Shops

Harrods is probably the world’s best known department store. It opened in 1849 and it is now as much a tourist attraction as well as a magnificent temple to the cult of shopping. If you want a grand piano or a bag of jelly beans, there is a huge range of goods in this resplendent store.

Oxford Street boasts more than 300 shops and is London’s busiest street. Here you will find an extensive array of affordable, High Street fashion labels in the numerous department stores. At Christmas thousands mores people come to see the wonderful Christmas lights.

Charing Cross Road is famous for its bookshops. There are lots of them, end sell old and new books. One of the oldest and most famous s Foyles.

Petticoat Lane Market is located on Wentworth Street and Middlesex Street in East London. It is a good place to buy cheap clothes and things for home because sells leather goods, watches, toys, clothing, bric-a-brac and more.

Portobello Road Market is really three markets rolled into one. This is one of London’s best loved and busiest markets and sells antiques, bric-a-brac and new and second-hand clothing from its many original and interesting stalls. If you want an inexpensive designer creation; you could be in luck because many young fashion designers start here. It is located in the Notting Hill area of West London.

History of London

London is almost 2,000 years old. A perusal of London’s history can help explain how the small Roman settlement on the banks of the Thames became today’s multicultural city of more than 7 million inhabitants. Historians have written tomes about each era. Here is a brief, abridged history lesson

The Romans (A43– 410)

The Romans invaded England in 43 AD. They landed in Kent, made their way to the River Thames and sailed up it. The Romans knew it was important to control a crossing point at the river Thames, so they decided to build a settlement on the north bank. They chose a spot in two small hills and where the river became narrower. They built a bridge over the Thames, and there has been a London Bridge  in the same area ever since.

The Romans laid out buildings, streets and a port, and shortly afterwards they built a bridge. They called the settlement Londinium and it soon became the capital of Roman Britain.

In AD 61 the native Iceni tribe, led by Queen Boudicca, rose up against the Romans. They burnt Londinium to the ground and killed all its inhabitants.

The Romans regained control and rebuilt London, this time adding a Forum (market) and Basilica (a business centre), and slowly building a wall around the city to protect it from further invasion. The Romans ruled in Britain until 410.

  

Saxons and the Vikings

Later in the 5th century, Anglo-Saxons settled just west of Londinium and formed the town of Lundenwic. Saxon London consisted of many wooden huts with thatched roofs.

Disaster struck London in 842 when the Danish Vikings looted London. They returned in 851 and this time they burned a large part of the town. King Alfred the Great totally defeated the Danes in 878 and they split the country between them. The Danes took eastern England including London while Alfred took the South and West. Despite the peace treaty Alfred’s men took London in 886. Alfred repaired the walls of the old Roman town. In 1016 the Vikings attacked London again but this time the Saxons fought them off.

It is thought that this nursery rhyme probably records an attack against London by the Viking, Olaf, at the beginning of the 11th Century. King Olaf of Norway attacked England but he was unable to sails up the Thames past London Bridge. At that time London Bridge was made of wood. Olaf and his men tied ropes to the wooden struts supporting it. They then rowed away and London Bridge collapsed.

The Vikings and Saxons ruled jointly England until 1042, when Edward the Confessor became King of both the Vikings and the Saxons.

Edward the Confessor(1042-1066) built a wooden palace at Westminster. Later Parliament met here. Because of this Westminster became the seat of government not the city of London itself. Edward also built Westminster Abbey, which was consecrated a few weeks before his death.

Christianity grew stronger in Anglo-Saxon Britain. In 604 AD a cathedral was founded in London and named after the apostle, Saint Paul. There is still a cathedral on the site.

Tudor London (1485 – 1603)

 Henry VII became King in 1485, followed by Henry VIII. They were the first Tudor kings

London grew in importance under the Tudor rule. It became the centre of trade and government.By the end of the Tudor era there were about 200,000 people living in London.

King Henry VIII created palaces such as St James. He is also famous for closing the cities monasteries in 1536, after the Roman Catholic church refused to grant him a divorce. During the reign of Elizabeth l, London was wealthy and successful city. Theatre became popular, helped by the arrival of playwright William Shakespeare sometime between 1585 and 1593.

The river Thames was very important in Tudor times as Britain’s navy was expanded. Dockyards were built and ships were sent to explore the world. 

  

Stuart London (1603 – 1649) (1660 – 1714)

The first Stuart King, James I , came to the throne in 1603. He was already King James the Sixth of Scotland. He united the two countries under one king.

In 1605 a group of men tried to blow up both him and the Houses of Parliament. This Gunpowder Plot failed.

In 1625 Charles II came to the throne. In 1635 he opened Hyde Park to the public and in 1637 created Richmond Park for hunting.

Civil war broke out in 1642 between supporters of the king and parliamentary forces, led by a Puritan called Oliver Cromwell. The King lost and was beheaded in London in 1649 and Britain became a republic known as the Commonwealth. In 1660 the monarchy was returned.

Plague and Fire

 

London suffered to disasters in later Stuart years.

In 1665 the Great Plague killed about 70,000 people. The bubonic plague was brought to London by rats on board trading ships. It spread very quickly because people lived in very close quarters and hygiene standards were very low

In 1666 the Great Fire of London destroyed two thirds of the City: 13,200 houses, 430 streets and 89 churches. The fire could be seen from forty miles round the capital. It started as a small fire accidentally in Pudding Lane in the City of London, and raged for four days as an enormous fire. 

The reason why we know so many details about the fire is that two men who were alive at that time kept diaries in which they described the dramatic events. The names of these two people were Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn.

To prevent such a disaster happening again King Charles ll commanded that all new houses in London should be of stone and brick not wood.   Christopher Wren constructed St Paul’s Cathedral as well as many churches.

Buckingham Palace was built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham.

 

Georgian London (1714 – 1837)

In 1714, George I became king. He began a line of Kings and Queens called the Hanovers, who rule Britain until 1837. At this time, Britain was one of the most powerful countries in the world, with London at the heart of its trade

London quickly grew in size and population during the Georgian era. In 1801 the population reached about one million. Merchants and bankers grew rich and many lived in the new West End. Other people suffered terrible poverty.

Several hospitals were founded in during the Georgian era including Westminster (1720), Guys (1724), St Georges (1733), London (1740) and Middlesex (1745).

Victorian London (1837 – 1901)

In 1837, Victoria became Queen at the age of 18. The time while she was Queen is called the Victorian era. London grew fast. Better lighting, plumbing and transport developed, too. By the time Victoria died in 1901, London was a very different city.

During the reign of Victoria, London expanded enormously as industry came to Britain and railways were built linking much of Britain to the capital. London was the centre of world trade and had a large, powerful Empire.

Many of the buildings in London today were built in Victorian times. The most famous is probably the Houses of Parliament, built in 1834 after a fire destroyed the original buildings.

In 1851 there was thd Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park. It was the first in series of World’s Fair exhibitions of culture and Industry.  More than six million people came and saw the wonderful exhibits.

The World first Underground railway (‘The Tube’) opened in 1862. At first carriages were pulled by steam trains. The system was electrified in 1890-1905.

 

The Twentieth Century

London grew even bigger in the twentieth century. Many more people went to live in the city suburbs and travelled to work by train, bus or car. The city changed too, with new buildings replacing those damaged by bombs during the war years.

The First World War

The First World War began in 1914. The first air raid hit London on 1915 and during the war over 835 people were killed in air attacks.

The Second World War

In 1939 the Second World War broke out and some 690,000 children were moved out of London. The blitz began in 1940 and caused a lot of damage to London, with some of the worst damage being done around (and including) St Paul’s Cathedral. By the end of the war 30,000 people had been killed in London and much of the city’s buildings lay in ruins.

Later in the twentieth century, air travel became more important. New airports were built to link London with the rest of the world.

 

Millennium London

 

At the start of the new millennium, London continues to grow. It now has a population of over seven million, making it by far the biggest city in Britain. The start of the millennium has been marked by the building of many new attractions and exhibitions, so there is more to see and do in London than ever before.

 

Theatres, Music and Sports

Globe Theatre

One of the more important London’s theatres is the Globe Theatre.
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with Willian Shakespeare. It was buit in 1599 by Shakespeare’s playing company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613. A second Globe Teatre was rebuilt on the same site by June 1614 and closed in 1642. A modern reconstruction of the Globe, named “Shakespeare Globe”, opened in 1997.

The first Globe Theatre was built at the time of Queen Elizabeth the first by James Burbage.

a new Shakespeare Globe Theatre opened in 1997, next to the River Thames.

Music

London is one of the major classical and popular music capitals of the world and is home to many orchestras and concert halls.
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London Barbican Centre.London Symphony Orchestra

The Barbican Centre Concert Hall hosts classical and comtemporany music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions.

The Barbican Centre Concert Hall

 

Sports

Football

The most popular sport in London is football. Most London clubs are named after the district in which they play. Historically the London clubs have not accumulated as many trophies as those from the north-west of England, such as Liverpool and Manchester United, but at present Arsenal and Chelsea are regarded as two of the Premier League’s “big four” alongside Manchester United and Liverpool.

Other clubs:

• Tottenham Hotspur FC
•  Charlton Athletic FC
• Fulham FC
• Crystal palace FC
• West Ham United FC
• Chelsea FC
  

Stadia

Wembley Stadium, in north-west London, is the national football stadium, and is traditionally the home of the FA Cup Final as well as England’s home internationals. The old stadium was closed in 2000 in order to be demolished and completely rebuilt, and the new stadium opened in 2007. Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium was the venue for FA Cup finals during the reconstruction, while England played at various venues around the country. Wembley was one of the venues for the 1966 FIFA World Cup and the 1996 European Football Championship, and hosted the final of both tournaments. It also was the venue for the European Cup final in 1968, 1978 and 1992. As well as football matches, Wembley has hosted many other sporting events, including the rugby league Challenge Cup final.

Wembley Stadium

Other stadia:

• Barnet F.C., promoted to Football League Two for the 2005-06 season, play at the Underhill Stadium in Barnet.
• Brentford play at Griffin Park in Brentford.
• Charlton Athletic plays at The Valley in Charlton.
• Chelsea play at Stamford Bridge in Fulham.
• Dagenham & Redbridge play at Victoria Road in Dagenham.
• Fulham F.C. play at Craven Cottage in Fulham.
• Leyton Orient play at Brisbane Road in Leyton.
• Millwall F.C. play at the New Den Stadium in Bermondsey.

Cricket

Cricket is very well organised and established within London and is the second most popular sport after football. London has two Test cricket grounds, (a rare distinction in world cricket but perhaps not surprising due to London’s size): Lord’s and The Oval. Lord’s, located in the leafy suburb of St John’s Wood, is home of Middlesex CCC and The MCC. Lord’s is also the spiritual home of cricket. The Twenty20 Cup, Minor Counties Cricket Championship and many other Championship finals are held at Lord’s. The England and Wales Cricket Board’s offices are at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.

The Oval in Kennington, home of Surrey CCC, hosted the first FA Cup final and continued to do so (bar 1873) up until 1892. It also hosted England’s first home international football match.

Rowing

The River Thames is the venue for the Boat Race, held between Oxford and Cambridge universities every year from Putney to Mortlake. In addition there are numerous rowing clubs in London based along the Thames, especially in the Putney area. More than twenty rowing clubs are based on the Thames at Putney Embankment; among the largest are London Rowing Club (the oldest, being established in 1856), Thames Rowing Club, University of London Boat Club, Imperial College Boat Club and Vesta Rowing Club. Leander Club owned a boathouse in Putney from 1867 to 1961. The Putney clubs have produced a plethora of Olympic medallists and Henley winners.

Facilities for rowing are excellent throughout the city, including the state-of-the-art London Regatta Centre, at Royal Albert Dock in the Docklands.

Tennis

All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, home of the Wimbledon Championships, is in Wimbledon in south London. London is also home to Queen’s Club, a prestigious sports club that hosts the annual Queen’s Club Championships. There is also the National Tennis Centre recently opened by the Queen in Roehampton.

Wimbledon Championships

Other sports

Every April since 1981, London has hosted one of the world’s largest mass-participation marathons, the London Marathon. The, London Triathlon, the largest triathlon event in the world, also takes place annually.

Other popular sports include field hockey, basketball, baseball (Croydon Pirates are current champions), bowls, snooker, tennis, cycling at Herne Hill Velodrome, swimming, motor-racing at Brands Hatch, golf, darts, racquets, croquet, squash, horse-racing (Epsom and elsewhere), boxing, wrestling, archery, and fox-hunting.

Boxing

golf

Croquet

London has hosted the Summer Olympics twice, in 1908 and 1948. In July 2005 London was chosen to host the Games in 2012, which will make it the first city in the world to host the Summer Olympics three times. London was also the host of the British Empire Games in 1934.

Parks and Gardens

In addittion to beautiful buildings London also has beautiful parks and gardens. They are the Royal Parks.  Millions of people visit the  Royal Parks each year. There are eight Royal Parks and in this post, we will talk about some of them.

- Bushy Park
- The Green Park
- Greenwich Park
- Hyde Park
- Kensington Gardens
- The Regent’s Park
- Richmond Park
- St James’s Park

The 5,000 acres of historic parland provide unparalleled opportunities for enjoyment, exploration and healthy living in the heart of London.

Whitehall and Westminster

Whitehall

Whitehall, street in Westminster borough, London, England. Because of the many British government offices on the street, Whitehall has become a synonym for the government. The name derives from Whitehall Palace, first built for Hubert de Burgh in the 13th cent. and rebuilt for Cardinal Wolsey in the 16th cent. The Banqueting House, which was added (1619–22) by Inigo Jones, survives today and is used for official receptions. There is a World War I memorial cenotaph on the street.

Tower of London

The Tower of London isn’t a single tower but a complex of several buildings. Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress is the official name, however,  It  is more commonly known as the Tower of London, or just The Tower. It is located within THE CITY beside the Bridge Tower on the North side of River Thames.

The Tower is one of oldest buildings in London and is often identified with the White Tower, the Norman fortress built by William the Conqueror in 1078.

The complex of Tower of London has more than 18 towers besides the White tower set along the two concentric rings of defensive walls. There is a moat, too.

The White Tower is 27 meters high and the walls vary from 4.5 meters thick at the base to 3.3 meters in the upper parts. The White Tower’s architect was Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester. According to legend the mortar used in its construction was tempered by the blood of beasts. William Shakespeare in his play Richard III stated that it was built by Julius Caesar.

The Inner Ward sets The White Tower and Inmost Ward within and is defended by a massive curtain wall, built by Henry III from 1238 onwards. The wall has thirteen towers:

* Wakefield Tower – the largest of the towers in the curtain wall. According to tradition this was where the imprisoned King Henry VI was murdered as he knelt at prayer.

* Lanthorn Tower

* Salt Tower

* Broad Arrow Tower

* Constable Tower

* Martin Tower. The Crown Jewels were kept here from 1669 until 1842. This was the scene of the attempted theft of the jewels by Colonel Blood in 1671.

* Brick Tower

* Bowyer Tower

* Flint Tower

* Devereux Tower

* Beauchamp Tower

* Bell Tower – the oldest tower in the circuit, built in the 1190s as part of the fortification of Richard I and later incorporated into that of Henry III. Named after the curfew bell which has been rung from this tower for over 500 years.

* Bloody Tower (or the Garden Tower), so named after a legend that the Princes in the Tower were murdered there.

The Outer Ward was built Between 1275 and 1285 by Edward I (reigned 1272-1307). It is a curtain wall, that completely enclosing the inner wall and thus creating a concentric double defence. The wall has five towers facing the river:

* Byward Tower

* St Thomas’s Tower, built between 1275-1279 by Edward I to provide additional royal accommodation for the King.

* Cradle Tower

* Well Tower

* Develin Tower

The Tower today is principally a tourist attraction. Besides the buildings themselves, the British Crown Jewels, an armour collection from the Royal Armouries, and a remnant of the wall of the Roman fortress are on display.

The tower is manned by the Yeomen Warders (known as Beefeaters), who act as tour guides, provide security, and are a tourist attraction in their own right. Every evening, the warders participate in the Ceremony of the Keys as the Tower is secured for the night. All warders have residence within the Tower, and must also own a residence outside of the Tower, so, that upon their retirement, they may return to a home outside of the Tower.

The tower’s primary function was a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison (particularly for high status and royal prisoners, such as the Princes in the Tower and the future Queen Elizabeth I). This last use has led to the phrase “sent to the Tower” (meaning “imprisoned”). It has also served as a place of execution and torture, an armoury, a treasury, a zoo, the Royal Mint, a public records office, an observatory, and since 1303, the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

Prisoners

The first prisoner was Ranulf Flambard in 1100 who, as Bishop of Durham, was found guilty of extortion. He had been responsible for various improvements to the design of the tower after the first architect Gundulf moved back to Rochester. He escaped from the White Tower by climbing down a rope, which had been smuggled into his cell in a wine casket.

Other prisoners include:

* Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr (c. 1200 – 1 March, 1244) a Welsh prince, the eldest but illegitimate son of Llywelyn the Great (“Llywelyn Fawr”). He fell to his death whilst trying to escape from a cell in the Tower.

* John Balliol King of Scotland – after being forced to abdicate the crown of Scotland by Edward I he was imprisoned in the Tower from 1296 to 1299.

* David II King of Scotland

* John II King of France

* Henry Laurens, the third President of the Continental Congress of Colonial America.

* Domhnáill Ballaugh Ó Catháin, the last chieftain of Clan Ó Catháin died in the Tower in 1626.

* Charles I de Valois, Duke of Orléans was one of the many French noblemen wounded in the Battle of Agincourt on 25 October, 1415. Captured and taken to England as a hostage, he remained in captivity for twenty-five years, at various places including Wallingford Castle. Charles is remembered as an accomplished poet owing to the more than five hundred extant poems he produced, most written while a prisoner.

* Henry VI of England was imprisoned in the Tower, where he was murdered on 21 May 1471. Each year on the anniversary of Henry VI’s death, the Provosts of Eton College and King’s College, Cambridge, lay roses and lilies on the altar that stands where he died.

* Margaret of Anjou, consort of Henry VI.

* George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, brother of King Edward IV of England.

* Edward V of England and his brother Richard of Shrewsbury, also known as the Princes in the Tower, Popular legend states that their uncle, Richard Duke of Glouchester locked them in the tower for their own protection, then, later, ordered their deaths.

* Sir William de la Pole. A distant relative of King Henry VIII, he was incarcerated at the Tower for 37 years (1502-1539) for allegedly plotting against Henry VII, thus becoming the longest-held prisoner.

* Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, and his steward Sir John Thynne.

* Sir Thomas More was imprisoned on 17 April 1535. He was executed on 6 July 1535 and his body was buried at the Tower of London.

* Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, imprisoned on 2 May 1536 on charges of adultery, treason, and incest.

* The future Queen Elizabeth I, imprisoned for two months in 1554 for her alleged involvement in Wyatt’s Rebellion.

* John Gerard, S.J., an English Jesuit priest operating undercover during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, when Catholics were being persecuted. He was captured and tortured and incarcerated in the Salt Tower before making a daring escape by rope across the moat.

* Sir Walter Raleigh spent thirteen years (1603-1616) imprisoned at the Tower but was able to live in relative comfort in the Bloody Tower with his wife and two children. For some of the time he even grew tobacco on Tower Green, just outside his apartment. While imprisoned, he wrote The History of the World.

* Nicholas Woodcock spent sixteen months in the “gatehouse and tower” for piloting the first Spanish whaleship to Spitsbergen in 1612.

* Niall Garve O’Donnell, an Irish nobleman, a one-time ally of the English against his cousin, Red Hugh O’Donnell.

* Guy Fawkes, famous for his part in the Gunpowder Plot, was brought to the Tower to be interrogated by a council of the King’s Ministers. However, he was not executed at the tower. When he confessed, he was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered in the Old Palace Yard at Westminster; however, he escaped his fate by jumping off the scaffold at the gallows which in turn broke his neck and killed him.

* Johan Anders Jägerhorn, a Swedish officer from Finland, Lord Edward FitzGerald’s friend, participating in the Irish independence movement. He spent two years in the Tower (1799-1801), but was released because of Russian interests.

* Lord George Gordon, instigator of the Gordon Riots in 1780, spent 6 months in the Tower while awaiting trial on the charge of high treason.

* Rudolf Hess, deputy leader of the German Nazi Party, the last State prisoner to be held in the tower, in May 1941.

* The Kray twins, were among the last prisoners to be held, for a few days in 1952, for failing to report for national service.

The Crown Jewels

The Crown Jewels have been kept at the Tower of London since 1303, after they were stolen from Westminster Abbey. It is thought that most, if not all, were recovered shortly afterwards. After the coronation of Charles II, they were locked away and shown for a viewing fee paid to a custodian. However, this arrangement ended when Colonel Thomas Blood stole the Crown Jewels after having bound and gagged the custodian. Thereafter, the Crown Jewels were kept in a part of the Tower known as Jewel House, where armed guards defended them. They were temporarily taken out of the Tower during World War II and reportedly were secretly kept in the basement vaults of the Sun Life Insurance company in Montreal, Canada, along with the gold bullion of the Bank of England.

Ghosts

The Tower of London is reputedly the most haunted building in England. The ghost of Queen Anne Boleyn, beheaded in 1536 for treason against King Henry VIII, has allegedly been seen haunting the chapel of St Peter-ad-Vincula, where she is buried, and walking around the White Tower carrying her head under her arm. Other ghosts include Henry VI, Lady Jane Grey, Margaret Pole, and the Princes in the Tower. In January 1816 a sentry on guard outside the Jewel House witnessed an inexplicable apparition of a bear advancing towards him. The sentry reportedly died of fright a few days later.

Transportation in London

Are you going to London? Ok, forget the car. You will have a lot of manners to travel there.

London has a very efficient transport network and like the host of the Olympic Games in 2012 has been commended as the city with the best public transport. London’s bus network is one of the largest in the world, running 24 hours a day, with 8,000 buses, 700 bus routes, and over 6 million passenger journeys made every weekday. In 2003, the network’s ridership was estimated at over 1.5 billion passenger trips per annum, more than the Underground.  Buses have been used on the streets of London since 1829.

This is the famous red double-decker bus. It’s internationally recognized and is a trademark of London transport along with black cabs and the Tube.

If you don’t want take a bus, you can take a taxi. It can be the famous black cab or  any other.There are currently around 20,000 black cabs in London, licensed by the Public Carriage Office (PCO). Although London’s taxis are traditionally painted black, it is by no means a pre requisite, it was just the cheapest option in days gone by and so became standard!

London has taxis in other colors too, like red, blue, green… And a curiosity:  London has 50 golden cabs! They were produced for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002. Indeed, according to a recent poll of 3,300 worldwide travellers, London taxis are the best the in the world. Travellers also consider London taxis to be the cheapest, cleanest, safest and most available, while the capital’s cabbies are deemed the friendliest and best drivers with the best knowledge of routes.

Besides that, there is the centrepiece of the public transport network: the Tube.  It’s the London Underground, one of the oldest, longest, and most expansive metro systems in the world, dating from 1863.  It was called Metropolitan Railway when was made, and because that  there is the term “metro” today.  Over three million journeys a day are made on the Underground network, nearly 1 billion journeys each year. The world’s longest subway system runs for 244 miles below the streets of London.

About 976 million people are carried by the Tube each year and it’s controlled for Private companies.

London is connected with the national railway network, the Europe and Airports.

The most famous stations are:

(Eurostar)

• Charing Cross;
• London Bridge;
• Paddington (conected with Heathrow Airport);
• Victoria Station (conected with Gatwich Airport);
• Liverpool Street (conected with Stansted Airport,  Southend and City);
• King’s Cross (conected with Luton’s Airport and EuroStar, the train to Paris)
• Waterloo

(King’s Cross in “Harry Potter)

CARS

Which side of the road do you drive on in England and what side of the car is the steering wheel on?

“In London you drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right side of a car in most England-made-cars.”

To learn more about it, read this:

Right-hand traffic and left-hand traffic mean regulations requiring all traffic to keep either to the left or the right hand side of the road.This is so fundamental to traffic flow that it is sometimes referred to as the rule of the road.This basic rule eases traffic flow and reduces the risk of head-on collisions. Though originally most traffic drove on the left worldwide,today about 66% of the world’s people live in right-hand traffic countries and 34% in left-hand traffic countries. About 72% of the world’s total road distance carries traffic on the right, and 28% on the left.

The UK has left traffic. Many countries owe the fact that they drive on the left to British colonial influence.

Vehicles driving on the left on the A1(M) Motorway near Washington Services in Tyne and Wear, England heading towards Scotland

As a result of European Union legislation ensuring the free movement of goods, many British consumers exercise their right to buy RHD cars from car dealers in any other EU country, where they are often cheaper, despite originating from the same factories as UK-sourced cars. Models obtained from other EU countries often have a lower value upon resale due to shorter warranty periods and UK dealers refusing to buy them or accept them in part-exchange.

Although the United Kingdom is separated from Continental Europe by the English Channel, the level of cross-Channel traffic is very high; the Channel Tune alone carries 3.5 million vehicles per year between the UK and France. Most vehicles crossing the English Channel, whether via the Channel Tunnel or on ferries, are UK-registered RHD vehicles. Relatively few drivers from Continental Europe take their LHD cars to the UK, but large numbers of British drivers take their RHD cars to Continental Europe for holidays and even for one-day shopping trips. It was reported in 2000 that wished to build a second Channel Tunnel because the existing rail services are expected to outgrow their capacity by 2025. Unlike the existing rail tunnels, a drive-through road tunnel was planned, comprising a single bore tunnel containing one carriageway on top of the other. The current status of this project is unclear.

Today, UK motor vehicles are normally RHD, the main exceptions being service vehicles such as road sweepers and gritters where view of the kerb is more important than of the centre line. Unlike the US (see below) postal delivery vehicles andwaste collection vehicles are not usually different from normal traffic, that is to say, they are RHD.

In cities with heavy tourism, LHD coaches can cause problems as they disgorge their passengers into the middle of the street. Some fleet operators who regularly tour from Continental Europe to the UK use coaches with doors on both sides. Conversely, some Double-decker buses exported to LHD countries for tourist purposes are converted to have their doors on the other side.

CONGESTION CHARGE:

The congestion charge or the congestion pricing was introduced by Mayor of London and is designed to reduce the traffic volumes in the city centre.The London congestion charge is currently charged at 8 pounds since 2003.Much of money raised is being used to improve London’s public transport infrastructure.

For more information:   http://www.politics.co.uk/briefings-guides/issue-briefs/transport/congestion-charge-$366631.htm

Now we are going to know the viewpoint of a Londoner about the congestion charge in London.
What do you think of the Congestion Charge in London?

LONDONER 1:

“Since I don’t own a car and don’t drive, it doesn’t bother me at all and in fact helps me enormously. When I want to get a bus into the centre of London there aren’t so many cars there so I can get to my destination quicker.

Also, the money used from the congestion charge has been put back into public transport. The buses near me used to be old routemaster style buses which meant that I couldn’t use them with a pushchair. The new buses enabled me to get around London with my baby which was life changing.”

LONDONER 2:
“I don’t think a good idea,it is being used to fund the 2012 Olympics because they now know that the sums do not add up.”

AIR TRANSPORT

London is a major international air transport hub with the largest city airspace in the world. Eight airports use the words London Airport in their name, but most traffic passes through one of five major airports.London Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in the world for international traffic, and is the major hub of the nation’s flag carrier,British Airways.London Gatwick Airport is London’s second largest airport and second busiest in the United Kingdom after Heathrow.London Stansted Airport is a hub for a number of major European low-cost carriers. It is the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom and is the third largest airport serving the London area after Heathrow and Gatwick; and it is one of London’s five international airports along with Luton and London City.

Heathrow Airport

Gatwick Airport

Stansted Airport

WATER TRANSPORTATION

British Waterways London manages 100 miles of canals and navigable rivers stretching from Rickmansworth down to Brentford in the west, from Hayes to Limehouse through central London, and from Limehouse to Bishop’s Stortford and Hertford in the Lee and Stort Valleys.

This network provides a valuable and unique resource for alternatives to road and rail transport. Opportunities exist not just for freight but also for public transport in addition to the already vibrant leisure use.

Public Transport

The Regent’s Canal in central London is already used for public transport with the long established London Waterbus Company providing an hourly service between Camden, London Zoo and Little Venice and the new summer service of canoe taxis from Little Venice. There are also trip and restaurant boats running from Paddington and Camden.

The lock free section of the Lee Navigation between Limehouse Basin and Old Ford Lock provides great potential for the introduction of water taxis and water buses to service the Olympic Park and Stratford City with connections to the DLR and tube network. Whilst there are no services provided at the moment, the opportunity is there for operators to establish a service in this area.

Freight

Modern environmental concerns, added to the growing pressure on London’s transport infrastructure, have led many to look at how the waterways can be brought back into use for freight.

London Duck Tours

London Duck Tours offer one of the most unique, informative and exciting tours of London. The London Duck Tour combines transport by land and water along the Thames River. The London Duck Tour is an exciting adventure for visitors and tourists of all ages.
The London Duck Tours are a must do when touring London, as you will see the city in a totally different view. Exploring London both from the streets and by river is an entirely original idea used to tour the city of London. Do not miss this opportunity, book the London Duck Tours adventure today!

CYCLING

Cycle journeys in London have risen by 100% in the last five years – and are set to rise even further with a huge boost in funding.
Over one million Londoners own bicycles but as of 2008 around 2 per cent of all journeys in London are by bike.Estimates indicate there are more than 500,000 cycle journeys each day in the capital – a 91 per cent increase compared to 2000 – even though 2007 was England’s wettest summer since 1912.

To cycle or not to cycle, that is the question.
What are the benefits?

1. Cycling is a great way to get fit. It burns around 400 calories an hour – and gets you to your destination at the same time. Even 30 minutes a day can have a dramatic effect on your health, reducing the risk of obesity related illnesses like diabetes, stroke and high cholesterol.

2. Cycling is the best way to guarantee your arrival time – your speed and route are entirely up to you.

3. It’s environmentally friendly. You produce no pollution and no noise, which benefits not just you, but your local area too.

4. It’s cheaper than running a car or going to the gym.

Now we are going to know the viewpoint of a Londoner about cycling in London:

“I’ve only been cycling 3 months and love every minute of it. I just wish that other cyclist would stop at red lights as its giving the rest of us a bad name. Ive also found that taxis and buses can be a cyclist nightmare when they cut in front to turn left or fly past you then slam on breaks when they get a fare or to a busstop – WHY???? Also think that the roads need a major overhaul as they are disgraceful especially when the iron works are sticking out of the road!!! OK – my whinge is now out of my system and i shall continue loving my bike and my ride!!!”

SOME USEFUL SITES ABOUT TRANSPORTATION:

http://www.londonpass.com/index.asp

http://www.britinfo.net/attractions/TCBBL24000.htm

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

http://www.gift-tours.com/default.asp

http://www.ego4u.com/en/read-on/countries/uk/london

http://www.visitlondon.com/

London

On 9th June, 2009