The Sights

Also known as the Palace of Westminster.
Home to the smallest prison in the World and Traitors Gate.
Escaped destruction in 1605 by Guy Fawkes – why we now have Bonfire Night.

Previously used as a prison where the suffragette was imprisoned. The bell is called Big Ben and weighs over 13 tonnes. A double decker bus can fit in the dial with room to spare.

Opened in 1862. The oldest bridge in the London River Thames. Painted green to reflect the colour of the seats in House of Commons

Secret underground passages lead from this famous building to Houses of Parliament. As featured in James Bond Movies – Home of England’s Secret Intelligance

The world’s largest observation wheel.
Towers some 135 metres above the ground.

Dates back to 1504-1405BC
Photo’s of 12 attractive women placed in a Victorian time capsule beneath the obelisk in 1878.

This complex houses the Royal National Theatre, the National Film Theatre and the Royal Festival Hall, along with the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Purcell Room.

Built by the Earl of Somerset in 1550
Previously used by Inland Revenue for registration of birth, deaths, etc. Opened to the public in 2000 – used for arts, enjoyment and even ice skating in the winter

Previously a power station for the Post Office.
Has a restaurant at the top with a fantastic view

This massive building consists of four million bricks. The largest art gallery in the world with famous artists such as Dali, Picasso, Matisse to name a few

Opened by the Queen on the 9th May 2000 and closed within 48 hours later due to extensive swaying. The builder said that it was not the fault of his bridge but the way people walk in London

The only building to be thatched since the Great Fire of London in 1666. An exact replica of the original theatre which caught fire when a cannon misfired.

Where Prince Charles married Princess Diana.
Designed by Sir Christopher Wrenand restored in 1666 after escaping destruction in the Great Fire of London.

The bridge was opened in 1819 as St Paul’s struck midnight and the bridge was illuminated with torches.

The fourth church to be built on this site, all others destroyed by fire. The oldest surviving Gothic church in London and mentioned in the Doomsday Book

Bought by the American McCulloch Corporation for $2,460,000 in 1971, apparently he thought he was buying Tower Bridge!

Weighs 11,500 tonne. Now a floating museum of naval warfare. Top speed of 33 knots, compare that to a RIB

Krays were held in the Tower whilst awaiting trial. Where the Crown jewels are kept.Traitors Gate on the banks of the river – entered by so many and left by hardly any.

24 hours notice must be given by any vessel wishing to have the bridge raised. The bridge is opened approximately four times a week. The bascules only stand vertical when her Majesty, the Queen passes through.

Smugglers, pirates and other maritime criminals were hanged here durings its use of 400 years. The convicts were forced to walk the plank and left to hang for half an hour.

Originally called Devil’s Punchbowl due to the criminals and pirates that visited from its erection in 1520 until it’s name change in 1777.Charles Dickens, Samuel Pepy’s and artist J M W Turner are a few of its many visitors.

Towers some 235 metres above the ground. Built in 1991 as the tallest building in the UK.

Where Henry VIII was born in 1491. Home to the Royal Observatory the place where zero longitude was fixed in 1884 and where east meets west. The famous Cutty Sark is dry docked here currently under a major conservation programme due to arson, this is set to complete in 2010. See the National Maritime Museum in its full glory from the River.

Links Greenwich with Isle of Dogs and opened in Victorian London in 1902
The tunnel is 370 metres in length.

Originally built for the celebration of the millenium in 2000. Officially re-opened at the O2 on 24th June 2007. The worlds most up to date music, entertainment and sports venue.

Opened in 1987 for commercial flights. It is designed to accommodate Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) aircrafts.

This been called the Eighth Wonder of the World. It was designed to protect London from flooding. The Thames Barrier took 8 years to build and cost £500 million