LET’S LEARN MORE ABOUT GREAT BRITAIN! Places of interests in Great Britain Выполнил ученик 8 «А» класса МОУ СОШ № 9 Абакумов Максим

Britain is rich in its historic places which link the present with the past.

In my opinion the most interesting of them are: Stonehenge Greenwich Wimbledon

Stonehenge, one of the best-known archeological sites in the world, is probably the most mysterious place in England. Lying on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, this group of huge stones has always attracted both tourists and scientists trying to solve the mystery surrounding its origin.

The first stones appeared here in 3100 ВС but it was only in 2100 ВС that Stonehenge began to resemble the shape that we know today. The complex stone structure included a circle of 30 upright stones, their tops linked also by stones, to form a continuous circle about 30 m across.

It is unknown where these huge stones came from It is unknown where these huge stones came from. The latest theory, and the most probable one, says that they must have been brought here by a glacier. What is interesting is that whoever built Stonehenge did not place the stones at random: the builder must have been a good mathematician and familiar with the rules of perspective.

The whole construction could have been an astronomical observatory, made for observing the eclipse of the Moon.

WIMBLEDON

WIMBLEDON Wimbledon is tennis. Every year, since 1877, the place has been closely connected with tennis tournaments, which are unofficially regarded as the world championships. Every tennis player simply dreams of playing at Wimbledon, not to mention winning there. The Wimbledon championship is one of the sport's four Grand Slam events.

Wimbledon is not far from central London, only a 40-minute-drive from the West End. The district of Wimbledon is actually worth visiting and not only because of the tennis tournament. Wimbledon began growing during the 16th century, but archaeological research shows that people had already been living there in prehistoric times. The man responsible for popularizing Wimbledon was Thomas Cecil, Earl of Exeter who, among other things, improved the road to London. Gradually people built houses there and opened shops and this is how Wimbledon became an integral part of London.

Wimbledon has always been a sports centre: in the 19th century it was the meeting place of the National Rifle Association and the scene of many duels. Then it also became the home of the AH England Croquet Club, which later changed into the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club, whose tournaments gradually became the most important sports event in the world.

GREENWICH In the 18th century Greenwich was only a riverside village near London. Today it is part of London and you can get there by the river Thames, on special regular cruises from Westminster, Charing Cross, and Tower Piers. Greenwich has the oldest London park - Royal Park, as well as being home to magnificent buildings designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

OLD ROYAL OBSERVATORY The Observatory was built in the 17th century when Charles II appointed John Flamsteed to be the first Astronomer Royal who devised how to calculate time at sea. This was essential for exploring and mapping the globe. Today in the Observatory you can see the largest telescope in Britain and take part in special shows in the Observatory Planetarium.

The most important thing Greenwich is famous for is, of course, the Greenwich Meridian, which runs through the observatory's courtyard. It is an imaginary line joining the North and South Pole. Since 1884 the whole world has set its clocks according to the time of day on Meridian of Greenwich, Longitude 0°.

I think that these places are so interesting! THE END

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