Download Places in Britain 1. Hadrian`s Wall 2. London 3

Places in Britain
1. Hadrian’s Wall
Hadrian’s Wall is an important part of British history. There have been people living in Britain
since prehistoric times. The Celts came from mainland Europe and invaded the British Isles.
They settled in England, and moved to Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Eventually, the Romans
came to Britain, and conquered most of it. However, they could not conquer Scotland, where
several tribes lived. Because they could not defeat them, the Romans built a wall to keep
them out of their empire. This wall is known as Hadrian’s Wall. The wall is 80 miles long,
reaching from coast to coast- from the North Sea in the east to the Irish sea in the west. It
was built in 122 AD (anno Domini) and it took six years to finish.
2. London
London is the capital of England. It was founded by the Romans under the name Londonium
two thousand years ago. In AD60 Queen Boudica, the leader of a tribe, fought the Romans,
and London burned to the ground. However, the Romans gained controlled and rebuilt the
city. The Roman Empire started to crumble, and the Romans left London. The Anglo-Saxons
then invaded Britain, which was groups of people coming from mainland Europe. During the
9th and 10th century, there were many Viking attacks. Afterwards many monarch has ruled
over England, based from London.
In 1666, there was a great fire in London, lasting for four days. It wiped out 80% of London.
Many buildings were destroyed, and therefore they rebuilt their houses with stones and
bricks, instead of wood.
During the Victorian age (Queen Victoria, 1837-1901) London expanded, because of the
increase in the industry. Many railways were built and trade became an important part of the
economy. The tube opened in 1862, as the first ever underground.
Today London is a hectic city, and a center for business and trade. The people living in
London is from all over the world, making it a multicultural city.
3. Oxford
Oxford University is one of the oldest and most know universities in English-speaking world.
Teaching there can be traced back to 1096. Another university close by is Cambridge, and
they are often considered as rivals. Oxford is known as a university for upper-class citizens.
Oxford also have an annual boat race against Cambridge, where they row on the river
Thames. Many famous leaders, authors, politicians and so on has attended Oxford. People
such as J.R.R Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Bill Clinton, 27 prime ministers of the UK, Robert Frost,
actors such as Emma Watson, Stephen Hawking, and a lot of other known people.
4. Old Trafford
Old Trafford is the home field of Manchester United. It has a capacity of 75,000 people,
nearly 76,000. Old Trafford has been the home field of Manchester United since 1910;
however from 1941 to 1949 Manchester shared another stadium with City because of
bombings during WW2. It is nicknamed the Theater of Dreams. Football is important for
many people in Britain. Football can be traced back to medieval Britain. The first set of rules
is from Cambridge in 1848. The sport as we know it today is from 1863, when the game was
standardized. Football has been a part of the Olympic Games since 1900. The first FA cup
was held in 1872, and soon many clubs in Britain wanted to take part. That helped making
the rules apply to all the teams.
5. The Globe
A man called William was born in 1564 in a place called Stratford-upon-Avon. He became a
part of the theatre-group outside London, and became an actor. He played small parts, but
enjoyed writing even more. He became the world’s most famous author. He wrote 38 plays,
and 154 sonnets. A sonnet is a poem written in a particularly manner, following rules of
length and rhyme. He wrote comedies and tragedies. He also wrote about romance. Some of
his famous plays are Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, a Mid-summers Night Dream and so on.
Shakespeare’s theatre company built the Globe in 1599. It was round, and you could fit
about a thousand people there. There were only male actors, so the men had to play the
female roles.
6. Loch Ness
Loch Ness is a lake located in the Scotland highlands. It is the second largest lake in Scotland.
In Loch (lake) Ness there is a “crannog”. That is an artificial island built during medieval
times. The “crannog” is called Cherry Island. The lake has become a tourist attraction
because of the alleged sightings of the sea monster nicknamed Nessie. It became famous in
1933, but the sea monster has been talked about since year 500 AD. There has also been
several pictures taken of what is to believed is Nessie.
7. Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England. Scientists believe it was
constructed between 3000 BC to 2000 BC. The state owns the monument, and it is regarded
as a British Cultural icon. There are several theories to why it was constructed. Some believe
it is a burial site. Others think that it is a place for sacrifice having to do with religion, or that
it has something to do with astronomy. Scientists have trouble explaining how it built, as
they have proved that the stones were manually retrieved from Wales and brought to
England.