Scenery of United Kingdom - Coursework Example

Tourism UK Scenery Introduction Evidence such as avebury and Stonehenge has shown that England was inhabited in the Neolithic, Mesolithic, and Bronze Age. Celtic people referred to as the Britons had inhabited England in the Iron Age. Belgae communities occupied the south east region of the country. In AD 43, the Romans commenced their quest to conquer England. The Romans subdued the Celtic communities that had inhabited England. The Romans built a permanent fort that was named as the “Eboracum”. This later emerged as one of the leading cities in the region (Chesterton, 2008, p. 12-14). The Romans maintained control of the state till the 5th century. The end of the roman rule led to the settlement of Anglo-Saxon in England which resulted to the English community. The Anglo-Saxons were a group of communities that had originated from Germany. The Anglo-Saxons established kingdoms in England which led to the present day England. The Anglo-Saxons brought in the old English which displaced the earlier English language used by the Celtic communities. By 10th century, numerous leaders tried to unite the different Anglo-Saxons kingdoms to form the Kingdom of England (Chesterton, 2008, p. 20-24). Later, Normans attacked and overcame England. By this time, there were civil wars and battles with other states. Later in 12th century England conquered Wales and united with Scotland in 18th century. This union led to the Great Britain State. In the industrial revolution, Great Britain had power over a universal empire (Chesterton, 2008, p. 42-54). Some of the ancient buildings and artifacts used and constructed in the country’s history have remained as historical and tourist attraction scenery. London and its scenery London is the capital city of United Kingdom and the largest urban area in United Kingdom. London is situated on River Thames. An elected mayor with the help of an elected congress governs London. London is a leading city in the world for finance, commerce, entertainment, education and tourism which have contributed to its eminence. London has numerous historical sceneries which include Alexandra palace, Buckingham palace and London eye. According to Marsden (2012), Buckingham palace functions as the official administrative headquarters to the British Monarch (p. 24). This palace was built in 1837 by Britain’s rulers. Buckingham Palace is used on state events and for majestic welcome. This building, which towers presently as a prominent town house was constructed during the 18th century by Duke of Buckingham who owned it for more than 100 years. Buckingham Palace was later used to host the queen and renamed the “Queens house”. In the 18th century, Buckingham Palace underwent structural enlargements forming wings. At the front, Buckingham Palace has a balcony where the royal family assembles to greet masses of people outside. Though majorly used for state events and Queen Reception, Buckingham Palace is used by visitors and tourists. In reference to Robinson (2004), Buckingham Palace has more than 750 rooms which are used, by both state officials and visitors (p. 24). Among these rooms, there are 20 state rooms, 51 Royal and guest rooms, more than 180 staff bed rooms, more than 90 offices and 78 bathrooms. Approximately, Marsden (2012) asserts that the building is 109 meters long across the front, 121 meters deep and 24 meters high (p. 37). Buckingham Palace hosts the offices of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and their families. The palace is furnished and decorated using some expensive works of art from Royal collection. In reference to Robinson (2004), approximately 500,000 people visit Buckingham Palace annually as guests (p. 27). For guests who get lucky enough to visit Buckingham Palace, they are caught by the beautiful scenery at the marble carving stairs of the staircase. The interior decoration and furnishing is outstandingly astounding and beautiful. London is one of the most fascinating urban areas in the world. A first time visitor cannot fail to see the London eye. This is a giant observation wheel that allows a visitor to have a bird’s eye view of London city. Since its opening in 1999, it has become one of the popular and frequently visited places in the city. This wheel stands out at 136 meters high. It is also referred to as the Millennium Wheel. The wheel was constructed with 32 air conditioned passenger containers. The 32 capsules represent the 32 boroughs of London. The wheel weighs more than 10 tones and each capsule holds a maximum of 25 people. The capsules have seats where the passengers can sit. In addition, the capsules are spacious enough to allow passengers move within the capsule (Rose, 2007). London eye rotates at an average speed of 0.9km/h which makes one revolution take 30 minutes. This gives the passenger enough time to view London City. This wheel does not stop to pick new passengers. Any passenger in the capsule need not worry about his or her safety (Rose, 2007). The constructors considered the passengers safety while constructing the wheel. They took extra caution to ensure that the capsules were secure for the passengers. The wheel was made from strong steel material. At night, the LED lights are digitally controlled providing glittery scenery. The Eye of London is remarkable scenery designed by David Marks and his wife Julia Barfield. They designed this as part of competition to design a marker for the new millennium. They ensured that this land mark was built by seeking sponsorship from the British Airways (Rose, 2007). The London eye and Buckingham Palace are just but a few of the tourist beautiful sceneries in London. Edinburgh and its scenery Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and the central administrative center. It is the second biggest town in Scotland the eleventh most populated cities in the United Kingdom. The city holds numerous, festivals and is home to numerous fascinating sceneries. Fascinating cites include Edinburgh castle, Argyll’s tower, Crown Square Scottish National War Memorial, Arthur’s seat, Gilmerton cove, Britannica, St. Margaret’s Chapel, French prisons, Great Hall, and Royal yacht (Grant, 1980, p. 14-18). Edinburgh castle is the most popular national monument in Scotland as it dominates the inner city. Edinburgh castle is a bastion which has taken over the sky of Edinburgh city (Grant, 1980, p. 19). The castle is built on top of an old plug of a volcano which rose more than 300 million years ago during the carboniferous orogeny. The castle formed from the residues of a volcanic pipe. Erosion eroded the soft part of the rock thus leaving a crag and tail which resulted to the castle (Grant, 1980, p. 23). Edinburgh castle rises 130 meters above sea level, with extra rocky cliffs on either side. This castle is run and administered by the authority. It acts as a commercial, tourist attraction and a conservation of the site. Edinburgh is one of the most popular and visited tourist attraction sites in Scotland with approximately 1.28 million visitors annually (Grant, 1980, p. 25). The authority maintains numerous facilities within Edinburgh Castle including restaurants, shops and historical shows. In addition, Edinburgh’s authority runs an educational centre that coordinates and controls events for educational institutions and groups. At the Edinburgh castle, a one o’clock gun is fired daily at one o’clock. The gun is located on the castle and was employed as a time signal for ships. This was used to calculate the time and distance from the shores. This gun required four men to load. The present day gun placed on the castle is light and has become a popular tourist attraction site (Grant, 1980, p. 25). Gilmerton cove is one of the most highly rated attraction sites in Edinburgh. These are a series of chambers and passageways beneath the streets of Gilmerton and the southern part of the town. There are theories that people resided in the caves for more than 300 years (Grant, 1980, p. 38). It is not clear what the caves were used for, though numerous scholars and authors have argued that they were used as a meeting venue for the covenanters who were prosecuted in the 17th century for going against the religious changes of King Charles I. The covenanters hid there to hold secret worships and religious practices. In addition, scholars have shown that the caves were used by George Paterson who was a blacksmith. However, archeologists have opposed this suggestion as one man cannot have dug and curved the stone by himself (Grant, 1980, p. 43). Only twelve visitors are allowed at a time into the caves. Gilmerton cove is made up of a 40 feet corridor with rooms on either side. There are so many tunnels in the cove which have not yet been discovered for it is not known whether it is safe or not. The cove is only sixteen steps deep where a tourist gets to see the tunnels and the rooms. Though its origin is still a mystery, Gilmerton cove provides a fascinating site for visitors and tourists (Grant, 1980, p. 45). Conclusion United Kingdom has numerous tourist destinations which make it the seventh biggest destination in the world. In 2011, United Kingdom received approximately 29.3 million visitors, which contributed to, 17.2 billion US dollars. Though most of the visitors originate from Europe, domestic tourism is a significant component of tourism in United Kingdom. In reference to the Office of National statistics (2011), United Kingdom receives a high number of visitors from France, Germany, United States, Republic of Ireland, Spain, and Netherlands. The average number of visitors from France, Germany, United States, Republic of Ireland, Spain and Netherlands is estimated to be 3.6, 3, 2.7, 2.6, 1.8 and 1.8 respectively. Works Cited Chesterton, G K. A Short History of England. Echo Library, 2008. Print. Grant, James. Old and new Edinburgh. Edinburgh: Moray Press, 1980. Print. Marsden, Jonathan. Buckingham Palace: Official Souvenir Guide. Scala, Editions, 2012. Print. Office of National Statistics. "Countries whose residents provided the most visits to the United Kingdom." United Kingdom Government. United Kingdom Government, 2011. Web. 2011. Robinson, John M. Buckingham Palace: Official Guidebook. Royal Collection Enterprises, 2004. Print. Rose, Steve . "London Eye: Love at first sight." The guardian [UK] 31 Aug. 2007: n.pag. Web. 31 Aug. 2007. 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