Village London

The centre of London has many different areas. Each one has its own special character. In London's West End, the Covent Garden area is crowded with cafés, clubs and clothes shops. Soho has a lot of clubs and discos. One part of Soho has so many Chinese shops and restaurants that it is called Chinatown.

Knightsbridge has a lot of exclusive and expensive shops, as well as many of the embassies. Nearby Chelsea and Sloane Street are supposed to be the homes of trendy rich kids.

When you go outside the centre, there are many areas which used to be small villages. As the city expanded, these villages became part of the city, but they still managed to keep their village character. Hampstead, the best-known of the villages, is extremely expensive. It is on one of the highest hills in London. Next to Hampstead Village is Hampstead Heath, a huge park with open countryside, lakes, trees and bathing pools.

Michael Vaughan-Rees, Geraldine Sweeney, Picot Cassidy: In Britain; Cornelsen Verlag, 2000, page 77