The River that Made a City

The importance of the Thames since ancient times has left its mark. Follow the river's course through London and you will see how greatly London has changed over the years. At Ghelsea Bridge two periods of history stand almost facing each other. On the North Bank is the Royal Hospital - an elegant, 18th century building by Sir Christopher Wren. On the South Bank there is stark contrast - the rather forbidding Battersea power station, built to provide electricity for modern Londoners.

Further downstream at Vauxhall Bridge time has certainly moved on. In the time of the famous diarist Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) there were beautiful pleasure gardens here, where he "walked long and the wenches gathered pinks". There are no pinks to gather near Vauxhall Bridge to-day, the area contains factories and offices instead. Under Lambeth Bridge, the river flows on past the Victoria flower gardens towards Westminster Bridge. Westminster Bridge is ornate and Victorian, its lamp-posts bearing the initials of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (V and A ) lovingly entwined. Here are the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, built in the 19th century in the fashionable "gothic" style. On the terrace you can watch Members of Parliament having a rest from running the country, and taking tea by the river. From this point all along the embankment run the Embankment Gardens,with their tramps, memorials and flowers. At the riverside itself there is a row of charming Victorian lamp-posts decorated with ferocious-looking dolphins. Even the public benches are decorated with winged sphinxes, showing the fascination the Victorians held for anything exotic. The best example of this, of course is Cleopatra's Needle. This is a huge obelisk carved in Ancient Egypt and given to Queen Victoria and Great Britain in 1820. It was placed by the river in 1878, and a "time box", containing objects typical of the time was buried beneath it. Among these objects were a razor, a baby's feeding bottle and a box of hairpins!"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." – Samuel Johnson (1709-1784).

Today, more than 200 years later, Johnson's words still ring true. There are few places that offer such a variety of sights, entertainments, educational and business opportunities, world-famous museums and theatres, and superb shopping.

London draws people from all over the world. Some come on business, some come to study, to work or on holiday. London is naturally a very English city, yet it is the least typical of Britain as it is very cosmopolitan, containing goods, food and entertainment, as well as people, from many countries of the world.

London spreads its influence over much of the  southern  areas  of England; it gives work to millions of people who live not only in the inner-city areas but in surrounding districts. Some people even commute over 100 miles (over 150 km) every day to work in London.

There is much in London which fascinates visitors and inspires the affection of Londoners: the splendour of the royal palaces and the Houses of Parliament, the dignity of St. Paul's Cathedral and many monuments, the fine architecture of numerous historic buildings, and the beautiful parks.

London shows examples of buildings that express all the different areas of its history, it manages in a unique way to reflect its past and at the same time to fulfil the functions of a modern city with its commercialism and bustle.

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the Sovereign. The daily ceremony of the Changing of the Guards takes place in its courtyard. The palace was built in 1703 by the Duke of Buckingham.

Piccadilly Circus has become an important meeting point — for traffic as well as sightseers. At its heart is a bronze fountain topped by a figure of a winged archer, popularly known as Eros, the pagan god of love.

The majority of London's places of entertainment are concentrated around Piccadilly Circus. This area is now famous for its theatres, clubs and shops.

Whitehall is a street in central London running from Trafalgar Square to the Houses of Parliament and containing many important buildings and government offices: the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices, the Treasury, Admiralty and Ministry of Defence. In the centre of the roadway stands the Cenotaph, the emorial to   the fallen of both world wars. The Prime Minister's residence at No. 10

Downing Street is directly connected to Whitehall.

London is always full of life. The streets are crowded with traffic. High 'double-decker' buses rise above the smaller cars and vans.

The City of London today is the financial powerhouse of the country and one of the chief commercial centres of the western world.

The City has its own Lord Mayor, its own government and its own police force. Here the medieval buildings stand side by side with modern steel and glass high-rise office blocks. The territory of the City of just over one square mile contains several banks, including the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and offices of many financial companies.

The parks of London provide a welcome contrast to the great built-up areas. St. James's Park, Green Park, Hyde Park, and Kensington Gardens are linked together. They form 313 hectares of open parkland in the heart of London.