Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey are considered one of the visiting cards of London. flocks here huge number tourists just to capture these beautiful and majestic sights of the capital of Great Britain, as well as themselves against their background. To see at least with one eye everything that was written in the articles that had to be memorized in English lessons at school.

On the theme of Big Ben, Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey, many articles have been written and to be honest, I don’t want to tritely repeat information that is already well known to everyone. If you want, open Wikipedia, other articles from the search and go ahead for dry statistics.

I want to tell you about something that is not so well known to the general mass of tourists. In this article I will operate historical facts, I will surprise and intrigue, and also try to uncover secrets Big Ben, Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey in London.

It will be interesting, I promise. Go!

BIG BEN (BigBen)

1. I want to shock you right away. Big Ben is not the tower of the Palace of Westminster. And not even a four-sided clock. This is the bell that is located behind the clock dial and which sounded for the last time at exactly noon on August 21, 2017, and fell silent for four whole years. It was disconnected in order to restore both the clock and the tower.

So long term Big Ben's silence caused cognitive dissonance among the public and in the House of Commons. The latter even announced that the period of silence of the bell would be revised.

In the meantime, Big Ben is covered with tiles. No, not all 96 meters of this giant, but only the lower part.

We managed to capture this exciting and quite important moment for London.

As for me, the restoration will only benefit old Ben. Moreover, they promise to install elevators, new bathrooms, a kitchen and other tourist delights in the tower.

And it will finally be possible to climb to the very top of the tower (previously only a select few enjoyed this right).

English teachers will be delighted. There will be something new to tell about Big Ben. New cramming topics are coming!

2. Why is it called Big Ben?! There are two legends about this.

According to one of them, the name of the clock was given by parliament. It so happened that when this burning issue was discussed, the loudest rant in the room was construction supervisor Benjamin Hall, who had the funny nickname “Big Ben.”

Almost no one listened to him, but after another not very smart remark from Hall, someone from the audience could not stand it and suggested: “Sirs, let’s call the bell Big Ben and go home!”

At first the audience laughed, but then they thought deeply.

According to another legend, Big Ben was named after the then popular boxer Benjamin Count.

2. The bell in the tower weighs 13.5 tons. It took 18 hours to raise it.

3. The clock in the tower is one of the most accurate and largest in the world. Moreover, what is noteworthy is that the accuracy of their movement is regulated using... an ordinary 1 penny coin (if necessary, the coin is placed on the pendulum and its movement slows down by 0.4 seconds per day).

4. At the base of each of the 7 meter clock dials of the tower there is the inscription “Domine Salvam fac Reginam nostram Victoriam primam”, which is translated from Latin as: “God save our Queen Victoria the First”.

Along the perimeter of the tower, to the right and left of the clock, is another phrase in Latin - “Laus Deo” (“Glory to God” or “Praise the Lord”).

5. Almost all UK news programs begin with a photograph of the tower.

6. The official name of the tower is “Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster”, and it is also called “St Stephen’s Tower”.

7. Once upon a time, Big Ben was a prison for parliamentarians who behaved inappropriately during meetings. What is noteworthy is that during the entire short history of its existence, only one person sat in the tower. Emmeline Pankhurst, who zealously defended women's rights. In her honor, a monument was erected in Parliament Square, where Big Ben stands.

8. Big Ben was designed by three people: amateur watchmaker Edmund Beckett Denison, lawyer George Airey, and Her Majesty's astronomer.

But the mechanism was assembled by a professional - watchmaker Edward John Dent. In 1854 the work was completed.

9. Since 1912, the clocks have been illuminated by gas jets, which were later replaced by electric lamps.

10. Very often you can see our Ukrainian tourist car near the tower.

11. Next to Big Ben is a monument to Winston Churchill. Old Churchill looks thoughtfully at the tower and remembers the long-gone times of his youth.

12. The view of Big Ben from the London Eye is beautiful!

Although I still don't recommend visiting the London Eye. Why - I already told in this article.

If you walk around the monument and look closely at Winston’s face, you can clearly read in his gaze: “Don’t waste time, gentlemen!”

12. Big Ben is one of the towers of Westminster Palace.

WESTMINSTERCASTLE(Palace of Westminster)

The palace itself is very beautiful.

It was rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style in 1840 after terrible fire, which almost completely destroyed the building in 1834.

Let me tell you, all these patterns, lintels, arches and stained glass windows are simply stunning.

What is noteworthy is that immediately after the fire, King William IV offered parliament the almost completed Buckingham Palace, but the sovereign’s servants refused the gift and decided to stay in the Palace of Westminster.

This is where the British Parliament currently meets.

The palace has 1,100 rooms, 100 staircases and 5 kilometers of corridors. Of the palace towers, the most famous is Big Ben (or Elizabeth's Clock Tower).

Another interesting thing is that next to the Palace of Westminster there is a small three-story building called the “Jewel Tower”. As you probably guessed, the building was specially built (in 1365-66) to store the jewelry of Emperor Edward III.

Moreover, for security purposes, the turret was surrounded by a moat with water.

But time passed. There were fewer and fewer valuables, and then, after a fire in 1512, they were completely taken out of there.

At the end of the 16th century, the Tower began to be used to store the archives of the House of Lords, thanks to which these archives survived the fire of 1834, unlike the archives of the House of Commons.

After World War II, the building was restored and became open to tourists.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY (WestminsterAbbey)

Across the road from the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben is Westminster Abbey. To be precise - St. Peter's Collegiate Church in Westminster.

According to legend, at the beginning of the 7th century, Saint Peter (the patron saint of fishermen) appeared to a local fisherman named Aldrich and pointed to the place where the church was soon founded. The church was named West Minster (from the English west - west and minster - monastery church).

Interestingly, in the Middle Ages, fishermen from nearby villages paid salmon tax to the abbey, and it is quite possible that the legend was invented precisely to justify the extortions.

But the history of the appearance of Westminster Abbey is associated with Edward the Confessor, who reigned from 1042 to 1065. He was known as a very pious man. So it is not surprising that he began a large-scale restructuring old church West Minster in grandiose architectural structure for the purpose of using it as a royal tomb.

By order of Edward, the Benedictine community received the status of an abbey (Catholic monastery) and good land. Also thanks to his contribution, the Royal Palace was built next to the Abbey.

Later, the Abbey was rebuilt several times. But at the same time it always remained a very rich monastery. For example, in 1535 his annual income was £2,800, equivalent to £1.5 million today.

It is not surprising that Westminster Abbey regularly hosts concerts of sacred and secular music. Both memorial events (September 6, 1997, the funeral ceremony of Princess Diana took place. Moreover, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Lord Charles Dickens and others rest here) and celebrations (April 29, 2011, the wedding ceremony of Prince William and Kate Middleton took place in the Abbey ).

But perhaps the most surprising thing is that Westminster Abbey houses a very interesting exhibit. A wooden throne made for Edward I back in 1300. This throne contains the legendary Skunk Stone, or as it is also called the “Stone of Destiny”.

According to legends, this stone has protective properties, and also bestows long youth and rich life to its owners.

Maybe it's true.

During World War II, not a single shell hit Westminster Abbey, while the Palace of Westminster was pretty battered.

The abbey has a small museum dedicated to the history of Westminster, pretty gardens and beautiful church Saint Margaret.

As for me, Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster, and Westminster Abbey are worthy of a visit on the very first day of your stay in London. It is beautiful, majestic and monumental. And these three attractions are located next to each other.

Additional information about Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey: where they are, how to get there

Location: London, Parliament Square
Address: Palace of Westminster, Old Palace Yard, London SW1
Nearest metro station: Westminster on the Circle, District and Jubilee lines
How to get there by bus: to Parliament Square or to the Whitehall Street (Trafalgar Square) stop.

Be sure to take advantage Oyster Card to pay for your trips (valid in London on all types of public transport).

Can also be reached by buses

We all know from school that the most famous bridge London is Tower Bridge. Unusual appearance makes it easily recognizable: on imposing river piers there are two Gothic-style towers, which are connected by drawbridges and pedestrian galleries.

Its main difference from other bridges is that it is a drawbridge and the lowest located above the Thames. It got its name due to its proximity to the Tower, which is located on the north side.

Short story

For a long time, the Thames was crossed by one bridge, the London Bridge. However, the sharp economic recovery and population growth that began in the 19th century showed the need for the construction of additional bridges, which were supposed to help solve the capital’s transport problem.

Over the course of several years, more than one bridge was built, but problems with traffic flow did not decrease. Soon a committee was created that studied dozens of projects, and only in 1884 the project of John Wolf Bury and Horace Johnsan was approved.

More than 400 workers worked on the construction of the bridge for 8 years. The opening took place on June 30, 1894, and was attended by Prince Edward of Wales and his wife Princess Alexandra.

The bridge was made in the Gothic style, but using a number of innovative developments. Thanks to the presence of a hydraulic system, just a couple of minutes are enough to ensure free passage for a sailing vessel. Until 1974, the bridge was raised by the operation of steam engines, in the furnaces of which coal was burned, which drove the pumps. They pumped water into reservoirs, storing energy. But progress did not stand still, and the entire mechanism was replaced with an electro-hydraulic system, which significantly saved time and costs. Now the bridge was raised not according to schedule, but out of necessity.

Over the years, Tower Bridge along with Big Ben have become real symbols and one of the main attractions of London.

Today, Tower Bridge is one of the most visited attractions in England. Many tourists coming here consider it an honor to take a walk through the legendary building, especially since many London hotels offer very informative and comprehensive excursions around the city.

Information for visitors

Address: Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2UP, United Kingdom

You can take a walk along Tower Bridge:

• V summer season(from April 1 to September 30) - from 10:00 to 18:30 (last entry at 17:30);
• during the winter season (from October 1 to March 31) - from 09:30 to 18:00 (last entry at 17:00).

Ticket prices:

You can buy tickets at

First, let me explain the title of the article I chose. In my perception, Buckingham Palace, the Tower and Westminster Abbey are the main architectural symbols of London - symbols of “high flying”. And in general they are very impressive, as befits diamonds. And the diadem is a crown characteristic of the ancient Anglo-Saxon Kings. I will not describe these three diamonds in detail - for this there are a lot of special articles on the Internet that can answer all the questions of those who are deeply interested in a wide variety of historical and architectural details. I will tell you about those particulars that seemed interesting to me personally, were memorable, and made a special impression.

Buckingham Palace and surroundings

Admiralty Arch and Admiralty

Buckingham Palace is the official modern London residence of British monarchs. It was built in the 18th century, when kings and aristocrats were replacing their former castles with a predominantly military function with spacious palaces that were more concerned with displaying luxury. The palace became a royal residence during Victoria's reign. I was not inside, since the palace is open to public visits only in August - September, and I was in London in March.

The excursion towards Buckingham Palace started from Trafalgar Square, which I consider the central point of London. Running along the Thames from Trafalgar Square is Whitehall Street, which contains several notable sites. And the ceremonial street Mall leads towards Buckingham Palace from the square. At the junction of Whitehall and the Mall stands Admiralty Arch:

Outside the Admiralty Arch there is a statue of the famous English explorer Captain James Cook. And next to it - huge complex five British Admiralty buildings. Here is just a small fragment of it:

Royal guard

Not far from these triumphant hulks is the building at 10 Downing Street, which serves as the residence of prime ministers. By the way, the building is rather inexpressive. Tourists are more attracted to the house of the Royal Horse Guards:

Its appearance at the end of the 19th century:

Dismounted (precisely dismounted, not infantrymen themselves) and horse guards stand guard. I advise you to visit the Buckingham Palace area around 11 am, as the changing of the guard ceremony takes place at this time. The old watch is lined up on a large sandy area in front of the Admiralty House (the Guard House is to the right):

In red uniform - a unit of the Palace Cavalry, which is called the "Life Guards" regiment. This is the oldest regular military unit Great Britain, dating back to 1660, when it was formed to protect the new King Charles II Stuart (this was shortly after the Restoration of the monarchy following revolutionary events, civil war, the execution of the previous King Charles I and the Republican regime).

A new watch is taking over - the Blues and Royals regiment in dark blue uniform:

This part arose a year later than Life Guards and is the result of a merger of the Royal Horse Guards (they are nicknamed the Blues) and the 1st Royal Dragoons (nicknamed the Royals).

The ceremony takes place calmly, without much fanfare. The small stature of the cavalrymen is noteworthy. There is no reason for ridicule. The fact is that these horse guards belong to the armored forces, where, of course, high growth is inappropriate. And by the way, they are not tin soldiers, suitable only for parade grounds. The Royal Guard has always actually participated in hostilities, including in Afghanistan.

Green Park and St James's Park

Next, the Mall runs between two parks - Green Park and St James's Park. Green Park is famous for what it used to be favorite place for duels of British aristocrats. And its name is supposedly explained by the following event. Once Charles II picked a lot of flowers here, made a lot of bouquets and gave them to many favorites (in Western Europe it was a gallant era with all the ensuing consequences). His wife became angry and ordered that the roots and bulbs of all flowers be dug up overnight. And they are no longer there, but there is only green grass and trees. Whether this is true or not, I don’t know, since I didn’t go to Green Park. But I enjoyed looking at St. James's Park:

And another look at the pond away from Buckingham Palace (the Ferris wheel called the London Eye can be seen in the distance):

Changing of the Guard

We continue to slowly move along the Mall and see Buckingham Palace, towards which a stream of tourists flows:

Parallel to us, a guards band marches along the Mall:

and the shift watch of the infantry regiment is moving (there are five of them in the Royal Guard - Coldstream, Grenadier, Scottish, Irish and Welsh; I was especially pleased to see the regiment from Wales: their plume on their cap is white-green-white and the buttons on their uniform are arranged according to the pattern "five - space - five") in the famous bearskin hats:

Unfortunately, the British Ministry of Defense has not yet found an alternative to bearskins for these hats. The only consolation is that these hats last for almost a hundred years. In passing, I note that they are made from grizzly bear skins (for officers - from the more luxurious and polished skins of males, for privates - from more modest skins of females). The hats weigh more than 3 kg, and they must be worn at any time of the year and in any weather. The British adopted bearskin hats from the French grenadiers after the victory at Waterloo.

The ceremony takes place in a moderately solemn manner, without any kind of nerve-racking, typical for changing of the guards in some other countries. The musicians, by the way, performed the march of the Preobrazhensky Regiment.

At the facade of Buckingham Palace. Queen Victoria Monument

And finally, here is Buckingham Palace itself:

On the lanterns you can see boats, which, of course, reflect the naval power of Britain. And on the gate lanterns there are royal crowns:

I don’t understand why the word “Australia” is written on the column on the left. It seems to me that the names of different British possessions or dominions are written on different columns, which could reflect the enormous sovereignty of this country.

Well, the most striking thing is the monument-memorial to Queen Victoria:

With the veneration of Victoria in England, in my opinion, there is some overkill, but that’s their business. The face of the Victoria statue is turned to northeast direction, to the Mall. On the other three sides of the pedestal there are statues of the Angel of Justice, the Angel of Truth and the Angel of Mercy standing in front of Buckingham Palace. At the top stands a gilded Victory. Mighty people with lions stand a little further from the main monument. I was perplexed by the figure of a strong-built woman in simple (peasant?) clothes and with a sickle in her hand. This is probably the peasant woman (I believe these figures symbolize different social groups of the population) - but what does the lion have to do with it? It is not very convenient to work with a sickle in the field and hold this beast with the other hand.

The memorial also has a marine theme: on it you can see sculptures and bas-reliefs of mermaids and mermen. They supposedly symbolize British supremacy at sea (bad symbolism in my opinion).

And there are also pictures of hippogriffs (unfortunately, due to the crowd, I couldn’t take a photo). Hippogriffs are mythical creatures: half-horses, half-griffins (the griffin itself is a cross between a lion and an eagle). Jorge Luis Borges in his “Book of Fictional Creatures” indicated that the creature was invented and first described by Ludovico Ariosto in the poem “Roland the Furious” (1532). In those days, there was a saying “to cross a horse with a griffin”, which owes its origin to Virgil and means the impossibility or inconsistency of something (a synonym for the expression “to cross a snake and a hedgehog”). A funny curiosity - I wonder what the creators of the monument put into the figure of a hippogriff?

Michael Fagan Incident

I’ll finish my story about Buckingham Palace with one more curiosity. Surely most people are sure that the residence of the British monarchs is protected as a holy shrine. This is not entirely true. In 1982, a 31-year-old unemployed father of four named Michael Fagan twice(!!!) penetrated the palace. The first time he climbed there was through a drainpipe. A maid noticed him and called security, but Fagan disappeared, and the security decided that the maid had made a mistake. Then Fagan returned through the uncovered roof window and spent half an hour eating cheese and biscuits and walking around the palace. He came across several alarm detectors, but they were all faulty. Fagan viewed the royal portraits and sat on the throne of the United Kingdom (!!!). He then went into the room where Diana of Wales kept gifts for her son William. Fagan drank another half bottle of white wine, then got tired and left the palace.

The second time Fagan broke into the palace, the alarm detector detected him, but security decided that the device had been activated by mistake. When Fagan entered the Queen's chambers, she woke up. According to legend, the head of Great Britain talked for ten minutes with an unemployed man sitting on the edge of her bed; however, in a 2012 interview, Fagan reported that she actually went out immediately looking for guards - and was unsuccessful. It subsequently turned out that during the incident, the police officer assigned to the door of the royal bedroom left his post to walk Elizabeth’s beloved corgi dogs. The Queen called the police twice, but no one showed up (they probably decided it was a prank). But the panic button didn't work.

The funny thing is that Fagan was then charged not with violating the queen’s security, but only with stealing half the contents of the bottle (of course, he was quickly dropped). Michael Fagan spent six months in a mental hospital. The essence of the legal conflict is that in England there is case law, but no precedent has been established in British law for entering the queen’s bedroom. Although back in the 19th century there lived in London a certain teenage maniac Edward Jones, who broke into Buckingham Palace three times and even stole items of underwear (either underwear or bedding) of Queen Victoria and her regimental sword. He was not tried, but was sent to some institution for mental correction.

In general, a lot of funny and absurd things are connected in my perception with Buckingham Palace, and in general I noted to myself that the works of Lewis Carroll could only have been written in England. This is why I sympathize with this country.

Fortress Tower

External inspection of the Tower Fortress

The Tower in my perception is not just a castle, but a fortress, a citadel. Moreover, the fortress was in some sense unique, it had to perform so many functions. In addition to its main military-defensive function, the Tower contained a royal treasury (it remains to this day), a prison, a place of executions, an observatory, and even a menagerie. By the way, executions were carried out here relatively recently - the last time was in 1941. In general, it is believed that at least one and a half thousand beheaded bodies were hidden in the basements of the Tower in the 16th–17th centuries. I won’t say that there is some kind of negative aura in the fortress, but I think that it’s still not worth behaving overly emotionally there.

First, a general view of the Tower, taken from the site near the moat:

I look back and see the Church of All Saints with a golden cockerel on the weather vane, against the backdrop of the architectural monsters of the City:

Next are several fragments of the Tower not far from its entrance. It’s interesting that next to it stands a full-scale model of a catapult (having seen it, I strongly associated the Tower with the word “fortress” in my mind):

Entrance to the fortress and the first models of animals (more to come):

The royal menagerie arose when Henry III received three leopards as a gift from his son-in-law in the 13th century. polar bear and an elephant. Over time, the menagerie was replenished with an even larger number of exotic animals and, under Elizabeth I, it was open to visitors, existing until the 1830s.

Behind the outer walls of the Tower. Replica Coronation Throne

After entering, the tour group walked through some of the chambers. Some parts of the Tower look really archaic:

In one of the chambers I remember a copy of the throne from the early 14th century, intended only for the coronation rite:

I will tell about this throne in the story of Westminster Abbey, for that is where its original is located.

You can get acquainted with the structural features of the Tower walls: for example, with the shape of the stones or bricks (interestingly, the bricks do not lie parallel to the floor, but at angles, interspersed with wooden beams). And I also remember that in one room there was something like a performance, led by a man in medieval clothes. I didn’t understand its meaning, but I could touch the weight of real chain mail. I think at least 6 kilograms.

Then we went outside and walked around the courtyards, looking at numerous sights:

The seagull above the White Tower is a sign of the proximity of the Thames (a hundred meters away).

Another animal (that is, a model), this time an elephant:

I really liked the luxurious cannon with the symbols of the Order of Malta:

Monkeys of the Tower (fortunately, models, because I would be seriously afraid of such monkeys in a living state):

Beefeaters

Next, I’ll tell you about an important element of the Tower Fortress, to which I devoted a lot of time in research after returning. This is the staff of the Tower, whose members are called yeomanry guards (also gatekeepers), or informally - "beefeaters". Yeomentry is a special class in old England; along with the gentry, they were landowners, only, unlike the nobles, they worked on the land themselves, and did not use the labor of farm laborers or tenants. The yeomen had the right to their own weapons, so they formed an extremely powerful part of the royal army from ancient times. The Yeomanry Guard of the Tower dates back to 1485, the beginning of the Tudor dynasty, which put an end to the bloody internecine war between the Scarlet (Lancaster) and White (York) Roses. The Yeomanry Badge features the Tudor Rose (red and white as a sign of reconciliation), the royal crown, the thistle (the badge of Scotland), the shamrock (the badge of Ireland), the motto from the British coat of arms "God and my right" (translated from French) and the monogram currently reigning monarch (now Elizabeth Regina):

They were nicknamed beefeaters because the guards' diet always included a lot of beef meat and broth (beef-eaters), which was not typical for the old days. So the build of the yeoman guards is quite decent (they are not fat, but dense, portly):

The guards have a special dress uniform, which is worn on holidays and for ceremonial processions (image late XIX century):

Crows

There is also a special gatekeeper called the ravenmaster. He is responsible for keeping the ravens. And it's special interesting story- of course, with a big legend.

The beginning of the legend dates back to the ancient times of the mythical king of the Britons, Bran the Blessed. His name means "crow", but later merged with raven. Bran bequeathed to bury his head under the hill on which the Tower was later built. It was a magical means of protecting Britain from its enemies. Then King Arthur decided that the power of the swords of himself and the Knights of the Round Table would be enough for protection, and ordered Bran’s head to be dug up. The head was dug up - Arthur was subsequently killed by his own son Mordred, and the Round Table disintegrated.

In later times, legend began to consider the Tower Ravens as the enemies of the Crown's opponents. In the 16th century, several such opponents (real and imaginary) were executed in the Tower, which attracted the attention of feathered scavengers (it’s unpleasant to write about this, but such are the customs of the era). By that time, the belief that ravens were symbols of the strength of the monarchy had already become stronger.

The further (seemingly more truthful) history of the Tower ravens dates back to the 17th century, when they were the most common bird in London. In 1666, the Great Fire of London occurred, during which the most of cities. The crows left London, and when they returned, it turned out that their former nests were preserved mainly only in the Tower. Black crows literally besieged the castle, attacked people and fought fiercely with each other. These endless crow battles led to the fact that the Tower authorities decided to destroy them. At the time, King Charles II of the Stuart dynasty had only recently been restored to the throne. One of the courtiers reminded him of the legend. Either Charles II was a superstitious man, or his position seemed unstable to him (after all, his father was executed on the instructions of the Cromwellian tribunal), but he ordered at least six ravens to be kept in the Tower forever for the safety of the monarchy.

In fact, there are now more than six ravens (usually eight, just in case), and during the Second World War the Tower and the monarchy were guarded by only one raven named Grip (the name means “grasp”, “power”), and his magical efforts quite enough. Ravenmaster takes care of the ravens' food (costing about £120 a month) and even trims their wings a bit to prevent them from flying away. Some of the most violent crows who attacked tourists were sent into dishonorable retirement. By the way, Ravenmaster assures that one of the ravens not only knows how to speak in the form of repeating human words, but seems to understand the meaning. For example, when a person, giving food, says to a raven “this is for you,” he replies “this is for me”!

Treasury

The last part of the excursion was devoted to visiting the Royal Treasury. You can’t take photographs there, so I don’t have anything to illustrate it with, and I won’t tell you much. Crowns, swords and other important regalia of British monarchs are kept there. The most valuable exhibits (crowns) are placed on a special stand, along both sides of which conveyor belts travel at low speed. Very convenient - no one creates congestion. There you can see the largest cut diamond in the world - the Cullinan I, which adorns the scepter of King Edward VII.

I have trouble distinguishing jewelry, and for me, for example, a piece of blue glass is almost identical in appearance to sapphire. But the history of some stones is interesting to me. For example, the story of the St. Edward's sapphire (in the center of the upper cross crowning the Crown of the British Empire). According to legend, the English King Edward the Confessor wore this sapphire in a ring. One day a beggar approached him with a request for alms; Since the king had already given away all the money he had, he took the ring off his finger and gave it to the beggar. Many years later, two pilgrims from the Holy Land returned the ring to the King, telling the following story: in the Holy Land they met an old man who claimed to be Saint John the Evangelist, that he had been wandering the earth for a long time in the guise of a beggar, and that one day the King gave him this ring. He blessed the King for his generosity and promised that they would soon meet in heaven. In 1066, the King died and was buried with a sapphire ring. When his coffin was opened two hundred years later, the body of Edward the Confessor was found perfectly preserved. The abbot of Westminster Abbey removed the ring from the King's hand and handed it over to the royal treasury.

When I learned this story, the attitude towards the Tower became not only respectful, but also warmer.

Westminster Abbey

Difference between Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral

Finally, the third extremely important site in London that is worth visiting to get acquainted with the history of England and its monarchy is Westminster Abbey (the name means “Western Monastery”).

I'll start by mentioning another place. The fact is that in London there is not only Westminster Abbey, but also Westminster Cathedral. I am writing about this just in case in order to prevent possible confusion. These are different buildings, and they are not located nearby. Therefore, if you are looking for an abbey in London and ask passers-by or taxi drivers for “Westminster Cathedral”, then you will be sent or taken to the wrong place. This is what the Cathedral looks like:

This is the main Catholic church in England and Wales, built in a neo-Byzantine style, completely unusual for this country, with a high campanile. By the way, anyone who likes mosaics can find something interesting there - especially considering the fact that this type of art is not widespread in England.

Exterior of Westminster Abbey

I'll go back to the abbey. It is officially called the Collegiate Church of St. Peter in Westminster (but I suspect that not everyone in London itself knows this full name, so I will not use it anymore). The Abbey is a masterpiece gothic architecture, defining a certain image religious building for all of England.

I will mention one small detail (it is really small, but under certain circumstances it can cause trouble for those who want to get into the abbey). There is almost always a long queue at the abbey - I stood for half an hour, and that doesn’t count for long. But that’s not the point, the point is that there are actually two queues, and you need to get into it right away. One line goes through the cash desk, where only credit cards, the other is cash only. If you do not have a full set of payment instruments, look where to go. By the way, the entrance ticket costs £18. Photography is not allowed inside. This is a little upsetting, because I would like to capture what is interesting to me personally, and not purchase the books and booklets offered, compiled according to someone else’s taste.

Tombs

The Abbey is the traditional place of coronation of British monarchs (from the 11th century) and their burial places (in the 13th–18th centuries). In addition, 16 royals have been married here (including the 2011 marriage of Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge). Many great people of this country are buried here (however, not only the great were buried, but also the rich, who simply bought themselves the honor of being buried in the main temple of London). I won’t give a list of them, because in full it would take up too much space, and I don’t want to single out anyone. Let me just give you an image of the tomb of St. King Edward the Confessor:

This monumental tomb was commissioned by Henry III by Italian craftsmen in the 13th century. The high base of the tomb is covered with smalt mosaics (a very rare example of mosaics for England), and the upper part, which was once golden, contains a sarcophagus.

Interiors

Someone in the Abbey is still secretly taking photographs, so I will show a couple of images of the interior taken from the Internet:

Interestingly, not far from the altar there are two large icons (Jesus Christ and the Mother of God), painted by the modern Russian icon painter Sergei Fedorov.

Coronation throne of Edward I

It is impossible to tell about everything that is in Westminster Abbey. I will pay particular attention to the coronation wooden throne of Edward I (1308). Let me remind you that its copy (and a noticeably improved one at that) can be seen in the Tower. To quote Mark Twain (The Prince and the Pauper):

We can also see a large platform covered with rich fabrics. In the middle of it, on a raised platform, to which four steps lead, there is a throne. In the seat of the throne there is an unhewn flat stone - the Scone Stone, on which many generations of Scottish Kings were crowned; custom and time have sanctified him so much that now he is worthy to serve the English Kings.

What is this stone? Externally, it is a rectangular piece of sandstone measuring 66x41x27 cm and weighing about 152 kilograms. According to legend, this is the same stone on which, according to the Book of Genesis, Jacob slept: “...And he came to a certain place and stayed there to spend the night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place, and set it for his head, and lay down in that place” (Genesis 28:11). The Lord appeared to him in a dream, announcing the future of Jacob and his descendants, “and Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone which he had set for his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on its top” (Genesis 28:18).

Having left the Holy Land, the stone came to Ireland in a roundabout way, where, with the blessing of St. Patrick, it began to be used at the coronation of the Irish Kings. Then they called it the “stone of fate” - they say that it moaned loudly if a legal representative of the royal family sat on it. If it was an illegal claimant, the stone was silent.

What happened to him next is not known exactly. According to one version, in the middle of the 9th century, Kenneth I MacAlpin, the legendary first King of Scotland, transported the stone from Ireland to Northern Scotland. They say, however, that the stone was transported from place to place several more times, but in the end it settled in Scone (near the Scottish city of Perth), in a monastery, after which it received its nickname - the Scone Stone.

For several hundred years, the kings of Scotland were crowned there. In 1296, the English King Edward I Plantagenet, nicknamed Longlegs, who demanded vassal obedience from the King of Scotland, invaded the lands of his northern neighbor, suppressed the uprising, and ordered the sacred Scone Stone to be transported to London. There it was embedded in the seat of the “throne of King Edward”.

Whether the current stone at the base of the throne is really Scone is now unknown. There are reasons to doubt this, but I think there is no need to delve too deeply into the authenticity or otherwise of the stone. Unfortunately, Edward's throne was badly defaced in the 18th and 19th centuries by some clueless visitors to the abbey who drew and carved their names on it (the infamous "N was here" practice dates back a long time). And at Christmas 1950, four Scottish students stole the Scone Stone to return it to their country. At the same time, the stone broke into two parts. Only in April of the following year the stone was found and returned to the throne, but was it the real Scone Stone?.. In 1953, Elizabeth II was crowned here, and whether there will be more coronations, time will tell.

Henry VII Chapel

And I also want to draw attention to the chapel of Henry VII in the northern wing of the apse of Westminster Abbey. This is one of the finest examples of late Gothic in England.

Since 1725, the chapel has been placed at the disposal of the Chapter of Knights of the Most Venerable Order of the Bath - one of the highest state awards in England. The name of the order comes from an ancient rite in which applicants were subjected to an all-night vigil of fasting, prayer and bathing on the eve of receiving knighthood. The Grand Master is the Prince of Wales. The chapter's banners are kept in the chapel:

This is what Henry VII's chapel looks like from the outside:

Outside there are many sculptures on the walls of the abbey, including a group of figures of 20th century martyrs. Among them is the Russian Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna (by the way, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria), killed by the Bolsheviks under Ural city Alapaevsky.

Neighborhood of Westminster Abbey

And finally, a few glances around Westminster Abbey. Building with a large round dome - Methodist House:

There is a good quick-service cafeteria here (sometimes this is essential for organizing pastimes).

The beige palace is the sanctuary (storehouse of valuables) of Westminster Abbey:

I also remember the Supreme Court building. There are many interesting sculptures and bas-reliefs on it:

I even took a closer photo because I love epic scenes like this:

Generally. However, the capital of Great Britain is so rich in terms of historical and cultural attractions that it is simply unrealistic to fit everything into one article. In principle, the same as seeing the main “delicacies” of the city in one day.

If you, my dear reader, on the first day of your stay in London, probably ran to see, the second day was simply created for going to the cult fortress -.

Tower of London Over the 900 years of its history, it has been a palace, a prison, a treasure repository, an observatory, and even a zoo. Since then, the appearance of the fortress has remained virtually unchanged. Today the Tower building houses a museum and repository of the British Crown Treasures. There are also private apartments in the building where high-ranking guests are received, and service personnel also live here.

It is better to visit the fortress in the morning if you plan to have time to see a lot in the Tower itself and in the surrounding area. Entrance to the Tower is paid, a ticket for adults is 25 pounds sterling at the box office (23 pounds online, on the official website), children (5-15 years old) - 12 pounds (10.75).

Next to the Tower Fortress there is another iconic object of London -. Designers in the 19th century had to work hard on the project so that the new bridge across the river would become not just an overpass for the rapidly increasing flow of traffic, but also a structure that would harmoniously fit into the architectural style of the capital. Now it’s hard to believe, but at the end of the 19th century Tower Bridge turned out to be the only place in the city center, where you could move from one bank of the Thames to the other.

Construction of the bridge took 8 years, and in 1894 the 265-meter long bridge was finally completed. Many Londoners initially disliked the bridge for its Victorian Gothic design, but gradually they got used to it, and over time it became one of the main symbols of London.

In the area of ​​Tower Bridge there is an excellent embankment with modern residential buildings and office buildings, on the ground floors of which there are many restaurants and cafes with a summer terrace. Rumor has it that this part of London has the most expensive real estate in the city per square meter.

On the other side of the Thames I met this one unusual monument. According to unconfirmed information, the idea of ​​this creation was embodied by a local architect, impressed by the masterpiece Igor Nikolaev heard - “Dolphin and the Mermaid”.

If you want to see where the British Queen lives, go to. A significant portion of official royal ceremonies are held here, such as receptions of foreign heads of state or appointed foreign ambassadors. More than 50 thousand people every year are invited to state banquets, lunches, dinners and official receptions, including the royal one. The Queen also holds weekly meetings with the Prime Minister here.

One of my favorite places in London is Trafalgar Square. Local architecture cannot but please the eye. There are always a lot of tourists here. Locals also like to make appointments here. In the middle of the square is the 56-meter Nelson's Column with a statue of Admiral Nelson on top.

There is a rather nice fountain nearby, and in the background on the right you can already see Big Ben, which is about five minutes on foot from here.

Trafalgar Square is also home to London's National Gallery is the third most visited art museum in the world. More than 2,000 paintings are on display here, including works by Rubens, Titian, Van Dyck and other great artists.

Monument to some general. Even if you knew which one, it is unlikely that this information would remain with you for longer than a second after reading these lines.

Walking around London, one gets the impression that this city is endless. Monuments, ancient buildings, parks. You turn right - beauty, left - beauty, back, forward - the same thing. And so on, kilometer after kilometer, until the moon replaces the sun. It even gets kind of boring. No garbage, no dull five-story Khrushchev buildings, no rude salespeople. No, well, I’ll still find the weak points of this city, you won’t get off that easy, London!

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Big Ben is the largest of the six bells of the Palace of Westminster, located in, on the banks of the River Thames, in the area of ​​Westminster. In the world these famous watches usually associated with the "Elizabeth Tower", renamed from the "Clock Tower" in the fall of 2012, while the mechanism itself and the Houses of Parliament have separate names. According to the most common versions, the great bell can be named both in honor of Sir Benjamin Hall, who supervised the work on its casting, and in honor of the famous heavyweight boxer Benjamin Count, who shone in the ring at the time when the tower was erected.

It was built in the neo-Gothic style in 1858, and the clock began counting a year later. The total height of the building including the spire is more than 96 meters, the diameter of the dial is 7 meters, and the length of the hands reaches 2.7 and 4.2 meters, respectively. For a long time, Big Ben was considered the largest clockwork in the world, and the tower of the Palace of Westminster is still a symbol of London. IN different years Many famous films were filmed here, and the structure was demonstrated from all possible angles and views. At one time, the tower was even a prison for particularly active parliamentarians, and in honor of the famous British woman Emmeline Pankhurst, famous for her public actions for women's rights, there is a memorial monument on the territory of the Palace of Westminster.

On all four dials of the tower, installed on each side, there are inscriptions in Latin, meaning “God save our Queen, Victoria I.” To the right and left of the mechanism, upon closer examination, another inscription is visible - “Praise the Lord.” It is known that London's Big Ben is famous for its accuracy, but at the same time, the operation of the mechanism is always corrected only by a simple 1 penny coin, capable of accelerating the movement of the pendulum by 0.4 seconds per day. At the very top of the clock there are many such coins. When some important events take place in the country, the sound of Big Ben can be heard in different areas, and at that moment the tower is shown in close-up on central television.

Today, the clock tower is rightfully considered one of the symbols of the city, fitting perfectly into the urban landscape and standing out against the backdrop of the Thames. There are few tourists in the world who have visited English capital and not photographed against the backdrop of the legendary Big Ben. Meanwhile, direct access to the tower is allowed only to British citizens, and then only with a special permit, which can be quite difficult to obtain. However, this does not diminish the popularity of the attraction at all, but only makes it even more mysterious.