WINDSOR

 The twin towns of Windsor and Eton, facing each other across the Thames, are synonymous with two great bastions of English privilege: Windsor Castle and Eton College. Towering above the pleasant town of Windsor, Windsor Castle has been inhabited by royalty since William the Conqueror's time and has grown to be the largest lived-in fortress in the world. Its most outstanding building is St. George's Chapel, one of the finest examples of Perpendicular architecture in existence.

Windsor, the Norman Gate

 

Go across the Thames River by Windsor Bridge to Eton College, founded by Henry VI in 1440. Britain's most famous and exclusive school, where boys wear tail coats and wing collars, has spawned 20 prime ministers. Like many private fee-paying schools in England, it is paradoxically called a "public" school.

HENLEY-ON-THAMES

Henley-on-Thames, set on a mile-long stretch of the Thames, is famous for its regatta, founded in 1839 and held every year in early July. At regatta times the banks are lined with hospitality tents and well-dressed spectators parade up and down. The river is also the focus for another annual event swan-upping, in late July. For 800 years the cygnets born to swans on the Thames have been caught and marked to distinguish their ownership.

 

Henley itself, which grew itself around a 12th-century river crossing, has a very attractive and compact town center with lots of half-timbered or soft-toned brick buildings of the 15th to 18th centuries. Look too for the flint and stone-checked 16th-century tower of St. Mary's Church, and the adjoining 15th-century Chantry House, timber-framed with jettied upper floors.

OXFORD

Oxford is ninety kilometres from London and only sixty kilometres from Heathrow Airport. The River Thames runs through Oxford, and the River Cherwell joins it there. The land is low, but there are hills to the west. One of the most peaceful ways to enjoy Oxford is by walking along the riverbanks, watching the rowing eights at practice and occasionally glancing up at the "dreaming spires" on the skyline. 

Oxford spires from South Park

The city is an important centre for work, shopping and nighlife. But people from all over the world, come to Oxford to see the fine buildings, the museums, and the parks and gardens. Much of the city is old and very beautiful. Oxford is a very interesting city, and many visitors fall in love with it.

Radcliffe Camera

More than 110,000 people have their homes in Oxford. But in some months of the year there are a lot more people in the city; thousands of students come from other towns for parts of the year.

The Sheldonian Theatre (1664)

Designed by St Christopher Wren, where degree ceremonies are  held

The College of St Mary Magdalen 

The college was founded on St Swithun's Day in 1458 by William Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry VI. Today, Magdalen is one of the largest Colleges in Oxford both in student numbers and also ground area. From  the top of the building  there is singing  at dawn (six o'clock ) on May Morning each year.  A few students make the dangerous jump from Magdalen Bridge into the river below.

Magdalen College Tower from the Botanic Garden

LONDON

London is the capital of Great Britain. It's in the south-east of England on the River Thames. London - described by many as one of the most exciting cities in the world - has something to suit all tastes. The city has an amazing variety of historic buildings, museums and art galleries, parks and gardens, as well as restaurants serving food from all corners of the globe. There are hundreds of great pubs, bars and nightclubs to enjoy, and London's theatreland is world famous, as is its department stores and shopping streets.

'When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.' said Dr Samuel Johnson. Over two hundred years later, Dr Johnson is still right! London is the place to be, with so many different things to do and places to visit. The city's outstanding museums, palaces, churches, and first-rate music and theater offer endless entertainment.
London's center is fairly compact and covers the financial district (called the City), the entertainment and shopping area (called West End), and Westminster, seat of Parliament and home of royalty. The very center, from which distances are measured, is Trafalgar Square.

Pigeons, demonstrators and New Year's Eve revelers flock to London's most famous square. One-armed and one-eyed, Admiral Lord Nelson stands loftily above the pigeons on his 172-foot column in the middle of Trafalgar Square, named for his famous victory. 

London is an attractive city with great character. It changes as the centuries pass, but its ceremonies stay the same. Why not come here and see it all for yourself?