Inside U.K. Seven Wonders of Britain By Richard Payne	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
英国の7不思議 先ごろイギリスでは「世界7不思議」をまねて「英国7不思議」を決める調査が行なわれました。狂牛病などの影響で観光業界が停滞するなか、観光客をイギリスに呼び戻そうというのが実施の狙いです。国民はどんな名所を選んだのでしょうか？

If you were about to visit Brit-ain, which of its attractions would be top of your list? Maybe Buckingham Palace, the home of the Queen, or perhaps the Tower of London where the Crown Jewels are kept. Well, Britons themselves, it seems, don't think that either of these famous attractions should be top of a tourist's list of places to visit.

In a recent survey, 2,500 adults across the country were asked to nominate the "Seven Wonders of Britain," the country's top seven "must-see" tourist attractions and the U.K.'s answer to the original Seven Wonders of the World.

There were Some surprising results. Alongside several historic sites, which you would expect to be included, are some very modern attractions. One of those is the London Eye. Any visitor to the capital could hardly fail to notice it. It is the world's largest observation wheel, outstripping the previous tallest wheel in Yokohama Bay in Japan by 30 meters. Passengers in its 32 high-tech capsules are rewarded with unrivalled views of London - they can see for 40 km in every direction.

Some 432 km from London, in the south-west corner of Britain, another modern attraction voted as one of the "Seven Wonders of Britain" is the Eden Project in Cornwall. It is basically a collection of plants from all over the world, but that description fails to capture its size or importance. The 100,000 plants are partly housed in giant greenhouses, which cover an area the size of 30 football pitches. These recreate different climate zones from around the world. The success of the Eden Project has exceeded all expectations. Even though many visitors have to make a long journey to get there - it is a good five-hour drive from London - that hasn't deterred huge numbers of visitors since it opened in 2001. The team behind the attraction set themselves a target of 400,000 people in the first year. But as it turned out, they underestimated. In the first year alone there were nearly 2 million visitors and many of those came from abroad.

Historic attractions in the list include the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge, one of the world's most famous prehistoric monuments which is thought to date back some 5,000 years and which is believed by some to hold mystical powers.

Hadrian's Wall, in the north of England, is also included. It is a lasting monument to the Roman occupation of Britain some two thousand years ago. It is believed Roman soldiers built the wall, which is 117 km long, on the orders of the Emperor Hadrian. Like Stonehenge, it has been designated a World Heritage Site.

Also voted must-see tourist attractions are York Minster, the beautiful medieval cathedral in the city of York in the north of England, the Palace of Westminster in London, which is home to the English Parliament, and Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the Queen and the largest occupied castle in the world.

Commenting on the results of the survey, Mr. Alan Britten, chairman of the English Tourism Council said: "It's the mixture of old and new attractions that is a source of fascination for overseas tourists and a source of pride among the people who live here."

But not everyone is happy with the list, which fails to include any attractions in Scotland or Wales. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, the Scottish National Party said the survey was "flawed" because it showed a "complete ignorance of the rest of the U.K."

MSP Bruce Crawford said: "From Edinburgh Castle to Glasgow Science Centre, from the standing stones at Callanish to the Forth Bridge, from the Wallace Monument to the Falkirk Wheel, Scotland has many wonders which would surpass the list that has been produced." He went even further, saying: "We are asking the people who compiled this survey to withdraw it because it casts a slur on the Scottish tourist industry."

And they weren't the only ones to take issue with the findings. A parallel survey of teenagers aged between 13 and 17, while recognizing some of the traditional attractions, showed that Alton Towers, the U.K.'s No. 1 theme park with some of the country's biggest roller-coaster rides, should be included.

Shukan ST: Sept. 13, 2002

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