We woke up fairly early because of the time difference so we got ready and headed into London for a bite to eat and drum roll.....the Tower of London.
We got off the train at Leicester Square and Harry decided McDonalds would be breakfast fare. Hmmm. Well nothing else is open and he is hungry so we reluctantly gave in. It was still dark and all the Christmas lights were twinkling in the streets where a temporary ice rink was set up. Beautiful! Then on to Trafalgar Square.
After a wander around the Barbary Lions and another temporary ice rink we caught the Tube to Tower Hill station and walked down to the Tower to wait in line. From experience I know that if you don't get to the Crown Jewels first up you will be caught in queues. So the best plan is to get to the entrance of the Tower early, and as soon as the gates open speedily make your way to the Crown Jewels. The benefits of being jet-lagged!!
I am a member of Historic Royal Palaces which manages 6 well...historic royal palaces!! These are all London based except Hillsborough Castle in Ireland. We will be going to Banqueting House, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, Tower of London but not Kew Palace as it is closed this time of year. I am super excited to have been going to these places repeatedly but every time you learn new and fascinating stories.
So here we are. On the list of Tower sights to see are the Crown Jewels, White Tower, the ravens, Traitor's Gate and the execution site of notable nobles such as Anne Boleyn, Thomas More, Jane Grey etc. The Tower is vast and so many things to see because pretty much every brick, door and pathway has witnessed history.
After making our way through the vast gates we hot-footed it to the Crown Jewels. No photography allowed unfortunately, but lots of glass cases with treasures inside and a television playing footage of the Queen's Coronation in June 1953. It brings to life the amazing jewels, crowns, sceptre and orb and many other things we are about to see. These are all used at various times by Her Majesty at State Banquets and the State Opening of Parliament. The Lily Font is used at Royal Baptisms.
The travelator we are on takes us by the glass cases slowly but all too soon we are finished. The crowds are now coming in behind us so we look to the next thing on our list.
The White Tower is the first "keep" and the largest building here. It was built to wow both Londoners and invaders alike- it filled the skyline in those days after Norman the Conqueror. Epitome of overt power and dominance. It is in this building that we get to see:
*the stairwell where the skeletons of two young boys were found, presumably the two young princes who went missing. One should have been crowned king but in both boys' absence their uncle Richard was then proclaimed... King Richard III. He went on to lose the crown to Henry VII in the Battle of Bosworth. Richard's body was found just this century in a carpark in Leicester. Just deserts some might say.
*The Line of Kings. One of the oldest installations on the world where royal armour is positioned on replica horses. One suit of armour belonged to Henry VIII's slimmer self.
After spending lots of time looking at various exhibits it was morning tea time for the kids. I went off to find where to meet a Yeoman Warder for a Raven talk. This was everyone's favourite bit it seems. Despite nobody taking my advice to read the Ravenmaster by the actual raven keeper/master, everyone loved hearing about this carnivorous avian. The birds are magnificent- big, glossy, fearless and very much in charge.
We got to hear about the latest youngster George who had been born on St George's Day ( April 23rd) in 2019. So young George was just 8 months old but when we did see him pottering about the grounds, he was not shy at all, quite big and sported a yellow leg tag. I have recently heard that George is in fact a girl named Georgie!!
We walked around some more and explored the battlements. But everyone's brains started to fog from fatigue, so we went into Oxford St to do a spot of shopping........Aghhh. Boots at the junction of Piccadilly and Oxford St- multi storey heaven. Then onto find Ben some much needed work shoes. Boxing Day sales in London and Clark's had just the pair in Ben's size and on sale. Yippee.
Marks and Spencer in Oxford St near Marble Arch was where we had lunch in the cafeteria. Divine...
Then back to the hotel via Marks and Spencer in Kensington High St. ( my favourite store in London) for some supplies.
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| Section of the Roman Wall |
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