"London Bridge is Falling Down, Falling Down, Falling Down"....

While Ashley was here we spent 4 days in London. Unfortunately our flight was delayed by 7 hours turning our Friday morning flight into an afternoon flight. We made the most of our time even though we lost half our day waiting in the airport. After checking into our hotel we set out for a little sightseeing and to orient ourselves to the area. On Friday night we saw the Lion King at Lyceum Theatre. It was awesome to see how each character was portrayed. We loved the unique costumes and amazing sets. Following the show we took some time to wander by the Thames River to see the London skyline at night. We captured some great views of the London Eye, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament. 

One of the costumes from the "Lion King"

London Eye, Houses of Parliament, and Big Ben

On Saturday morning we made our way to the famous St. Paul’s Cathedral. This cathedral sits on top of Ludgate Hill, which is the highest point in London. St. Paul’s stands 365 feet high and was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1962. The dome of the cathedral is among the highest in the world. The dedication of the cathedral to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church founded in 604 AD. The present cathedral dates back to the late 17^th century. St. Paul’s Cathedral has been the site for the funerals of Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, Sir Winston Churchill, and Margaret Thatcher; the Jubilee celebration for Queen Victoria; and the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. During our visit we took an audio tour of the cathedral, crypt, and galleries. We climbed the 528 steps to the Whispering gallery, stone gallery, and golden gallery. The stone and golden galleries gave us spectacular views of London. After leaving St. Paul’s Cathedral we made our way across Millennium Bridge toward the reproduction Shakespeare’s Globe Theater and Tooley Street.

St. Paul's Cathedral

 

View From St. Paul's Cathedral

Veiw From St. Paul's Cathedral

Tower Bridge Lifting

 Since there were no tours of the Theater taking place over the weekend we headed toward Tower Bridge. In route to the bridge we stumbled across a London Bridge museum and haunted house. We took a creepy tour through the history of the London Bridge. Our guides taught us the London Bridge refers to several historical bridges that have spanned the Thames River between the City of London and Southwark. The current bridge opened to traffic in 1973 and replaced the 19^th century stone-arched bridge, which in turn superseded a 600-year-old medieval structure. Interestingly enough, before the building of the current bridge the old bridge was auctioned off and sold to an American bidder for 2 million dollars. The bridge was then taken apart and shipped to Lake Havasu, Arizona where it was re-dedicated in 1971. The original bridge was commissioned in 1176 and took 33 years to finish.  Upon completion the bridge was over 900 feet long and supported on 20 gothic arches. The bridge featured a central chapel, shops, houses, gates, a mill, and a drawbridge. Many of the houses were up to seven storey’s high and jutted over the river by as much as 6 feet on either side. Our guides informed us the heads of traitors, such as William Wallace, were hung on spikes above the bridge’s stone gatehouse. 

Tower Bridge

 Our next London attraction to visit was the infamous Tower Bridge. In the second half of the 19^th century, increased commercial development in the East end of London led to need for a new river crossing downstream of the London Bridge. A traditional fixed bridge could not be built because it would cut off access to tall-mast ships. The bridge was built between 1886 and 1894. Tower Bridge is 800 feet in length with two towers each 213 feet high, built on piers. The central span of 200 feet between the towers is split into two equal bascules or leaves, which can be raised to an angle of 86 degrees to allow river traffic to pass. The bascules are counterbalanced to minimize the force required and allow rising in five minutes. Today, approximately 40,000 people cross Tower Bridge every day and the bascules are raised around 1000 times a year. The Tower Bridge exhibit allowed us to wander across the walkways and take in spectacular panoramic views of both East and West London. We were also able to visit the engine rooms where we could see the huge and beautifully maintained steam engines that were once used to power the bridge lifts. We were fortunate enough to catch the bridge in action during our stay in London.

View From Tower Bridge. London Bridge is Closest Bridge.

Engine Room of Tower Bridge

Tower of London

 Sunday afternoon we decided to explore the Tower of London. The Tower of London has been a tourist attraction since the Victorian era. Historically it has served as a fortress, a royal residence, a home for the Royal Mint and the Crown Jewels, a storehouse for military weapons, a royal menagerie, and a notorious prison. The Tower was designed to invoke fear and awe. It stands over 88 feet tall and was built from luminous Caen stone, William the Conqueror’s White Tower was built in the 1070’s. William’s successors (Henry III and his son Edward) extended and strengthened the fortress throughout the medieval period. By 1350 the Tower had taken on the impressive form we know today, complete with daunting defenses, royal accommodation, a major branch of the Royal Mint and even an exotic menagerie with lions. The fortress was used as a prison from 1100 until 1952. In 1941 the last prisoner, a German spy, was executed within the Tower’s walls. During our visit we wandered around the Tower grounds, gazed upon the Crown Jewels, toured the White Tower, and joined the Beefeater tour. We finished our Sunday by enjoying a delicious meal of fish and chips and seeing more of London from an infamous red double decker bus. 

Ryan enjoying his Fish and Chips

Our View from the Double Decker Bus

 Monday was our last day in London and we started out our day with a short stop at Buckingham Palace. Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since 1837 and today is the administrative headquarters of the Monarch. The Palace has 775 rooms. These include 19 Staterooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. The Palace houses the offices of those who support the day-to-day activities and duties of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh and their immediate family. Since there were no changing of the guard ceremonies taking place and we did not have time to take the tour we posed for photographs and moved on to our next point of interest.

Buckingham Palace

 

Gold State Carriage at Royal Mews

On our way to the nearest subway stop we stumbled upon the Royal Mews Museum. The Royal Mews is the combined stables, carriage house, and garage of the British Royal Family. The state coaches and other carriages are housed here, with approximately 30 horses and the state motorcars. Many of the carriages and state coaches were on display for the public to see along with several horses.

Kensington Palace was the next stop on our itinerary. Kensington Palace has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the 1689. During our visit the palace was under renovation. This Royal residence was the home of Princess Diana from 1981 until her death in 1997. The Palace originates as the Jacobean mansion built in 1605. Shortly after William and Mary assumed the throne as joint monarchs in 1689, they began searching for a residence better suited to their comforts. In the summer of 1689 William and Mary bought the residence and began immediate expansion of the house. Today the palace is divided into two, a private wing where members of the wider royal family have their homes and the historic state apartments. We were able to tour the State Rooms once occupied by William and Mary, the floor where Queen Victoria lived as a little girl, and dresses worn by the Queen, Princess Margaret, and Princess Diana. 

Kensington Palace

Princes Diana's Dresses

 Our final historical landmark we were able to visit prior to leaving London was the iconic Westminster Abbey, which was founded in the 10^th century. Abbey has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066 and for numerous other royal occasions, including 16 royal weddings. Today it is still a church dedicated to regular worship and to the celebration of great events in the life of the nation. Neither a cathedral nor a parish church, Westminster Abbey is a “Royal Peculiar” under the jurisdiction of a Dean and Chapter. Westminster contains over 600 monuments and wall tablets; the most important collection of monumental sculpture anywhere in the country; and is the burial place for over three thousand kings, statesmen, poets, scientists, warriors and musicians. Westminster was the principal royal burial place for 500 years and is the final resting place of 17 monarchs. 

Westminster Abbey

Big Ben and the London Eye