Landmarks+and+Tourism

__**﻿**__ __**Landmarks and Tourism of Britain**__ //By: Victor, Juileth, and Steven.//

The most important landmarks of Britain are:

**Stonehenge** [|Stonehenge Video]

The Stonehenge is the most famous prehistoric monument in Britain. It is located on Salisbury Plain in the country of Wiltshire, UK. It is estimated at 3100 B.C. There are many myths on who built it. One of the most popular beliefs was that it was built by the Druids. They constructed it for sacrificial ceremonies. The Druids are high priest of the Celts. Most scientists agree on the modern theory that three tribes built Stonehenge at three separate times. In approximately 3000 B.C., it is believe the first people to work on the site were Neolithic agrarians. Then came The Beaker people, or Beaker Folk, who came from Europe at the end of the Neolithic Period and invaded Salisbury Plain around 2000 B.C.

**Windsor Castle** [|Windsor Castle Video]

The Windsor Castle was built by William the Conquer during the year 1070-1086 A.D. It was designed as a military base. Then it was built in stones by Henry I of England. It covers nearly thirteen acres. Henry II favored Windsor and treated it as a royal home, planting an herb garden and possibly a vineyard. Henry III also favored Windsor and there is a record of an occasion when he gave the poor a meal on Good Friday. Windsor is the only royal castle that has been continuous since the middle Ages and is the largest inhabited castle in the world. The current Queen Elizabeth lives the castle as a place to spend her weekends.

**Kings College, Cambridge** [|University of Cambridge Chapel Vitual Tour]

The University of Cambridge was founded by Henry VI in 1441. The university is also called "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is referred as "King's" within the University. The university has the most famous chapel choir in the world. The building of the college's chapel, begun in 1446 and it was finally finished in 1544 during the reign of King Henry VII. King's Collage as one of the greatest examples of late Gothic English architecture. It has the world's largest fan-vault, and the chapel's stained-glass windows and wooden chancel screen are considered some of the finest from their era.

**The White Cliffs of Dover﻿**

[|The White Cliff of Dover Video][|The White Cliffs of Dover (1941) Song]

The White Cliffs of Dover reach up to 300 feet in height and stretch for 10 miles to the east and west of the town of Dover. The cliffs face France across the narrowest part of the English Channel. The chalk, which consists if sea shell fragments and the remains of small sea organisms is soft, fine-grained and streaked with black flint. Because the White Cliffs of Dover face continental Europe at the narrowest part of the English Channel, they have seen many invasion attempts throughout England's long and storied history. You can see France from the cliffs on a clear day.

**Blackpool Tower** **﻿** __[|Blackpool Tower Video]__

Blackpool tower is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire in England which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894.The idea for the tower came when Blackpool Mayor, John Bickerstaffe commissioned the design of a new landmark for the town after he visited the Great Paris Exhibition in 1889 and was impressed by the Eiffel Tower. When he returned to Blackpool he set up a committee of businessmen in order to raise the funds to build a similar design in the town.

**﻿** **﻿﻿** **The Buckingham Palace** [|Buckingham Palace Video] [|Buckingham Palace Virtual Tour]

The Buckingham Palace is home of the British royal family. It has 600 rooms and has 40 acres of garden. It was not designed has a palace in 1702. King George III bought the house for his wife, Queen Charlotte. The State rooms have some of the Royal family's greatest treasures including paintings and the finest French and English furniture.

**The Palace of Westminster**

[|The Palace of Westminster Virtual Tour]

The Palace of Westminster also known as the House of Parliament which has been around since the 1550 but most of what you see dates from the mid 19th century when it had to be rebuilt after a fire in 1834 destroyed the medieval buildings. The oldest part of the Palace is Westminster Hall, built between 1097 and 1099 by William Rufus. Henry VIII was the last monarch to live there. He moved out in 1512.

**Tower of London**

[|Tower of London Virtual Tour]

Construction of the Tower of London was initiated by William the Conqueror in 1070, after his victory at Hastings in 1066. It was built to enforce the king’s power over the new region. Today it is best known crown jewels but it is notorious for tourists. It is located on the north bank of the River Thames.

**The White Tower**

The White Tower is the oldest medieval building at the Tower of London. The White Tower was built by the Norman, William the Conqueror. It was built between 1078 – 1097. The purpose of the White Tower was to provide a power base for the Norman invaders and control and intimidate the people of the City of London. The Tower was originally built as timber Motte and Bailey castle shortly after the Norman Invasion of 1066 but the timber structure was replaced by the massive stone keep. The stone building was started in 1078 and completed in 1097.

**The London Eye** [|The London Eye]

A recent but already popular to tourist and residents is the London eye. The London Eye stands 442 feet (135 meters) tall. It has a circumference of 1391 feet (424 meters) and sits on the bank of the River Thames, near Jubilee Gardens. In 2000, when it was first built, it was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. But that soon changed. The Singapore Flyer, completed in 2006, stands 541 feet (165 meters) tall, and the Star of Nanchang, completed in 2006 in China, stands 525 feet (160 meters) tall. The Beijing Great Wheel in China is set to outdo them all. Slated for completion in 2009, it will be a whopping 680 feet (208 meters) tall.

<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0000ff; display: block; font-size: 200%; text-align: center; vertical-align: super;">**St Paul's Cathedral** [|St. Paul's Cathedral Virtual Tour]

St. Paul's Cathedral in London is the seat of the Bishop of London and a major London landmark. It is located on Ludgate Hill in the financial district known as the City of London. The present St. Paul's Cathedral, which was built between 1675 and 1710, is the fourth cathedral to occupy the site, which was sacred even before Christianity arrived. The cathedral's immediate predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. Like most Christian churches, St. Paul's Cathedral is laid out in the shape of a cross. The longer end of the main arm of the cross is called the nave; the two ends of the shorter arm are called the transepts.