Imagine that you are the Bishop of London. You are giving an interview to one of the religious programs. Answer the questions of the journalists about the cathedral.

1. Who was the architect of the present building of the cathedral?

____________________________________________________________________

2. How many chapels are there in the cathedral?

____________________________________________________________________

3. What do you know about the name of the Whispering Gallery?

____________________________________________________________________

4. How many memorials are held in the crypt of the cathedral? Who they belong to?

____________________________________________________________________

5. What can you tell us about the main restoration program of the cathedral?

____________________________________________________________________

Wren’s Greek Cross design Wren’s warrant design Wren’s cathedral as built

Topic 3

Trafalgar Square

1. Learn new words.

2. Listen to the text, read, translate and retell it.

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square is a square in central London that commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), a British naval victory of the Napoleonic Wars. The original name was to have been “King William the Fourth’s Square”, but George Ledwell Taylor suggested the name “Trafalgar Square”.

The square consists of a large central area surrounded by roadways on three sides, and stairs leading to the National Gallery on the other.

Nelson’s Column is in the centre of the square, surrounded by fountains designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1939 and four huge bronze lions sculpted by Sir Edwin Landseer; the metal used is said to have been recycled from the cannon of the French fleet. The column is topped by a statue of Lord Nelson, the admiral who commanded the British Fleet at Trafalgar.

On the north side of the square is the National Gallery and to its east the St Martin’s-in-the-Fields church. The square adjoins the Mall via Admiralty Arch to the southwest. To the south is Whitehall, to the east Strand and South Africa House, to the north Charing Cross Road and on the west side is Canada House.

At the corners of the square are four plinths; the two northern ones were intended to be used for equestrian statues, and thus are wider than the two southern. Three of them hold statues:
George IV, Henry Havelock, and Sir Charles James Napier.

The fourth plinth

The fourth plinth on the northwest corner was intended to hold a statue of William IV, but remained empty due to insufficient funds. Later, agreement could not be reached over which monarch or military hero to place there. The best use of the fourth plinth remains the subject of debate.

Various companies have used the plinth (often without permission) as a platform for publicity stunts, including a model of David Beckham by Madame Tussauds.

The new Greater London Authority recommended that the plinth should be used for an ongoing series of temporary works of art commissioned from leading national and international artists.

Pigeons

The square is a popular tourist spot in London, and used to be particularly famous for its pigeons (Rock Pigeons). Feeding the pigeons was a popular activity with Londoners and tourists. The desirability of the birds’ presence has long been contentious: their droppings look ugly on buildings and damage the stonework, and the flock, estimated at its peak to be 35 000, was considered to be a health hazard. In 1996, police arrested one man who was estimated to have trapped 1500 birds for sale to a middleman; it is assumed that the birds ended up in the human food chain. In 2000, the sale of bird seed in the square was controversially terminated. Supporters of the pigeons and some tourists continued to feed the birds, but, in 2003, Ken Livingstone enacted by-laws to ban the feeding of pigeons within the square. There are now relatively few birds in Trafalgar Square and it is used for festivals.

Sports events

In recent years Trafalgar Square has become the location to the climax for victory parades for the England national rugby union team in the 2003 Rugby World Cup on the 9^th December 2003 and on the 13^th September 2005 was also the climax of the victory parade for the England national cricket team victory against the Australia national cricket team in the Ashes. On 6 July
2005 Trafalgar Square was a gathering place for many London citizens to hear the announcement that they will host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

New Year events

For many years, revellers celebrating the start of a New Year have gathered on the square, despite a lack of civic celebrations being arranged for them. The lack of official events in the square was partly because the authorities were concerned that actively encouraging more partygoers would cause overcrowding.

3. Choose the best variant to complete each sentence.

1. Trafalgar Square is a square in __________ London that commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), a British naval victory of the Napoleonic Wars.

2. The column is topped by a statue of Lord Nelson, _____________ who commanded the British Fleet at Trafalgar.

3. The square is a popular _____________ spot in London, and used to be particularly famous for its pigeons (Rock Pigeons).

4.On the north side of the square is ___________________and to its east the St Martin’s-in-the-Fields church. The square adjoins the Mall via Admiralty Arch to the southwest.

5. The fourth plinth on the northwest corner was intended to hold a statue of________________, but remained empty due to insufficient funds.

4. Match the words.

5. Find the synonyms in the text.

6. Find the opposites in the text.

7. Find the best variants for the words in the text.

1. The square consists of a _____________central area surrounded by roadways on three sides, and stairs leading to the National Gallery on the other.

2. Later, agreement could not be reached_________ which monarch or military hero to place there.

3. There are now relatively ________birds in Trafalgar Square and it is used for festivals.

8. Find the mistakes.

9. Say true or false.

10. Imagine that you are a guide: tell your group about the architecture of Trafalgar Square.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. Imagine that you are passing an exam in the British embassy before going to London to work. Answer the questions of the official.

1. What is the central square of London?

______________________________________________________________

2. What column is built in the centre of Trafalgar Square?

______________________________________________________________

3. What do you know about the fourth plinth of the square?

______________________________________________________________

4. Why was the feeding of pigeons banned in the square?

______________________________________________________________

5. What events are celebrated there?

______________________________________________________________

12. Imagine that your friend has just returned from London. He/she visited Trafalgar Square. Discuss with him/her this information, using ex.23