Today I decided to head off on a free tour of central London and here I met Gina from Hawaii and Saba from Canada. We visited many of the same places Murray had already taken me, but I learnt lots of interesting things along the way.
Also, before the tour I was lucky enough to see the police hold up traffic while the cavalry crossed through Hyde Park and across the road in preparation for the Changing of the Guard.
First we learnt all about the history of the Wellington Arch, then it was off to Buckingham Palace to catch a glimpse (literally) of the Changing of the Guard. We learnt all about previous Palace break-ins, including the one where the Queen woke up with an Irishman in her bed – mmm top security. However at the time he did it there was actually no law against it as there is today, because different laws applied to the Palace than to common soil. It took the police over half an hour to arrive after being called, even though they’re right up the road. Well if the Queen can’t get priority service, who can?
Then we went past the residence of Charles and Camilla (and yes, they were home) and St James Palace – home of Princes William and Harry and commissioned by Henry VIII many moons ago – in fact he tore down a home for lepers in order to build it. No wonder he had bad karma.
We even saw a Gentleman’s club, some of which have a 60 year waiting list, and cost 3,000 pounds to get in.
Then it was on to Trafalgar Square, and guess what, the fountain was working today. It looked beautiful! Admiralty Arch was next on the list, built for Queen Victoria, and just around the corner was the Banqueting Hall, the grounds of which will be used to play beach volleyball during the Olympics in 2012 – bit different to Oz.
Next were Churchill’s War Rooms (more on them later as I came back to see them that afternoon).
By now we were at the back of St James Park – you will love this story. When heads of state and other visitors would visit the Kings and Queens of old, it was traditional to bring a present. This usually consisted of some sort of exotic animal. For quite some time they were kept at the Park, but most have now been rehoused in London Zoo. That is except for a breeding pair of pelicans, which have had many babies over the years. However these pelicans have developed a strange habit. Apparently they have been seen to eat pigeons! Well there are plenty of pigeons around, so a good food source I guess, but I swear it is supposed to be true. Apparently there’s footage on You Tube for those interested.
Next came the glorious Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. Our guide Jo told as all about the political group led by Sir Francis Drake, who attempted to blow up parliament, and a graphic description of what was done to the traitors once caught. Hung, drawn and quartered as was a fond favourite of the times.
Overall the tour lasted about three hours, so in the afternoon I headed back to Churchill’s War Rooms. I cannot describe how amazing it is to stand in the same corridors where Churchill and his entire cabinet spent time during the war, making vital decisions. The chambers were not bomb-proof, so weren’t really that secure, but Churchill was determined to fight the war from Britain, like any other civilian. In fact when the bombs were going off, he would sometimes watch from the roof!
There was much to be seen, including the war cabinet room, where all the important figures met to discuss further actions, and the transatlantic telephone room, which was disguised as the PM’s private toilet but actually contained a secret line directly to the US President.
The corridors are dingy and quite narrow in places, and it’s hard to imagine just how many staff worked and lived here underground in the height of the war. Actors in period costume were even walking around to add to the experience. There were original signs, furniture and mementoes from the times, such as the original keys for locking doors. But my favourite item was the original sugar ration of a worker. Sugar was precious and he had stuffed it away in his drawer, with his name on it, where it was found many years later.
There were living quarters for the detectives, major representatives and staff, the PM’s dining room and a kitchen.
Churchill and his wife Clementine had separate state rooms, which can still be seen decked out with some of the original furniture and layout as they would have been many years ago. One little gem was a piece of wartime graffiti in the conference room – where someone has scribbled an image of Hitler flat on his bottom! Not a bad drawing either J
The map room still contains the original wartime maps, complete with pin holes depicting the positions of various troops, and the Churchill Museum will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the man himself. From his early childhood and a lock of his hair, to his schooling days and a record of his misbehaviour in class. From his days in the army to his letters and his love of books (you know we used to use soft toy animals to mark where a book had been removed from his shelf – must have been a great man). There’s so much memorabilia, from his many medals, his outfits, old cigars, his hearing aid and his personal paintings are all on display. So not only can you learn everything you wanted to about Churchill, it really is just thrilling to be underground, walking the same corridors as these people did so long ago.
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