You are a tourist guide. Tour sightseers around Westminster Abbey.

Unit 13 westminster.

Buckingham Palace.

Victoria Memorial at Buckingham Palace Queen Elizabeth II in the coach Changing of the guard

· What is the official residence and workplace of the British monarch?

· Who was the palace originally built for?

· Who was the first monarch to live in the palace?

· What is the sign of queen’s presence in the palace?

· What ceremony can one watch daily at 11.30 a.m.?

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence and workplace of the British sovereign. It is located in the City of Westminster and is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality.

It was originally the home of John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham, who lived there in the 1700’s. Then it was rebuilt by John Nash in the 1800’s. Buckingham Palace finally became the official royal palace of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837.

The Victoria Memorial was created by sculptor Sir Thomas Brock in 1911 and erected in front of the main gates at Buckingham Palace.

When the Queen stays in the palace the Royal Standard flag flies above the central balcony. The palace has its own post office. About 400 people work at the palace. The Queen and Prince Phillip have rooms on the first floor. Every morning during breakfast bagpipes are played outside her private dining room. There are 600 rooms at the Palace. At the State Dining Room there is a table for 60 guests. The Queen’s Gallery houses the paintings from the royal collections.

In the Palace royal stables one can see the Gold state Coach and the Glass Coach used at royal weddings. There are twenty Rolls Royces with the royal coat of arms.

Here at 11.30 a.m. one can witness the colourful ceremony of famous Changing of the Guard before the palace when the Queen is in the residence. One can enjoy the colour, the movement and the music of Her Majesty’s Household Troops. Both the Foot Guards and the Household Cavalry are on parade. The Guards originally were the tallest and the finest soldiers not less than 6 feet 4 inches (1.90m). The Guards have colourful uniforms: scarlet tunics, blue trousers and 30cm high bearskin caps. The caps by tradition are made of Canadian grizzly bear skin.

westminster.

Trafalgar Square.

Trafalgar Square fountain Statue of Admiral Lord Nelson Trafalgar Square

· What is the name of the main square in London?

· What historical event gave the name to the square?

· What is October 21^st in Trafalgar Square?

· Why does the ambassador of Norway switches on the lights on the Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square?

At the beginning of the 19^th century Britain defeated the French and Spaniards in a great sea battle at Trafalgar. It was a great triumphant victory of the British nation over Napoleon. Admiral Lord Nelson, the commander of the British Navy, was fatallywounded in this battle. Trafalgar Square was made to commemorate the victory of Lord Nelson at Trafalgar in 1805.

Nowadays it is the main square of London. It is a very popular meeting place of Londoners and the guests of the capital. The Square’s most famous landmark is Nelson’s Column. There are four bronze lions at the bottom, around the column. They were cast from the cannons of the battleships. The column is a copy of one from a temple in Rome. It is 51m high. Nelson’s statue is over 5m high. The statue shows Nelson without one arm and one eye. He lost them in the battle. The bas-relief around the bottom shows battle scenes cast from captured French cannons.

In December a huge Christmas tree from Norway stands at Trafalgar Square. Norway sends a Christmas Tree as thanks for wartime help. The ambassador of Norway switches on the lights.

Trafalgar Square fountains at night Bronze lion and bas-relief on the column Christmas Tree

Vocabulary

Buckingham Palace [´ bʌ kɪ ŋ ə m´ pæ lɪ s] Букінгемський палац

Duke of Buckingham [´ djuk] герцог Букінгемський

John Nash [´ dʒ nɔ ´ næ ʃ ] Джон Неш

Queen Victoria [´ kwɪ: n´ vɪ ktɔ: rɪ ə ] королева Вікторія (роки

правління з 1837 по 1901р.)

The Victoria Memorial [´ ð ə ´ vɪ ktɔ: rɪ ə mə ´ mɔ: rɪ ə l] меморіал Вікторії

The Queen [´ ð ə ´ kwɪ: n] королева Єлизавета II (роки

правління з 1953 по -)

Prince Phillip [´ prɪ ns´ fɪ lɪ p] принц Філіп (1921, герцог

Еденбургський, чоловік королеви Єлизавети II

Her Majesty’s Household Troops [trups] військова охорона її

Величності

the Foot Guards [´ ð ə ´ fu: t´ gɑ: d] гвардійці-піхотинці

the Household Cavalry [´ ð ə ´ haus´ hɔ ld] кінна гвардія королeви

accession [ə k´ seʃ n] вхід на престол

coach [´ kə utʃ ] карета

scarlet [´ skɑ: lɪ t] яскраво-червоний