London
Facts (London)
MY Favourite Places to Visit
Sept 2017
Bath is built for pleasure and relaxation, Beautiful Bath has been a well-being destination since Roman times. The waters are still a big draw, both at the ancient Roman Baths and the thoroughly modern Thermae Bath Spa, which houses the only natural thermal hot springs in Britain you can bathe in.
Bath's stunning honey-coloured Georgian architecture is straight from a Jane Austen novel - highlights include the iconic Royal Crescent and the majestic Circus.
This is by far one of my most favourite place at outer skirt London. The whole place is a mixture of historical sites, museums, beautiful hills and river scenery, great food and marketplace. You can easily spend a whole enjoyable day there. Highly recommended.
Big Ben
Sept 2017
Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London. The official name of the tower in which Big Ben is located was originally the Clock Tower, but it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.
The tower is a British cultural icon recognised all over the world. It is one of the most prominent symbols of the United Kingdom and parliamentary democracy, and it is often used in the establishing shot of films set in London. The clock tower has been part of a Grade I listed building since 1970 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
The Westminister Abbey
Sept 2017
Westminster Abbey is steeped in more than a thousand years of history. Benedictine monks first came to this site in the middle of the tenth century, establishing a tradition of daily worship which continues to this day.
The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs. The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country, with the medieval shrine of an Anglo-Saxon saint still at its heart.
A treasure house of paintings, stained glass, pavements, textiles and other artefacts, Westminster Abbey is also the place where some of the most significant people in the nation's history are buried or commemorated. Taken as a whole the tombs and memorials comprise the most significant single collection of monumental sculpture anywhere in the United Kingdom.
Sept 2017
The Tower of London, officially Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle located on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat.
The Tower has served variously as an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public record office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of England. Today, the Tower of London is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. Under the ceremonial charge of the Constable of the Tower, it is cared for by the charity Historic Royal Palaces and is protected as a World Heritage Site.
This castle has been maintained very well. In each of the building inside the Tower, there is either some special exhibits, or permanent exhitbits which details the history and memorable pictures of the Tower. There is also a role play by staff of the Tower to remodel some of the scenes of the olden days. Seems to be a place that I will go back again and again everytime I visit London.
Marble Arch
Sept 2017
Marble Arch is a 19th-century white marble faced triumphal arch in London, England. The structure was designed by John Nash in 1827 to be the state entrance to the cour d'honneur of Buckingham Palace; it stood near the site of what is today the three-bayed, central projection of the palace containing the well known balcony.
Historically, only members of the Royal Family and the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery are permitted to pass through the arch; this happens only in ceremonial processions.[
A historical site that visitors should at least take some pictures and pay a visit.
Sept 2017
The British Museum, located in the Bloomsbury area of London, United Kingdom, is a public institution dedicated to human history, art and culture. Its permanent collection numbers some 8 million works, and is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence having been widely sourced during the era of the British Empire, and documenting the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present.
It is one of the largest musum in the world My favourites are the area on Egyptian history and all the treasures from China which the British army unlawfully seized from China in the war history, since these treasures can no longer be exhibited in China.
A museum that I will visit everytime I visit London. Great Museum !!!
St Paul Cathedral
Sept 2017
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is an Anglican cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the Diocese of London. The present cathedral, dating from the late 17th century, was designed in the English Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren.
The cathedral is one of the most famous and most recognisable sights of London. Its dome, framed by the spires of Wren's City churches, has dominated the skyline for over 300 years. At 365 feet (111 m) high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1967. The dome is among the highest in the world. St Paul's is the second-largest church building in area in the United Kingdom after Liverpool Cathedral.
Very beautiful Cathedral definitely worth visiting. But if you are planning to walk up the Dome stairs (old staircase) to the higher part of the Cathedral, make sure you are fit enough, otherwise you will soon find yourself out of breathe in the middle of the walk.
Sept 2017
Buckingham Palace is the London residence and administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom.
Originally known as Buckingham House, the building at the core of today's palace was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703 on a site that had been in private ownership for at least 150 years. It was acquired by King George III in 1761 as a private residence for Queen Charlotte and became known as The Queen's House. During the 19th century it was enlarged, principally by architects John Nash and Edward Blore, who constructed three wings around a central courtyard. Buckingham Palace became the London residence of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837.
The Palace is still widely used by the Monarch at present thus not all rooms within the Palace is open to public, however for the rooms that are open for public visitors, there are lots of important and memorable exhibits of the United Kingdom morachy items, treasures, festivals etc. Visitors please do remember to buy tickets online first to avoid long queue at the palace door.
 |
|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
10 Downing Street
Sept 2017
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the headquarters of the Government of the United Kingdom and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, a post which, for much of the 18th and 19th centuries and invariably since 1905, has been held by the Prime Minister.
Originally three houses, Number 10 was offered to Sir Robert Walpole by King George II in 1732. Walpole accepted on the condition that the gift was to the office of First Lord of the Treasury rather than to him personally. Walpole commissioned William Kent to join the three houses and it is this larger house that is known as Number 10 Downing Street.
Situated in Downing Street in the City of Westminster, London, Number 10 is over 300 years old and contains approximately 100 rooms. A private residence occupies the third floor and there is a kitchen in the basement. The other floors contain offices and conference, reception, sitting and dining rooms where the Prime Minister works, and where government ministers, national leaders and foreign dignitaries are met and entertained. At the rear is an interior courtyard and a terrace overlooking a garden.
With terrorists'attacks being more and more aggressive, public are not allowed to enter Downing Street. At both ends of Downing Street are guarded by heavily armed police, so we are now only get a glimpse of what 10 Downing Street looks like.
Sept 2012
Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the borough of Richmond upon Thames, London. Building of the palace began in 1515 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, a favourite of King Henry VIII. In 1529, as Wolsey fell from favour, the King seized the palace for himself and later enlarged it. Along with St James's Palace, it is one of only two surviving palaces out of the many owned by King Henry VIII.
Today, the palace is open to the public and is a major tourist attraction. Apart from the Palace itself and its gardens, other points of interest for visitors include the celebrated maze, the historic real tennis court (see below), and the huge grape vine, the largest in the world as of 2005. The palace's Home Park is the site of the annual Hampton Court Palace Festival and Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.
This is a palace which is suitable for visitors to visit during Summer due to the beautiful Royal Garden.
 |
|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Nov 2011
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor.
The original castle was built in the 11th century after the Norman invasion of England by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I, it has been used by the reigning monarch and is the longest-occupied palace in Europe. Queen Victoria made a few minor changes to the castle, which became the centre for royal entertainment for much of her reign. Windsor Castle was used as a refuge by the royal family during the Luftwaffe bombing campaigns of the Second World War and survived a fire in 1992.
It is a popular tourist attraction, a venue for hosting state visits, and the preferred weekend home of Elizabeth II.
This is definitely a very nice palace to visit. Although mostly ruined and destroyed by fire in 1992, most of the palace has been restored and much historical information was displayed in the different palace rooms. Given its location being close to River Thames, visitors can also choose to have a river cruise on the famous Thames after the palace visit.
Besides visiting all the historical sites, castles and cathedrals, London is also a top shopping place, many of which has their own themes and specialities.
-
Oxford Street
-
Regent Street
-
Bond Street & Mayfair
-
Westfield
-
Carnaby Street
-
Covent Garden
-
Knightsbridge
-
Camden
-
Nottinghill
-
Canary Wharf
-
Bicester Village (Shopping outlet)
