CITY OF LONDON

CITY OF LONDON

I have endless visit to the City of London – as it is a must visit places together with Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly and Leicester – located in Central London area.

The only difference is that the City of London saw a mixture of the seriousness of the presence of financial institutions contrast with the beautiful sight seeing meant for tourists, in this area. 

RIVER THAMES

The City of London is also known as the Square Mile, as this is approximately the area it covers. It is the oldest part of London, as it was here that the Romans founded their City of Londinium nearly 2000 years ago. It is also the most modern area of London, with the latest buildings rubbing shoulders with Medieval churches and stretches of Roman wall.

The city is great financial centre, on a par with New York and Tokyo – is home to many banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions.

DUKE OF WELLINGTON

The Duke of Wellington is best known as the commander of the forces which defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The Duke of Wellington is also called The Iron Duke (June 18, 1844). This statue, by Sir Frances Chantry, was cast from cannons captured from the French in that battle and was erected in 1844, located at Adneedle Street.

BANK OF ENGLAND

The Bank of England – is the central bank of the United Kingdom, also known as “The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street” was established on this site in 1734. From 1788, the building was erected based on designs bu Sir John Soane, culminating in the encirclement of the site with a windowless wall in 1828. This wall forms the perimeter of the building today.

MANSION HOUSE

The Mansion House – is designed by George Dance, the Elder. Mansion House is one of the grandest surviving Georgian town palaces in London, with magnificent interiors containing elaborate plaster work and carved timber ornament. Mansion House is a purpose-built home for the Mayor of London, since it was first occupied in 1752, it was provided not only living and working space for the Lord Mayor and his household, but also space for large ceremonial entertainment and banquets.

CORDWAIRER

The Cordwairer (2002) – in medieval times, the finest leather from Spain give rise to name of craftsmen and ward, here.

ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL

St Paul's Cathedral – the church building is the masterpiece of Sir Christopher Wren, built after the Great Fire of 1666. The majestic dome is one of London's best-known landmarks, housing monuments and tombs of famous figures such as the Duke of Wellington, Nelson and John Donne.

THE MONUMENT

The Monument, located at Gracechurch Street - is a 202 feet column designed by Wren to commemorate the Great Fire, which broke out to the east at a baker's shop in Pudding Lane.

Take the river cruise or walk around River Thames – the seven bridges including the tower of London, Tower Bridge, Millennium Bridge, London Bridge, Southwark Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge, Waterloo Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Hungerford Bridge and golden Jubilee Bridges, Westminster Bridge and Chelsea Bridge. The cruise runs between Westminster and Greenwich, where one can view the London Eye, Crown Jewels, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and the Gardens.

LONDON EYE

The obvious sight is the London Eye located near the Lambeth Bridge is the fourth tallest structure at 135 cm high. It rotates constantly and has 32 capsules. It is also known as the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel that offers magnificent views of London. It first opened on Jan 1, 2000 and it is located between Westminster Bridge and the Royal Festival Hall.

TOWER OF LONDON

The Tower of London covers an area of 18 acres and is guarded by the Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters) who also offer guided tours, clad in their traditional Tudor uniforms. The Towers is more than 1000 years old, served as citadel, palace, prison and menagerie, and has been closely associated with many important events in England's history. 

TOWER BRIDGE

Crossing the Thames to the west is Tower Bridge, which its twin towers and massive bascules which are still raised occasionally t allow the passage of tall ships. It was built from 1886-1894, to the plans of Sir Horace Jones and Sir John Wolfe Barry, and was designed in such a way as to blend with the Tower of London. The bridge is now open to pubic, and there are exhibitions on its history as well as superb views from the walkway.

To the east of Tower Bridge on the north side are the St Katherine Docks, constructed in 1827 by Thomas Telford but now converted into a yacht marina and leisure centre.

LONDON BRIDGE

London Bridge – do you remember the Kindergarten song “London Bridge is Falling Down” - this is how this bridge got its name in the past. It was a rather unfashionable bridge as it was built some 600 years ago.

Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in Central London. The current London Bridge, which is opened to traffic in 1973 – is a box girder bridge built form concrete and steal. It replaced a 19^th century stone-arched bridge which in turn superseded a 600-year-old stone-built medieval structure.

MILLENNIUM BRIDGE

Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian bridge across the Thames designed by Sir Norman Foster linking the City of London at St Paul's Cathedral with the new Tate Gallery.

POSING WITH CHARLIE CHAPLIN CARICATURE

Apart from bridges, churches, galleries, dungeon, palaces – if one walk around River Thames, one can find a lot of merry making along the way such as the appearance of Charlie Chaplin, Spider Man and carton characters willing to pose with visitors for photographs.

CRUISE ALONG RIVER THAMES

There are also show time set up by individuals and their friends to amuse the public, here. Another worth trying is taking a cruise over the River Thames, here.

It is after all a rather 'merry' tourist destination for one who visit Central London.

2003, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2018