A Day in the Tower

It was a bitterly cold day today with intermittent rain and sunshine. It was a perfect day to partake of the atmosphere of the Tower.

We took the Beefeater tour which gave us a great overview of the history of the Tower. The Beefeater tradition is interesting. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The White Tower was built by William the Conqueror in 1078. It was built partly within the existing old Roman wall. There are bits of it left within the grounds.

The Tower has served variously as a palace, an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public records office, and the home of the Crown Jewels. It was also a prison for dangerous or high profile prisoners.

The White Tower above was the original Norman building.

There were only 7 people executed within the Tower including Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. Executions within the Tower took place here on Tower Green. Most other executions occured on Tower Hill which was up behind the Tower. The executed were then buried in the chapel behind. When they excavated this chapel, the Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula in the nineteenth century they found over a thousand bodies

This is the Queens House just inside the Tower. It was built for Anne Bolyen before she married the king and it was where she spent her final days before her execution.

This was the royal palace built by Henry III and extended by his son Edward I. It was situated over the watergate (later called the Traitors Gate)

Traitors Gate where prisoners were bought into the Tower.

Inside the White Tower

One of the ravens of the Tower. The story is if the ravens ever leave thenTower the monarchy will fall.

Once again another angle on my favourite bridge

 

There were open air dramas about events that had occurred in the Tower

The well inside the Tower.

Napping after lunch

Changing the guard..

The site of the scaffold up on Tower Hill where the public executions of important people occurred.

We ended up spending about 5 hours in the tower and still didn't see it all. But we both have colds and it was bitterly cold so we came home earlier than planned. It is a very evocative experience to be in the tower as it encapsulates so much of British history.

 

The London Museum

Today we spent the day at the London Museum. We did struggle a bit with this as we had such high expectations from our last visit. Last time the exhibition seemed to be arranged much more simply and into more of a timeline. They have now added in lots of interactive displays with modern themes and it goes all over the place. There seems to be large chunks of history missing and not mentioned hardly at all such as Elizabethan London. We did a tour of prehistorical London which was very interesting.

So we did what we normally do when life disappoints- we had a lovely lunch of tomato and roasted red onion soup. yum!

We came home early today ( 4pm) as Geoff has caught my cold and we were both feeling less than brilliant. Still it was nice to home to relax while it was still light and without the peak hour crush in the tube

 

 

 

Lovely day with Patrick and Margaret

We started the day with another attempt to sort out how to log into the free wifi that comes with our UK SIM. Patrick and I finally gave up

Geoff was very pleased today to have a tour leader and not to have to work out how to get places as Patrick took us on tour

First we took the DLR to Royal Docks where we crossed the Thames by cable car which was fun and it gave us a birds eye view of the East end. It was hard to imagine the frenetic activity, colours and noise of what the docks would have been like in earlier years. The upside of the loss of employment as the docks were moved to other sites where the big container ships was that the east end has been reborn with residential development. The 2012 Olympics resulted in beautification of many of these areas as well. They have left many of the cranes in situ which look great.

Patrick told us about the Milineum Dome. Apparently it was spectacular failure when first opened as an entertainment venue until it changed ownership and became the O2 centre. It is now the most successful entertainment centre in Europe.

Geoff and I standing on the Greenwich meridian where all longitude is measured from.

We went inside the building. It has fabric as a roof like a big tent. Quite amazing.

Then we walked to Canary Wharf. Canary Wharf is located in the West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs. After the docks were closed in 1980 the British Government adopted various policies to stimulate the area. Canary Wharf itself takes its name from the sea trade with Canary Islands. It is now a new financial hub of London and has lots of residential development. It was a very attractive area.

Next part of our adventure was to take a ferry ride down the Thames. The sun was out and it was a beautiful trip

Tower Bridge my favourite bridge in London was spectacular in the sunlight as we motored under it

And then onto another of my favourites- the Tower.

You get a shiver down the spine when you imagine the despair felt by those entering these gates knowing they would never to return to the world.

Past the HMS Belfast

Another favourite

Onto what is called the wobbly bridge. This pedestrian bridge has the dubious record for the shortest opening. It was closed for 2 years only 2 days after its opening as it 'wobbled'

On the South Bank was the reconstructed Globe theatre on the site of the original Theatr

Another icon as we come to our final stop on the river

Close up to the Millineum Wheel

Once off the ferry we walked along the Embankment. The Thames Embankment was a major feat of 19th century civil engineering designed to reclaim marshy land next to the River Thames. This used to be one of the gates at the edge of the river.

There is a new Battle of Britain memorial

And this was a memorial to those airman who lost their lives fighting in both wars, both English and Commonwealth countrymen.

We walked past Charing Cross. The name originates from the Eleanor cross erected in 1291–94 by King Edward I as a memorial to his wife, Eleanor of Castile. The present cross is a copy of the original which was destroyed on orders of parliament during the civil wars.

In the afternoon we went on a 'Blitz' walking tour which gave us a bit of an insight into what it was like living through this time

The tour finished at the Guildhall. This has been the centre of civic government for the square mile of the City of London. The City of London's home at Guildhall has witnessed traitors' trials, heroes' welcomes, freedom ceremonies and glittering state occasions. Home to the municipal government since the 12th Century, it is a rare example of medieval civic architecture. The building had its roof destroyed in the blitz and many of the buildings were destroyed in the square and not replaced. In 1987 a roman amphitheatre was discovered under the square

Final stop was the St Mary le Bow church which was badly damaged in the blitz. The huge bell fell to the ground. This church is the second most important church in London after St Paul's. It was built by Wren after the former church had been destroyed by the great fire. It is said that to be a cockney you must live within the sound of the bells. It is also included in the nursery rhyme ' Oranges and lemons'.

The tour ended with a nice sit down for an afternoon drink with this wonderful view. Great day!