Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge is much newer than most people think. It was finished in 1894. It connects Southwark with Tower Hamlets. It is 800 feet long and has two towers 214 feet high. The bridge opens to let ships into London. It usually opens and closes about three times a day.

Sometimes people think it is London Bridge, but that is the next bridge upstream. London Bridge is also quite new, but it is where the first bridge over the river was in Roman times.

In summer 1973, Paul Martin flew a Beagle Pup plane twice under the pedestrian walkway of Tower Bridge. He was a 29 year old stockbroker's clerk, and was accused of stock market fraud.

He then 'buzzed' buildings in 'The City', before flying north towards the Lake District. He crashed and died there two hours later.

The Tower of London

The Tower of London was started in 1078 by King William I,  who became king in 1066.  It was outside the City of London, and still is, but it showed the people of London who was the boss. 

The most important state jewels and crowns are kept there, guarded by the Yeoman Warders, who are usually called Beefeaters.

The Tower has been a royal palace and a prison since it was built, and is now the most visited tourist attraction in London. Many famous people have been imprisoned there, and many have died there, including two of the six wives of Henry VIII and Lady Jane Grey.

 The last person executed there was a German spy in 1941.

 It was also the place where the kings and queens kept the animals they got as presents, starting in 1204. These included several lions and a polar bear. People could pay to see the animals, but there are none there now. The last animal left for London Zoo in 1835. There are still some birds called ravens, which are very famous. People say that if the ravens leave the Tower it will be the end of England.

St Paul’s Cathedral 

There has been a cathedral called St Paul’s on this site since 604 AD. The one we see today was started in 1677 and finished in 1710. There is a golden cross on top of the dome, 365 feet from the ground.

Christopher Wren, who designed the cathedral, kept the dome secret until it was finished, because nobody wanted a cathedral that looked like St Peter’s in Rome. But everyone was very pleased with it when they saw it finished.

Many famous people are buried in St. Paul’s cathedral, including the architect who designed it. His grave is very plain but the cathedral around it is his monument. Other famous people include Admiral Nelson and the Duke of Wellington, as well as Samuel Johnson, who wrote the first famous dictionary of the English language. There are also monuments to famous people who are not actually buried there such as Winston Churchill and Ivor Novello.

The City of London 

The City of London is the area around St Paul’s Cathedral and The Tower of London, roughly inside the old Roman wall. It is the oldest part of London, and grew up around London Bridge.  People started living there in about 47 AD and stayed for about 400 years.

When the Romans left Britain people began to live in the area now called Covent Garden. Another 400 years later they moved back inside the Roman Walls for protection from the Vikings. People have lived in the City of London area since then. It is now the main place for banks and financial companies, and again only a few people actually live there.

The coat of arms of the City of London Corporation has the white background and the red cross of St George. It also has the sword of the city in the top left hand corner. The animals holding the shield used to be lions but now they are dragons. You can also see the dragons on guard on the main roads leading into and out of the City. The motto of the City, Domine Dirige Nos means Lord Guide Us.