London Excursion

During yesterday's excursion to London, the Juniors took a river cruise to Westminster followed by some shopping in Covent Garden.

Here are a few of the sights they saw along the way.

The River Thames is the second longest river in the UK, and runs for 346km from Thames Head in Gloucestershire through Oxford, London and other major cities to Southend-on-Sea in Essex. The river has been central to many events in British history, earning it the nickname 'liquid history'. It has served a role in water power, food and drink, shipping, transport and more recently in leisure activities.

Tower Bridge is a London icon but also a busy river crossing. It was designed so that the lower walkway can be raised to allow tall ships to pass through underneath. Tower bridge gets its name from its proximity to the Tower of London, a historic castle built during the Norman conquest of England in 1066.

London Bridge is another of more than 30 bridges spanning the River Thames in London, which has been rebuilt a number of times throughout history. This is the source of the English children's nursery rhyme 'London Bridge is Falling Down', which dates from the Middle Ages.

The shard is a 95-storey skyscraper opened in 2012, and is currently the tallest building in the European Union. It houses offices, three restaurants, retail space, luxury residences, a viewing platform and an open-air observation deck.

The Tate Modern is Britain's national gallery of international modern art, housed in the former Bankside Power Station. It holds the national collection of British art from 1500 to the present day, as well as contemporary art from 1900 onwards.

Next to the Tate is Shakespeare's Globe, a reconstruction of the Elizabethan playhouse the Globe Theatre. The original Globe was built by William Shakespeare's theatre company in the 16 century, but was destroyed by a fire in 1613. The modern theatre is 230m from the original site, and was built based on available evidence to make it the most faithful replica possible.

 

St Paul's Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral built on top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London. The famous dome is one of the most recognisable sites in London and many important services are held at St Paul's.

Cleopatra's needle is one of four ancient Egyptian obelisks located in London, Paris, New York and Luxor, although none have any connection to Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. The needle belongs to a pair with New York's, and was presented to the UK as a gift from the Egyptian government in 1819.

The London Eye is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and London's most popular tourist attraction. It was opened by former Prime Minister Tony Blair on December 31st, 1999 in celebration of the new millennium.

The Palace of Westminster - better known as the Houses of Parliament - consists of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Lords and Commons. The Elizabeth Tower is an iconic symbol of London and the UK, and is often referred to as 'Big Ben', which is in fact the name of its main bell.