National Gallery

Trafalgar square also contains a large number of statues and two fountains by Sir Edwin Lutyens, added in 1939. The square is surrounded by many great buildings. On the north side is the neo-classical National Gallery, built between 1834 and 1838. It houses a collection of more than 2300 paintings, including works by van Gogh, Renoir, Leonardo da Vinci and Claude Monet. On the east side the square is bordered by the Canada House,

St. Martin-in-the-Fields

completed in 1827. Opposite the Canada House is the South Africa House, which opened in 1933.

 

St. Westminster Abbey, located near the Houses of Parliament, is more a historical site than a religious site. Since 1066 every royal coronation, with the exception of Edward V and Edward VIII has taken place in Westminster Abbey.Martin-in-the-Fields

At the north-east corner is the St. Martin-in-the-Fields parish church. The church, with a large white steeple, was built in 1721 by James Gibbs and was used as a model for many churches, especially in the United States. It is the fourth church at this site, the first was built in the 13th century.

About Madame Tussaud and Her Wax Museum

Marie Tussaud (1761-1850), a native of Strasbourg,

Madame Tussauds

France, learned the fine art of sculpting from her mother's employer, a physician skilled in the art of wax modeling. The doctor, Philippe Curtius, was one of the first to display such works of art, opening an exhibition in 1776. Young Marie made her first sculpture at the tender age of 16, fashioning a

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likeness of French enlightenment writer, Francois Voltaire.

 

Her first solo exhibit appeared on Baker Street in 1835 followed by her famous Chamber of Horrors collection in 1845, where Madame Tussaud displayed a collection of death masks that she had made of the victims of the guillotine during the French Revolution in Paris. In the meantime, she added many likenesses to her collection.

Hitler

Marylin Monroe

In 1884, several decades after her death, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum moved to its current location on London's Marylebone Road, where millions have stood on queue for hours to get a glimpse at her work and that of her successors.

 

The current museum suffered a fire in 1925 and many statues were lost. However, the molds remained intact and several of the pieces were recreated. It is now one of London's busiest attractions and during peak tourist season, it is common to encounter long lines that stretch for blocks. The museum started an overseas expansion in 1970, when it opened a branch location in Amsterdam. Today it has expanded to many more cities including Las Vegas, New York City, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Washington DC and Hollywood.

 

What You'll See

Tussaud and her successors have fashioned literally thousands of replicas of famous people. Visitors can view world leaders, actors/actresses, sports legends, famous writers and artists, religious

The Beatles

figures, musicians, and a host of other characters. Besides those displays there's also several themed sections in the museum including the Chamber of Horrors and an taxi ride for a journey through history.
While the London museum has a decidedly British slant, visitors from all over the world will recognize a majority of the characters.

 

Westminster Abbey, located near the Houses of Parliament, is more a historical site than a religious site. Since 1066 every royal coronation, with the exception of Edward V and Edward VIII has taken place in Westminster Abbey.

Burial Ground

The abbey also serves as the burial ground for numerous politicians, sovereigns and

Westminster Abbey

artists. The abbey is stuffed with tombs, statues and monuments. Many coffins even stand upright due to the lack of space. In total approximately 3300 people are buried in the church and cloisters. Some of the most famous are Charles Darwin, Sir Isaac Newton and David Livingstone.

 

History

The history of the abbey starts in 1050, when King Edward The Confessor decided to build a monastery. Only a small part of this Norman monastery, consecrated in 1065, survived. The only representation of this original building is shown on the Bayeux Tapestry.
Most of the present building dates from 1245 to 1272 when Henry III decided to rebuild the abbey in the Gothic style. The building was later significantly expanded: the Chapel of Henry VII was added between 1503 and 1512, while the two West Front Towers date from 1745. The youngest part of the abbey is the North entrance, completed in the 19th century.

The Nave

The abbey's nave is England's highest. In the nave you find the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, a World War I soldier who died on the battlefields in France and was buried here in French(!) soil. Nearby is a marble memorial stone for Winston Churchill. His body is not, like many fellow prime ministers, buried in the abbey, but in Bladon.

 

The Cloister

The Cloister was originally built in the 13th century. It was completely rebuilt after it was destroyed by a fire in 1298. The cloister was used by the Benedictine monks for meditation and exercise.

 

Chapter House

The beautiful octagonal Chapter house is one of the largest of its kind in England. It has an original tile floor dating from 1250 and 14th century murals.

 

Henry VII Chapel

The Henry VII Chapel (aka Lady Chapel), built 1503-1512, is one of the most outstanding chapels of its time, with a magnificent vault. The chapel has a large stained glass window, the Battle of Britain memorial window. The window, which dates from 1947 and replaces an original window that was damaged during World War II, commemorates fighter pilots and crew who died during the Battle of Britain in 1940.

The British museum

Established in 1753 with the donation of 71,000 objects from the collection of Sir Hans Sloane, the British Museum quickly became one of the city's top attractions.