Tower, the construction, the description of the clock, the story of the name.

8. Describe the House of Lords and the House of Commons using the words:

chamber, woolsack, throne, red, gold, source of wealth, Lord Chancellor,

meeting place; simple style, tiers of green seats, the Government, the Opposition

red stripes, two drawn swords, to address.

Unit 12 westminster.

Westminster abbey.

Westminster Abbey at night Westminster Abbey Royal wedding: Prince William and

Kate Middleton

· What is the name of London royal church?

· Who is the founder of Westminster Abbey?

· What architectural style was the building built in?

· What monarch was the first to be crowned in Westminster Abbey?

· What is one of the symbols of Scottish royalty?

· What is the Chapel of Henry VII famous for?

· Why is the Abbey compared to a mausoleum?

· Can you find the tomb of William Shakespeare in the Abbey?

· What symbol of nation’s grief is located in Westminster Abbey?

Westminster Abbey is one of the oldest buildings in London and one of the most important religious centres in the country.

The oldest part of the building dates back to the 8^th century. It was a monastery – the West Minster. In the 11^th century Edward the Confessor after years spent in France founded a great Norman Abbey. Later in the 13^th century Henry III decided to pull down the Norman Abbey and build a more beautiful one after the style prevailing in France. Since then the Abbey has remained the most French of all English Gothic churches, higher than any other English church (103 feet) and much narrower.

Westminster Abbey is famous for its architecture and historical association. It is a royal church – the scene of coronations of English Kings and Queens since 1066, royal weddings and many state occasions.

As the scene of coronation of English Kings, Westminster Abbey continues a tradition established by William the Conqueror who was crowned on Christmas Day, 1066. When Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on June 2, 1953, the ritual was essentially the same. Monarchs are crowned while sitting on the Coronation Chair. It was designed to hold the ancient Stone of Scone, a symbol of Scottish royalty,

seized from the Scots in 1296. It was stolen by some Scots in 1950 but replaced the following year and in 1996 it was given back to the Scots.

Chapel of Henry VII, fan-vaulting Coronation Chair Stained glass of the Abbey

One of the greatest glories of the Abbey is the Chapel of Henry VII. The Chapel is of stone and glass, so wonderfully cut and sculptured that it seems unreal. Its lace-likefan-vaulting, delicate arches and the stone carvings of saints are the finest example of early Tudor workmanship. It contains an interesting collection of swords and standards of the “Knights of the Bath”. The Abbey is famous for its stained glass.

The Abbey is sometimes compared to a mausoleum, because there are tombs and memorials of almost all English monarchs, many statesmen, famous scientists, writers and musicians.

If you go past the magnificent tombstones of kings and queens, some made of gold and precious stones, past the gold-and-silver banners of the Order of the Garter, which are hanging from the ceiling, you will come to Poets’ Corner. There many of the greatest writers are buried: Geoffrey Chaucer, Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, Alfred Tennyson, Thomas Hardy and Rudyard Kipling. Though William Shakespeare, Byron, Burns, Walter Scott, William Thackeray are not buried in Westminster, the marble statues and memorials to these distinguished people can also be found there. Westminster Abbey sheltersthe graves of Newton and Darwin.

Tomb of Mary Queen of Scots Tomb of Isaac Newton Memorial to Shakespeare Tomb of the Unknown Warrior

Near the entrance to the Abbey you can see the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, a symbol of the nation’s grief. The inscription on the tomb reads, “ Beneath this stone rests the body of a British Warrior unknown by name or rank brought from France to lie among the most illustrious of the land … ”.

Vocabulary

Minster [´ mɪ nstə ] кафедральний собор

Westminster Abbey [´ westmɪ nstə ´ æ bɪ ] Вестмінстерське абатcтво

Edward the Confessor [´ edwə d ð ə kə n ´ fesə ] король Англії Святий Едуард

Сповідник (1042-1066)

The Coronation Chair [´ kɔ rə ´ neɪ ʃ ə n´ tʃ eə ] Коронаційний трон (стілець

Святого Едуарда)

The Stone of Scone [´ stoun ə v ´ skoun] Скунський Камінь (Камінь Долі)

The Chapel of Henry VII [´ tʃ æ pə l ] каплиця (молитовня) Генріха VII

The Knights of the Bath [´ naɪ ts ə v ð ə ´ bɑ: θ ] кавалери ордена Бані (один з най-

вищих орденів; започаткований у 1425 році)

Poets’ Corner [´ pouə ts´ kɔ: nə ] Куточок поетів

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier [´ tɔ m] Могила невідомого солдата

fan-vaulting [´ fæ n´ vɔ: ltɪ ŋ ] віялоподібне склепіння (нервюри)

lace [´ leɪ s] мереживо

carving [´ kɑ: vɪ ŋ ] різьблення

workmanship [´ wɜ: kmə nʃ ɪ p] майстерніст

stained glass [´ steɪ nd´ glɑ: s] вітражне скло

precious stone [´ preʃ ɪ ə s] дорогоцінний камінь

grave [´ greɪ v] могила

grief [´ grɪ: f] скорбота; горе

inscription [ɪ nsk´ rɪ pʃ n] напис

1. Match the words to their opposites and make sentences using them.

prevailing aged

illustrious prominent

delicate predominant

ancient glorious

distinguished valuable

precious elegant