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The City of London is one square mile on the North Bank of the Thames and dates back 2000 years. It's the business heart of the city and home
to a few 'must-see' attractions. Hopping off the tube at St Paul's or Tower Hill is a good place to start.
Click on the headings to find out more:
St Paul's Cathedral is a stunning piece of Christopher Wren architecture (built 1675 - 1710). The dome is second only in size to St Peter's in
Rome and is famous for the Whispering Gallery where you can talk softly into the wall and be heard around the other side. This is not as much
fun if you visit by yourself, but there's a lot more to see. To soak up the atmosphere and acoustics, evensong takes place most weekdays at
5pm (Sunday 3:15pm). There's a memorial to poet John Donne who was once Dean of St Paul's, the Crypt with memorials to hundreds of military
leaders like Wellington, Kitchener and Nelson and there's a monument to the people of London - the 32,000 civilians who
died during World War II. The American Chapel honours the 28,000 Americans who were based in Britain and died during the war.
Outside the OBE Chapel you'll find Wren's simple but poignant tomb. His son wrote the epitaph Lector, si monumentum requires,
circumspice - 'Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you'.
There are two good reasons to visit the Barbican - First - the Barbican Arts Centre - Europe's largest multi-arts and conference venue, presenting a year-round programme of art, music, film and theatre. And of course the world famous Museum of London, which traces the city's history from the prehistoric to the present. There is no
way you could be bored in this museum and you can easily spend at least a whole day (or two!) here. Tickets are valid for a year, so it's a place you can
re-visit if time permits.
Behind the museum is St Giles' Church, an ordinary little church that is associated with two famous Englishmen. In 1620 a country lad named
Oliver Cromwell was married there and, in 1674, the poet John Milton was buried there.
The Georgian Dr Johnson's House, home and workplace for the good doctor from 1748 to 1759, is
well worth a visit.
Nearby is London's Central Criminal Court, the 'Old Bailey', still the venue for Britain's most
high profile and serious criminal trials.
Another worthy attraction is one of London's oldest churches, St Bartholomew-the-Great.
A walk down Fleet Street can be rewarding. St Bride's is a lovely little church that is said to have inspired the design of the tiered wedding cake.
Because Fleet Street was once home to the print industry, St Bride's is still referred to as the 'Printers' Cathedral' or the 'Journalists' Church'.
There is a chapel in memory of journalists who died or were injured in the course of their work and downstairs is the crypt with a small museum of the
printing trade. Diarist Samuel Pepys was baptized here.
A couple of Fleet Street pubs worth visiting are Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and Ye Olde Cock Tavern. Follow in the elbow-bending
tradition of Samuel Pepys, Charles Dickens and Dr Johnson. For those who like their drinks a little softer, Twinings teashop has been operating on
the same site (No 216) since 1706.
The Tower of London is steeped in nearly a thousand years of history, much of it turbulent - murder, beheadings, torture and
imprisonment. The Crown Jewels are also on display here. It's worth investing in a one-hour tour led by the entertaining Yeoman Warders
(Beefeaters). The nickname 'beefeater' dates back to the 17th Century when the warders received a daily ration beef, a luxury commodity
that was far too expensive for the masses. Of all of London's attractions, this is the one that you should not miss.
Nearby Tower Bridge is architecturally interesting and affords great views of the city and docklands area from its
walkways. While it may look like a solid, stone bridge, it's actually made of steel and the stonework is purely decorative. It is the
Tower Bridge that is the famous icon featured on so many London postcards, not the 'new' London Bridge (replacing the 622 year old London Bridge in 1831) as it is so commonly misnamed. ( The 'new' London Bridge
is one bridge further up the river fro mthe Tower Bridge and is not of scenic interest at all.
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