brainstorm
5 belangrijke deelthema's
-Oorlogen + politiek
-Belangrijke mensen
-Belangrijke plaatsen + gebouwen
-Rampen & stadssagen
-economie 18e eeuw - ...
-Belangrijke mensen
-Belangrijke plaatsen + gebouwen
-Rampen & stadssagen
-economie 18e eeuw - ...
keuze van deelthema's en waarom kies je hiervoor?
-Economie & Politiek
-Belangrijke mensen, gebouwen & plaatsen
-Rampen & Stadssagen
Waarom?
Boeiende onderwerpen + belangrijke bouwstenen van de geschiedenis.
-Belangrijke mensen, gebouwen & plaatsen
-Rampen & Stadssagen
Waarom?
Boeiende onderwerpen + belangrijke bouwstenen van de geschiedenis.
uitwerking deelthema's
Info:
-Economie en politiek: Tudors ; Oorlogen ; Stuart Dynasty ; Wars of the three kingdoms ; 18th & 19th century
-Belangrijke mensen, gebouwen & plaatsen:
GEBOUWEN
*Tower of London (1066)
The Tower of London was originally built by William the Conqueror, following his successful invasion of England in 1066.
The Tower of London is perhaps better known as a prison. The prisoners would be brought, via the river, from Westminster where they would have been tried and crowds would wait on the river bank to find out the verdict to see if they would be treated to the spectacle of a public execution. The executioner, with his long sharp axe would stand behind the accused on the boat. If the accused was guilty he would point his axe towards the victim and if not guilty he would point it away. People knew that if found guilty there would be a public execution 48 hours later.
In the centre of the Tower of London is the famous White Tower. It is the oldest part of the fortress and was built on the site of the Norman Keep built by William the Conqueror.
The Tower, or Bloody Tower as it is known, has been host to many famous executions and imprisonments, including those of Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey and Sir Walter Raleigh. Elizabeth I was held prisoner in the Tower for 2 months too.
As well as being a palace and a fortress, the Tower of London has also served as:
*Tower Bridge (1894 )
Design:
A huge challenge faced the City of London Corporation - how to build a bridge downstream from London Bridge without disrupting river traffic activities. To generate ideas, the "Special Bridge or Subway Committee" was formed in 1876, and opened the design for the new crossing to public competition.
Over 50 designs were submitted for consideration, some of which are on display at Tower Bridge Exhibition. It wasn't until October 1884 however, that Horace Jones, the City Architect, in collaboration with John Wolfe Barry, offered the chosen design for Tower Bridge as a solution.
Building:
It took eight years, five major contractors and the relentless labour of 432 construction workers to build Tower Bridge.
Two massive piers were sunk into the river bed to support the construction and over 11,000 tons of steel provided the framework for the Towers and Walkways. This framework was clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone to protect the underlying steelwork and to give the Bridge a more pleasing appearance.
How it works:
When it was built, Tower Bridge was the largest and most sophisticated bascule bridge ever completed ("bascule" comes from the French for "see-saw"). These bascules were operated by hydraulics, using steam to power the enormous pumping engines. The energy created was stored in six massive accumulators, as soon as power was required to lift the Bridge, it was always readily available. The accumulators fed the driving engines, which drove the bascules up and down. Despite the complexity of the system, the bascules only took about a minute to raise to their maximum angle of 86 degrees.
Today, the bascules are still operated by hydraulic power, but since 1976 they have been driven by oil and electricity rather than steam. The original pumping engines, accumulators and boilers are now exhibits within Tower Bridge Exhibition’s Engine Rooms.
*City Hall (2002)
City Hall is located in Southwark, stands on the south bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge. It is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority (GLA) which comprises the Mayor of London and London Assembly.
City Hall was designed by Norman Foster and opened in July 2002, two years after the Greater London Authority was created.
Next to City Hall is a sunken amphitheatre called The Scoop, which is used in the summer months for open-air performances.
*Trafalgar Square (1840)
Trafalgar Square, designed by Sir Charles Barry, was constructed in the 1840s on the site that was originally the Royal Mews for hawks and then royal stables.
The Square is named in honour of the British victory, led by Admiral Lord Nelson, at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
On the north side of Trafalgar Square is the National Gallery.
It was founded in 1824 when George IV persuaded the government to purchase 38 major paintings, including works by Raphael and Rembrandt.
The National Gallery houses one of the biggest picture collections in the world.
To the west lies the West End, with its famous shops and hotels.
To the east is the Strand, which leads to the City of London.
In 1876 the Imperial Measures were set into the north terrace wall.
Dominating the square is the 56 m (171 feet) column, Nelson's Column, with its 5.5m (18 feet) statue of Nelson on top. It was erected in 1843.
Nelson's column is guarded by four huge bronze lions sculpted by Sir Edwin Landseer in 1868.
They were made out of metal from guns that had been taken from old battleships.
In the southeast corner of Trafalgar Square is a small former police phone box which is famous for being the World's smallest police station.
In 1926 Scotland Yard cut out the inside of what was an old light drum and installed a light and a telephone line which the police could use to call for assistance. The phone had direct access to New Scotland Yard, the head-quarters of the London Metropolitan police.
The lantern lamp on its roof is said to be from Nelson’s flagship Victory, although there is no evidence that this is true.
Today the police box is used as a broom cupboard for Westminster Council cleaners.To the east of
The first church built on this site in the 13th century stood 'in the fields' between the City and Westminster.
Many famous people have been buried at St Martin's including Nell Gwynn, mistress of Charles II , the painters William Hogarth and Joshua Reynolds and the renowned craftsman Thomas Chippendale.
*Admiralty Arch (1911)
Leading from the southwest corner of Trafalgar Square into the Mall is Admiralty Arch, commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother Queen Victoria. It was designed by Sir Aston Webb (who also worked on Buckingham Palace and the Victoria and Albert Museum) and was completed in 1911.
A Latin inscription along the top reads:
"ANNO DECIMO EDWARDI SEPTIMI REGIS VICTORIÆ REGINÆ CIVES GRATISSIMI MDCCCCX"
In English it reads:
"In the tenth year of King Edward VII, to Queen Victoria, from most grateful citizens, 1910"
The Admiralty Arch, which takes its name from the nearby Royal Navy Headquarters. It was originally used as the offices and residences for the Sea Lords, leaders of the Royal Navy. Today it is home to several British government offices.
*Buckingham Palace (+- 1700)
Buckingham Palace is the Queen's official and main royal London home. It has been the official London residence of Britain's monarchy since 1837. Queen Victoria was the first monarch to live there. Buckingham Palace is not only the home of the Queen and Prince Philip but also the London residence of the Duke of York (Prince Andrew) and the Earl and Countess of Wessex (Prince Edward and his wife) and their daughter. It is used also for the administrative work for the monarchy. It is here in the state apartments that Her Majesty receives and entertains guests invited to the Palace.
Buckingham Palace was originally a grand house built by the Dukes of Buckingham for his wife. George IV began transforming it into a palace in 1826.
When the Queen is at home, you can see her royal flag flying from the flag pole on top of Buckingham Palace. This flag is called the Royal Standard.
The flag is split into four quadrants. The first and fourth quadrants represent England and contain three gold lions walking (passant) on a red field; the second quadrant represents Scotland contains a red lion standing on the left hind foot (rampant) on a gold field; the third quadrant represents Ireland and contains the gold Coat of arms of Ireland on a blue field.
In flag protocol, the Royal Standard is supreme. It must only be flown from buildings where the Queen is present. It flies above the British Union Flag (Union Jack), Standards of other Royal Family members, and other British flags. It never flies at half staff.
A familiar sight at Buckingham Palace is the Changing of the Guard ceremony that takes place in the forecourt each morning. The monarch and the royal palaces have been guarded by the Household Troops since 1660.
Every year, more than 50,000 people come to the Palace each year as guests to banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions, and Royal Garden Parties
*Horse Guards
Horse Guards Arch is the official main entrance to both St James's Palace and Buckingham Palace.
The Queen's Household Cavalry is the mounted guard at the entrance to Horse Guards Arch. The mounted sentries (who change every hour) are on duty each day from 10am until 4pm, at which time there is a dismounted parade of the Guard.
The Life Guards (in red) and the Blues and Royals (in blue) have been guarding the gateway since Tudor times.
Horse Guards is the best place to get up close to the guards. There are two dismounted sentries on duty until the gates are shut at 8pm, when only one sentry is left on guard until 7am when the second sentry returns on duty.
Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground. It was formerly the site of the Palace of Whitehall's tilt yard, where tournaments were held in the time of Henry VIII, between knights in armour. Today it is the scene of the annual celebrations of the Monarch's official birthday.
*St James' Palace (1531)
St. James's Palace is one of London's oldest palaces. Built largely between 1531 and 1536 it was a residence of kings and queens of England for over 300 years.
Although no sovereign has resided at St James' Palace for almost two centuries, it has remained the official residence of the Sovereign.
Queen Elizabeth and her successor, James I, both held court here. Charles I also spent his last night here before his execution in Whitehall. And Queen Victoria was married here.
*Covent Garden
Covent Garden is one of London's most popular tourist attractions.
The largest fruit and vegetable market in England was once held here.
The name Covent Garden originates from when the land formerly belonging to Westminster Abbey, was 'the Convent Garden'.
Today the area is dominated by shopping, street performers, and entertainment facilities.
Two of London's popular attractions - the London Transport Museum and The Royal Opera House - are in Covent Garden
*The Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) (1512)
The Palace of Westminster, known also as the Houses of Parliament or just Westminster, is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) conduct their sittings. It is the place where laws governing British life are debated and passed.
From the middle of the 11th century until 1512 the Palace of Westminster was the royal home to the Kings and Queens of England, hence the name.
The Palace of Westminster features three main towers. Of these, the largest and tallest is the 98.5-metre Victoria Tower, which occupies the south-western corner of the Palace.
Only Westminster Hall (scene of many trials, such as Guy Fawkes' and Charles I's) and St Stephen's Crypt escaped the great fire of 1834. Over 700 years of history were destroyed in that dramatic fire.
The fire gave Sir Charles Barry the opportunity of designing the Gothic Houses of Parliament we know today. The modern Palace of Westminster is the largest Gothic building in the world - there are over 1,000 rooms and two miles of corridors in it.
The Palace of Westminster contain the bell Big Ben that is struck each quarter hour. A light in the clock tower tells when the House of Commons is in session.
Big Ben is one of the most famous landmarks in the world. The clock tower is situated on the banks of the river Thames and is part of the Palace of Westminster.
Officially "Big Ben" does not refer to the whole clocktower (also known as St Stephen's Tower), but to the huge thirteen ton bell that strikes the hour.
The Great Bell was first struck on the 7 September 1859.
*Westminster Abbey (+- 1300)
Westminster Abbey is just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the oldest buildings in London and one of the most important religious centres in the country.
The Abbey was built by Edward the Confessor, and William the Conqueror was crowned in it on Christmas Day
Every King and Queen has been crowned in Westminster Abbey since William the Conqueror in 1066.
Many kings and Queens and famous people are buried or commemorated at Westminster Abbey.
Its founder, Edward the Confessor, was made a saint after his death and he is buried in a special chapel dedicated to him.
National figures including Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, David Livingstone, Sir Isaac Newton, Rudyard Kipling, Clement Attlee, William Pitt are buried in Westminster Abbey.
*Jewel House
The old Jewel Tower was built around 1365 to house Edward III’s treasures and was known as the ‘King’s Privy Wardrobe’. It is one of only two buildings from the medieval Palace of Westminster to survive the fire of 1834.
*St Paul's Cathedral (1675 – 1711)
St Paul's Cathedral seen today was built between 1675 and 1711 by Sir Christopher Wren. The foudation stone was laid in 1675 when Wren was 43 years old, and the last stone was put in lace by his son 35 years later.
The original Norman cathedral, destoyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666, was even larger than Wren's new building and must have dwarfed the medieval city.
Inside, St. Paul's is packed with memorials to notable Britons including Christopher Wren, Wellington and Admiral Nelson, hero of Trafalgar.
For the fit or ambitious, you can climb 530 steps to the Golden Gallery, an observation platform atop the dome of the cathedral. From there you can look out over the modern skyline of the city of London.
At the dome's base is the Whispering Gallery, a circular walkway halfway up the inside of the dome. Due to the acoustics of the curved surface, a phrase whispered against one wall can be heard against the far wall 112 feet away.
*Guildhall (1411)
The Guildhall, dating back to 1411, has been used as a town hall for several hundred years, and is still the ceremonial and administrative centre of the City of London.
It houses the offices of the City of London Corporation and various public facilities. Greater London also has a City Hall.
During the Roman period it was the site of an amphitheatre, the largest in Britannia, partial remains of which are on public display in the basement of the Guildhall Art Gallery and the outline of whose arena is marked with a black circle on the paving of the courtyard in front of the hall.
*Royal Exchange (1565)
The Royal Exchange in the City of London was founded in 1565 by Sir Thomas Gresham to act as a place where traders could gather together to buy and sell their wares. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth I who awarded the building its Royal title, on 23 January 1571.
The original Exchange survived until the Great Fire of London destroyed it in 1666. The building was burnt down in 1666 and again in 1838. Queen Victoria opened the present day building in 1844.
The Royal Exchange continued to trade for nearly 350 years, until it was taken over by the International Financial Futures Exchange in the 1990s. Today, the building has been transformed into a high-class shopping mall.
*Golden Hinde
The Golden Hinde is a full-sized reconstruction of the Tudor warship in which Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the world in 1577 – 1580.
*Shakespeare Globe
The fascinating story of the re-creation of Shakespeare's beloved playhouse. Visitors can see the reconstructed Elizabethan theatre, built with materials, techniques and craftsmanship of 400 years ago. The world's largest Shakesperian exhibition explores the playwright's London, Elizabethan theatre and the Shakespeare's influence around the world. The summer season of plays sees Shakespeare performed in an authentic setting.
*The London Eye
The British Airways London Eye (Millennium Wheel) stands 135 metres (443 feet) high on the South Bank of the River Thames between Westminster and Hungerford Bridges. It is the world's highest observation wheel.
The wheel was constructed in sections which were floated up the river Thames on barges and assembled lying flat on pontoons. Once the wheel was complete it was raised into its upright position by cranes, initially being lifted at a rate of about 2 degrees per hour until it reached 65 degrees.
The total weight of steel in the Eye is 1,700 tonnes.
*The Monument (1671-1677)
The Monument is a 61 metre (202 feet) tall stone Roman doric column in the heart of the City of London. It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, and erected between 1671 and 1677, as the City's memorial to the Great Fire in 1666.
The monument is the tallest single stone column in the world and contains a spiral staircase leading to a viewing platform from which you can see some remarkable views of the city.
The fire began in a baker's house in Pudding Lane on Sunday 2nd September 1666 and finally extinguished on Wednesday 5th September, after destroying the greater part of the City.
The significance of its 61 metre (202 feet) height is the distance to the bakery on Pudding Lane that was the suspected source of the fire that destroyed the city.
The top of the monument is reached by climbing up the narrow winding staircase of 311 steps. A cage was added in the mid-19th century at the top of the Monument to prevent people jumping off, after six people had committed suicide between 1788 and 1842.
*The Gherkin (1903)
30 St Mary Axe, better known by its nickname Gherkin, is one of the most eye-catching buildings in London and it stands out prominently in the city's skyline. The Gherkin is one of several modern buildings that have been built over the years in a historic area of London.
Construction of the Gherkin was commissioned by Swiss Re, a reinsurance company. The 41-story skyscraper was built in 2004 after a modern glass and steel design by the architectural firm of Foster and Partners. The Gherkin, London
Originally known as the Swiss Re Building, it was later renamed to its street address 30 St. Mary Axe after Swiss Re sold the building in 2007. Even before its construction was complete Londoners dubbed the building the 'Gherkin' for its distinctive shape, and it is still known by that name
The tower was built in the heart of London's financial center at the site of the 1903 Baltic Exchange Building which had been damaged by a terrorist attack in 1992. The construction of a glittering high-tech building in the middle of a relatively low-rise area with plenty of historic buildings and narrow medieval streets set off a new debate about the need for tall buildings in the City of London. But even as many new skyscrapers are now built in Canary Wharf - well outside the city's historic center - the Gherkin has acted as a catalyst for the growing cluster of high-rises in the City.
The cigar-shaped structure has a steel frame with circular floor plans and a glass facade with diamond-shaped panels. The swirling striped pattern visible on the exterior is the result of the building's energy-saving system which allows the air to flow up through spiraling wells.
On the street level, the Gherkin's base is well integrated with an open public plaza. Huge white X braces create a dramatic entrance. The top of the tower, where visitors find an open hall covered by a glass conical dome is even more spectacular. From here you have great views over the city. Unfortunately the building is not open to the public.
Its unique, bold and energy efficient design has won the Gherkin many awards including the Stirling Prize, the London Region Award, and the Emporis Skyscraper Award.
*Cleopatra's Needle (1878)
This obelisk is known as Cleopatra's Needle …though it has very little to do with Cleopatra at all.
It was made in Egypt for the Pharaoh Thotmes III in 1460 BC, making it almost 3,500 years old. It is known as Cleopatra's Needle as it was brought to London from Alexandria, the royal city of Cleopatra.
Britain wanted something big and noticeable to commemorate the British victory over Napoleon, sixty-three years earlier.
The Needle arrived in England after a horrendous journey by sea in 1878.
The British public subscribed £15,000 to bring it over from Alexandria in Egypt, and waited eagerly for the 'needle' to arrive.
A specially designed cigar-shaped container ship, called the Cleopatra, was used to convey this priceless treasure. It was built by the Dixon brothers and when finished was an iron cylinder, 93 feet long, 15 feet wide, and was divided into ten watertight compartments. A cabin, bilge keels, bridge and rudder were riveted on and to everyone's delight …she floated!
But on October 14th 1877 in treacherous waters off the west coast of France in the Bay of Biscay disaster stuck…the Cleopatra was in danger of sinking.
The steam-ship towing her, the Olga, sent six volunteers in a boat to take off the Cleopatra's crew, but the boat was swamped and the volunteers drowned. The names of the men who died are commemorated on one of the plaques to be seen today at the base of the Needle - William Askin, Michael Burns, James Gardiner, William Donald, Joseph Benton and William Patan.
Eventually the Olga drew alongside and rescued Cleopatra's five crewmen and their skipper, and cut the towrope, leaving the vessel adrift in the Bay of Biscay.
In Britain the nation held its breath …would the Cleopatra remain buoyant - if not they had wasted a lot of money.
Five days later a ship spotted the Cleopatra floating peacefully and undamaged off the northern coast of Spain, and towed her to the nearest port, Ferrol.
Following her narrow escape, another steam-ship, the Anglia, was sent to tow the Cleopatra home.
Finally in January 1878 the both vessels came up the Thames and the waiting crowds cheered as artillery salvoes roared a welcome.
The 'needle' was winched into position on the Embankment in September 1878, to the delight of the people.
*Lambeth's Palace (1495)
Lambeth Palace has been the London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury for nearly eight hundred years.
The red brick gatehouse dates from 1495. To its right is the church of St Mary-at Lambeth which houses the Museum of Garden History.
*Eros (1893)
The statue of Eros, set in the middle of Piccadilly Circus, is one of the most recognisable symbols of London.
Originally known as the Shaftebury Monument, it was unveiled in 1893 as a memorial to the Victorian philanthropist, Lord Shaftesbury. It was constructed as 'Angel of Christian Charity', but was later renamed after the Greek god of love.
*Canary Wharf Tower (1990)
Canary Wharf is a modern high-rise business district located at the former West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs, east of London. Some of the city's tallest and most modern skyscrapers can be found here.
The Docklands, a large area along the Thames riverfront on the eastern edge of London, was once home to the world's busiest port.
In the 1960s, after the construction of the Thames Barrier - a storm surge barrier - and a modern container port in Tilbury, activity in the area came to a halt. The many wharves and warehouses fell into decay
The first office tower, Canary Wharf Tower (now One Canada Square), was built in 1990. At 800ft (243m) the pyramid-topped steel tower was the tallest building in Europe until the completion of the Messeturm in Frankfurt, Germany that same year.
Many more office towers were planned but British corporations were reluctant to relocate to the remote site. Despite a promise by the prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, there was no underground connection and the site lacked shopping areas and restaurants.
To make matters worse, in 1992 a recession caused the property market to collapse. The developer went into bankruptcy and the whole project seemed to be an enormous failure.
*The O2 - Millenium Dome
In 1994, the Chairman of what would later become the New Millennium Experience Company suggested a national exhibition to be held as part of the country's millennium celebrations. The project, to be funded mainly by the National Lottery, was revised when Tony Blair became the new Prime Minister in 1997.
He declared that the exhibition, to be held in Greenwich, would open a window on the future. The focus would be on entertainment and education (also dubbed 'edutainment'). This resulted in fourteen themed zones, including Faith, Talk, Mind, Rest, Home Planet, Body and Learning.
The project was controversial from the start. The Millennium Dome, a large domed structure that was built on the meridian in Greenwich to house the exhibition had an estimated cost of £750 million and was disliked by many Londoners, who did not see it as a proper symbol for their city.
Due to the focus on education and the high entrance fee, the Dome did not attract as many visitors as originally forecasted: a total of seven million people visited the exposition, The Millennium Dome, now O2, in Londoncompared to the original estimate of twelve million visitors. Even with each of the separate themes in the Dome sponsored by major corporations, the project had a serious budget deficit. The millennium exhibition ran until the end of 2000.
In 2005 the Millennium Dome was renamed O2, after the mobile phone company. At the same time it was converted into a multifunctional entertainment complex. The arena now hosts many different events, including exhbitions and concerts. At its center is a large concert hall with a capacity of 20,000 people. Several other halls include areas for more intimate concerts, cinemas and exhibitions.
The cover of the Dome is made of PTFE-coated glass fiber, which has an estimated minimum lifetime of 25 years. The structure, designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership has a diameter of 365 meters (1200ft) and reaches a height of 52 meters at its center. It is twice the size of the original Wembley Stadium. The structure is expected to last until 2018. After that year, developers are allowed to demolish the dome and redevelop the site.
Sources:
http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/
http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/
http://www.aviewoncities.com/
http://www.historic-uk.com/
MENSEN
*Thomas More
Thomas More was born in London, England, on February 7, 1478. He attended St. Anthony's School in London, one of the best schools of his day. After graduating, More went on to study at Oxford University, where he spent two years mastering Latin and formal logic, writing comedies, and studying Greek and Latin literature.
In 1494, More's father made him study common law but he managed to keep up with his literary and spiritual interests while practicing law, and he read devotedly from both Holy Scripture and the classics. Around this time, More became close friends with Erasmus. It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship and professional relationship, and Erasmus wrote Praise of Folly, dedicated to More on his third visit.
Between 1513 and 1518 More wrote History of King Richard III (in Latin and in English). The novel is considered the first masterpiece of English historiography and influenced several historians, such as William Shakespeare.
1521, King Henry VIII responded to Martin Luther's works which rejescted certain Catholic practices with the assistance of More, in his Defence of the Seven Sacraments. More began serving as Henry VIII's secretary and confidant. Two years later he was elected speaker of the House of Commons.
In 1516, More published Utopia. Utopis tells us that communism is the only cure for the egoism found in both private and public life.
Utopia covered various topics such as
The resulting display of learning and skill established More as a foremost humanist. Utopia also became the forerunner of a new literary genre: the utopian romance.
In 1532, More resigned from the House of Commons because of his disapproval of Henry's recent disregard of the laws of the church and his divorce of Catherine. He refused to accept the king as head of the Church of England because More believed it would disparage the power of the pope. He was found guilty of treason and was sent to The Tower Of London.
Thomas More was beheaded on July 6, 1535. He final words were: "The king's good servant, but God's first." More was canonized by the Catholic Church as a saint in 1935.
*Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria, was born Alexandrina Victoria on May 24, 1819, in London, England. Victoria was the only child of George III's fourth son, Edward, and Victoria Maria Louisa of Saxe-Coburg. She was the sister of Leopold, king of the Belgians. She served as queen of Great Britain from 1837 until her death in 1901, and as empress of India from 1876.
In 1840, she married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The had four sons and five daughters together. Their first child, Princess Victoria then came Prince Albert Edward (Edward VII) , Princess Alice , Alfred, Princess Helena, Princess Louise, Prince Arthur, Prince Leopold, and their last child was Princess Beatrice.
Strongly influenced by her husband, with whom she worked in closest harmony, after his death in 1861, she neglected many duties, which brought her unpopularity and motivated a republican movement. But with her recognition as empress of India she rose high and increased the prestige of the monarchy.
Queen Victoria's reign to date, the longest in English history, saw advances in industry, science, communications and other forms of technology; the building of railways and the London Underground, and power distribution networks; the construction of bridges and other engineering feats; a vast number of inventions; a greatly expanded empire; growth of wealth, increase in urban populations, with the growth of great cities like Manchester, Leeds, and Birmingham.
Queen Victoria died near Cowes, Isle of Wight, England, and was succeeded by her son, Edward VII. At the time of her death, Victoria was hailed as an exemplary monarch. Victoria's stern view on morality, and Britain on the world stage under her rule, helped define the age that bears her name.
*Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis was born on April 29, 1957, into a well-to-do and creative family in London, England. His father, Cecil Day-Lewis, was a writer, enjoyed the honor of being England's poet laureate for the last four years of his life. His mother, Jill Balcon, was an actress.
Daniel was educated at Sevenoaks School in Kent, which he despised. He was a poorly behaved student. Despite his lack of success in school, Day-Lewis had plenty of other talents. He focused on woodworking and craftsmanship as a teenager. Eventually, he applied to a theater program and was accepted to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and studied acting there. Day-Lewis threw himself fully into the craft of drama.
Daniel made his film debut in Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), but then acted on stage with the Bristol Old Vic and Royal Shakespeare Companies and did not appear on screen again until 1982, when he landed his first adult role, a bit part in Gandhi (1982). Later, he also appeared on the British TV.
His first major supporting role in a feature film was in
In 1986, he appeared on stage in The Insurance Man and had a small role in a British/French film, Nanou. In 1987 he starred in Philip Kaufman's The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), followed by a comedic role in the unsuccessful Stars and Bars (1988). His brilliant performance as "Christy Brown" in Jim Sheridan's My Left Foot (1989) won him numerous awards, including The Academy Award for best actor.
He took a hiatus from film until 1992, when he starred in The Last of the Mohicans (1992), a film was a great success at the box office. He worked with American director Martin Scorsese in The Age of Innocence (1993) in 1994. Subsequently, he teamed again with Jim Sheridan to star in In the Name of the Father (1993), a critically acclaimed performance that earned him another Academy Award nomination. His next project was in the role of John Proctor in father-in-law Arthur Miller's play The Crucible (1996), directed by Nicholas Hytner.
Day-Lewis gave another stunning performance in the film There Will Be Blood in 2007.
In 2009, Day-Lewis landed a starring role in the film Nine, by director Rob Marshall. Once again, Day-Lewis's performance was met with critical acclaim and award nominations. The actor is known for taking long hiatuses between films. Researching his roles, taking time for his family, and striking out for new adventures seems to be part and parcel of the actor's recipe for success.
In 2012, Day-Lewis took on another challenging part, playing Abraham Lincoln, one of America's most beloved presidents in the film Steven Spielberg. His convincing portayal of Lincoln earned him an Academy Award for best actor in February 2013.
*Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys was born on 23 February, 1633 to John and Margaret Kite near Fleet Street in London. He was educated at St Paul's School in London and Cambridge University. He took his bachelor's degree in 1654 and entered the service of a distant relative, Edward Montagu as his secretary and agent in London. In 1655, Pepys got married to a 15 year old Elizabeth St. Michel.
On 1 January, 1660 Pepys began writing his diary. Oliver Cromwell, who had died in September 1658 and his son Richard, not being able to be his successor because he was no politician was definetly one of the reasons he bagan writing in his diary.
Pepys's dairy ranges from private remarks to detailed observations of events in 17th century in England. Such as the plague of 1665, the Great Fire of London and Charles II's coronation, Sir Christopher Wren and Sir Isaac Newton.
Pepys was suffering so much from eye strain that he thought he was going blind. Because of this he decided to stop writing in May 1669.
In June 1660, Pepys was appointed clerk of the acts to the navy board, a key post in one of the most important of all government departments, the royal dockyards. In 1673, he became secretary to the Admiralty and in the same year a member of parliament for a Norfolk constituency, later representing Harwich. He was responsible for some important naval reforms which helped lay the foundations for a professional naval service. He was also a member of the Royal Society, serving as its president from 1684-1686.
In 1679, Pepys was forced to resign from the Admiralty and was imprisoned on a charge of selling naval secrets to the French, but the charge was subsequently dropped. In 1685 Charles II died and was succeeded by the Duke of York as James II, who Pepys served. After the overthrow of James in 1688, Pepys's career effectively came to an end. He was again arrested in 1690, under suspicion of Jacobite sympathies, but was released.
In 1701 he moved to Clapham, to the comfortable house of his friend Will Hewer, where he was kindly cherished, and nursed by the housekeeper.
He died in Clapham on May 26th,1703 and is buried at St Olave's.
*David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham was born in May 2, 1975 in Leytonstone, London, England to Ted and Sandra Beckham.
Beckham is an famous English footballer. He played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, Milan, LA Galaxy, Paris Saint-Germain, and the England national team for which he holds the appearance record for an outfield player. He is the first English player to win league titles in four countries. He announced his retirement at the end of 2012 -2013 season. He played his final game on 18 May 2013.
Beckham regularly played football in his childhood and dreamed to be a football player.
His parents were fanatical Manchester United supporters who would frequently travel to Old Trafford from London to attend the team's home matches. David inherited his parents' love of Manchester United, and his main sporting passion was football.
He attended Bobby Charlton's football school in Manchester, and won a spot in a training session at FC Barcelona as a child.
In 1986 he was a Manchester United's mascot for a match against West Ham United. From 1992 - 2003 Beckham made almost 400 appearances for Manchester United and scored 85 goals. In the 1998 FIFA World Cup he played all of England's qualifying matches and scored in several important victories.
On July 4, 1999, he married singer Victorian Beckham from the popular music group The Spice Girls. At that time, he also had his first son, Brooklyn Joseph Beckham. He had his second son, Romeo James Beckham in 2002. Both of them were born in London.
On 2003, Beckham signed a four-year contract with Real Madrid. It worth a potential 40 million dollars. Beckham was not allowed to wear his favorite number seven, because another player had the right to wear it written into his contract. So Beckham decided to wear the number 23 instead, being a big fan of Michael Jordan. He immediately became popular with the Real Madrid fans. Beckham remained a reliable scorer and his performances attracted more public.
He then had his third son, Cruz David Beckham, in 2005. He was born in Madrid.
On 2007, Becham signed a five-year contract with the Los Aneles Galaxy that ended in 2012.
After that, he signed a five-month contract with Paris Saint-Germain and had his last game.
He had his daughter, Harper Seven Beckham on 2011 in Los Angeles.
David Beckham has been a good scorer and a major attraction for public. On the field he has been demonstrating his consistent ability to see a big picture even under severe pressure during the most rapidly changing and unpredictable games. His field vision has been remarkable, allowing him to create many assists in a number of important matches.
*Charlie Chaplin
Charles Spenser Chaplin was born in April 16, 1889, to Hannah Chaplin and Charles Chaplin, Sr.
He was a comedian, producer, writer, director, and composer who is widely regarded as the greatest comic artist of the screen and one of the most important figures in motion-picture history. He died in December 25, 1977, in Corsier-sur-Vervey, Switzerland.
There is no official record of his birth but he believed he was born at East Street, Walworth, in South London. Four years before his birth, his father, Charles Sr. Became the legal carer of Hannah's illegitimate son, Sydney John Hill. At the time of his birth, Charlin's parents were both music hall performers. Hannah, under the stage name Lily Harley, had a unsuccessful carreer as her singing voice had a tendancy to break down at unexpected moments. However, Charles Sr. was succesful and separated from Hannah to persue his carrer in New York. The following year, Hannah gave birth to a third son, George Wheeler Dryden fathered by the music hall performer Leo Dryden.
Chaplin's childhood in London was defined by poverty and hardship after his father left his mother. His mother struggled financially and he was sent to workhouses and charity homes with his half-brother, Sydney. Chaplin began his official acting career at the age of eight, touring with The Eight Lancashire Lads. Later he worked as a stage actor and comedian. When he was 14, his mother was committed to a mental asylum. At 19 he was signed to the prestigious Fred Karno company, which took him to America. Chaplin was scouted for the film industry, and began appearing in 1914 for Keystone Studios. While at Keystone, Chaplin appeared in and directed 35 films. He developed the Tramp persona and formed a large fan base. By 1918, he was one of the best known figures in the world.
Chaplin's life and carreer was full of scandals and controversies. His first scandal was during World War I, during which his loyalty to his home country, England was questioned. He claimed he was a paying visitor to the United States and his British citizens called Chaplin a coward and a slacker. Later, he played Adolf Hitler in his film, The Great Dictator. Some British citizens didn't like the film.
Another scandal occured when Chaplin briefley dated a 22 year old Joan Berry. The relationship ended in 1942, after a series of harassing actions from her. She returned in 1943 to inform him that she was pregnent and the child was his. This was proved wrong after a blood test, but the blood tests were inadmissible evidence and he was ordered to pay $75 a week until the child turned 21.
Chaplin was married four times and had 11 children in total. After a controversy with the British and United States's goverment, he and his fourth wife decided to settle in Switzerland. Chaplin died of natural causes at his home in Switzerland. In 1978, Chaplin's corpse was stolen from it's grave and was not recoverd for 3 months, he was reburied later on.
-Rampen & stadssagen : Londen Fog ; Jack the Ripper ; Great fire of London
Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper is de naam die gegeven is aan een seriemoordenaar die in de tweede helft van 1888 in Londen prostituees verminkte en vermoordde. De naam komt uit een brief van iemand die beweerde de moordenaar te zijn, verstuurd naar de politie ten tijde van de moorden. De schrijver ervan kende details die alleen de moordenaar kon weten. De identiteit van Jack the Ripper is nooit achterhaald.
Vijf moorden werden op loopafstand van elkaar gepleegd waarbij de slachtoffers gruwelijk toegetakeld werden. Deze worden toegeschreven aan de seriemoordenaar Jack the Ripper. De slachtoffers waren allen vrouwen die inkomsten verkregen uit prostitutie en zijn bekend geworden als the canonical five. Daarnaast zijn er mogelijk nog zes vrouwen vermoord waarvan niet volkomen duidelijk is of ze door dezelfde dader omgebracht zijn.
Vijf prostituees waarvan men zeker weet dat Jack the Ripper hen heeft vermoord in het Londens East End:
- Mary Ann Nichols (vermoord op 31 augustus 1888):
o keel was doorgesneden tot aan de halswervels
o haar buik was verscheidene keren doorstoken
o alle wonden waren met hetzelfde wapen toegebracht: een vrij scherp mes van ten minste twintig centimeter lang dat met groot geweld gebruikt was.
- Annie Chapman (vermoord op 8 september 1888):
o haar buik was opengesneden
o haar baarmoeder was vakkundig verwijderd
- Elizabeth Stride (vermoord op 30 september 1888):
o werd gevonden met doorgesneden keel.
- Catherine Eddowes (vermoord op 30 september 1888):
o Haar baarmoeder ontbrak
o de linker nier ontbrak
o in beide wangen was een flap gekerfd.
- Mary Jane Kelly (vermoord op 9 november 1888):
o zij had grove verminkingen
o haar hele buik was ontdaan van organen
o haar hart ontbrak.
Waarom de vrouwen vermoord zijn, is nooit vastgesteld. Er bestaat een reeks theorieën (zoals de Royal Conspiracy Theory). De mythe die de moorden omringt, vindt zijn oorzaak in een combinatie van geschiedkundig onderzoek, samenzweringstheorieën en folkloristische verzinsels. Door de beperkte feitenkennis over de moordenaar werd de verbeelding van velen in de loop der tijd zodanig gestimuleerd, dat naar tal van mensen met een beschuldigende vinger werd gewezen.
Dit is een lijst van mogelijke daders:
o Joseph Barnetto Alfred Napier Blanchard
o William Henry Bury
o George Chapman
o Lord Randolph Churchill
o David Cohen
o Dr. Thomas Neill Cream
o Federick Bailey Deemin
o Lewis Carroll
o Montague John Druitt
o Sir William Withey Gull
o George Hutchinson
o Kelly James
o Aaron Kosminski
o Jacob Levy
o Florence Maybrick
o James Maybrick
o Frank Miles
o Michael Ostrog
o Mary Pearcey
o Dr. Alexander Pedachenko
o John Pizer
o Walter Sickert
o James Kenneth Stephen
o Robert D'Onston Stephenson
o Francis Thompson
o Dr. Francis Tumblety
o Nicholas Vassily
o Prins Albert Victor
o Sir John Williams
o Lizzie Williams, echtgenote van sir John Williams
Brieven:
Men weet niet hoeveel brieven Jack the Ripper heeft geschreven en/of gestuurd naar de politie of de pers. Alhoewel het mogelijk is dat er nooit een brief van de echte moordenaar bij was, wordt over het algemeen aangenomen dat de From Hell-brief (zie afbeelding) door Jack the Ripper zelf werd geschreven. Dit vermoeden bestaat doordat de brief verpakt was met de helft van een menselijke nier, waarvan men vermoedde dat die afkomstig was van Catherine Eddowes. Twee andere brieven, de Dear Boss-brief en de Saucy Jacky-briefkaart, zijn waarschijnlijk het bekendst en hebben de moordenaar aan zijn bijnaam geholpen. Beide werden mogelijk niet door de moordenaar zelf geschreven.
The Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666.
The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall. It threatened, but did not reach, the aristocratic district of Westminster, Charles II's Palace of Whitehall, and most of the suburban slums. It consumed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, St Paul's Cathedral and most of the buildings of the City authorities. It is estimated to have destroyed the homes of 70,000 of the City's 80,000 inhabitants. The death toll is unknown but traditionally thought to have been small, as only six verified deaths were recorded. This reasoning has recently been challenged on the grounds that the deaths of poor and middle-class people were not recorded, while the heat of the fire may have cremated many victims leaving no recognisable remains. A melted piece of pottery on display at the Museum of London found by archaeologists in Pudding Lane, where the fire started, shows that the temperature reached 1700 °C.
The Great Fire started at the bakery of Thomas Farriner on Pudding Lane, shortly after midnight on Sunday, 2 September, and spread rapidly west across the City of London. The use of the major fire fighting technique of the time, the creation of firebreaks by means of demolition, was critically delayed owing to the indecisiveness of the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Thomas Bloodworth. By the time large-scale demolitions were ordered on Sunday night, the wind had already fanned the bakery fire into a firestorm which defeated such measures.
The fire pushed north on Monday into the heart of the City. Order in the streets broke down as rumours arose of suspicious foreigners setting fires. The fears of the homeless focused on the French and Dutch, England's enemies in the ongoing Second Anglo-Dutch War; these substantial immigrant groups became victims of lynchings and street violence.
On Tuesday, the fire spread over most of the City, destroying St Paul's Cathedral and leaping the River Fleet to threaten Charles II's court at Whitehall, while coordinated fire fighting efforts were simultaneously mobilising. The battle to quench the fire is considered to have been won by two factors: the strong east winds died down, and the Tower of London garrison used gunpowder to create effective firebreaks to halt further spread eastward.
The wind dropped on Tuesday evening, and the firebreaks created by the garrison finally began to take effect on Wednesday 5 September.
The social and economic problems created by the disaster were overwhelming. Evacuation from London and resettlement elsewhere were strongly encouraged by Charles II, who feared a London rebellion amongst the dispossessed refugees. Despite numerous radical proposals, London was reconstructed on essentially the same street plan used before the fire.
The Great Smog (engels)
The Great Smog of '52 or Big Smoke was a severe air-pollution event that affected London during December 1952. A period of cold weather, combined with an anticyclone and windless conditions, collected airborne pollutants mostly from the use of coal to form a thick layer of smog over the city. It lasted from Friday 5 December to Tuesday 9 December 1952, and then dispersed quickly after a change of weather.
Although it caused major disruption due to the effect on visibility, and even penetrated indoor areas, it was not thought to be a significant event at the time, with London having experienced many smog events in the past, so-called "pea soupers". Government medical reports in the following weeks estimated that up until 8 December 4,000 people had died prematurely and 100,000 more were made ill because of the smog's effects on the human respiratory tract. More recent research suggests that the total number of fatalities was considerably greater, at about 12,000.
It is known to be the worst air-pollution event in the history of the United Kingdom, and the most significant in terms of its effect on environmental research, government regulation, and public awareness of the relationship between air quality and health. It led to several changes in practices and regulations, including the Clean Air Act 1956.
Effect on London
In the inner London suburbs and away from town centres there was no disturbance by moving traffic to thin out the dense fog in the back streets. The result was that visibility could be down to a metre or so in the daytime. Walking out of doors became a matter of shuffling one’s feet to feel for road curbs, etc. This was made even worse at night because each back street lamp at the time was fitted with an incandescent light-bulb which gave no penetrating light onto the pavement for pedestrians to see their feet, or even the lamp post.
Sources of pollution
The cold weather preceding and during the smog meant that Londoners were burning more coal than usual to keep warm. Post-war domestic coal tended to be of a relatively low-grade, sulfurous variety, which increased the amount of sulfur dioxide in the smoke. There were also numerous coal-fired power stations in the Greater London area, including Fulham, Battersea, Bankside, and Kingston upon Thames, all of which added to the pollution.
According to the UK MetOffice:
o 1,000 tonnes of smoke particles
o 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide
o 140 tonnes of hydrochloric acid
o 14 tonnes of fluorine compounds
o 370 tonnes of sulphur dioxide
Ideeën:
-2 tijdlijnen (1 voor mensen + gebouwen ; 1 voor rest) – onderwerpen aangeduid op tijdlijn met foto’s
-Audiogids
-Posters
-Economie en politiek: Tudors ; Oorlogen ; Stuart Dynasty ; Wars of the three kingdoms ; 18th & 19th century
-Belangrijke mensen, gebouwen & plaatsen:
GEBOUWEN
*Tower of London (1066)
The Tower of London was originally built by William the Conqueror, following his successful invasion of England in 1066.
The Tower of London is perhaps better known as a prison. The prisoners would be brought, via the river, from Westminster where they would have been tried and crowds would wait on the river bank to find out the verdict to see if they would be treated to the spectacle of a public execution. The executioner, with his long sharp axe would stand behind the accused on the boat. If the accused was guilty he would point his axe towards the victim and if not guilty he would point it away. People knew that if found guilty there would be a public execution 48 hours later.
In the centre of the Tower of London is the famous White Tower. It is the oldest part of the fortress and was built on the site of the Norman Keep built by William the Conqueror.
The Tower, or Bloody Tower as it is known, has been host to many famous executions and imprisonments, including those of Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey and Sir Walter Raleigh. Elizabeth I was held prisoner in the Tower for 2 months too.
As well as being a palace and a fortress, the Tower of London has also served as:
- the first Royal Armoury
- Royal Mint (where money is made)
- Royal Observatory
- Royal Zoo
*Tower Bridge (1894 )
Design:
A huge challenge faced the City of London Corporation - how to build a bridge downstream from London Bridge without disrupting river traffic activities. To generate ideas, the "Special Bridge or Subway Committee" was formed in 1876, and opened the design for the new crossing to public competition.
Over 50 designs were submitted for consideration, some of which are on display at Tower Bridge Exhibition. It wasn't until October 1884 however, that Horace Jones, the City Architect, in collaboration with John Wolfe Barry, offered the chosen design for Tower Bridge as a solution.
Building:
It took eight years, five major contractors and the relentless labour of 432 construction workers to build Tower Bridge.
Two massive piers were sunk into the river bed to support the construction and over 11,000 tons of steel provided the framework for the Towers and Walkways. This framework was clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone to protect the underlying steelwork and to give the Bridge a more pleasing appearance.
How it works:
When it was built, Tower Bridge was the largest and most sophisticated bascule bridge ever completed ("bascule" comes from the French for "see-saw"). These bascules were operated by hydraulics, using steam to power the enormous pumping engines. The energy created was stored in six massive accumulators, as soon as power was required to lift the Bridge, it was always readily available. The accumulators fed the driving engines, which drove the bascules up and down. Despite the complexity of the system, the bascules only took about a minute to raise to their maximum angle of 86 degrees.
Today, the bascules are still operated by hydraulic power, but since 1976 they have been driven by oil and electricity rather than steam. The original pumping engines, accumulators and boilers are now exhibits within Tower Bridge Exhibition’s Engine Rooms.
*City Hall (2002)
City Hall is located in Southwark, stands on the south bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge. It is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority (GLA) which comprises the Mayor of London and London Assembly.
City Hall was designed by Norman Foster and opened in July 2002, two years after the Greater London Authority was created.
Next to City Hall is a sunken amphitheatre called The Scoop, which is used in the summer months for open-air performances.
*Trafalgar Square (1840)
Trafalgar Square, designed by Sir Charles Barry, was constructed in the 1840s on the site that was originally the Royal Mews for hawks and then royal stables.
The Square is named in honour of the British victory, led by Admiral Lord Nelson, at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
On the north side of Trafalgar Square is the National Gallery.
It was founded in 1824 when George IV persuaded the government to purchase 38 major paintings, including works by Raphael and Rembrandt.
The National Gallery houses one of the biggest picture collections in the world.
To the west lies the West End, with its famous shops and hotels.
To the east is the Strand, which leads to the City of London.
In 1876 the Imperial Measures were set into the north terrace wall.
Dominating the square is the 56 m (171 feet) column, Nelson's Column, with its 5.5m (18 feet) statue of Nelson on top. It was erected in 1843.
Nelson's column is guarded by four huge bronze lions sculpted by Sir Edwin Landseer in 1868.
They were made out of metal from guns that had been taken from old battleships.
In the southeast corner of Trafalgar Square is a small former police phone box which is famous for being the World's smallest police station.
In 1926 Scotland Yard cut out the inside of what was an old light drum and installed a light and a telephone line which the police could use to call for assistance. The phone had direct access to New Scotland Yard, the head-quarters of the London Metropolitan police.
The lantern lamp on its roof is said to be from Nelson’s flagship Victory, although there is no evidence that this is true.
Today the police box is used as a broom cupboard for Westminster Council cleaners.To the east of
The first church built on this site in the 13th century stood 'in the fields' between the City and Westminster.
Many famous people have been buried at St Martin's including Nell Gwynn, mistress of Charles II , the painters William Hogarth and Joshua Reynolds and the renowned craftsman Thomas Chippendale.
*Admiralty Arch (1911)
Leading from the southwest corner of Trafalgar Square into the Mall is Admiralty Arch, commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother Queen Victoria. It was designed by Sir Aston Webb (who also worked on Buckingham Palace and the Victoria and Albert Museum) and was completed in 1911.
A Latin inscription along the top reads:
"ANNO DECIMO EDWARDI SEPTIMI REGIS VICTORIÆ REGINÆ CIVES GRATISSIMI MDCCCCX"
In English it reads:
"In the tenth year of King Edward VII, to Queen Victoria, from most grateful citizens, 1910"
The Admiralty Arch, which takes its name from the nearby Royal Navy Headquarters. It was originally used as the offices and residences for the Sea Lords, leaders of the Royal Navy. Today it is home to several British government offices.
*Buckingham Palace (+- 1700)
Buckingham Palace is the Queen's official and main royal London home. It has been the official London residence of Britain's monarchy since 1837. Queen Victoria was the first monarch to live there. Buckingham Palace is not only the home of the Queen and Prince Philip but also the London residence of the Duke of York (Prince Andrew) and the Earl and Countess of Wessex (Prince Edward and his wife) and their daughter. It is used also for the administrative work for the monarchy. It is here in the state apartments that Her Majesty receives and entertains guests invited to the Palace.
Buckingham Palace was originally a grand house built by the Dukes of Buckingham for his wife. George IV began transforming it into a palace in 1826.
When the Queen is at home, you can see her royal flag flying from the flag pole on top of Buckingham Palace. This flag is called the Royal Standard.
The flag is split into four quadrants. The first and fourth quadrants represent England and contain three gold lions walking (passant) on a red field; the second quadrant represents Scotland contains a red lion standing on the left hind foot (rampant) on a gold field; the third quadrant represents Ireland and contains the gold Coat of arms of Ireland on a blue field.
In flag protocol, the Royal Standard is supreme. It must only be flown from buildings where the Queen is present. It flies above the British Union Flag (Union Jack), Standards of other Royal Family members, and other British flags. It never flies at half staff.
A familiar sight at Buckingham Palace is the Changing of the Guard ceremony that takes place in the forecourt each morning. The monarch and the royal palaces have been guarded by the Household Troops since 1660.
Every year, more than 50,000 people come to the Palace each year as guests to banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions, and Royal Garden Parties
*Horse Guards
Horse Guards Arch is the official main entrance to both St James's Palace and Buckingham Palace.
The Queen's Household Cavalry is the mounted guard at the entrance to Horse Guards Arch. The mounted sentries (who change every hour) are on duty each day from 10am until 4pm, at which time there is a dismounted parade of the Guard.
The Life Guards (in red) and the Blues and Royals (in blue) have been guarding the gateway since Tudor times.
Horse Guards is the best place to get up close to the guards. There are two dismounted sentries on duty until the gates are shut at 8pm, when only one sentry is left on guard until 7am when the second sentry returns on duty.
Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground. It was formerly the site of the Palace of Whitehall's tilt yard, where tournaments were held in the time of Henry VIII, between knights in armour. Today it is the scene of the annual celebrations of the Monarch's official birthday.
*St James' Palace (1531)
St. James's Palace is one of London's oldest palaces. Built largely between 1531 and 1536 it was a residence of kings and queens of England for over 300 years.
Although no sovereign has resided at St James' Palace for almost two centuries, it has remained the official residence of the Sovereign.
Queen Elizabeth and her successor, James I, both held court here. Charles I also spent his last night here before his execution in Whitehall. And Queen Victoria was married here.
*Covent Garden
Covent Garden is one of London's most popular tourist attractions.
The largest fruit and vegetable market in England was once held here.
The name Covent Garden originates from when the land formerly belonging to Westminster Abbey, was 'the Convent Garden'.
Today the area is dominated by shopping, street performers, and entertainment facilities.
Two of London's popular attractions - the London Transport Museum and The Royal Opera House - are in Covent Garden
*The Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) (1512)
The Palace of Westminster, known also as the Houses of Parliament or just Westminster, is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) conduct their sittings. It is the place where laws governing British life are debated and passed.
From the middle of the 11th century until 1512 the Palace of Westminster was the royal home to the Kings and Queens of England, hence the name.
The Palace of Westminster features three main towers. Of these, the largest and tallest is the 98.5-metre Victoria Tower, which occupies the south-western corner of the Palace.
Only Westminster Hall (scene of many trials, such as Guy Fawkes' and Charles I's) and St Stephen's Crypt escaped the great fire of 1834. Over 700 years of history were destroyed in that dramatic fire.
The fire gave Sir Charles Barry the opportunity of designing the Gothic Houses of Parliament we know today. The modern Palace of Westminster is the largest Gothic building in the world - there are over 1,000 rooms and two miles of corridors in it.
The Palace of Westminster contain the bell Big Ben that is struck each quarter hour. A light in the clock tower tells when the House of Commons is in session.
Big Ben is one of the most famous landmarks in the world. The clock tower is situated on the banks of the river Thames and is part of the Palace of Westminster.
Officially "Big Ben" does not refer to the whole clocktower (also known as St Stephen's Tower), but to the huge thirteen ton bell that strikes the hour.
The Great Bell was first struck on the 7 September 1859.
*Westminster Abbey (+- 1300)
Westminster Abbey is just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the oldest buildings in London and one of the most important religious centres in the country.
The Abbey was built by Edward the Confessor, and William the Conqueror was crowned in it on Christmas Day
Every King and Queen has been crowned in Westminster Abbey since William the Conqueror in 1066.
Many kings and Queens and famous people are buried or commemorated at Westminster Abbey.
Its founder, Edward the Confessor, was made a saint after his death and he is buried in a special chapel dedicated to him.
National figures including Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, David Livingstone, Sir Isaac Newton, Rudyard Kipling, Clement Attlee, William Pitt are buried in Westminster Abbey.
*Jewel House
The old Jewel Tower was built around 1365 to house Edward III’s treasures and was known as the ‘King’s Privy Wardrobe’. It is one of only two buildings from the medieval Palace of Westminster to survive the fire of 1834.
*St Paul's Cathedral (1675 – 1711)
St Paul's Cathedral seen today was built between 1675 and 1711 by Sir Christopher Wren. The foudation stone was laid in 1675 when Wren was 43 years old, and the last stone was put in lace by his son 35 years later.
The original Norman cathedral, destoyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666, was even larger than Wren's new building and must have dwarfed the medieval city.
Inside, St. Paul's is packed with memorials to notable Britons including Christopher Wren, Wellington and Admiral Nelson, hero of Trafalgar.
For the fit or ambitious, you can climb 530 steps to the Golden Gallery, an observation platform atop the dome of the cathedral. From there you can look out over the modern skyline of the city of London.
At the dome's base is the Whispering Gallery, a circular walkway halfway up the inside of the dome. Due to the acoustics of the curved surface, a phrase whispered against one wall can be heard against the far wall 112 feet away.
*Guildhall (1411)
The Guildhall, dating back to 1411, has been used as a town hall for several hundred years, and is still the ceremonial and administrative centre of the City of London.
It houses the offices of the City of London Corporation and various public facilities. Greater London also has a City Hall.
During the Roman period it was the site of an amphitheatre, the largest in Britannia, partial remains of which are on public display in the basement of the Guildhall Art Gallery and the outline of whose arena is marked with a black circle on the paving of the courtyard in front of the hall.
*Royal Exchange (1565)
The Royal Exchange in the City of London was founded in 1565 by Sir Thomas Gresham to act as a place where traders could gather together to buy and sell their wares. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth I who awarded the building its Royal title, on 23 January 1571.
The original Exchange survived until the Great Fire of London destroyed it in 1666. The building was burnt down in 1666 and again in 1838. Queen Victoria opened the present day building in 1844.
The Royal Exchange continued to trade for nearly 350 years, until it was taken over by the International Financial Futures Exchange in the 1990s. Today, the building has been transformed into a high-class shopping mall.
*Golden Hinde
The Golden Hinde is a full-sized reconstruction of the Tudor warship in which Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the world in 1577 – 1580.
*Shakespeare Globe
The fascinating story of the re-creation of Shakespeare's beloved playhouse. Visitors can see the reconstructed Elizabethan theatre, built with materials, techniques and craftsmanship of 400 years ago. The world's largest Shakesperian exhibition explores the playwright's London, Elizabethan theatre and the Shakespeare's influence around the world. The summer season of plays sees Shakespeare performed in an authentic setting.
*The London Eye
The British Airways London Eye (Millennium Wheel) stands 135 metres (443 feet) high on the South Bank of the River Thames between Westminster and Hungerford Bridges. It is the world's highest observation wheel.
The wheel was constructed in sections which were floated up the river Thames on barges and assembled lying flat on pontoons. Once the wheel was complete it was raised into its upright position by cranes, initially being lifted at a rate of about 2 degrees per hour until it reached 65 degrees.
The total weight of steel in the Eye is 1,700 tonnes.
*The Monument (1671-1677)
The Monument is a 61 metre (202 feet) tall stone Roman doric column in the heart of the City of London. It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, and erected between 1671 and 1677, as the City's memorial to the Great Fire in 1666.
The monument is the tallest single stone column in the world and contains a spiral staircase leading to a viewing platform from which you can see some remarkable views of the city.
The fire began in a baker's house in Pudding Lane on Sunday 2nd September 1666 and finally extinguished on Wednesday 5th September, after destroying the greater part of the City.
The significance of its 61 metre (202 feet) height is the distance to the bakery on Pudding Lane that was the suspected source of the fire that destroyed the city.
The top of the monument is reached by climbing up the narrow winding staircase of 311 steps. A cage was added in the mid-19th century at the top of the Monument to prevent people jumping off, after six people had committed suicide between 1788 and 1842.
*The Gherkin (1903)
30 St Mary Axe, better known by its nickname Gherkin, is one of the most eye-catching buildings in London and it stands out prominently in the city's skyline. The Gherkin is one of several modern buildings that have been built over the years in a historic area of London.
Construction of the Gherkin was commissioned by Swiss Re, a reinsurance company. The 41-story skyscraper was built in 2004 after a modern glass and steel design by the architectural firm of Foster and Partners. The Gherkin, London
Originally known as the Swiss Re Building, it was later renamed to its street address 30 St. Mary Axe after Swiss Re sold the building in 2007. Even before its construction was complete Londoners dubbed the building the 'Gherkin' for its distinctive shape, and it is still known by that name
The tower was built in the heart of London's financial center at the site of the 1903 Baltic Exchange Building which had been damaged by a terrorist attack in 1992. The construction of a glittering high-tech building in the middle of a relatively low-rise area with plenty of historic buildings and narrow medieval streets set off a new debate about the need for tall buildings in the City of London. But even as many new skyscrapers are now built in Canary Wharf - well outside the city's historic center - the Gherkin has acted as a catalyst for the growing cluster of high-rises in the City.
The cigar-shaped structure has a steel frame with circular floor plans and a glass facade with diamond-shaped panels. The swirling striped pattern visible on the exterior is the result of the building's energy-saving system which allows the air to flow up through spiraling wells.
On the street level, the Gherkin's base is well integrated with an open public plaza. Huge white X braces create a dramatic entrance. The top of the tower, where visitors find an open hall covered by a glass conical dome is even more spectacular. From here you have great views over the city. Unfortunately the building is not open to the public.
Its unique, bold and energy efficient design has won the Gherkin many awards including the Stirling Prize, the London Region Award, and the Emporis Skyscraper Award.
*Cleopatra's Needle (1878)
This obelisk is known as Cleopatra's Needle …though it has very little to do with Cleopatra at all.
It was made in Egypt for the Pharaoh Thotmes III in 1460 BC, making it almost 3,500 years old. It is known as Cleopatra's Needle as it was brought to London from Alexandria, the royal city of Cleopatra.
Britain wanted something big and noticeable to commemorate the British victory over Napoleon, sixty-three years earlier.
The Needle arrived in England after a horrendous journey by sea in 1878.
The British public subscribed £15,000 to bring it over from Alexandria in Egypt, and waited eagerly for the 'needle' to arrive.
A specially designed cigar-shaped container ship, called the Cleopatra, was used to convey this priceless treasure. It was built by the Dixon brothers and when finished was an iron cylinder, 93 feet long, 15 feet wide, and was divided into ten watertight compartments. A cabin, bilge keels, bridge and rudder were riveted on and to everyone's delight …she floated!
But on October 14th 1877 in treacherous waters off the west coast of France in the Bay of Biscay disaster stuck…the Cleopatra was in danger of sinking.
The steam-ship towing her, the Olga, sent six volunteers in a boat to take off the Cleopatra's crew, but the boat was swamped and the volunteers drowned. The names of the men who died are commemorated on one of the plaques to be seen today at the base of the Needle - William Askin, Michael Burns, James Gardiner, William Donald, Joseph Benton and William Patan.
Eventually the Olga drew alongside and rescued Cleopatra's five crewmen and their skipper, and cut the towrope, leaving the vessel adrift in the Bay of Biscay.
In Britain the nation held its breath …would the Cleopatra remain buoyant - if not they had wasted a lot of money.
Five days later a ship spotted the Cleopatra floating peacefully and undamaged off the northern coast of Spain, and towed her to the nearest port, Ferrol.
Following her narrow escape, another steam-ship, the Anglia, was sent to tow the Cleopatra home.
Finally in January 1878 the both vessels came up the Thames and the waiting crowds cheered as artillery salvoes roared a welcome.
The 'needle' was winched into position on the Embankment in September 1878, to the delight of the people.
*Lambeth's Palace (1495)
Lambeth Palace has been the London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury for nearly eight hundred years.
The red brick gatehouse dates from 1495. To its right is the church of St Mary-at Lambeth which houses the Museum of Garden History.
*Eros (1893)
The statue of Eros, set in the middle of Piccadilly Circus, is one of the most recognisable symbols of London.
Originally known as the Shaftebury Monument, it was unveiled in 1893 as a memorial to the Victorian philanthropist, Lord Shaftesbury. It was constructed as 'Angel of Christian Charity', but was later renamed after the Greek god of love.
*Canary Wharf Tower (1990)
Canary Wharf is a modern high-rise business district located at the former West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs, east of London. Some of the city's tallest and most modern skyscrapers can be found here.
The Docklands, a large area along the Thames riverfront on the eastern edge of London, was once home to the world's busiest port.
In the 1960s, after the construction of the Thames Barrier - a storm surge barrier - and a modern container port in Tilbury, activity in the area came to a halt. The many wharves and warehouses fell into decay
The first office tower, Canary Wharf Tower (now One Canada Square), was built in 1990. At 800ft (243m) the pyramid-topped steel tower was the tallest building in Europe until the completion of the Messeturm in Frankfurt, Germany that same year.
Many more office towers were planned but British corporations were reluctant to relocate to the remote site. Despite a promise by the prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, there was no underground connection and the site lacked shopping areas and restaurants.
To make matters worse, in 1992 a recession caused the property market to collapse. The developer went into bankruptcy and the whole project seemed to be an enormous failure.
*The O2 - Millenium Dome
In 1994, the Chairman of what would later become the New Millennium Experience Company suggested a national exhibition to be held as part of the country's millennium celebrations. The project, to be funded mainly by the National Lottery, was revised when Tony Blair became the new Prime Minister in 1997.
He declared that the exhibition, to be held in Greenwich, would open a window on the future. The focus would be on entertainment and education (also dubbed 'edutainment'). This resulted in fourteen themed zones, including Faith, Talk, Mind, Rest, Home Planet, Body and Learning.
The project was controversial from the start. The Millennium Dome, a large domed structure that was built on the meridian in Greenwich to house the exhibition had an estimated cost of £750 million and was disliked by many Londoners, who did not see it as a proper symbol for their city.
Due to the focus on education and the high entrance fee, the Dome did not attract as many visitors as originally forecasted: a total of seven million people visited the exposition, The Millennium Dome, now O2, in Londoncompared to the original estimate of twelve million visitors. Even with each of the separate themes in the Dome sponsored by major corporations, the project had a serious budget deficit. The millennium exhibition ran until the end of 2000.
In 2005 the Millennium Dome was renamed O2, after the mobile phone company. At the same time it was converted into a multifunctional entertainment complex. The arena now hosts many different events, including exhbitions and concerts. At its center is a large concert hall with a capacity of 20,000 people. Several other halls include areas for more intimate concerts, cinemas and exhibitions.
The cover of the Dome is made of PTFE-coated glass fiber, which has an estimated minimum lifetime of 25 years. The structure, designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership has a diameter of 365 meters (1200ft) and reaches a height of 52 meters at its center. It is twice the size of the original Wembley Stadium. The structure is expected to last until 2018. After that year, developers are allowed to demolish the dome and redevelop the site.
Sources:
http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/
http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/
http://www.aviewoncities.com/
http://www.historic-uk.com/
MENSEN
*Thomas More
Thomas More was born in London, England, on February 7, 1478. He attended St. Anthony's School in London, one of the best schools of his day. After graduating, More went on to study at Oxford University, where he spent two years mastering Latin and formal logic, writing comedies, and studying Greek and Latin literature.
In 1494, More's father made him study common law but he managed to keep up with his literary and spiritual interests while practicing law, and he read devotedly from both Holy Scripture and the classics. Around this time, More became close friends with Erasmus. It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship and professional relationship, and Erasmus wrote Praise of Folly, dedicated to More on his third visit.
Between 1513 and 1518 More wrote History of King Richard III (in Latin and in English). The novel is considered the first masterpiece of English historiography and influenced several historians, such as William Shakespeare.
1521, King Henry VIII responded to Martin Luther's works which rejescted certain Catholic practices with the assistance of More, in his Defence of the Seven Sacraments. More began serving as Henry VIII's secretary and confidant. Two years later he was elected speaker of the House of Commons.
In 1516, More published Utopia. Utopis tells us that communism is the only cure for the egoism found in both private and public life.
Utopia covered various topics such as
- theories of punishment
- state-controlled education
- multi-religion societies
- divorce
- euthanasia and women's rights
The resulting display of learning and skill established More as a foremost humanist. Utopia also became the forerunner of a new literary genre: the utopian romance.
In 1532, More resigned from the House of Commons because of his disapproval of Henry's recent disregard of the laws of the church and his divorce of Catherine. He refused to accept the king as head of the Church of England because More believed it would disparage the power of the pope. He was found guilty of treason and was sent to The Tower Of London.
Thomas More was beheaded on July 6, 1535. He final words were: "The king's good servant, but God's first." More was canonized by the Catholic Church as a saint in 1935.
*Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria, was born Alexandrina Victoria on May 24, 1819, in London, England. Victoria was the only child of George III's fourth son, Edward, and Victoria Maria Louisa of Saxe-Coburg. She was the sister of Leopold, king of the Belgians. She served as queen of Great Britain from 1837 until her death in 1901, and as empress of India from 1876.
In 1840, she married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The had four sons and five daughters together. Their first child, Princess Victoria then came Prince Albert Edward (Edward VII) , Princess Alice , Alfred, Princess Helena, Princess Louise, Prince Arthur, Prince Leopold, and their last child was Princess Beatrice.
Strongly influenced by her husband, with whom she worked in closest harmony, after his death in 1861, she neglected many duties, which brought her unpopularity and motivated a republican movement. But with her recognition as empress of India she rose high and increased the prestige of the monarchy.
Queen Victoria's reign to date, the longest in English history, saw advances in industry, science, communications and other forms of technology; the building of railways and the London Underground, and power distribution networks; the construction of bridges and other engineering feats; a vast number of inventions; a greatly expanded empire; growth of wealth, increase in urban populations, with the growth of great cities like Manchester, Leeds, and Birmingham.
Queen Victoria died near Cowes, Isle of Wight, England, and was succeeded by her son, Edward VII. At the time of her death, Victoria was hailed as an exemplary monarch. Victoria's stern view on morality, and Britain on the world stage under her rule, helped define the age that bears her name.
*Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis was born on April 29, 1957, into a well-to-do and creative family in London, England. His father, Cecil Day-Lewis, was a writer, enjoyed the honor of being England's poet laureate for the last four years of his life. His mother, Jill Balcon, was an actress.
Daniel was educated at Sevenoaks School in Kent, which he despised. He was a poorly behaved student. Despite his lack of success in school, Day-Lewis had plenty of other talents. He focused on woodworking and craftsmanship as a teenager. Eventually, he applied to a theater program and was accepted to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and studied acting there. Day-Lewis threw himself fully into the craft of drama.
Daniel made his film debut in Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), but then acted on stage with the Bristol Old Vic and Royal Shakespeare Companies and did not appear on screen again until 1982, when he landed his first adult role, a bit part in Gandhi (1982). Later, he also appeared on the British TV.
His first major supporting role in a feature film was in
- The Bounty (1984),
- My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)
- A Room with a View (1985)
In 1986, he appeared on stage in The Insurance Man and had a small role in a British/French film, Nanou. In 1987 he starred in Philip Kaufman's The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), followed by a comedic role in the unsuccessful Stars and Bars (1988). His brilliant performance as "Christy Brown" in Jim Sheridan's My Left Foot (1989) won him numerous awards, including The Academy Award for best actor.
He took a hiatus from film until 1992, when he starred in The Last of the Mohicans (1992), a film was a great success at the box office. He worked with American director Martin Scorsese in The Age of Innocence (1993) in 1994. Subsequently, he teamed again with Jim Sheridan to star in In the Name of the Father (1993), a critically acclaimed performance that earned him another Academy Award nomination. His next project was in the role of John Proctor in father-in-law Arthur Miller's play The Crucible (1996), directed by Nicholas Hytner.
Day-Lewis gave another stunning performance in the film There Will Be Blood in 2007.
In 2009, Day-Lewis landed a starring role in the film Nine, by director Rob Marshall. Once again, Day-Lewis's performance was met with critical acclaim and award nominations. The actor is known for taking long hiatuses between films. Researching his roles, taking time for his family, and striking out for new adventures seems to be part and parcel of the actor's recipe for success.
In 2012, Day-Lewis took on another challenging part, playing Abraham Lincoln, one of America's most beloved presidents in the film Steven Spielberg. His convincing portayal of Lincoln earned him an Academy Award for best actor in February 2013.
*Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys was born on 23 February, 1633 to John and Margaret Kite near Fleet Street in London. He was educated at St Paul's School in London and Cambridge University. He took his bachelor's degree in 1654 and entered the service of a distant relative, Edward Montagu as his secretary and agent in London. In 1655, Pepys got married to a 15 year old Elizabeth St. Michel.
On 1 January, 1660 Pepys began writing his diary. Oliver Cromwell, who had died in September 1658 and his son Richard, not being able to be his successor because he was no politician was definetly one of the reasons he bagan writing in his diary.
Pepys's dairy ranges from private remarks to detailed observations of events in 17th century in England. Such as the plague of 1665, the Great Fire of London and Charles II's coronation, Sir Christopher Wren and Sir Isaac Newton.
Pepys was suffering so much from eye strain that he thought he was going blind. Because of this he decided to stop writing in May 1669.
In June 1660, Pepys was appointed clerk of the acts to the navy board, a key post in one of the most important of all government departments, the royal dockyards. In 1673, he became secretary to the Admiralty and in the same year a member of parliament for a Norfolk constituency, later representing Harwich. He was responsible for some important naval reforms which helped lay the foundations for a professional naval service. He was also a member of the Royal Society, serving as its president from 1684-1686.
In 1679, Pepys was forced to resign from the Admiralty and was imprisoned on a charge of selling naval secrets to the French, but the charge was subsequently dropped. In 1685 Charles II died and was succeeded by the Duke of York as James II, who Pepys served. After the overthrow of James in 1688, Pepys's career effectively came to an end. He was again arrested in 1690, under suspicion of Jacobite sympathies, but was released.
In 1701 he moved to Clapham, to the comfortable house of his friend Will Hewer, where he was kindly cherished, and nursed by the housekeeper.
He died in Clapham on May 26th,1703 and is buried at St Olave's.
*David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham was born in May 2, 1975 in Leytonstone, London, England to Ted and Sandra Beckham.
Beckham is an famous English footballer. He played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, Milan, LA Galaxy, Paris Saint-Germain, and the England national team for which he holds the appearance record for an outfield player. He is the first English player to win league titles in four countries. He announced his retirement at the end of 2012 -2013 season. He played his final game on 18 May 2013.
Beckham regularly played football in his childhood and dreamed to be a football player.
His parents were fanatical Manchester United supporters who would frequently travel to Old Trafford from London to attend the team's home matches. David inherited his parents' love of Manchester United, and his main sporting passion was football.
He attended Bobby Charlton's football school in Manchester, and won a spot in a training session at FC Barcelona as a child.
In 1986 he was a Manchester United's mascot for a match against West Ham United. From 1992 - 2003 Beckham made almost 400 appearances for Manchester United and scored 85 goals. In the 1998 FIFA World Cup he played all of England's qualifying matches and scored in several important victories.
On July 4, 1999, he married singer Victorian Beckham from the popular music group The Spice Girls. At that time, he also had his first son, Brooklyn Joseph Beckham. He had his second son, Romeo James Beckham in 2002. Both of them were born in London.
On 2003, Beckham signed a four-year contract with Real Madrid. It worth a potential 40 million dollars. Beckham was not allowed to wear his favorite number seven, because another player had the right to wear it written into his contract. So Beckham decided to wear the number 23 instead, being a big fan of Michael Jordan. He immediately became popular with the Real Madrid fans. Beckham remained a reliable scorer and his performances attracted more public.
He then had his third son, Cruz David Beckham, in 2005. He was born in Madrid.
On 2007, Becham signed a five-year contract with the Los Aneles Galaxy that ended in 2012.
After that, he signed a five-month contract with Paris Saint-Germain and had his last game.
He had his daughter, Harper Seven Beckham on 2011 in Los Angeles.
David Beckham has been a good scorer and a major attraction for public. On the field he has been demonstrating his consistent ability to see a big picture even under severe pressure during the most rapidly changing and unpredictable games. His field vision has been remarkable, allowing him to create many assists in a number of important matches.
*Charlie Chaplin
Charles Spenser Chaplin was born in April 16, 1889, to Hannah Chaplin and Charles Chaplin, Sr.
He was a comedian, producer, writer, director, and composer who is widely regarded as the greatest comic artist of the screen and one of the most important figures in motion-picture history. He died in December 25, 1977, in Corsier-sur-Vervey, Switzerland.
There is no official record of his birth but he believed he was born at East Street, Walworth, in South London. Four years before his birth, his father, Charles Sr. Became the legal carer of Hannah's illegitimate son, Sydney John Hill. At the time of his birth, Charlin's parents were both music hall performers. Hannah, under the stage name Lily Harley, had a unsuccessful carreer as her singing voice had a tendancy to break down at unexpected moments. However, Charles Sr. was succesful and separated from Hannah to persue his carrer in New York. The following year, Hannah gave birth to a third son, George Wheeler Dryden fathered by the music hall performer Leo Dryden.
Chaplin's childhood in London was defined by poverty and hardship after his father left his mother. His mother struggled financially and he was sent to workhouses and charity homes with his half-brother, Sydney. Chaplin began his official acting career at the age of eight, touring with The Eight Lancashire Lads. Later he worked as a stage actor and comedian. When he was 14, his mother was committed to a mental asylum. At 19 he was signed to the prestigious Fred Karno company, which took him to America. Chaplin was scouted for the film industry, and began appearing in 1914 for Keystone Studios. While at Keystone, Chaplin appeared in and directed 35 films. He developed the Tramp persona and formed a large fan base. By 1918, he was one of the best known figures in the world.
Chaplin's life and carreer was full of scandals and controversies. His first scandal was during World War I, during which his loyalty to his home country, England was questioned. He claimed he was a paying visitor to the United States and his British citizens called Chaplin a coward and a slacker. Later, he played Adolf Hitler in his film, The Great Dictator. Some British citizens didn't like the film.
Another scandal occured when Chaplin briefley dated a 22 year old Joan Berry. The relationship ended in 1942, after a series of harassing actions from her. She returned in 1943 to inform him that she was pregnent and the child was his. This was proved wrong after a blood test, but the blood tests were inadmissible evidence and he was ordered to pay $75 a week until the child turned 21.
Chaplin was married four times and had 11 children in total. After a controversy with the British and United States's goverment, he and his fourth wife decided to settle in Switzerland. Chaplin died of natural causes at his home in Switzerland. In 1978, Chaplin's corpse was stolen from it's grave and was not recoverd for 3 months, he was reburied later on.
-Rampen & stadssagen : Londen Fog ; Jack the Ripper ; Great fire of London
Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper is de naam die gegeven is aan een seriemoordenaar die in de tweede helft van 1888 in Londen prostituees verminkte en vermoordde. De naam komt uit een brief van iemand die beweerde de moordenaar te zijn, verstuurd naar de politie ten tijde van de moorden. De schrijver ervan kende details die alleen de moordenaar kon weten. De identiteit van Jack the Ripper is nooit achterhaald.
Vijf moorden werden op loopafstand van elkaar gepleegd waarbij de slachtoffers gruwelijk toegetakeld werden. Deze worden toegeschreven aan de seriemoordenaar Jack the Ripper. De slachtoffers waren allen vrouwen die inkomsten verkregen uit prostitutie en zijn bekend geworden als the canonical five. Daarnaast zijn er mogelijk nog zes vrouwen vermoord waarvan niet volkomen duidelijk is of ze door dezelfde dader omgebracht zijn.
Vijf prostituees waarvan men zeker weet dat Jack the Ripper hen heeft vermoord in het Londens East End:
- Mary Ann Nichols (vermoord op 31 augustus 1888):
o keel was doorgesneden tot aan de halswervels
o haar buik was verscheidene keren doorstoken
o alle wonden waren met hetzelfde wapen toegebracht: een vrij scherp mes van ten minste twintig centimeter lang dat met groot geweld gebruikt was.
- Annie Chapman (vermoord op 8 september 1888):
o haar buik was opengesneden
o haar baarmoeder was vakkundig verwijderd
- Elizabeth Stride (vermoord op 30 september 1888):
o werd gevonden met doorgesneden keel.
- Catherine Eddowes (vermoord op 30 september 1888):
o Haar baarmoeder ontbrak
o de linker nier ontbrak
o in beide wangen was een flap gekerfd.
- Mary Jane Kelly (vermoord op 9 november 1888):
o zij had grove verminkingen
o haar hele buik was ontdaan van organen
o haar hart ontbrak.
Waarom de vrouwen vermoord zijn, is nooit vastgesteld. Er bestaat een reeks theorieën (zoals de Royal Conspiracy Theory). De mythe die de moorden omringt, vindt zijn oorzaak in een combinatie van geschiedkundig onderzoek, samenzweringstheorieën en folkloristische verzinsels. Door de beperkte feitenkennis over de moordenaar werd de verbeelding van velen in de loop der tijd zodanig gestimuleerd, dat naar tal van mensen met een beschuldigende vinger werd gewezen.
Dit is een lijst van mogelijke daders:
o Joseph Barnetto Alfred Napier Blanchard
o William Henry Bury
o George Chapman
o Lord Randolph Churchill
o David Cohen
o Dr. Thomas Neill Cream
o Federick Bailey Deemin
o Lewis Carroll
o Montague John Druitt
o Sir William Withey Gull
o George Hutchinson
o Kelly James
o Aaron Kosminski
o Jacob Levy
o Florence Maybrick
o James Maybrick
o Frank Miles
o Michael Ostrog
o Mary Pearcey
o Dr. Alexander Pedachenko
o John Pizer
o Walter Sickert
o James Kenneth Stephen
o Robert D'Onston Stephenson
o Francis Thompson
o Dr. Francis Tumblety
o Nicholas Vassily
o Prins Albert Victor
o Sir John Williams
o Lizzie Williams, echtgenote van sir John Williams
Brieven:
Men weet niet hoeveel brieven Jack the Ripper heeft geschreven en/of gestuurd naar de politie of de pers. Alhoewel het mogelijk is dat er nooit een brief van de echte moordenaar bij was, wordt over het algemeen aangenomen dat de From Hell-brief (zie afbeelding) door Jack the Ripper zelf werd geschreven. Dit vermoeden bestaat doordat de brief verpakt was met de helft van een menselijke nier, waarvan men vermoedde dat die afkomstig was van Catherine Eddowes. Twee andere brieven, de Dear Boss-brief en de Saucy Jacky-briefkaart, zijn waarschijnlijk het bekendst en hebben de moordenaar aan zijn bijnaam geholpen. Beide werden mogelijk niet door de moordenaar zelf geschreven.
The Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666.
The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall. It threatened, but did not reach, the aristocratic district of Westminster, Charles II's Palace of Whitehall, and most of the suburban slums. It consumed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, St Paul's Cathedral and most of the buildings of the City authorities. It is estimated to have destroyed the homes of 70,000 of the City's 80,000 inhabitants. The death toll is unknown but traditionally thought to have been small, as only six verified deaths were recorded. This reasoning has recently been challenged on the grounds that the deaths of poor and middle-class people were not recorded, while the heat of the fire may have cremated many victims leaving no recognisable remains. A melted piece of pottery on display at the Museum of London found by archaeologists in Pudding Lane, where the fire started, shows that the temperature reached 1700 °C.
The Great Fire started at the bakery of Thomas Farriner on Pudding Lane, shortly after midnight on Sunday, 2 September, and spread rapidly west across the City of London. The use of the major fire fighting technique of the time, the creation of firebreaks by means of demolition, was critically delayed owing to the indecisiveness of the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Thomas Bloodworth. By the time large-scale demolitions were ordered on Sunday night, the wind had already fanned the bakery fire into a firestorm which defeated such measures.
The fire pushed north on Monday into the heart of the City. Order in the streets broke down as rumours arose of suspicious foreigners setting fires. The fears of the homeless focused on the French and Dutch, England's enemies in the ongoing Second Anglo-Dutch War; these substantial immigrant groups became victims of lynchings and street violence.
On Tuesday, the fire spread over most of the City, destroying St Paul's Cathedral and leaping the River Fleet to threaten Charles II's court at Whitehall, while coordinated fire fighting efforts were simultaneously mobilising. The battle to quench the fire is considered to have been won by two factors: the strong east winds died down, and the Tower of London garrison used gunpowder to create effective firebreaks to halt further spread eastward.
The wind dropped on Tuesday evening, and the firebreaks created by the garrison finally began to take effect on Wednesday 5 September.
The social and economic problems created by the disaster were overwhelming. Evacuation from London and resettlement elsewhere were strongly encouraged by Charles II, who feared a London rebellion amongst the dispossessed refugees. Despite numerous radical proposals, London was reconstructed on essentially the same street plan used before the fire.
The Great Smog (engels)
The Great Smog of '52 or Big Smoke was a severe air-pollution event that affected London during December 1952. A period of cold weather, combined with an anticyclone and windless conditions, collected airborne pollutants mostly from the use of coal to form a thick layer of smog over the city. It lasted from Friday 5 December to Tuesday 9 December 1952, and then dispersed quickly after a change of weather.
Although it caused major disruption due to the effect on visibility, and even penetrated indoor areas, it was not thought to be a significant event at the time, with London having experienced many smog events in the past, so-called "pea soupers". Government medical reports in the following weeks estimated that up until 8 December 4,000 people had died prematurely and 100,000 more were made ill because of the smog's effects on the human respiratory tract. More recent research suggests that the total number of fatalities was considerably greater, at about 12,000.
It is known to be the worst air-pollution event in the history of the United Kingdom, and the most significant in terms of its effect on environmental research, government regulation, and public awareness of the relationship between air quality and health. It led to several changes in practices and regulations, including the Clean Air Act 1956.
Effect on London
In the inner London suburbs and away from town centres there was no disturbance by moving traffic to thin out the dense fog in the back streets. The result was that visibility could be down to a metre or so in the daytime. Walking out of doors became a matter of shuffling one’s feet to feel for road curbs, etc. This was made even worse at night because each back street lamp at the time was fitted with an incandescent light-bulb which gave no penetrating light onto the pavement for pedestrians to see their feet, or even the lamp post.
Sources of pollution
The cold weather preceding and during the smog meant that Londoners were burning more coal than usual to keep warm. Post-war domestic coal tended to be of a relatively low-grade, sulfurous variety, which increased the amount of sulfur dioxide in the smoke. There were also numerous coal-fired power stations in the Greater London area, including Fulham, Battersea, Bankside, and Kingston upon Thames, all of which added to the pollution.
According to the UK MetOffice:
o 1,000 tonnes of smoke particles
o 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide
o 140 tonnes of hydrochloric acid
o 14 tonnes of fluorine compounds
o 370 tonnes of sulphur dioxide
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- Situeer.
- Vind je dit interessant? Waarom wel/niet? (aspecten die hierbij kunnen helpen: belangrijk voor nu, spannend, oorzaken en gevolgen?, ...)
- Waarom is dit Engels? Wat zegt de cultuurvorm over de Engelse cultuur? Hoe verschilt de Engelse cultuur hier van de Belgische?
The Hundred Years Wars
The Hundred Years Wars (1337–1453), was a series of conflicts involving the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of France. Following the Hundred Years Wars, England became embroiled in its own succession wars; the War of the Roses. The Lancastrian Henry Tudor ended the War of the Roses and established the Tudor dynasty in 1485.
The Tudor
The Tudor period is a period between 1485 and 1603 in England and Wales. It coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII (1457–1509). In terms of the entire century, historians argue that "England was economically healthier, more expansive, and more optimistic under the Tudors" than at any time in a thousand years.
The term Tudor was seldom used in the 16th century, because the kings and queens did not like being reminded of their origins in the humble Tudor family.
The economy that Henry VII inherited (1457–1509) after the Battle of Bosworth was still recovering from both the impact of the Black Death, which had resulted in chronic population decline, and the War of the Roses. England’s economy was primarily based on agriculture and common labourers did much of the work. Any major population decline - be it through plague or war (or a combination of both) – would have hit agriculture hard and therefore the economy. When Henry VII became king in 1485, the population was slowly recovering but the recovery was delicate enough to suffer from bad harvests and outbreaks of plague.
One aspect of agriculture that developed in the reign of Henry VII was enclosure. This was where land was fenced-off and common rights over land were abolished. After enclosure, the owner of that land could do with it as he pleased. For some, this meant that selective breeding of animals could be tried, for others a more concerted effort at growing crops to be sold at market on a more professional basis than before. The previously used open-field system did not give itself up for fencing off and production could be seen as small-scale. The use of enclosure was the start of a more scientific move in agriculture – though the more important advances were some years off.
Under the Tudors and the later Stuart dynasty, England became a world colonial power. England, which had conquered Wales in the 13th century, united with Scotland in 1707 formed a new sovereign state called Great Britain
- Over wie of wat gaat het?
- Situeer.
- Vind je dit interessant? Waarom wel/niet? (aspecten die hierbij kunnen helpen: belangrijk voor nu, spannend, oorzaken en gevolgen?, ...)
- Waarom is dit Engels? Wat zegt de cultuurvorm over de Engelse cultuur? Hoe verschilt de Engelse cultuur hier van de Belgische?
The Hundred Years Wars
The Hundred Years Wars (1337–1453), was a series of conflicts involving the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of France. Following the Hundred Years Wars, England became embroiled in its own succession wars; the War of the Roses. The Lancastrian Henry Tudor ended the War of the Roses and established the Tudor dynasty in 1485.
The Tudor
The Tudor period is a period between 1485 and 1603 in England and Wales. It coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII (1457–1509). In terms of the entire century, historians argue that "England was economically healthier, more expansive, and more optimistic under the Tudors" than at any time in a thousand years.
The term Tudor was seldom used in the 16th century, because the kings and queens did not like being reminded of their origins in the humble Tudor family.
The economy that Henry VII inherited (1457–1509) after the Battle of Bosworth was still recovering from both the impact of the Black Death, which had resulted in chronic population decline, and the War of the Roses. England’s economy was primarily based on agriculture and common labourers did much of the work. Any major population decline - be it through plague or war (or a combination of both) – would have hit agriculture hard and therefore the economy. When Henry VII became king in 1485, the population was slowly recovering but the recovery was delicate enough to suffer from bad harvests and outbreaks of plague.
One aspect of agriculture that developed in the reign of Henry VII was enclosure. This was where land was fenced-off and common rights over land were abolished. After enclosure, the owner of that land could do with it as he pleased. For some, this meant that selective breeding of animals could be tried, for others a more concerted effort at growing crops to be sold at market on a more professional basis than before. The previously used open-field system did not give itself up for fencing off and production could be seen as small-scale. The use of enclosure was the start of a more scientific move in agriculture – though the more important advances were some years off.
Under the Tudors and the later Stuart dynasty, England became a world colonial power. England, which had conquered Wales in the 13th century, united with Scotland in 1707 formed a new sovereign state called Great Britain