So I've been pretty busy these last couple of days! On thursday I had my appointment with the Westminster study abroad office and discusses my classes and enrollment and so on. Here's my schedule!
On Mondays I have Shakespeare and Victorian London. Tuesday I have no class. Wednesday I have my History of London Museums and Public History. In this class I go to a different museum every week, learn to review it, and see what works and what doesn't. Perfect for my hopeful career in Charleston! Thursday I have a really fun class, London Theatre and Performance. We go see different shows each week and get to go backstage and talk to actors and the director. Pretty fun stuff! I think its safe to say I should know a lot about London by the end of the semester!
After my appointment, I went to get a London bank account. Obviously, I chose my boyfriend, Phil Mickelson's bank of Barclays! Now I'll look like an official Londoner. But actually, not once but 4 times did people ask me for directions to something in the last 2 days. I mean, I don't exactly blend in with my pink overcoat and Lilly Pulitzer scarves, but I guess I gave off an air of knowing? Well, whatever it was, the second I opened my mouth the cat was out of the bag. No longer a sophisticated and knowledgeable Londoner. It was fun for a second though, next time I think I'll answer with my English accent and see if I can still fool them. Maybe I'll trade in my Lilly for Burberry to look more London-esque.
So then on Thursday Evening we went on a boat cruise down the Thames River!! It was realllllyyy cold but amusing to watch the 19 year olds get wasted and sing American songs at the top of their lungs. I got these pictures of the Globe Theatre and Tower Bridge from the River. It was pretty neat to be seeing all these things from the water.
This morning I went on a double decker bus tour of London! It was really cold sitting up top, but very worth it! We began at Piccadilly Circus and went on a huge loop of the city over to Tower Bridge, Parliament, the Palace, Financial District, Hyde Park, and Victoria Station. To see all my pictures, definitely check out my facebook album, but I included some here that I will discuss in more detail. I learned some pretty cool things that I didn't know before. As you all probably know, I am obsessed with all things English (hence the title of my blog being about the life of an Anglophile) so I know a good bit about landmarks and the royals of the past and present. Today was great because I learned even more! I'll explain some of the pictures I took on my tour now.
I know that you all know this is Big Ben, but what I didn't know was that it is names for the huge bell that is inside the clock tower. The bell is named after its commissioner, Sir Benjamin Hall. Another little known fact, at the base of each clock face it reads:
| DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM This means O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First. Its strange that they would include "the first" there because they don't know there will be another Victoria, so why say the first? I guess they are speculating there will be another and want to make it clear that it is the 19th century Victoria they are referencing. Like the Brits, Big Ben is known for being extremely accurate and timely. Maybe this is where the English get their reputation from?  I found this gate particularly interesting. It is called the Admiralty Arch and was commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother, Queen Victoria. It allows pedestrians and motorists to go in between Trafalgar Square and The Mall of Buckingham Palace. BUT you can only go in the sides of the gate, not the middle, because only the Queen can travel in the center when on official royal duties. Must be nice to have something that only one person in the world can do!  Close by were some of Elizabeth's Horse Guards. They are mounted cavalry on guard at Whitehall called the Life Guard. Prince Harry served as one! |
This is the National Gallery that houses some of the most famous paintings in the world. Some include pieces by: Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Van Eyck, Memling, Reubens, Bruegel, Cezanne, Degas, Pisarro, Manet, Monet, Durer, Holbein, Davinci, Michaelangelo, Caravaggio, Raphael, and Picasso just to name a few. Basically the stuff you read about in books, its actually here.
This is for Platte if you're reading this! It was right next to London School of Economics and a very pretty building indeed!
National Bank of England. This is where all the gold and money is kept in vaults, so there are no windows on the bottom floor!
This is Lambeth Palace, the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It was acquired by the position around the year 1200. It has been added on since then, and played a role in the Peasants' Uprising of 1381, the Lollard Conspiracy, and The English Civil War. Why a religious man needs a palace that he doesn't regularly occupy is way beyond me. Its a cool building nonetheless.
This building is part of a Kensington neighborhood that costs over 16 million pounds (roughly $28 mil) to live in. It is the swankiest place to live in London and people such as J.K Rowling, Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Meryl Streep, Madonna, and many other high rollers.
St. James' Palace! This place was my favorite on the tour (besides the usuals) and had a lot of history. So obviously, I'm going to tell you ALL about it.
St. James's Palace is home to some very important events in Royal history. It has been the residence of Kings and Queens of England for over 300 years and is still the official residence of the monarch, althought since Queen Victoria, the monarch has lived in Buckingham.
The palace was built by Henry VIII in 1536 on the site of the Hospital of St. James, Westminster. Much survives of the red brick building erected by Henry VIII, including the Chapel Royal, the gatehouse, some turrets and two surviving Tudor rooms in the State apartments. Henry VIII's illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy, whom he contemplated recognizing as his heir, was living in the Palace when he died in 1536 at the age of seventeen. From then on St. James's House, as it was known, saw a succession of Royal inhabitants who lived there while playing their part in some of the more famous events in English history.
Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn, stayed there the night after her coronation. Before she was discarded following the birth of Princess (later Queen) Elizabeth, the initials "HA" entwined in a lovers' knot appeared on a couple of Tudor fireplaces in the State apartments.
It was in St. James's Palace in 1558 that Mary Tudor signed the treaty surrendering Calais. Elizabeth I was resident during the threat posed by the Spanish Armada and set out from St James's to address her troops assembled at Tilbury, to the east of London.
The future Charles II and James II were both born and baptised at St James's, as were Mary of York (Mary II), Anne of York (Queen Anne) and James Francis Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender). After the destruction of the Palace of Whitehall, all monarchs until William IV lived at St. James' for part of the time.
In 1809, much of the east and south ranges of the Palace was destroyed by a fire, but the State rooms were restored by 1813. At this time the Prince Regent (later George IV) was living at Carlton House, but four of his brothers were provided with houses within the Palace walls. Frederick, Duke of York was given Godolphin House, now Lancaster House, and William, Duke of Clarence (later William IV) was given Clarence House, today occupied by The Prince of Wales.
William IV was the last monarch to use St. James's Palace as a residence. After his death, court functions were still held in the State apartments, which had been enlarged by Christopher Wren, the famous architect of St. Paul's Cathedral, and embellished by William Kent. Some rooms were later partly redecorated by William Morris. Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in the Chapel Royal in 1840, and court levées continued to be held at St. James's Palace until 1939. It is also the London residence of The Princess Royal, Princess Beatrice of York, and Princess Alexandra, Hon. Lady Ogilvy. It houses court offices and officials' apartments in addition to being the former home of the Prince of Wales and William and Harry.
Now St. James houses Prince William and Harry's own personal staff which also serves Kate. before this, their duties were overseen by their father's staff at Clarence House. Clarence House, once the residence of the Queen Mother, is now the home of Charles and Camilla.
So I will DEFINITELY be coming back to examine this palace a little bit closer. It was a great day of sightseeing followed by Indian food for dinner again. I learned that I really don't like Indian. I think I'll stick to Traditional English pubs.
Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment