Historical Britain

Stonehenge is a Bronze Age monument from about 2000 BC. The standing stones came from Wales-over 320 kilometers away! They stand up to seven meters high in a circle. About 90 meters away from the circle there is another stone and on midsummer’s day the sun rises exactly over it. But why did the ancient Britons build Stonehenge?
William the Conqueror began building the Tower of London after Norman invasion in 1066. It stands next to Tower Bridge. The tower in the centre is called the White Tower. It has got a bloody history. They execute many people there, including Anne Boleyn, wife of Henry VIII. Some ravens live in the Tower. According to the legend, when the birds escape, the monarchy will end. Today you can visit the Tower and see the Crown jewels. Hadrian’s Wall ran across the north of Britain between England and Scotland. It was originally five meters high. The Roman emperor, Hadrian began the wall in 120 AD to protect the province of Britannia from the tribes of the North. The Roman army finally abandoned it in ì383 AD. There were many small castle and towers in the wall and soldiers could send messages quickly when there was an attack. Today there are some museums next to the wall-they show things the Romans left behind. The Houses of Parliament are in Westminster in London. King Canute built a royal palace here in the first half of the eleventh century and there were meetings of the English parliament here from the thirteenth century. In 1605, some young Catholic men decided to destroy the Houses of Parliament and kill the Protestant King James I. they got some gunpowder and put it in a cellar under Westminster Palace. But the King discovered the plan and on the 5th November, he sent soldiers to the building. They found one man, Guy Fawkes, and they executed him. Nowadays in Britain, on the 5th of November, people build bonfires and have fireworks.