Inside U.K. Many Choices Await Summer U.K. Visitors By STEVE HILL	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
イギリス良いとこ一度は… 修復したエリザベス女王の居城に、定番のウエストミンスター寺院。そしてハイテク博物館に花祭りと、観光客にとって、この夏のイギリスはとても魅力あふれる国です。そのいくつかを紹介します。イギリスに行ったことがある人もない人も、参考にしてみては？！

Anyone thinking of coming to Britain on holiday this summer is in for a treat because of a number of new and exciting attractions that have opened in recent months.

Windsor Castle, now fully restored after the disastrous fire that cut through St. George's Hall and the state apartments in November 1992, is already proving extremely popular with visitors. Some £37 million (¥8.21 billion) was spent on the restoration, which included the use of 500,000 sheets of gold leaf and 300 oak trees for an intricate roof design. The castle reopened to the public on last December 27 and will be open throughout the year.

Althorp Park, the Northamptonshire home of the Spencer family and final resting place of Diana, Princess of Wales, is also sure to be a major new tourist attraction. The number of visitors is being strictly limited and although tickets, which must be bought in advance, have been in great demand, a small number are still available. A museum commemorating the life of Diana will open soon, while visitors will also be able to view, but not reach, her burial place on an island in an ornamental lake.

In London itself, Europe's largest ever celebration of American culture can be seen at the Barbican Center until Nov. 26. The £3 million (¥666 million) "Inventing America" festival features music — from classical to rock — opera, dance, cinema, literature, and the visual arts.

Statues of Christian martyrs of the 20th century are to be unveiled July 9 at Westminster Abbey, which recently introduced a £5 (¥1,110) compulsory entrance fee. Thousands of tourists, taking advantage of free admission, had been using the abbey as a stopover before walking over Westminster Bridge to the European train at Waterloo. It is hoped that the £5 fee will prevent services from being disrupted and help restore the calm appropriate to a place of worship.

Also in London, the BBC Expenditure — a museum opened as part of the broadcasting company's 75th anniversary celebration — is proving a big draw. There are plenty of audio-visual shows and the chance for visitors to briefly be television presenters, appearing on their favorite shows thanks to the latest technologies.

The Cabinet War Rooms, Winston Churchill's secret underground London nerve center, have a new audio tour. Visitors hear Churchill's voice, air raid sirens and first-hand accounts of life in wartime as they tour the map room, cabinet room and Churchill's office-bedroom.

Moving just outside the capital, the world's largest flower show takes place this summer on the grounds of King Henry VIII's favorite palace at Hampton Court. It will feature 25 show and water gardens, and sales stalls spread over 25 acres (100 m2 of royal parkland.

Further from London, a 31 mile (50 kilometer) footpath has recently opened in the East Sussex countryside to commemorate the 1066 Battle of Hastings, when the invading William of Normandy, France, defeated King Harold's English army.

In the southwest, the new national Marine Aquarium has opened in the port city of Plymouth. Visitors can take an underwater journey through streams, rivers, shorelines, reefs and oceans before coming face to face with underwater predators in shark tanks.

Staying with the theme of the sea, a museum dedicated to the great explorer Captain James Cook has recently reopened after a £1 million (¥222 million) renovation. The museum, in the northeastern city of Middlesbrough, takes tourists on a journey through his life and travels in the Far East and Pacific.

Another new attraction is the Ocean Lab at the South Wales port of Fishguard, where visitors can take a simulated submarine trip to the seabed. It's the only attraction of its kind in Britain.

Also packing in tourists is Liverpool's Merseyside Museum, which contains artifacts relating to the Titanic. Visitor numbers have tripled since the release of the Hollywood blockbuster starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Britain's Kate Winslet. There has also been increased interest in the Yorkshire city of Sheffield following the success of the film "The Full Monty." Tourists can now take a tour that follows a 25 mile (40 kilometer) route encompassing areas where famous scenes were filmed.

Staying in the north, the world's most widely seen work of art cannot be ignored if you visit Newcastle. The Angel of the North weighs more than 200 tons, cost £800,000 (¥177 million) has a wingspan of 175 feet (53.4 meters) and is almost 65 feet (19.8 meters) high. Around 90,000 motorists pass it every day, making it the most successful work of public art to be erected in England in decades.

Shukan ST: May 15, 1998

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