The Tower of London
and the royal palaces have probably been featured in more works
of historical romance than any place else but it is the whole,
as represented in the works of Charles Dickens, that evokes
most people's preconceptions of London. Very little of Dickensian
London remains, which is mostly a good thing. Gone is the bleakness
and misery right down to the pea-soup fog, which was actually
heavy smog now dispatched thanks to air pollution controls.
Though some of the character has changed here and there with
time and "progress," there are still many, many places
that remain just as they have always been. Writer Samuel Johnson
encapsulated London's appeal when he said, "When a man
is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London
all that life can afford."
Areas
Within the Destination
London is a city without an easily recognized center because
it grew out of two separate cities. The City of London is the
site of the Roman settlement, and the City of Westminster, to
the west, makes up the rest. These two cities grew together
and proceeded to annex the surrounding villages until the Green
Belt Legislation of the 1950s halted expansion. Modern London
includes 32 boroughs with the population and green spaces well-dispersed,
so that the crowds and cement do not overwhelm. In fact, the
city still features a great deal of open parks, commons, and
even woods!
Central
London: This area, roughly bound by the Circle Line of
the Underground (London's subway system, also known as "The
Tube"), includes the West End, Westminster, and the City
of London. The West End houses many of the principal theaters,
cinemas, restaurants, hotels, and nightclubs, as well as some
of the best-known shopping areas. Main sights here are Westminster
Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament, and Buckingham Palace. In Kensington
and Chelsea are Albert Hall, and more famous shopping areas,
including Harrod's, as well as the Victoria & Albert, Science,
and Natural History museums. There are also 4 parks here, including
Hyde (by far the largest), St James's, Green, and Regent's.
The City of London's best-known building is St. Paul's Cathedral,
completed in 1711. Nearby is the excellent Museum of London.
Clearly visible, though beyond the city boundary, is the Tower
of London, built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror
and, of course, the famous Tower Bridge.
East
London: In many ways, this area, particularly the East
End, is the "real" London. The architecture here suffered
badly during WWII and urban planners did it no favor in the
1960s, yet there are many sources of pride for its residents.
The Whitechapel Art Gallery, the Lea Valley Park, and Queen
Elizabeth I's Hunting Lodge in Chingford, as well as the 11th-century
Waltham Abbey, are highlights.
West
London: This area contains several special interest museums,
and many superb historic mansions. Several of these elegant
riverside homes are open to the public, the greatest being Hampton
Court Palace, built by Cardinal Wolsey in the early 16th century
and added to by Henry VIII, Charles I & II, and William
III. Also here are Wembley Stadium and trendy Notting Hill,
which celebrates the August Bank Holiday with a famous carnival.
North
London: This is a fashionable residential area known
for one of the largest expanses of parkland in any big city,
and for the Highgate cemetery where Karl Marx and George Eliot
are buried.
South
London: This neighborhood
is generally less visited by tourists than the others, but it
has some notable sights. The reconstruction of Shakespeare's
Globe Theatre in Southwark is cherished by the literati. The
Southwark Cathedral near London Bridge is one of the finest
Gothic churches in the city. The Florence Nightingale Museum
is in Lambeth. The Botanical Gardens and Palace at Kew are inviting
islands of serenity. The Greenwich National Maritime Museum
displays the fastest pre-steam ship, the clipper Cutty Sark.
The Royal Observatory is here, through which the Greenwich Meridien
- zero degrees longitude. Lastly, tennis fans gather for the
sport's ultimate championship at Wimbledon.
