Great Britain and major cities

Stratford

Stratford's fame has spread worldwide as the town where William Shakespeare was born. On a bright morning the busy shops are reminders that for five hundred years Stratford has been a market town.
Its history begins with the Roman occupation, but it was during the Middle Ages that Stratford flowered.
Stratford-upon-Avon is a town 94 miles northwest of London, on the Avon. In 1553 the town received a charter from Edward VI. Another Charter was granted in 1611. The population of the town is about 20 thousand. Its chief points of interest are associated with the name and life of Shakespeare. In Henley Street stands an unpretentions one-storeyed wooden house, where he was born, and which now belongs to the British government. The house where he died was torn down in 1759.
The town has a fine guild-hall, and a public library rich in Sliakespeareana (1905), an art gallery with many Sliakespeareana paintings, a market house, a corn exchange, a new school for technical education, public schools, the fine Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, and the Shakespeare fountain.
Stratford-upon-Avon is the birthplace of the greatest English poet and playwright William Shakespeare.
Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564.
William received his early education at the local grammer school.
In 1587 Shakespeare went to London to seek his fortune in a company of actors. First he worked as an actor and then as a revister and writer of plays. 
Shakespeare's first narative poem, ''Venus' and Adonis'', was published in 1593 and met with a warm reception. 
In 1599 he became one of the proprietors at the Globe Theatre which was built on Bankside. In 1597 he bought New Place, one og the largest houses in Stratford. But  he continued to live and work in London until 1610. 
Shakespeare died at the age of fifty-two on April, 23, 1616, at New Place. He was buried in the church at Stratford on the banks of the Avon. 
Although Stratford-upon-Avon remains a small market town, it has now become a gathering-place of all nations. People show their love for the great writer and every year on April, 23 they come to Stratford and take part in celebrating Shakespeare's birthday.
The royal Shakespeare Theatre was opened in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1932. Only Shakespeare's plays are performed here. The town attracts people from all over the world by its Royal Shakespeare Theatre and as the birthplace of the great writer.

Oxford

It is assumed that between 1164 and 1169, when Henry II forbade English clerks to go to the University of Paris, which at that time was the foremost in Europe, the scholars had to find somewhere else to continue their study. Their choice fell on Oxford. The first group of scholars at Oxford may have been joined by others from Paris as well as from other parts of Britain.
Oxford is a celebrated city of science. Many visitors of Oxford want to be shown the university. In their home countries, universities are easily identifiable because they are compact, and probably isolated from the domestic and commercial buildings.
Oxford is different. It has a ''golden heart''-an area of less than half a square mile in which various historic buildings may be found. But they do not stand in isolation. They are mixed together with houses, shops and offices.   
There is no ''university'' as such. The component parts of the University of Oxford are the colleges. Each college is practically autonomous, with its own set of rules of government. There is a central administration, providing services such as libraries and laboratories. 
Oxford is also an important centre. There are some industries there such as printing.
The Oxford University Press, whose plant is situated on Walton street, is one of the memorable institution of the city, and an integral part of the university. Its foundation goes back to 1478, when it was in the hands of private individuls for a century or more. Delegates of the Press are professors of Oxford. It has been responsible for thousands of learned books, including the Oxford English Dictionary.
In 1546 college and cathedral were joined to give it its present day name.

Cambridge

Cambridge lies in the flat lands of East Anglia. It stands on the river Cam. The Cam has several bridges over it. That's why the city is called Cambridge.
In 1278 Cambridge was a prosperous town with 534 houses and then, in 1284, Hugh de Balsham of Ely, founded Peterhouse, the first college, and since then the history of Cambridge has become the history of Cambridge and of Cambridge University. Now when we say Cambridge, we mean ''University City'', because Cambridge is world-famouse for its university. It consists of twenty-nine colleges and many of them are grouped together. Each group of colleges has its own green court with beautiful lawns and bright flowers. It has also chapels, halls and libraries.
There are some unique colleges such as Trinity College, King's College and St. John's College.
Oxford and Cambridge remain a centre of education chiefly for the privileged.

Birmingham

Birmingham is the second largest city in Britain and the biggest industrial centre. Birmingham is called ''the city of 1500 trades'' because of the great variety of its industries. All the spoons and forks they use at table, the glasses out of which they drink, the pins and needles in English homes are mostly products of the Birmingham industry.
There are some places of interest in Birmingham - the Civic Centre, the Hall of Memory, Bull Ring Centre, New Street, etc.

Sheffield

Sheffield is the fourth largest city in Great Britain. It is one of the country's metallurgical centers.
The city is known as the place where '' Sheffield plates'' are made. Sheffield plate is a term applied to articles, produced from copper and coated with silver.
There are some places of interest in Sheffield. The town hall was opened in 1897; it is a good example of Victorian Gothic and it houses the municipal offices. Twentieth-century buildings include the City Hall for concerts and meetings, the City Museum with excellent collections of cutlery, and the Central Library and Graves Art Gallery.

Manchester

Manchester is now the leading centre of the cotton and the chemical industries in Britain.
The first thing the visitor will notice is the grand scale of everything. The second impression is that Manchester buildings all seem to be Gothic, though there are many classical buildings there are many classical buildings there, too.
There are some places of interest in Manchester such as the Town Hall, the Central Library, Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester Univercity.  

Edinburgh

Old Edinburgh was a long, narrow town, later walled, with houses jumbled tightly together down a single main street. It became a Royal Burgh in 1329.
Edinburgh is a city where the historic past lives side by side with the present, for centuries the home of Scottish Kings and Queens. 
The scheme of the New Town of Edinburgh was thought of in 1767, when Parliament approved the extension of the city. A competition was held and won by James Craig, a 23-year-old architect. 
The city is important largely as an intellectual centre. It has one of the oldest universities in Europe - the University of Edinburgh, which was founded in 1582.
The first thing one can see is a very large hill in the middle of Edinburgh - the Rock. Edinburgh Castle stands on the Rock.
The main street of New Town was called George Street. On the north side of George Street  was Queen Street and on the south side - Princes Street, so named after the Prince of Wales.
Princes Streeet is the main street in Edinburgh. It is also the main shopping street with shops along one side and the beautiful Princes Street Gardens along the other side. There is a special clock made of flowers (Floral Clock) in the gardens.
Edinburgh is famouse for many things: its art galleries, museums, libraries, its buildings such as the Castle Rock, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and especially its festivals.
The capital of Scotland has a population of 400.000 and is a very historic city with some of the finest architecture in Europe. Its most famouse building is the Edinburgh Castle which dominates the rest of the city. In summer, the famouse Edinburgh Military Tattoo takes place in the Castle, with hundreds of soldiers in traditional Scottish costume and with music from pipe bands.
The Royal Family have a home in Edinburgh - the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The area between the Castle and the Palace of  Holyroodhouse is called the Royal Mile. Around this Part of the city are several museums and galleries. Walter Scott (1771-1832), the famouse English writer of historic novels, lived and worked here.

Glasgow

Glasgow is the industrial, commercial, artistic and sporting centre of Scotland. Glasgow has a population of 17.000 and getting rich on the suger and tobacco trade with the Americans. Glasgow stands on the River Clyde. Glasgow makes ships, gigantic locomotives and machines. There are public buildings, stores, shops, movie houses, theatres and restaurants.
The City Centre of Glasgow is in the centre of the modern city. Its heart is George Square. It is a nice square with some monuments in it. There are some trees in the square, and flower beds, always attractive during the warm months. 
Glasgow and one of the Clyde's banks make a shipbuilding centre  of the country. 
The Scots say, ''Glasgow made the Clyde, and the Clyde made Glasgow''. The familiar saying is completely true. 
Glasgow University was founded in 1450. The tower of the University is very high. The visitor may climb the 300-foot tower, see the assembly and examination halls, and the rich Library.
Glasgow's Museum of Transport is another place of interest. It has prehistoric sports cars and imperial limousines, bikes and trikes and coachess, gigantic locomotives and a marvellous show of model ships. Scots also invented soccer and golf. 
Loch Ness in Scotland where the legendary Loch Ness monster is rumoured to live.
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument of stones. Stonehenge was built in order to calculate the annual calendar and seasons.

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. Its population is about 440.000 people. The streets of Belfast are very often the scences of violence. Armed British soldiers at street  corners symbolize the British Government's policy of force in Northern Ireland.

Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital of Wales. It has many industries such as coal-mining, steel. Cardiff is also a tourist center. There are some places of interest there: the Caastle, Civic Centre, City Hall, National Museum of Wales, New Theatre, Wales Folk Museum, Institute of Science and Technology and some University departments.
The Welsh people love singing. That's why Wales is sometimes called ''the land of song''.
One of the Welsh traditions is festivals. And on holidays and during festival the Welsh wear traditional clothes.