ware, a huge and famous bed it was said to slept 26 butchers and their wives! costume and jewelry the list goes on. This gallery is also FREE.
10) Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. These unique gardens, extend just over 300 acres and combine a scientific centre and historic pleasure gardens. The beauty is more than skin deep. The collection of 40,000 plants is the largest in the world and one in eight of the world's flowering plants is grown here. Highlights include the 19th century Temperate house covering over 4880 square metres and the newly restored 50 metre tall Pagoda, climb to the top for spectacular views.
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