Historic building in Britain

The Tower of London.

It is the most famous of all the historical buildings in London, It was built in the 11* century. In the past it
was a fortress, a palace and a prizon. A lot of people lost their heads there. Now the Tower is a museum. It
is famous as home of the Crown Jewels. They include the Crown of Quenn Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
According to tradition the Tower is guarded by the Geoman Warders or Beefeater. They still wear their old
bright and colorful Tudor uniforms. The black ravens live in the gardens of the Tower. There is legend that
the Tower will fall if it loses ravens. Therefore the birds with clipped wings are carefully guarded.

The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.

The Palace of Westminster usually known as the Houses of Parliament. For 500 years it was the king's
palace. It was designed by Sir Charles Barry. But the modem palace was begun in 1840. This is a place where
the English Parliaments sits now. There are two towers in the Palace of Westminster: the Victoria Tower and
the Clock Tower, The clock came into service in 1859 and was nicknamed ‘Big Ben’ after Sir Benjamin Hall,
who was in charge of the building. Big ben is the biggest clock bell in Britain. It weighs 13 tons. The Clock
Tower is 318 feet high. You have to go up 374 steps to reach the top.