Big Ben (Great Britain) - description, history, location. The exact address, phone, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.

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The clock tower of the Palace of Westminster in London is known worldwide as Big Ben. Meetings of the House of Lords and the House of Commons are held in the Palace of Westminster, it is easy to lose the right direction in the many kilometers of corridors of the palace, there is hardly a person who has visited all of its 1200 rooms, but the most famous part of the palace - the clock tower - is known, without exaggeration, to everyone world and is one of the brightest architectural symbols of the city.

The height of the tower is 96 meters, inside it hides a narrow spiral staircase of 334 steps. After passing them all, you can get to a small open area, which houses the famous bell Big Ben. It is he who strikes the time every hour, it is his sounds that are transmitted every hour on BBC radio. It was this bell that gave the name to both the clock and the tower itself.

The bell is large: 2 meters high and 3 meters at the base. No less striking are the dimensions of the watch: their diameter is 7 meters, and the hands are 2.7 and 4.2 meters long.

The clock was launched on May 21, 1859 (the tower itself was built a year earlier) and to this day is on the list of the largest clocks in the world. Four of their dials are made of opal glass, bordered by gilded frames and have a Latin inscription, which in translation means "God save our Queen Victoria". These watches also have global significance: officially New Year on planet Earth begins with the first impact of Big Ben on January 1st.

Interestingly, Londoners living near the Palace of Westminster, in new year's eve thirteen chimes of the Big Ben bell are heard: the effect is due to the fact that the speed of sound is slower than the speed of radio waves.

Unfortunately, the general public does not have the opportunity to climb the Big Ben tower: safety considerations are paramount. But from time to time members of the press and various important guests of the UK get the opportunity to climb it. But even important guests are forced to overcome the steps of the stairs on their own: there are no lifts inside the tower.

The Big Ben clock tower systematically becomes the "heroine" of many films, personifying the image of London.

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Big Ben is the largest of the six bells of the Palace of Westminster, located on the banks of the River Thames, in the Westminster area. In the world these famous watch commonly associated with the "Elizabeth Tower", renamed from the "Clock Tower" in autumn 2012, with the mechanism itself and the Houses of Parliament having separate names. According to the most common versions, the great bell can be called both in honor of Sir Benjamin Hall, who led the work on its casting, and in honor of the famous heavyweight boxer - Benjamin Count, who shone in the ring at the time when the tower was being built.

It was built in the Neo-Gothic style in 1858, and the clock started counting a year later. The total height of the building, together with the spire, is more than 96 meters, the diameter of the dial is 7 meters, and the length of the hands, respectively, reaches 2.7 and 4.2 meters. For a long time, Big Ben was considered the largest clockwork in the world, and the tower of the Palace of Westminster is a symbol of London to this day. Over the years, many famous films were filmed here, and the building was shown in all sorts of angles and views. At one time, the tower was even a prison for especially active parliamentarians, and in honor of the famous British Emmeline Pankhurst, who became famous for her public deeds for women's rights, a memorial monument flaunts on the territory of the Palace of Westminster.

On all four dials of the tower, installed on each side, there are inscriptions in Latin, meaning "God save our queen - Victoria I". To the right and left of the mechanism, upon closer examination, one can see another inscription - "Praise be to the Lord." It is known that London's Big Ben is famous for its accuracy, but at the same time, the operation of the mechanism is always corrected only by a simple 1 penny coin, capable of accelerating the movement of the pendulum by 0.4 seconds per day. At the very top of the clock is a lot of these coins. When something happens in the country important events, the battle of Big Ben is heard in different areas, and the tower at this moment is shown in close-up on central television.

Today, the clock tower is rightfully considered one of the symbols of the city, perfectly fitting into the urban landscape and standing out against the background of the Thames. There are few tourists in the world who have visited the English capital and have not been photographed against the backdrop of the legendary Big Ben. Meanwhile, only British citizens are allowed direct access to the tower, and even then only with special permission, which can be quite difficult to obtain. However, the popularity of the attraction does not fall from this at all, but only makes it even more mysterious.

The question of what part of London is considered to be its geographical center is of concern not only to those who like to study their native planet using maps. Many tourists, getting into the capital of Great Britain, find it difficult to navigate in this metropolis. Luckily, most of the more interesting sights are fairly easy to find. In addition, guided tours can be booked.

Buckingham Palace

There is hardly a person who has never heard of Her Majesty Elizabeth II. So, her official residence - Buckingham Royal Palace - is located in the area of ​​Pall Mall and Green Park streets. If a standard flutters over the building, then this means that the monarch is in her beloved capital.

The Royal Palace acquired its status with the accession to the throne of the great-grandmother of Elizabeth II - Victoria - in 1837. Today, the statue of this monarch is the first to meet everyone who comes to the residence fence to inspect the front dwelling of the Windsor dynasty.

Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms. 52 of them are the chambers of the royal family and guest rooms. There are also about 20 state-appointed premises. Offices are located in 92 of them, and 188 are used for technical needs and recreation for staff. In addition, the royal residence has 72 bathrooms and toilets. The total territory of the palace is 20 hectares, and on 17 hectares there is the largest private garden in London with an artificial lake.

Changing of the guard ceremony

Guardsmen in bright red uniforms and tall fur hats are as much a sight to see as the palaces and temples that adorn central London.

The changing of the guard ceremony is held at Buckingham Palace daily at 11:30 a.m. in the summer, and every other day during the rest of the season. The duration of the ceremony is 45 minutes. Sometimes the military parade for the ceremonial changing of the guard is canceled due to bad weather.

The tradition dates back to 1660. It has been held at Buckingham Palace since 1837, when Queen Victoria moved there.

The colorful action is accompanied by the sounds of orchestral music. Part of the parade takes place outside the Buckingham Palace fence, while tourists and Londoners usually watch the rest of the ceremony through its fence.

Tower of London

This fortress is one of the main attractions of the British capital. It is believed that it was around him that modern London was formed. The city center without it today is impossible to imagine. The castle covers an area of ​​1170 sq. m and is a square. From the outside Tower of London(Tower of London) is surrounded by two rings of walls with a large number of towers. There are 13 towers on the inner defensive line. As for the outer ring, it is much longer than the first. To protect it from the water, 6 towers were erected at one time, located along the banks of the Thames, from where beautiful view on a splendid center of London.

In the south-western corner of the space, which is located between the two belts of walls, there is a meadow with a block, on which many prominent representatives of the English nobility were executed over the centuries, including the three queens - the wives of Henry the Eighth. The last beheading at Tower Meadow took place in 1747.

Today, this fortress in central London is open to tourists. They are invited to get acquainted with the exhibits exhibited in the Tower Museum and in the armory. Among them, the treasures of the British crown are of particular interest.

On the territory of the castle there is also the oldest Christian church in the capital of Great Britain - the chapel of St. Peter, which is almost 1000 years old.

Tower Bridge in Central London

Although this structure is considered by many to be medieval, it was only built in 1894. Tower Bridge, which adorns the center of London, is a drawbridge with two towers placed on intermediate supports. The total length of the structure is 244 m, and its height is 65 m. The pedestrian galleries of the bridge have been used as a museum since 1982.

Tower Bridge is still managed in the old fashioned way: it has a captain and a crew of sailors. They beat off the flasks and keep watch.

Initially, the bridge was drawn daily, but on this moment this ritual takes place only a few times a week and crowds of tourists gather to watch it.

Palace of Westminster

Talking about the main attractions of London, you can not ignore this majestic building in the neo-Gothic style, built in the middle of the 19th century, where the English Parliament sits today. The palace has 3 towers. The highest of them reaches a height of 98.5 m. It is named after Queen Victoria of Great Britain. At the time of construction, the tower was considered the highest in the world among secular buildings.

At the base of the building is the Entrance of the Sovereign, which is a 15 m high arch surrounded by statues. The cast-iron pyramidal roof of the building is crowned with a 22-meter flagpole. The parliamentary archives for more than 500 recent years are stored in. They occupy 12 floors and contain almost 3 million documents of national importance.

In the northern part of the palace is She is better known as Big Ben ( detailed information see below).

Another interesting building of the palace is the Central Tower. It is octagonal and has a height of 91 m. The tower is located in the middle of the palace building and rises above the Central Hall. Initially, the building was designed as a chimney for 400 fireplaces located in different rooms of the palace. However, it turned out that the architects made a mistake in their calculations and today the building performs a decorative function.

In the middle of the western facade of the Palace of Westminster is St. Stephen's Tower. Two more similar structures are located at the ends of the facade, which is located on the side of the Thames. These are the towers of the Speaker and the Chancellor.

Big Ben

When the main and most recognizable sights of London are described, their list is often opened by the most famous tower in Great Britain.

It was built as part of a new Royal Palace, erected after a fire in 1834, and is a majestic neo-Gothic building. The author of the construction project was Augustus Pajin. The height of the Big Ben tower with a spire is 96.3 meters. At its base is a 15-meter concrete foundation 3 meters thick.

At the top of the tower, at a height of 55 meters, there is a clock with four dials 7 meters in diameter made of smoked glass. At night, they are illuminated from within. Above the clock is a bell tower with 5 bells. The largest of them was called Big Ben. According to one of the legends, he was so named in honor of Sir Benjamin Hall, the construction manager of the building.

Although Big Ben is one of the most recognizable sights of our planet, access to it is closed to tourists. This is done for security reasons. In addition, there are no lifts in the tower, so the few who are allowed to climb to the clockwork have to overcome 334 not the most comfortable steps.

Trafalgar Skwea

In response to the question of what square is located in the center of London, any person who has visited at least once British capital, no doubt will call Trafalgar.

This famous landmark is located at the intersection of Whitehall, Strand and Mall. Until the 19th century, the square bore the name of William the Fourth and received its modern name in 1805 after the famous naval battle that cost the life of the best admiral of Great Britain.

In the center of Trafalgar Skwea rises. It is built of dark gray granite, has a height of 44 m and is a kind of pedestal for the statue of the famous admiral. The column is decorated with three-dimensional images made from Napoleonic cannons.

Other notable structures located in Trafalgar Square

If the Tower historical Center London, then Trafalgar Square is geographical. Along its perimeter are the London National Gallery, the Church of St. Martin in the Fields, the Admiralty Arch, as well as the buildings of several embassies.

Since the 1840s, the square has been decorated with 3 monuments installed at its corners. They are statues of George the Fourth, as well as generals Charles James Napier and Henry Havelock. At the same time, a fourth pedestal was built on Trafalgar Skvea. It was empty until 2005, when a sculpture depicting disabled artist Alison Lapper was installed on it. Four years later, a glass installation “Hotel Model” appeared in its place. Today, on the fourth pedestal of Trafalgar Square, you can see a huge bottle, inside of which there is a model of the Victoria ship. It was on board that the admiral was mortally wounded, from which he died at the age of 47.

"London Eye"

This is one of the largest observation decks in Europe, built from 1998 to 2004. It is located on south coast Thames. The authors of the project are David Marks and Julia Barfield. The total weight of the huge wheel with all mechanisms is 1700 tons.

The London Eye has 32 huge egg-shaped booths. Each of them comfortably accommodates up to 25 passengers, who can view the historic center of London, its outskirts and some suburbs from a height for half an hour.

The speed of rotation of the wheel is approximately 0.9 kilometers per hour. It does not stop to disembark passengers and "take on board" the next, and these operations must be carried out on the move. In good weather, visibility from the cab is up to 40 kilometers.

Tourists and Londoners can ride the Ferris wheel every day. From September to March, boarding of passengers is carried out from 10:00 to 20:30, and from April to August, another half an hour is added to the working time of the attraction.

Hyde Park

Royal or Hyde Park in the center of London (Rangers Lodge, W2 2UH, open from 5:00 to 24:00) is one of the most famous in Britain and covers an area of ​​1.4 square meters. km. It was founded before the conquest British Isles Normans. However, it was only made open to Londoners in the 17th century by order of King Charles II.

In addition, the Serpentine Lake, where you can swim, and the gallery of the same name are located on the territory of the park. By the way, open water swims took place on this reservoir during the London Olympics.

Serpentine Gallery

As already mentioned, this attraction is located on the territory of Hyde Park. It was opened in 1970 in a classic tea pavilion built in the mid-1930s. At one time, the patroness of the gallery was Princess Diana. Today, at the entrance to the building that houses the permanent exhibition, you can see the work dedicated to her by Peter Coates and Ian Hamilton Finlay.

The Serpentine Gallery annually commissions the creation of new temporary pavilions from world-famous architects. They are happy to design unique structures that host art conferences, special film screenings, and cafes.

Over the years, the Serpentine Gallery has exhibited such world-famous artists and sculptors as Man Ray, Andy Warhol, Henry Moore, Alan McCollum, Paula Rego, Bridget Riley, and others.

Westminster Abbey

This majestic temple has been a traditional place for the coronation, marriage and burial of the kings of Great Britain for many centuries. Westminster Abbey (address: 20 Deans Yard London SW1P 3 PA), or rather the Collegiate Church of St. Peter, began to be built in 1245, and acquired its final appearance only after almost 5 centuries after numerous reconstructions.

The main building of the temple has the shape of a cross. The greatest length, from the western door to the outer wall of the chapel of Our Lady, is 161.5 m, and highest altitude Western towers - 68 m. The total area of ​​​​the premises is approximately 3000 square meters. m. At the same time, the abbey can accommodate up to 2 thousand people.

At the beginning central gallery Abbey you can see the images of all-Christian saints by the icon painter Sergei Fedorov. In addition, the abbey is a place of pilgrimage for lovers of English literature - Poets' Corner, which houses the graves of such famous writers of past centuries as Chaucer, Samuel Johnson, Tennyson and Browning.

Few people know that in 1998, statues of martyrs of the 20th century were installed over the portico of the western entrance to the temple. Among them are the fighter against racial discrimination Martin Luther King, the priest Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was executed by the Nazis in the Flossenbürg concentration camp, the Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, who was thrown by the Bolsheviks into a mine near Alapaevsk in 1918, and others.

Globus theatre"

Many of those who buy tours to London definitely want to visit the Globe Theater, located on the south bank of the Thames. The building, where many of Shakespeare's plays premiered, was built in 1599. Unfortunately, it burned down after 14 years.

The modern building of the Globe (address: New Globe Walk, SE1), erected in 1997, is a replica of the historic theater. Some of the seats in its auditorium are directly under open sky, so you can visit the performances of the Shakespearean troupe from mid-May to September 20.

To visit the Globe, it is best to take the subway and get to Cannon St or Mansion House stations.

covent garden

The Royal Theater in the eponymous area of ​​London was founded in 1732 and enjoyed great popularity among the inhabitants of the British capital.

The current building (address: Bow Street WC2E 9DD) is the third in a row. It was erected in 1858. The auditorium of the Covent Garden Theater has a capacity of 2,268 people.

Covent Garden is also called the Royal Opera and stars of the first magnitude shine on its stage.

Against the background of other London attractions, the building does not seem so impressive from the outside, but the design of its interiors makes an indelible impression on the audience.

Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly Circus is located in Westminster. The square was built in 1819. To build it, Lady Hutton's house and garden had to be demolished, blocking the connection between Regent Street and the important shopping street of Piccadilly.

The main attraction of the square is the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain. The building is located in the southwestern part of It is dedicated to the famous philanthropist Lord Shaftesbury. On the top sculptural composition there is a winged figure of a naked arrow, symbolizing Anteros, who is the "god of selfless love."

The square also houses the buildings of the underground Criterion Theatre, founded in 1874, and the London Pavilion Music Hall, built in 1859.

At the beginning of the century, the building was connected to the Trocadero Center.

Tate Gallery

In the building, located at Millbank SW1B 3DG, near the Palace of Westminster, tourists can get acquainted with the famous National Collection of British Art. It is the world's largest collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings by English authors of the 16th-20th centuries. The collection was founded by manufacturer Sir Henry Tate. The gallery was opened to the public in 1897.

After 30 years, a wing was added to the building, in which the works of foreign painters were placed. In 1987, the Clore Gallery began to operate, which presents one of the most extensive collections of Turner's paintings.

Now you know what interesting architectural sights adorn the center of London. In addition, every year the capital of Great Britain becomes the venue for various cultural, sports and other entertainment events of world and European scale. They, as well as monuments of history and architecture, are one of the reasons for the popularity enjoyed by tours to London.

In the UK, Big Ben is considered such a symbol ( Big Ben listen)) is the north tower of the Palace of Westminster in London.

Important news!

Big Ben has been closed for renovation since 2017

On August 21, 2017 at 12:00 the clock sounded for the last time before the start of the big reconstruction.

Updated North Dial unveiled

March 21, 2019 - The recently restored North Dial of the Elizabethan Tower was opened.

It is very convenient to visit Big Ben and other main symbols of the city as part of a panoramic bus tour with a personal audio guide in Russian. It also includes a Thames cruise that adds even more locations to the journey! The ticket price is £35.10. .

Don't forget to buy Big Ben souvenirs!

How to get to Big Ben?

The address: Palace of Westminster, Old Palace Yard, London SW1.

You can get to it by bus, which goes to Parliament Square or to the stop "Whitehall Street" (Trafalgar Square). If you prefer the tube, get off at Westminster (District Line) or Victoria (Jubilee Line).

Located close to the main attractions, and save time on the road.

We are waiting for your comments on the new image of the famous Beg-Ben!

To begin with, I will explain the title of the article I have chosen. In my perception, Buckingham Palace, the Tower and Westminster Abbey are the main architectural symbols of London - the symbols of "flying high". In general, they are very spectacular, as befits diamonds. And the diadem is a crown characteristic of the ancient Anglo-Saxon Kings. I will not describe these three diamonds in detail - for this there are a lot of special articles on the Internet that can answer all the questions of those who are deeply interested in a wide variety of historical and architectural details. I will tell you about those particulars that seemed interesting to me personally, I remember, and made a special impression.

Buckingham Palace and surroundings

Admiralty Arch and Admiralty

Buckingham Palace is the official modern London residence of the British monarchs. It was built in the 18th century when kings and aristocrats exchanged their former castles with a predominantly military function for spacious palaces that were more concerned with displaying luxury. The palace became royal residence under the rule of Victoria. I was not inside, since the palace is open to the public only in August - September, and I was in London in March.

The tour towards Buckingham Palace started from Trafalgar Square, which I consider to be the central point of London. Along the Thames, from Trafalgar Square, Whitehall Street departs, on which there are several noteworthy objects. And in the direction of Buckingham Palace from the square leads the ceremonial Mall Street. At the junction of Whitehall and the Mall stands the Admiralty Arch:

Outside the Admiralty Arch is a statue of the famous English traveler Captain James Cook. And next - a huge complex of five buildings of the British Admiralty. Here is just a small fragment of it:

Royal guard

Not far from these triumphant hulks is the building at 10 Downing Street, which serves as the residence of prime ministers. By the way, the building is rather inexpressive. Tourists are more attracted to the house of the Royal Horse Guards:

Its appearance at the end of the 19th century:

On guard are dismounted (namely, dismounted, and not actually foot soldiers) and horse guards. I advise you to visit the area of ​​Buckingham Palace around 11 am, as the ceremonial changing of the guard takes place at this time. The old watch is lined up on a large sandy area in front of the Admiralty House (the House of the Guard is to the right):

In red uniform, a unit of the Palace Cavalry called the "Life Guards" regiment. This is the oldest regular military unit in Great Britain, dating back to 1660, when it was formed to protect the new King Charles II Stuart (this was shortly after the Restoration of the monarchy, following the revolutionary events, civil war, the execution of the previous King Charles I and the republican regime).

A new watch is going to change - in a dark blue uniform, the Blues and Royals regiment:

This part arose a year later than the Life Guards and is the result of a merger between the Royal Horse Guards (they are nicknamed the Blues) and the 1st Royal Dragoons (nicknamed the Royals).

The ceremony takes place quietly, without much fanfare. The small stature of the cavalry is noteworthy. There is no reason for ridicule here. The fact is that these horse guards belong to the armored forces, where, of course, high growth is inappropriate. And by the way, they are not tin soldiers, suitable only for parade grounds. The Royal Guard has always really participated in the hostilities, including in Afghanistan.

Green Park and St. James Park

Further, the Mall passes between two parks - Green Park and St. James Park. Green Park is known for being the favorite dueling spot for British aristocrats. And its name is allegedly explained by the following event. Once Charles II picked many flowers here, made many bouquets and presented many favorites (in Western Europe it was a gallant era with all the ensuing consequences). His wife got angry and ordered to dig out the roots and bulbs of all flowers during the night. And they are no longer there, but there is only green grass and trees. Whether this is true or not, I do not know, because I did not go to Green Park. But I looked at St. James Park with pleasure:

And another look at the pond away from Buckingham Palace (in the distance you can see the Ferris wheel called the London Eye):

Changing of the Guard

We continue to slowly move along the Mall and see Buckingham Palace, to which a stream of tourists flows:

Parallel to us, along the Mall, the guards orchestra marches:

and the shift watch of the infantry regiment is moving (there are five of them in the Royal Guard - Coldstream, Grenadier, Scottish, Irish and Welsh; I was especially pleased to see the regiment from Wales: they have a white-green-white plume on their hat and buttons on their uniform are arranged according to the scheme "five - space - five") in the famous bearskin hats:

Unfortunately, the British Ministry of Defense has not yet found an alternative to bearskins for these hats. The only consolation is that these hats serve for almost a hundred years. In passing, I note that they are made from grizzly skins (for officers - from more luxurious and polished skins of males, for privates - from more modest skins of females). Caps weigh more than 3 kg, and they must be worn at any time of the year and in any weather. Bear hats were adopted by the British from the French grenadiers after the victory at Waterloo.

The ceremony takes place in a measure of solemnity, without any game on the nerves, typical of the changing of the guards in some other countries. The musicians, by the way, performed the march of the Preobrazhensky Regiment.

Front of Buckingham Palace. Monument to Queen Victoria

And finally, Buckingham Palace itself:

Ships can be noted on the lanterns, which, of course, reflect the naval power of Britain. And on the gate lanterns are wearing royal crowns:

Why the word "Australia" is written on the column on the left, I did not understand. It seems to me that the names of different British possessions or dominions are written on different columns, which could reflect the huge sovereign status of this country.

Well, the monument-memorial to Queen Victoria is most striking:

With the veneration of Victoria in England, in my opinion, some overkill, well, yes, that's their business. The face of the Victoria statue is turned into northeast direction, towards Mall Street. On the other three sides of the pedestal there are statues of the Angel of Justice, the Angel of Truth and the Angel of Mercy standing in front of Buckingham Palace. At the top is a gilded Victory. Mighty people with lions stand a little further away from the main monument. I was perplexed by the figure of a woman of strong build in simple (peasant?) clothes and with a sickle in her hand. This is probably the peasant woman (I believe these figures symbolize different social groups of the population) - but what does the lion have to do with it? It is not very convenient to work with a sickle in the field and hold this beast with the other hand.

The memorial also has a maritime theme: you can see sculptures and bas-reliefs of mermaids and mermen on it. They allegedly symbolize the dominance of Britain at sea (in my opinion, unsuccessful symbolism).

And there are also images of hippogriffs (unfortunately, due to the crowd, I could not take a picture). Hippogriffs are mythical creatures: half horses, half griffins (while the griffin itself is a cross between a lion and an eagle). Jorge Luis Borges in his "Book of Fictional Creatures" indicated that the creature was invented and first described by Ludovico Ariosto in the poem "Furious Roland" (1532). In those days, there was a saying “to cross a horse with a griffin”, which owes its origin to Virgil and means the impossibility or inconsistency of something (a synonym for the expression “cross a snake and a hedgehog”). A funny curiosity - it is curious what the creators of the monument put into the figure of a hippogriff?

Michael Fagan incident

I will finish the story about Buckingham Palace with one more curiosity. Surely the majority is sure that the residence of the British monarchs is protected as a holy shrine. This is not entirely true. In 1982, a 31-year-old unemployed man (part-time father of four) named Michael Fagan twice(!!!) entered the palace. The first time he climbed up the drainpipe. A maid noticed him and called the guards, but Fagan disappeared, and the security guards decided that the maid was mistaken. Then Fagan returned through the open roof window and spent half an hour eating cheese and biscuits and walking around the palace. He ran into several alarm detectors, but they were all out of order. Fagan examined the royal portraits and sat on the throne of the United Kingdom (!!!). Then he went into the room where Diana of Wales kept gifts for her son William. Fagan drank another half a bottle of white wine, then got tired and left the palace.

The second time Fagan broke into the palace, an alarm detector detected him, but the security guards thought the device had gone off by mistake. When Phagan entered the Queen's quarters, she woke up. According to legend, for ten minutes the head of Great Britain was talking to an unemployed man sitting on the edge of her bed; however, in a 2012 interview, Fagan revealed that she actually went out immediately to look for guards—and without success. Subsequently, it turned out that during the incident, the police officer assigned to the door of the royal bedroom left his post to walk Elizabeth's beloved corgi dogs. The Queen called the police twice, but no one showed up (I suppose they thought it was a hoax). The panic button didn't work.

The funny thing is that Fagan was later charged not with violating the safety of the queen, but only with stealing half the contents of the bottle (of course, he was quickly removed). Michael Fagan spent six months in a psychiatric hospital. The essence of the legal conflict is that in England there is precedent justice, and there was no precedent for breaking into the queen's bedroom in British law. Although back in the 19th century, a certain teenager maniac Edward Jones lived in London, who broke into Buckingham Palace three times and even stole items of linen (either underwear or bedding) of Queen Victoria and her regimental sword. He was not judged, but sent to some institution for the correction of the psyche.

In general, a lot of funny and absurd things are connected in my perception with Buckingham Palace, and in general I noted for myself that the works of Lewis Carroll could only be written in England. For which I sympathize with this country.

Fortress Tower

Outside view of the Tower Fortress

The Tower in my perception is not just a castle, but a fortress, a citadel. Moreover, the fortress is in some sense unique, it had to perform so many functions. In addition to the main military-protective function, the Tower contained the royal treasury (it remains to this day), a prison, a place of executions, an observatory, and even a menagerie. By the way, executions were carried out here relatively recently - the last time in 1941. In general, it is believed that at least one and a half thousand decapitated bodies were hidden in the cellars of the Tower in the 16th-17th centuries. I won’t say that there is some kind of negative aura in the fortress, but I think that it’s not worth it to behave there too emotionally.

At first, a general view of the Tower, made from a platform near the moat:

I look back and see the Church of All Saints with a golden cockerel on the weather vane, against the backdrop of the architectural monsters of the City:

Further, several fragments of the Tower near the entrance to it. Interestingly, there is a full-scale model of a catapult nearby (having seen it, I strongly associated the Tower with the word “fortress” in my mind):

The entrance to the fortress and the first models of animals (there will be more):

The royal menagerie originated in the 13th century when Henry III received a gift from his son-in-law, three leopards, a polar bear and an elephant. Over time, the menagerie was replenished with even more exotic animals, and under Elizabeth I it was open to visitors, having existed until the 1830s.

Behind the outer walls of the Tower. Replica of the Coronation Throne

After entering, the tour group walked around some of the chambers. Some parts of the Tower look really archaic:

In one of the chambers, I remember a copy of the throne of the beginning of the XIV century, intended only for the coronation ceremony:

I will speak of this throne in the story of Westminster Abbey, for it is there that its original is located.

You can get acquainted with the structural features of the Tower Walls: for example, with the form of laying stones or bricks (it is interesting that the bricks do not lie parallel to the floor, but at angles, interspersed with wooden beams). And I also remember that in one chamber there was something like a performance led by a man in medieval clothes. I didn’t understand its meaning, but it was possible to touch real chain mail by weight. I think at least 6 kilograms.

Then we went outside and walked around the courtyards, considering the numerous sights:

A seagull over the White Tower is a sign of the proximity of the Thames (a hundred meters to it).

Another beast (that is, a layout), this time an elephant:

I really liked the luxurious cannon with the symbols of the Order of Malta:

Monkeys of the Tower (fortunately, models, because I would be seriously afraid of such monkeys in a living state):

Beefeaters

Next, I will tell about an important element of the Tower Fortress, to which I devoted a lot of time in research after my return. This is the staff of the Tower, whose members are called yeomanry guards (also gatekeepers), or unofficially - "beefeaters". Yeomentry is a special estate in old England; along with the gentry, they were landowners, only, unlike the nobles, they themselves worked on the land, and did not use the labor of farm laborers or tenants. The yeomen had the right to their weapons, so they have been an extremely strong part of the royal army since ancient times. The Yeomanry Guard of the Tower traces its history back to 1485, the beginning of the reign of the Tudor dynasty, which put an end to the bloody internecine war between the Scarlet (Lancaster) and White (Yorky) Roses. The badge of the yeomanry guards depicts the Tudor Rose (red and white, as a sign of reconciliation), the royal crown, thistle (the sign of Scotland), the shamrock (the sign of Ireland), the motto from the British coat of arms "God and my right" (translated from French) and a monogram the current reigning monarch (now it is Elizabeth Regina):

They were nicknamed beefeaters for the fact that the diet of the guards always had a lot of beef meat and broth (beef-eaters), which is not typical for the old times. So the complexion of the yeomen-guards is very decent (they are not fat, but dense, portly):

The guards have a special dress uniform, which is worn on holidays and for solemn processions (image from the end of the 19th century):

Ravens

There is also a special gatekeeper called a ravenmaster. He is responsible for keeping the ravens. And this is special interesting story- of course, with a big legend.

The beginning of the legend dates back to the ancient times of the mythical king of the Britons, Bran the Blessed. His name means "crow", but then merged with the raven. Bran bequeathed to bury his head under the hill on which the Tower was later built. It was a magical means of protecting Britain from enemies. Then King Arthur decided that the power of the swords of himself and the knights of the Round Table would be enough for protection, and ordered Bran's head to be dug up. The head was dug up - subsequently Arthur was killed by his own son Mordred, and the Round Table fell apart.

In more recent times, legend has come to regard the Tower Ravens as enemies of the enemies of the Crown. In the 16th century, several such opponents (real and imaginary) were executed in the Tower, which attracted the attention of feathered scavengers (it’s unpleasant to write about this, but such are the mores of the era). By that time, the belief that ravens were symbols of the strength of the monarchy had already become stronger.

The further (seemingly more true) history of the Tower ravens dates back to the 17th century, when they were the most common bird in London. In 1666, the Great Fire of London broke out, during which most of the city burned out. The ravens left London, and when they returned, it turned out that their former nests were preserved mainly only in the Tower. Black crows literally laid siege to the castle, attacked people and fought fiercely with each other. These endless battles of crows led to the fact that the authorities of the Tower decided to destroy them. At that time, King Charles II of the Stuart dynasty had only recently been restored to the throne. Some of the courtiers reminded him of the legend. Either Charles II was a superstitious person, or his position seemed unstable to him (after all, his father was executed at the direction of the Cromwellian tribunal), but he ordered to keep at least six ravens in the Tower forever for the sake of the safety of the monarchy.

In fact, there are more than six ravens now (usually eight, just in case), and during the Second World War, the Tower and the monarchy were guarded by only one raven named Grip (the name means “grip”, “power”), and his magical efforts quite enough. The Ravenmaster takes care of the ravens' food (about £120 a month) and even clips their flight wings a little to keep them from flying away. Some of the more violent crows who attacked tourists were sent into dishonorable retirement. By the way, the ravenmaster assures that one of the ravens not only knows how to speak in the form of repeating human words, but seems to understand the meaning. For example, when a person, while serving food, says to a crow "this is for you", he answers "this is for me"!

Treasury

The last part of the tour was dedicated to the inspection of the Royal Treasury. You can’t take pictures there, so I don’t have anything to illustrate with, and I won’t tell much. Crowns, swords and other important regalia of British monarchs are kept there. The most valuable exhibits (crowns) are placed on a special stand, along both sides of which conveyor belts travel at low speed. Very convenient - no one creates congestion. There you can see the largest cut diamond in the world - Cullinan I, which adorns the scepter of King Edward VII.

I can't distinguish jewels well, and for me, for example, a piece of blue glass looks almost identical to a sapphire. But the history of some stones is interesting to me. For example, the story of St. Edward's sapphire (in the center of the upper cross crowning the Crown of the British Empire). According to legend, the English King Edward the Confessor wore this sapphire in a ring. One day a beggar approached him with a request for alms; since the king had already distributed all the money he had, he removed the ring from his finger and gave it to the beggar. Many years later, two pilgrims from the Holy Land returned the ring to the King, telling the following story: in the Holy Land they met an old man who claimed to be St. ring. He blessed the King for his generosity and promised that they would soon meet in paradise. In 1066 the King died and was buried along with a sapphire ring. When his coffin was opened two hundred years later, the body of Edward the Confessor was found perfectly preserved. The rector of Westminster Abbey removed the ring from the King's hand and handed it over to the royal treasury.

When I learned this story, the attitude towards the Tower became not only respectful, but also warmer.

Westminster Abbey

The difference between Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral

Finally, the third extremely important site in London, which is worth a visit to get acquainted with the history of England and its monarchy - Westminster Abbey (the name means "Western Monastery").

I'll start by mentioning another place. The fact is that in London there is not only Westminster Abbey, but also Westminster Cathedral. I write about this just in case in order to prevent possible confusion. These are different buildings, and they are by no means close. Therefore, if you look for an abbey in London, and ask passers-by or taxi drivers - “Westminster Cathedral”, then you will be sent or taken to the wrong place. This is what the Cathedral looks like:

This is the main Catholic church in England and Wales, built in a completely unusual neo-Byzantine style for this country, with a high campanile. By the way, those who like mosaics can find something interesting there for themselves - especially considering the fact that this type of art is not very common in England.

Exterior of Westminster Abbey

I will return to the abbey. It is officially called the Collegiate Church of St. Peter in Westminster (but I suspect that not everyone in London itself knows this full name, so I will not use it anymore). The abbey is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture that has set a certain image of a place of worship for the whole of England.

I will mention one small detail (it is really small, but under certain circumstances it can bring trouble to those who wish to get into the abbey). There is almost always a long queue to the abbey - I stood for half an hour, and this is not considered long. But the detail is not in this, but in the fact that there are actually two queues, and here you need to immediately delve into. One line goes through the cashier, where only credit cards, the other is cash only. If you do not have a full set of means of payment, see where to get. By the way, the entrance ticket costs £18. You cannot take pictures inside. This is a little disappointing, because I would like to capture something interesting for me personally, and not to purchase the offered books and booklets, compiled according to someone else's taste.

tombs

The abbey is a traditional place for the coronation of the monarchs of Great Britain (since the 11th century) and their burial places (in the 13th-18th centuries). In addition, 16 persons of royal blood were married here (including the 2011 marriage of Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge). Many great people of this country are also buried here (however, not only the great ones were buried, but also the rich, who simply bought themselves the honor of being buried in the main temple of London). I will not give a list of them, because in full it would take up too much space, but I don’t want to single out anyone. I will only allow myself to give an image of the tomb of the holy King Edward the Confessor:

This monumental tomb was commissioned by Henry III by Italian craftsmen in the 13th century. The high plinth of the tomb is covered with smalt mosaics (the very rare example of mosaics in England), and the upper part, once golden, contains a sarcophagus.

Interiors

Someone in the Abbey is still secretly taking pictures, so I'll show you a couple of images of the interior, taken from the Internet:

It is interesting that not far from the altar there are two large icons (Jesus Christ and the Mother of God), painted by the contemporary Russian icon painter Sergei Fedorov.

Coronation throne of Edward I

It is impossible to tell about everything that is in Westminster Abbey. I will pay special attention to the coronation wooden throne of Edward I (1308). Let me remind you that a copy of it (and, moreover, noticeably improved) can be seen in the Tower. To quote Mark Twain (The Prince and the Pauper):

We also see a large platform covered with rich fabrics. In the middle of it, on a dais, to which four steps lead, a throne is placed. An unhewn flat stone, the Scone stone, is set into the seat of the throne, on which many generations of Scottish Kings have been crowned; custom and time have so sanctified him that now he is worthy to serve the Kings of England.

What is this stone? Outwardly, it is a rectangular piece of sandstone measuring 66x41x27 cm and weighing about 152 kilograms. According to legend, this is the same stone on which, according to the Book of Genesis, Jacob slept: “... And he came to one place, and stayed there to spend the night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place” (Genesis 28:11). In a dream, the Lord appeared to him, announcing the future of Jacob and his offspring, “and Jacob got up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, and set it up as a monument, and poured oil on top of it” (Genesis, 28:18).

After leaving the Holy Land, the stone came to Ireland in a roundabout way, where, with the blessing of St. Patrick, it was used at the coronation of the Irish Kings. Then he was nicknamed the "stone of fate" - they say that he groaned loudly if a legitimate representative of the royal family sat on him. If it was an illegal applicant, the stone was silent.

What happened to him next is unknown. According to one version, in the middle of the 9th century, Kenneth I MacAlpin, the legendary first King of Scotland, moved the stone from Ireland to Northern Scotland. They say, however, that the stone was transported several more times from place to place, but in the end it settled in Scone (near the Scottish city of Perth), in a monastery, after which it received its nickname - the Scone stone.

For several hundred years, the kings of Scotland were crowned on it. In 1296, the English King Edward I Plantagenet, nicknamed the Long-Legged, who demanded vassal obedience from the King of Scotland, invaded the lands of his northern neighbor, suppressed the uprising, and ordered the sacred Skone stone to be transported to London. There he was placed in the seat of the "King Edward's throne".

Whether the current stone at the base of the throne is really Skone is now unknown. There are reasons to doubt this, but I think that one should not delve too much into the authenticity or inauthenticity of the stone. Unfortunately, Edward's throne was badly damaged in the 18th and 19th centuries by some clueless visitors to the abbey, who drew and carved their names on it (the shameful practice of "here was N" appeared a long time ago). And on Christmas Day 1950, four Scottish students stole the Scone Stone to bring it back to their country. At the same time, the stone broke into two parts. Only in April of the following year, the stone was found and returned to the throne, but was it a real Skonsky stone? .. In 1953, Elizabeth II was crowned here, and whether there will be more coronations, time will tell.

Chapel of Henry VII

And I also want to draw attention to the chapel of Henry VII in the north wing of the apse of Westminster Abbey. This is one of the finest examples of late Gothic in England.

Since 1725, the chapel has been placed at the disposal of the Chapter of the Knights of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath - one of the highest state awards in England. The name of the order comes from an ancient rite, when applicants were subjected to night wakefulness with fasting, prayer and bathing on the eve of receiving a knighthood. The Grand Master is the Prince of Wales. The banners of the chapter are kept in the chapel:

This is what Henry VII's chapel looks like from the outside:

Outside, there are many sculptures on the walls of the abbey, including a group of figures of 20th-century martyrs. Among them is the Russian Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna (by the way, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria), who was killed by the Bolsheviks under Ural city Alapaevsky.

Neighborhood of Westminster Abbey

And in conclusion, a few views on the sides of Westminster Abbey. A building with a large round dome - Methodist House:

There is a good fast-food canteen here (sometimes this is essential for organizing a pastime).

The beige palace is the sanctuary (repository of valuables) of Westminster Abbey:

I also remember the building of the Supreme Court. It has a lot interesting sculptures and bas-reliefs:

I even took a closer shot as I love these epic scenes: