Cultural sightseeing in Great Britain. What to visit - museums, temples, castles and palaces

» Any traveler can take direct part in receptions, dinners and banquets in the royal garden at Buckingham Palace.
» Walk-in days tradition appeared in the official residence of British monarchs due to lack of funds. In 1992, fire has damaged Windsor Castle, so money for its restoration was needed.
» During a visit to Buckingham Palace, just 19 rooms can be seen. The Throne, Ballroom and Banquet Hall, Music Room and Art Gallery are among them.
» The special flag is hung above the main facade of the building; it announces the presence of the Queen in the palace.
» Buckingham Palace consists of 775 rooms. The royal and guest quarters occupy 52 of them, 19 rooms are aimed at state servants, 188 chambers are reserved for staff, 92 - for offices, and 72 are bathrooms.
» The territory of Buckingham Palace has its own post office, police station, hospital, swimming pool, and cinema. The Palace houses the royal collection of works by Rubens, Rembrandt and other artists.

» The excavation proved that Cardiff Castle is over 2 000 years old.
»  Originally, it was an ancient Roman fortress. Later, the building served as a legal agency. Then, the noble family purchased the construction. Upon the order of the last owner, the fortress was turned into a mansion with a lot of halls.
»  It houses the collection that has a historical value. Its interior impresses with multiple stained glass windows, sophisticated braided moldings, sculptures, painted walls, and carved ceilings. All the interior elements are thoroughly designed.
»  Near the castle, there is a big parking area.
»  Cardiff is the building complex. It consists of a castle, a Gothic mansion, a clock tower, and a house called “Norman Donjon”.
»  The high pedestal leads to the fortress. Its doorways are narrow and zigzag.
»  Fortress walls are heavy stone. They are decorated with flags. You can see a red dragon in the midst of the white and green canvass.
»  There is a smoking room in the tower. The ceiling looks like a casket. It is decorated with colorful figurines of women that symbolize the morning, midday, evening and night.
»  The children’s bedroom is decorated with fabulous paintings.

» The red castle resembles a fantasy building with its architecture combining different styles, Victorian and Gothic.
»  The oval construction has several round towers of different height. The unusual house is located on the hilltop. It has thick fortification walls. The patterned roof contrasts with outbuildings.
»  To enter the castle, you can cross the lift bridge. The entrance is protected with a movable grille.
»  The stone building was last rebuilt in the late 19th century. The architect reconstructed the medieval castle.
»  Castell Coch (translated as “red”) was built at the site of the former fortress of the 13th century.
»  You should visit the Red Castle to feel the atmosphere of the Middle Ages. In the audience hall that belonged to the noble family, there is the wonderful collection of picturesque canvasses and antique items. In the living room, there is a fireplace made by a famous master.
»  The former owner almost did not live in the new house although it made significant investments in its reconstruction. The Marquis passed his property to the state.
»  The building is very attractive and appeared in many fantastic films due to its picturesque landscape.

» There is a gilded wing boat on the spire of the church tower. This is the symbol of the city patronized by the God-pleaser who watches over sailors and travelers.
»  Originally, the church was named after the Virgin Mary (1257). It was rebuilt when the number of parishioners had risen. Then, the name of St. Nicholas was added to the name of the building.
»  The church is located in the city center. Long windows give so much light that electric lights are switched on only at night. Stained glass windows depict the Mother of God and St. Nicholas.
»  The inner walls are decorated with massive wood panels. On them, you can see patterns of bunches of grapes. These symbols are related to the words of the Son of God “I am the vine, you are the branches”.
»  Organ concerts that go hand in hand with other events are held in the church.
»  The stone fence surrounds the construction. Here, you can also see a fountain, from which you can even draw water.
»  The memorial Simpson Fountain pointed by the engraved plate is dedicated to William Simpson. He helped people in need and never refused to help. Traffic was blocked on the day of his funeral because too many people came to accompany him on his last journey.

» St. Luke Church is buried in lush thickets of the city garden. The sharp top with a spire of the House of God rises over nearby houses and is seen from afar.
»  The history of St. Luke Church goes back to several centuries. However, the exact date of the construction of the church is not known.
»  The building gained its present form in 1971. The entire construction is faced with gray cut stone produced in the local sand quarry. The bright red tiled roof contrasts with other exterior elements.
»  The outer walls of the cult building are decorated with moldings. Every picture depicts a particular Biblical scene.
»  Stained glass windows have the form of arches. One of the windows depicts the unknown Liver bird. The frames are decorated with curls.
»  The strict design made a sharp contrast with decorative leaves, which confirms the date of the construction (between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, 1811).
»  There is a crypt in the subsoil of the church.
»  The bells and the clock on the bell tower were damaged during the bombing in 1941.
»  The temple was named after evangelist St. Luke. He followed Christ’s precepts, became a healer and a preacher, and propagated Christ’s teachings.

» The Edinburgh Castle is the ancient fortress in the center of Edinburgh, which is the most important and attractive tourist attraction of the Scottish capital.
» The castle was built on the rock that was once an active volcano.
» The castle has been built in the early Middle Ages and was rebuilt several times. In the end, it was adapted for the defense of land from artillery.
» Three sides of the fortress are protected by steep cliffs, so access to the castle is available just across the road on the east side. By the way, you can pass only through the esplanade, a long empty inclined portion of the fortress, where the annual parade of the Royal Edinburgh Military Orchestras is held.
» The oldest building in Edinburgh, the St. Margaret Chapel, stands on the grounds of the castle. The crown of Scotland is also kept at the Edinburgh Castle.
» The Edinburgh Castle is one of several ancient castles in the UK, which still has its own military garrison, although it's used mainly for ceremonial and administrative purposes.

» There used to be a small chapel on the site of the cathedral founded by missionary and apostle Kentigern, known as Mungo (meaning ‘my dear’). The cathedral is named after him.
» Glasgow Cathedral was consecrated in 1136. The ash of the patron of Glasgow rests in one of the parts of the cathedral.
» The construction has different names: the High Kirk of Glasgow (common in the Christian community), St Kentigern’s or St Mungo’s Cathedral.
» 500-year sculptures reminding of the seven deadly sins are installed on the 14th-century wooden roof. Wooden structures and slabs also date from that time.
» The building is 100 metres long. The pictures on some stained glass windows are similar to symbols of military regiments that took part in World War II. The walls are decorated with mosaic pictures from the revered saint’s life.
» The cathedral is divided into two churches – Upper and Lower. The building itself stands on a slope.
»  Inside, there are dark high Gothic vaults supported by straight columns. The stairs lead to the Lower Church. Stone fragments of the 12th-century cathedral are preserved here.
» The Bridge of Sighs connects the cathedral with a hill where the Glasgow Necropolis – a city cemetery with old gravestones and vaults – was erected.
» 200,000 people visit the cathedral annually.

» The Imperial War Museum North in Manchester is the fifth branch of the London Museum. Exactly this museum was seriously damaged by German bombs.
»  The famous architect Daniel Libeskind has designed an impressive museum building. The construction lasted from 1997 to 2001.
»  The building consists of three separate sectors that symbolize a broken globe. The museum collection includes artifacts telling about the First and Second World Wars.
»  The main purpose of the exhibition is to show the damaging impact of wars on human life. On the website of the museum, you can see these words: “It is more a world museum than a war museum.
»  At the entrance, there are the Soviet T34 tank and the English AV8a plane. They played a big role in the Second World War.
»  The walls of all halls are deep red, which symbolizes the blood spilled during military operations. The core of the collection is letters, photos, and belongings of ordinary people. The main purpose of museum founders was to show human destinies but not confrontations between countries.