THE GROWTH OF LONDON 59 the London County Council has charge of what is really one vast city. But the names of the boroughs have been retained. You notice, too, that your letters come directed to London W. C.; those two letters mean West Centre. They would be directed to London S. W., if we had happened to stay in the South West of London.” "What is the size of Greater London ?" "More than seven hundred square miles." "Yes, but how many people live in the greater city?" "Over seven millions. That is about as many as live in the entire State of New York. If you stand at Charing Cross you will be in the centre of a city that extends fifteen miles in each direction. That is quite different, is n't it, from the little hamlet of huts that probably was 'Llundain' when the ancient Britons lived here?" "I have heard people say that England, or London rather, is not growing." "England is not increasing in population as rapidly as the United States is, but London grows rapidly. It began to grow soon after the Romans came, and because of its location on the Thames it soon became an important place. Its greatest growth has been within the last hundred years. For instance, in 1700 it contained about seven hundred thousand people, in 1800 there were nine hundred thousand, and now there are more than seven million! It has doubled its population in the last fifty years!" Our long and interesting ride in the West End of London is ended. How many famous and splendid places we have passed! We have seen from the outside the palace of King Edward, the barracks where the soldiers live, the great picture galleries, Westminster Abbey, and the Houses of Parliament, as well as many of the houses of the nobility. In the East End of London, which we are yet to visit, the docks are located; also the Bank, the General Post Office, St. Paul's Cathedral, Chancery Lane, where the lawyers have their offices, Paternoster Row, where the books are published, and Whitechapel, which is largely a Jewish section. QUESTIONS If you buy a ticket to London, what destination will be indicated? Mention three characteristics of the English people that American travelers notice. Mention three great parks of London. How large is Old London? The present city? How is the city governed? What is a borough? In what part of London are the following: Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and the Houses of Parliament? SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITTEN WORK Describe a walk in Hyde Park or in the Kew Gardens. Describe an imaginary experience when lost in a London fog. Tell briefly the causes of the troubles between George III and his American colonies. CHAPTER VI PLACES OF INTEREST IN LONDON Westminster Abbey- Poets' Corner - Houses of Parliament "Big Ben " House of Commons House of Lords The Throne St. Margaret'sLondon Tower Tower Bridge - London Bridge Trafalgar Square - Pall Mall Marlborough House Famous Streets The Strand - Charing Cross Fleet Street Temple Church - -"Old Curiosity Shop The Mansion HouseBank of England St. Paul's Cathedral British Museum Museum National Gallery Tate Gallery - Port of Manufacturing · Causes of London's Greatness. - South Kensington London Docks Ar the earliest opportunity, our young travelers visit Westminster Abbey, in Westminster, the largest of all the boroughs. Many years ago, the ground along the Thames near the Abbey was a swamp, and the spot on which the vast building rests was called Thorney Isle, because so many bushes with thorns grew there. Early in the seventh century a Saxon king built a church here in honor of St. Peter. That building was destroyed by the Danes, but a later king erected another in 985. The Abbey itself was established by Edward the Confessor about the middle of the eleventh century, and it has been rebuilt in part and enlarged many times since. A building so large (its total length is 513 feet and the towers are 225 feet in height) and so old is in continual need of repair, and every day workmen can be seen upon scaffolds erected on its walls. Its shape is that of a Latin cross. It is inspiring to stand within, and gaze at the marble columns, at the exquisite alabaster screen behind. the altar, at the lofty choir, and the great transepts. The largest rose window in the world is here. Every day, services are held, and sometimes the vast building is filled with visitors. Many of England's great men have been buried in WESTMINSTER ABBEY 63 Westminster Abbey, and we step softly when we recall that beneath our feet are the bodies of many famous people. We see the monuments of Pitt, Warren Hastings, Darwin, Isaac Newton, Isaac Watts, David Garrick, Macaulay, Thackeray, Dickens, and hundreds of other celebrities. One of the most interesting places is the Poets' Corner, where the ashes of many poets lie, and where we see many busts of poets who were not buried in the Abbey. Among these are Milton, Shakespeare, and Longfellow. "I am glad England honored us by having a bust of Longfellow placed in the Poets' Corner," says one of the girls. "I think England, as well as America, was honored," responds a boy. In another part of the Abbey, we stand before busts or tombs of many English sovereigns, besides those of famous nobles. In the chapel of Edward the Confessor, |