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• 1993 – The first computer cables are installed.
TRAFALGAR SQUARE
A large open square surrounded by wonderful buildings including the National Gallery, the
National Portrait Gallery, and the building used as the fictional home of "Universal Exports" –
James Bond's cover company in all the 007 films.
On a lazy Sunday morning great clouds of pigeons gather to pick up scraps from passersby.
Admiral Nelson surveys London from his perch 145 feet above the city. This monument was
erected in 1843 to honor his victories abroad. At the base of the monument are four sculptures
depicting his battles in Egypt, Denmark, Cape Saint Vincent, and Trafalgar, where he died in
1805. After the battle he was placed in a barrel of alcohol and shipped back to England for bur-
ial. That's where we get the expression "pickled" referring to a drunken person.
It's also the root of the more obscure phrase "Tapping the Admiral," describing the process
of getting drunk. Nevertheless, the four images were cast from cannons brought back to Eng-
land after his triumphs in far-off lands. Trafalgar Square is also where the national Christmas
tree is put up each year. It is an annual gift from Norway to thank England for taking in their
royal family during the Second World War.
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
One of the "must see" sights in London, Westminster Abbey is known the world over.
What is unknown however is just how old it is. The first church on the site is believed to
have been constructed around the year 700. There are records of a church existing there as
early as 1040 when Edward the Confessor was crowned.
The abbey has its own gift shop, and you can make your own brass rubbings in another sec-
tion. But be sure to watch your belongings while you do. Thieves have been known to make off
with purses and bags belonging to people engrossed in their art. Also be warned that no photog-
raphy is allowed inside, and it is still an active place of worship. So if a service is ongoing,
please be respectful.
WESTMINSTER ABBEY AND THE COSMATI PAVEMENTS
IN POLITICS
Many books on pavements and floor tiles consider technology or geometry without cover-
ing the reasons as to how or why they came into being. Perhaps they do not have the unique
history that the Westminster Abbey pavements do. This paper brings the reasons behind the
construction of the pavements and brings them to life with the struggle they went through in the
context of the politics of the times.
The thirteenth century was a time when the politics of church and state were in high tur-
moil. In 1215 King John had been forced by the Barons to sign Magna Carta. Henry III reigned
from 1216 and was in the similar position of not being an absolute monarch, despite his belief
that he was ruling with the divine right of kings, perhaps not helped by his being only nine
when he ascended the throne. This was the century when the mother of parliaments was in its
infancy.
Moreover, Henry has his own agenda for the rebuilding of Westminster Abbey, aligning
himself with the icon of St Edward the Confessor. There had been civil war and the king was
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