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SomefamousschoolsandsightsinUKTheUniversityofOxfordistheoldestuniversityintheEnglish-speakingworldandoneofthemostfamousandprestigioushighereducationinstitutionsoftheworld,averagingnineapplicationstoeveryavailableplace,andattracting40%ofitsacademicstaffand17%ofundergraduatesfromoverseas.Itiscurrentlyrankedastheworld'snumberoneuniversity,accordingtoTheTimesHigherEducationWorldUniversityRankings.Oxfordisrenownedforitstutorial-basedmethodofteaching,withstudentsattendinganaverageofoneone-hourtutorialaweek.TheUniversityofCambridge(informallyCambridgeUniversityorsimplyCambridge)isacollegiatepublicresearchuniversityinCambridge,England.Foundedin1209,Cambridgeisthesecond-oldestuniversityintheEnglish-speakingworldandtheworld'sfourth-oldestsurvivinguniversity.TheuniversitygrewoutofanassociationofscholarswholefttheUniversityofOxfordafteradisputewiththetownspeople.[8]ThetwoancientuniversitiessharemanycommonfeaturesandareoftenreferredtojointlyasOxbridge.Followingthepublicschooltradition,Etonisafullboardingschool,whichmeansallpupilsliveattheschool,anditisoneoffoursuchremainingsingle-sexboys'publicschoolsintheUnitedKingdom(theothersbeingHarrow,Radley,andWinchester)tocontinuethispractice.Etonhaseducated19BritishprimeministersandgenerationsofthearistocracyandhasbeenreferredtoasthechiefnurseofEngland'sstatesmen.EtonisthesixthmostexpensiveHMCboardingschoolintheUK.EtonCollegeisaboardingindependentschoolforboysinEton,Berkshire,nearWindsor.Iteducatesmorethan1,300pupils,aged13to18years.Itwasfoundedin1440byKingHenryVIasTheKing'sCollegeofOurLadyofEtonbesidesWyndsormakingitthe18tholdestHeadmasters'andHeadmistresses'Conference(HMC)school.EtonisoneoftenEnglishHMCschools,commonlyreferredtoaspublicschools,regulatedbythePublicSchoolsActof1868.BuckinghamPalaceistheLondonresidenceandadministrativeheadquartersofthereigningmonarchoftheUnitedKingdom.LocatedintheCityofWestminster,thepalaceisoftenatthecentreofstateoccasionsandroyalhospitality.IthasbeenafocalpointfortheBritishpeopleattimesofnationalrejoicingandmourning.OriginallyknownasBuckinghamHouse,thebuildingatthecoreoftoday'spalacewasalargetownhousebuiltfortheDukeofBuckinghamin1703onasitethathadbeeninprivateownershipforatleast150years.ItwasacquiredbyKingGeorgeIIIin1761asaprivateresidenceforQueenCharlotteandbecameknownasTheQueen'sHouse.Duringthe19thcenturyitwasenlarged,principallybyarchitectsJohnNashandEdwardBlore,whoconstructedthreewingsaroundacentralcourtyard.BuckinghamPalacebecametheLondonresidenceoftheBritishmonarchontheaccessionofQueenVictoriain1837.Thelastmajorstructuraladditionsweremadeinthelate19thandearly20thcenturies,includingtheEastfront,whichcontainsthewell-knownbalconyonwhichtheroyalfamilytraditionallycongregatestogreetcrowds.ThepalacechapelwasdestroyedbyaGermanbombduringWorldWarII;theQueen'sGallerywasbuiltonthesiteandopenedtothepublicin1962toexhibitworksofartfromtheRoyalCollection.WestminsterAbbey,formallytitledtheCollegiateChurchofStPeteratWestminster,isalarge,mainlyGothicabbeychurchintheCityofWestminster,London,justtothewestofthePalaceofWestminster.ItisoneoftheUnitedKingdom'smostnotablereligiousbuildingsandthetraditionalplaceofcoronationandburialsiteforEnglishand,later,Britishmonarchs.Between1540and1556theabbeyhadthestatusofacathedral.Since1560,however,thebuildingisnolongeranabbeynoracathedral,havinginsteadthestatusofaChurchofEnglandRoyalPeculiar—achurchresponsibledirectlytothesovereign.Thebuildingitselfistheoriginalabbeychurch.TheRiverThamesisariverthatflowsthroughsouthernEngland.ItisthelongestriverentirelyinEnglandandthesecondlongestintheUnitedKingdom,aftertheRiverSevern.WhileitisbestknownforflowingthroughLondon,theriveralsoflowsalongsideothertownsandcities,includingOxford,Reading,Henley-on-ThamesandWindsor.Inanalternativename,derivedfromitslongtidalreachuptoTeddingtonLockinsouthwestLondon,thelowerreachesoftheriverarecalledtheTideway.ThesectionoftheriverrunningthroughOxfordistraditionallycalledtheIsis.BigBenisthenicknamefortheGreatBelloftheclockatthenorthendofthePalaceofWestminsterinLondon，andoftenextendedtorefertotheclockandtheclocktower.ThetowerisofficiallyknownasElizabethTower,renamedtocelebratetheDiamondJubileeofElizabethIIin2012;previouslyitwasknownsimplyastheClockTower.Thetowerholdsthesecondlargestfour-facedchimingclockintheworld(afterMinneapolisCityHall).Thetowerwascompletedin1859andhadits150thanniversaryon31May2009,duringwhichcelebratoryeventstookplace.ThetowerhasbecomeoneofthemostprominentsymbolsoftheUnitedKingdomandisoftenintheestablishingshotoffilmssetinLondon.ManyhistoricalbridgesnamedLondonBridgehavespannedtheRiverThamesbetweentheCityofLondonandSouthwark,incentralLondon.Thecurrentcrossing,whichopenedtotrafficin1974,isaboxgirderbridgebuiltfromconcreteandsteel.Thisreplaceda19th-centurystone-archedbridge,whichinturnsupersededa600-year-oldmedievalstructure.Thiswasprecededbyasuccessionoftimberbridges,thefirstbuiltbytheRomanfoundersofLondon.ThecurrentbridgestandsatthewesternendofthePoolofLondonbutispositioned30metres(98ft)upstreamfrompreviousalignments.Thetraditionalen