Broszura Konrad I Andrzej

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Table of contents 1. Selfridges 2. London Stone 3. Aldgate 4. The Gherkin 5. National Gallery 6. Tate Modern 7. Marble Arch 8. Nelson’s Column 9. Haymarket 10. St. Paul’s Cathedral

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London calling - #15 bus adventure: Locations Authors: Andrzej Raczek & Konrad Solski.

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Selfridges department store

One of the largest department stores on Oxford treet is the Selfridges. Probably it was one of the st buildings in the country to use the steel frame onstruction which is standard today. As you can ee on the picture the steel frame is disguised ehind the huge masonry columns (nr 1*). elfridges was built in stages. Very interesting the ain entrance (nr 3 *) and all of the building to the ft were added some 19 years after the store first pened.

Some of London's most imaginative displays can e seen in Selfridges windows (nr 2*), for example Christmas. Once, two millions € worth of amonds were put on show here.

I found a following information: Above the Art-Deco main entrance (nr 3*) there is a atue to the Queen of Time riding in her Ship of ommerce (nr 4*) Harry Selfridge, the American under, wanted retailing to be seen as a more oble pursuit than simply buying and selling for ofit, and even wrote a book called 'The Romance Commerce' “

Selfridges has a reputation for crowd-pulling vents. One of the first was in 1909, when after the st cross-Channel flight; Louis Blériot's tiny eriously damaged aero plane was repaired and xhibited at Selfridges bringing thousands of people rough the doors.

The first floor of the Selfridges (nr 5*) is famous ecause of there was the first public demonstration television in 1925 by the Scottish inventor John ogie Baird.

- at photo above.

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Marble Arch

Near Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park, at the western end of Oxford Street in London is a white carrara called Marble Arch. The name Marble Arch also refers to the locality of west London where the arch is situated, particularly the upper half of Edgware Road. Historically, only members of the royal family and the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery were allowed to pass through the arch in ceremonial procession. Today, the arch is open to pedestrians. History In 1828, John Nash designed the arch based on the triumphal arch of Constantine in Rome. It was originally erected on The Mall as a gateway to the new Buckingham Palace (rebuilt by Nash from the former Buckingham House).In 1851; the arch was moved to its present location during the building of the east front of the Palace. (A popular story says that the arch was moved because it was too narrow for the Queen's state coach to pass through, but in fact the Gold State Coach passed under it during Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953.)It has been speculated that the arch might be moved to Hyde Park, or to some other location. Design

6 There are three small rooms inside that were used as a police station until 1950, first for the royal constables of the Park and later the Metropolitan Police. During the early 1860s one policeman stationed there was Samuel Parkes which won the Victoria Cross in the Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854. Some sculptures intended for the arch ended up on the facade of the National Gallery due to Nash's financial problems. In particular are those high up on the east facade, opposite the Edith Cavell memorial (Britannia) and above the old main entrance under the portico. These last two were originally intended to represent the campaigns of the Duke of Wellington; these sculptures include reclining personifications of Europe and Asia/India, with a blank roundel in between. Had the arch been completed as planned, the Duke of Wellington's face would have been depicted in the roundel.

Nelson's Column

The column was built between 1840 and 1843 to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson's death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The 5.5 m (18 ft) statue of Nelson stands on top of a 46 m (151 ft) granite column. The statue faces south looking towards the Admiralty, with the Mall on his right flank, where Nelson's ships are represented on the top of each flagpole. The top of the Corinthian column (based on one from the Temple of Mars Ultor in Rome) is decorated with bronze acanthus leaves cast from British cannon. The square pedestal is decorated with four bronze panels, cast from captured French guns, depicting Nelson's four great victories. The monument was designed by architect William Railton in 1838, and built by the firm Peto & Grissell. Railton's original 1:22-scale stone model is exhibited at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. The sandstone statue at the top was sculpted by E.H. Baily, a member of the Royal Academy; a small bronze plaque crediting him is at the base of the statue. The four bronze panels around the pedestal were undertaken by the sculptors Musgrave Watson, John Ternouth, William F Woodington, and John Edward Carew. The entire monument was built at a cost of 47,500 pounds, or 3.5 million pounds in 2004 terms (roughly $6.1 million US). The four lions, by Sir Edwin Landseer, at the column's base were added in 1867.

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National Gallery (London)

One of the famous galleries in London is the National Gallery, founded in 1824, houses a rich collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the 13th century to 1900 in its home on Trafalgar Square. It is very good that the gallery is a non-departmental public body. Its collection belongs to the public of the United Kingdom and entry to the main collection (though not some special exhibitions) is free of charge. I found a following history of this object: “The National Gallery's beginnings were modest; unlike comparable galleries such as the Louvre in Paris or the Museo del Prado in Madrid, it was not formed by nationalizing an existing royal or princely art collection. It came into being when the British government bought 36 paintings from the banker John Julius Angerstein in 1824. After that initial purchase the Gallery was shaped mainly by its early directors, notably Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, and by private donations, which comprise two thirds of the collection. The resulting collection is small in size, compared with many European national galleries, but encyclopaedic in scope; most major developments in Western painting "from Giotto to Cézanne" are represented with important works. It used to be claimed that this was one of the few national galleries that had all its works on permanent exhibition, but this is no longer the case. The present building, the third to house the National Gallery, was designed by William Wilkins from 1832–8. Only the façade onto Trafalgar Square remains essentially unchanged from this time, as the building has been expanded piecemeal throughout its history. The building often came under fire for its perceived aesthetic deficiencies and lack of space; the latter problem led to the establishment of the Tate Gallery for British art in 1891. The Sainsbury Wing, an extension to the west by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, is a notable example of Postmodernist architecture in Britain. The current Director of the National Gallery is Nicholas Penny.”

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Tate Modern

Tate Modern, is a modern art museum located in London in the street Southwark. This object is very interesting alternative of museum and gallery. It is one of the famous attractions of the city. Near 5 million tourists visited the museum in 2006s. The main part of Tate Modern is turbine hall in which temporary exhibitions are made. In 2006 there were build 5 tubes (the longest had 55meters). In another place of this condignations we can see pictures represents modern art and future. Practise information. - Taking pictures is allowed only in turbine hall. - Entrance: free. - Open: Sun–Thu 10am.–6pm.; Fri-Sat 10am.–10pm. - Address: Bankside, London SE1 9TG. - Nearest subway station: Southwark.

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Aldgate

Aldgate was the easternmost gateway through London Wall leading from the City of London to Whitechapel and the East End. Aldgate gives its name to a ward of the City. This is bounded by White Kennet Street in the north to Crutched Friars in the south, taking in Leadenhall and Fenchurch Streets, which remain principal thoroughfares through the City, each splitting from the 50 metre street of Aldgate that runs from Aldgate High Street. There are only two buildings on the street. To the north is Sir John Cass's school, where a plaque records the former course of London Wall. To the south is a branch of the French insurance company AXA.

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The Gherkin

The Gherkin is a skyscraper in London's main financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened on 28 April 2004. It is 180 meters (591 ft) tall, with 40 floors. Its construction symbolized the start of a new high-rise construction boom in London. The building's name is its address, St Mary Axe being the street it is on. The building was designed by Lord Foster, his then partner Ken Shuttleworth, and Arup engineers, and was constructed by Skanska of Sweden in 2001–2003. History of the site The building is on the former site of the Baltic Exchange building, the headquarters of a global marketplace for ship sales and shipping information. On 10 April 1992 the Provisional IRA detonated a bomb close to the Exchange, severely damaging the historic Exchange building and neighbouring structures. The UK government's statutory adviser on the historic environment, English Heritage, and the City of London governing body, the City of London Corporation, insisted that any

12 redevelopment must restore the building's old façade onto St Mary Axe. The Exchange Hall was a celebrated fixture of the ship trading company. Baltic Exchange, being unable to afford such an undertaking, sold the land to Trafalgar House in 1995. Most of the remaining structures on the site were then carefully dismantled; the interior of Exchange Hall and the façade were preserved and sealed from the elements. After English Heritage later discovered the damage was far more severe than previously thought, they stopped insisting on full restoration, albeit over the objections of the architectural conservationists who favoured reconstruction.

London Stone

The London Stone is a stone that is said to be the place from which the Romans measured all distances in Britannia. It is set within a stone surround and iron grill on Cannon Street, in the City of London. History

13 Whether or not this is true, the London Stone was for many hundreds of years recognized as the symbolic authority and heart of the City of London. It was the place where deals were forged and oaths were sworn. It was also the point from which official proclamations were made. Jack Cade, popular leader of those who rebelled against Henry VI in 1450, observed the tradition by striking his sword against it as a symbol of sovereignty after his forces entered London; on striking the stone, he then felt emboldened to declare himself "Lord of the City". The Stone was originally situated in the middle of Cannon Street and was much larger than it is now. Later the Stone was set into the wall of St Swithin's Church which was on this site before it was bombed during the Second World War (the Stone remarkably left unscathed). The stone is still on display opposite Cannon Street station although rather inconspicuously situated. The stone and box, with iron grille, were designated a Grade II* listed structure on 5 June 1972. There is also a pub nearby called "The London Stone", which is run by the Eerie Pub Company. Like the Ravens of the Tower of London, there is a myth that states the Stone's safety is linked to that of the city itself; "So long as the stone of Brutus is safe, so long shall London flourish". This relates to the myth that the stone was part of an altar built by Brutus of Troy, the legendary founder of London. As the store the stone is currently displayed in is to be demolished, the stone is to be moved to the London

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Haymarket

Haymarket is a street in the St. James's district of the City of Westminster, a London Borough. It runs from Piccadilly Circus at the north to Pall Mall at the south. It houses a

15 number of restaurants, the Theatre Royal and Her Majesty's Theatre, a cinema complex, and New Zealand House. The broad street connecting Pall Mall with Piccadilly is recorded in the Elizabethan era and, as the name suggest was predominantly used for the sale of farm produce. At that time, it was a rural spot, with the village of Charing, the closest settlement. This practice continued to the reign of William III, by this time, carts carrying hay and straw were allowed to stand in the street and sell free of tolls. In 1692, when the street was paved, a tax was levied on the loads. In 1830 the market was moved to Cumberland Market near Regent's Park. In earlier centuries, Haymarket was also one of the most prominent centers of prostitution in London, but this is no longer the case. Old and New London informs us, in 1878: Situated in the centre of the pleasure-going Westend population, the Haymarket is a great place for hotels, supper-houses, and foreign cafés; and it need hardly be added here, that so many of its taverns became the resort of the loosest characters, after the closing of the theatres, who turned night into day, and who were so constantly appearing before the sitting magistrates in consequence of drunken riots and street rows, that the Legislature interfered, and an Act of Parliament was passed, compelling the closing of such houses of refreshment at twelve o'clock. Theatres It is part of London's theatre district, the West End, and has been a theatrical location at least since the 17th century. The Queen's Theatre in the Haymarket, designed by John Vanbrugh, opened in 1705. It was intended for drama, but the acoustics turned out to be more suitable for opera, and from 1710 to 1745, most operas and some oratorios of George Frederick Handel were premièred at this theatre, which was renamed the King's Theatre at the death of Queen Anne in 1714. After Vanbrugh's building had been destroyed by fire in 1790, another King's Theatre on the same site followed. After another fire, His Majesty's Theatre was opened there in 1897, This building, the fourth on the same site, is still in use as Her Majesty's Theatre for major musical productions. Today's Theatre Royal at another site in the Haymarket is a building originally by John Nash (1820), replacing a previous theatre of the 1720s.

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St. Paul's Cathedra

St. Paul’s Cathedral was built after the Great Fire of 1666. It stands in the heart of the Citythe business centre of London. The architect was Sir Christopher Wren. It took him thirty-five years to finish St. Paul’s. The cathedral is a hundred and ten meters high from the cfloor to the top of the cross and you can climb the 627 steps up to the dome. Wren designed St. Paul’s to give a feeling of space and light. He built more than fifty churches after the Fire, but this is his masterpiece. Inside the dome is the Whispering Gallery. If you whisper close to the wall on one side of the dome, you can be heard on the other side. St. Paul’s has seen many important occasions, like the Royal Wedding of 1981 when Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married. And famous people are buried here. Sir Christopher Wren himself is buried in the floor under the dome. St. Paul’s Cathedral is an island of peace in the noise and activity of one of the biggest financial centers in the world.