"I've been to London to see the Queen."
A couple of things to think about BEFORE we go.
1. I will be notifying my credit card company, well in advance of our trip, the dates that I will be using my card in the United Kingdom. If you look on the back of your card there is a phone number. I would encourage you to call them several times to notify them of your plans. Since the British system uses a 'chip' and PIN code, this might, MIGHT, minimize inconveniences when you try to use your card in England and Scotland.
2. I will be purchases several hundred English Pounds (GBP) before we embark. At the time of this writing, the exchange rate is very favorable to the American traveler.
Here is a site where you can keep an eye on the rate. Omaha's First National Bank at 114th & Dodge Street has walk-in services for exchange rates. Do not expect to receive the posted rate; however, it should be very close. You will notice that the One Pound is not a note, or bill, but is a rather thick coin with "edging."
3. Jet Lag can dampen your trip. Flying across several time zones can disrupt your internal clock (or
circadian rhythms). In the past I have used a "sleep aid" to help me fall asleep on the flight from the USA to the UK. On my last trip I used
Melatonin with limited results. While we have not booked the flights, in the past we left Chicago or Dallas at approximately 10 p.m. and arrived in London around 9 a.m. their time: which is 3 a.m. CST.
This day of our journal will begin at the home of QEII, or Queen Elizabeth's home, Buckingham Palace. We will try to arrive at, "The Buck" at ~10:15 in order to enjoy the Royal Pageantry of the changing of the guards. Since we'll want the best vantage, go
here for additional input. In March, the changing of the guards occur on
even dates.
Throughout history flags have had special meaning. In America we refer to our flag at "Old Glory" or the "Stars and Stripes." When the Queen is in-residence, her flag will fly over the palace. The flag we traditionally refer to as "The Union Jack" is actually an amalgamation of the individual country flags of the several of the nations that make up, 'The United Kingdom.' After the recent failed referendum for an independent Scotland, in which the Scottish people voted to remain a part of the United Kingdom, it may be appropriate, as well as sensitive to remember that England, Scotland, Wales and Norther Ireland, as well as several islands comprise the United Kingdom. In other words, please remember that Scotland is NOT England, and that it is a member of the United Kingdom. England is not synonymous with United Kingdom. Below is an interesting graphic which explains how the flag we know as the Union Jack is comprised, sorta...(I have not heard of any plans to add Wales to the Union Jack, contrary to this depiction).
One of iconic images of the Queen's home was the when Diana, Princess of Wales died tragically. As you may recall, since Diana and Prince Charles (the Queen's first son and heir to the Throne) were divorced, the Queen was reluctant to pay homage to the death of Diana: thereby elevating her societal rank in the monarchy. Eventually, after much delay and public outcry from the British citizens and her Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Queen and her husband Prince Phillip left their Scottish Estate and came to London for a public display of mourning to Ms. Spencer. As you can see from these photos, there was quite literally a massive wall of flowers placed voluntarily along the railing of Buckingham Palace by the people of England and the world.
Broadcast throughout the world, from Westminister Abbey (which we will visit today), it was at her funeral that Sir Elton John paid homage to the Princess by singing 'Candle in the Wind' with its modified lyrics. (
Here)At the time these events occurred, I was working in the music industry. It is my recollection that the recording labels literally gave-away a cas-single of this song to record stores - to sell at a very low price - thus assuring that it replace Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas' as the best selling single in recorded music history.
To the EAST of Buckingham Palace is St. James Park and The Mall which leads to Trafalgar Square. (See today's interactive map
here.)On the west end of the park you will be able to see a very small island. It is an interesting footnote that this island was recently inhabited by a stalker of the Queen. Robert Moore's skeleton was found on the island in
2008. While Moore did not pose a threat to Her Majesty, one can imagine that from his vantage point on the island, he spent many an evening gazing into the windows of the palace.
After the Changing of Guards, which begins at ~11 a.m. and last an hour, we might need to get a bite to eat. We'll do the proper thing and promenade down The Mall, past St. James' Palace (where Prince Charles and his second wife, Camilla 'The Duchess of Cornwall live), past the homes of Napoleon III of France. You may recall that after their wedding, Prince William (the first son of Diana and Charles) and his bride, Kate Middleton, drove slowly down the mall to the delight of those in attendance. (
See here).
We'll next walk down Pall Mall, past the Duke of York's column, on our way to see the London home of Sir Issac Newton. You may recall that Newton is purported to have been sitting under his apple tree at Woolsthorpe Manor, Lincolnshire, when he "discovered" the theory of gravity.
We'll also be in the vicinity of the famed live music venue, Between, "1965-1980 - The Scotch of St. James was where, a then unknown, Jimi Hendrix first performed on the night of his arrival in England on 24 September 1966. It was on this night that Jimi met Kathy Etchingham who became his girl friend.On 19th of October 1966 the Jimi Hendrix Experience played their first UK gig as a private showcase at Scotch of St. James.The club was also where Paul McCartney first met Stevie Wonder, after the latter's live performance at the club on February 3, 1966."
During its heyday in the mid 1960's, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, Rod Stewart,the Moody Blues, the Spencer Davis Group,[8] Eric Burdon, The Animals, Sonny and Cher, Inez and Charlie Foxx, Goldie and the Gingerbreads were regular patrons and The Beatles and Rolling Stones were given their own tables.In the mid 1980s the club was closed down.
2012-present day:
The club was restored and re-opened by a group of investors in January 2012.The new club is a fashionable night club frequented by the rich and famous,including fashion models such as Kate Moss,Suki Waterhouse,Cara Delevingne, Georgia Jagger, and Edie Campbell.The club has also attracted pop stars such as Harry Styles (One Direction)and Rita Ora. Other events hosted by the club include performances by musicians such as Miles Kane,Jack White (White Stripes), Mark Ronson, and John Legend. The club has also hosted parties for fashion houses including Stella McCartney (daughter of Sir Paul McCartney of the Beatles), J.W Anderson, Longchamp, Roger Vivier,Matthew Williamson, Linda Farrow, Rockins and Eyeko. Others who have held private parties at the club include Scarlett Johansson, Rihanna, Jack White, Dinos Chapman, Keira Knightley and Mark Ronson."
From here we'll mossie to the east to walk through Piccadilly Circus. As if the area's noted neon lights were not enough, many will recognize this location from various films including Mike Meyer's '
Austin Powers' or this scene from
An American Werewolf in London.
Which brings us, somehow, to another discussion about Sherlock Holmes. Some believe that the character of Holmes was based upon the real-life Scotland Yard detective known as, 'Dick Tanner,,,of the Yard.' (IE: Bond, James Bond). What is know is that the character for Holmes' arch-rival, Moriarty,is based upon the American criminal Adam Worth a/k/a The Napoleon of Crime.' Worth was already an international criminal when he arrived in London in 1870. In 1874 the diminutive Worth (5'4") stole what was then the most expensive painting in the world, Gainsborough's Duchess of Devonshire.'
Worth would be pursued but never apprehended by Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector John Shore. For more than two decades Worth keep the famed painting hidden between his mattress and bedsprings. Eventually he would sell the painting to raise monies for the release of his brother (who was released before the money was needed). Well after the fact,Worth formed a strong friendship with William Pinkerton (who had founded the Pinkerton Detectives). It was in the Criterion Pub in Piccadilly Circus that Worth shared with Pinkerton how he continually eluded and tricked CI Shore.Pinkerton would later share this with Arthur Conan Doyle, M.D. - who wrote the newspaper serial Sherlock Holmes. Worth's home was located at 198 Piccadilly.
From here we'll move south toward Trafalgar Square and to the
Admiralty Arch, and into Trafalgar Square.
Today the Admiralty Arch is a luxury hotel. Interestingly, "On the inside wall of the northernmost arch is a small protrusion the size and shape of a human nose. It was placed there by artist Rick Buckley in 1997 as part of a campaign against the "Big Brother" society. The nose is at a height of about seven feet, and sits at waist height for anyone riding through the arch on a horse." This was a part of a London
campaign by Buckley.
It is in Trafalgar Square that Lord Nelson's column and London's smallest Police station can be found. This location is featured in the third installment of the 'Night at the Museum' series.
The square is a commemoration of Nelson, a war hero, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. At the base of the memorial are four great Lions, a symbol of the British Empire.
While we are in Trafalgar Square, located just northeast is
St. Martin's in the Field church. Known worldwide for its classical music recordings; including the soundtrack to the popular film, 'Amadeus' (regarding the tragic life of Mozart), this church has hosted numerous luminaries for performances. It is also known for it's, "
Cafe in the Crypts." Tea and biscuits anyone?? [SMITF
Facebook Page]
From T-Square we'll walk towards the Thames River and the site of the original Scotland Yard. This reference to London's Metropolitan Police (a/k/a The Met) is a reference to the geographical location of the original police headquarters. The location was originally the home of the Kings of Scotland or 'Scotland Yard.' Since it's inception, 'The Yard' has moved two more times.
Members of the police force are known as "Bobbies." This name derives from a reference of the man who founded the police force, Robert Peel. Originally the role was to prevent crimes simply be being present. Eventually, and surreptitiously, Peel would allow the force to begin investigating crimes. Perhaps their most famous effort is the pursuit of Jack the Ripper. In his "letter from hell" the Ripper writes of eating a victim's kidney: a portion which was included in the letter.
From hell
Mr Lusk
Sor
I send you half the
Kidne I took from one women
prasarved it for you tother pirce
I fried and ate it was very nise I
may send you the bloody knif that
took it out if you only wate a whil
longer.
signed
Catch me when
you Can
Mishter Lusk
For more information on the purported letters from Jack the Ripper, go
here.
For more specific information on Jack the Ripper, including an
interactive map, go here.
An excellent map of the Ripper murders can be seen here.
From this location we'll move over to Whitehall Street - which is the home to the Administration of the British Government. This path will lead us past the 'Banquet House' where the Lord Protectorate Oliver Cromwell, who ruled England from 1653 until his death of natural causes in 1658. Although he ruled for a brief time, Cromwell signed and followed-through on the death certificate of the then King of England, Charles 1. The act of killing a king is known as "regicide." When Charles II came back to the throne, Cromwell's corpse was disinterred and beheaded. (See the Long Rock Walk for more details). The beheading of King Charles I occurred in the Banquet House. More on Cromwell
here.
As a footnote, you may recall that Charles I was the "son" of the rumored pedophile King James I (a/k/a King James VI of Scotland and son of Mary Queen of Scots). In the motion picture 'Hook', Dustin Hoffman's character, Captain Hook the Pirate' was modeled upon King William III of England. (Charles III of England, is the son of the current Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.)
Along this path we'll pass the home of England's Prime Minister, 10 Downing Street. It is akin to the American Presidential residence, our own White House.
Around the corner are the Churchill War Rooms where the then Prime Minister, conducted the British efforts against Germany in World War Two. Churchill's mother, Lady Randolph Churchill was an American named Jeanette 'Jennie' Jerome. Nickenamed 'Randy,' Mrs. Churchill's appetites included
men other than her husband. (In U.K. the term 'randy' refers to an individual that readily desires sexual gratification a/k/a 'a real goer.')
From here it is a short jaunt to the second, and perhaps best known location for Scotland Yard. Today these are known as the Norman Shaw Buildings. The rock used to construct this Thames side building were quarried by convicts of the English penal system. This facility is located on the shore of the Thames River known as the Victoria Embankment.
(Lot's of things are named after England's currently longest serving Monarch, Queen Victoria (and husband Prince Albert). This is one of her many memorials, located outside of Buckingham Palace.
Here is a timeline for the lineage of the Monarch in England.
Although it's actual name is St. Stephen's Tower, the world knows it for the name of the clock that rests atop it, Big Ben.
For many, Big Ben is the iconic image that immediately comes to mind and associates London and England.It was constructed between 1843 - 1858 as a part of the then Westminster Palace.
Today the associated building is known as Parliament. Located within Parliament is the House of Commons - which is the legislative chambers of the British Government. Although American governance was strongly influenced by England's Parliament, in the English system the voters choose a party.
The Prime Minister, who is the near equivalent of our President, is then chosen by the party. This means that their chief executive is never in the minority. Today (Jan. 2015), in the American system we have a divided government: where the President is from one party and both legislative branches are from the opposing party. Although their political system has as much intrigue and politics as our own, technically, the British system will not have a divided government.
To date,
only one English Prime Minister has been assassinated. In 1812 Perceval would be shot at point-blank range in Parliament on his way to a debate in the House of Commons.
If you notice, the fourth name on this list of English Prime Minister's is Benjamin Disraeli. Yes, this is the name where the 2d album by rock's first "supergroup" Cream got the name for their album, Disraeli Gears (1967). The members of the band were Eric Clapton (guitar), Ginger Baker (drums) and Jack Bruce (bass). "The album features the two singles "Strange Brew" and "Sunshine of Your Love".The title of the album is based on a malapropism. Eric Clapton had been thinking of buying a racing bicycle and was discussing it with Ginger Baker, when a roadie named Mick Turner commented, "it's got them Disraeli Gears", meaning to say "derailleur gears", but instead alluding to 19th-century British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli. The band thought this was hilarious, and decided that it should be the title of their next album.
The original 11-track album was remastered in 1998, and then subsequently released as a two-disc Deluxe Edition in 2004.
In 1999, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
In 2003 the album was ranked No. 114 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. VH1 also named it their 87th greatest album of all time in 2001. In 2008, the album won a Classic Rock Roll of Honours Award for Classic Album.
See a video of Clapton and Cream performing 'Strange Brew' here.
Today, many of us will recognize this mask. Our reference is either from the popular motion picture, 'Vendetta' or the cyber-hacking of the group, 'Anonymous.'
The mask is actually a depiction of the historical figure Guy Fawkes. It was during the reign of James I (son of Mary Queen of Scots) that, in 1605, Fawkes, as a member of the 'Gun Power Plot' attempted to blow up Parliament. The stem of these acts go back several generations to James' grandfather Henry VIII. It Henry's desire for a divorce from his first wife, Spain's
Kathrine of Aragon, that, when the divorce was denied by The Pope in Rome, Henry threw the Roman church out of England and replaced the Pope - with himself as the head of the English Church. (Now known as the Church of England. In the USA we know this as the Anglican Church).
When Henry ejected the Catholic Church and denied the authority of the Pope, it created great animosity between those formerly in power and the newly formed church. Such as the animosity that when his trusted aid, The Chancellor of England, Sir Thomas More refused to acknowledge Henry's new divorce, More would be forced to resign from Henry's government in 1532. Although the Monarch's Statute of Praemunire made it a crime to support the Pope in public or in office. Despite being a devout Catholic, More's friendship with Henry protected him...until he refused to attend the coronation of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn. Despite a congratulatory letter to the happy couple, More was prosecuted and eventually beheaded. As a footnote: were six burned at the stake for heresy during More's chancellorship: Thomas Hitton, Thomas Bilney, Richard Bayfield, John Tewkesbery, Thomas Dusgate, and James Bainham.
Henry's daughter Mary, would inherit the throne. Mary was an avid Catholic and re-instated the Church. Known as "Bloody Mary" her short time on the throne resulted in persecution of Protestants. Despite her misgivings, as she lay dying, Mary would instate her more tolerant sister, Elizabeth, to the throne. Initially QE1 was tolerant and supressed religious fighting in favor of relatively peaceful coexistence.
However, Elizabeth's cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, (also referred to as Mary Stuart) was a threat since she was considered by English Catholics as having a legitimate claim to the throne. Mary's second husband was Lord Darnley: They were married in the Scottish Palace of Holyrood in Edinburgh. Darnley, like Mary, was the grandchild of Henry VIII's sister and had claim to the English throne. Despite his royal lineage, he was denied the role of co-Monarch of Scotland by Mary. Upset, he colluded with Scottish Protestant against his wife. He would later be found smothered in the castle garden.
Eventually, after uprisings by Catholics in northern England, and the marriage by Mary to a Protestant, and several alleged plots to conspire with Spain, Mary Queen of Scots would be executed. "At Fotheringhay on the evening of 7 February 1587, Mary was told that she was to be executed the next morning.She spent the last hours of her life in prayer, distributing her belongings to her household, and writing her will and a letter to the King of France.The scaffold that was erected in the Great Hall was two feet high and draped in black. It was reached by two or three steps and furnished with the block, a cushion for her to kneel on and three stools, for her and the Earls of Shrewsbury and Kent, who were there to witness the execution.The executioners (one named Bull and his assistant) knelt before her and asked forgiveness. She replied, "I forgive you with all my heart, for now, I hope, you shall make an end of all my troubles."Her servants, Jane Kennedy and Elizabeth Curle, and the executioners helped Mary to remove her outer garments, revealing a velvet petticoat and a pair of sleeves in crimson-brown, the liturgical colour of martyrdom in the Catholic Church...
Mary was not beheaded with a single strike. The first blow missed her neck and struck the back of her head. The second blow severed the neck, except for a small bit of sinew, which the executioner cut through using the axe. Afterward, he held her head aloft and declared, "God save the Queen." At that moment, the auburn tresses in his hand turned out to be a wig and the head fell to the ground, revealing that Mary had very short, grey hair. A small dog owned by the queen, a Skye terrier, is said to have been hiding among her skirts, unseen by the spectators. Following the beheading, it refused to be parted from its owner's body and was covered in her blood, until it was forcibly taken away and washed.Items supposedly worn or carried by Mary at her execution are of doubtful provenance; contemporary accounts state that all her clothing, the block, and everything touched by her blood was burnt in the fireplace of the Great Hall to obstruct relic-hunters.
When the news of the execution reached Elizabeth, she became indignant and asserted that Davison had disobeyed her instructions not to part with the warrant and that the Privy Council had acted without her authority. Elizabeth's vacillation and deliberately vague instructions gave her plausible deniability, to attempt to avoid the direct stain of Mary's blood.Davison was arrested, thrown into the Tower of London, and found guilty of misprision. He was released 19 months later.
Mary's request to be buried in France was refused by Elizabeth.Her body was embalmed and left unburied in a secure lead coffin until her burial, in a Protestant service, at Peterborough Cathedral in late July 1587. Her entrails, removed as part of the embalming process, were buried secretly within Fotheringay Castle.Her body was exhumed in 1612 when her son, King James VI and I, ordered that she be reinterred in Westminster Abbey, in a chapel opposite the tomb of Elizabeth I. In 1867, her tomb was opened to try to ascertain the resting place of James I; he was ultimately found with Henry VII, but many of her other descendants, including Elizabeth of Bohemia, Prince Rupert of the Rhine and the children of Anne, Queen of Great Britain, were interred in her vault."
As Elizabeth neared death, she would name Mary's son, King James VI of Scotland, a Protestant, to the throne. It was in this environment that Guy Fawkes would collude with other Catholics to assassinate King Charles I by placing explosives under Parliament. Fawkes would be discovered guarding the explosives and tortured into exposing the plot against the King.
Oliver Cromwell (outside Parliament).
Along with Mary Queen of Scots, others buried in Westminster Abbey include:
Charles Darwin (Theory of Evolution)
Oliver Cromwell, Anne of Cleves (Henry VIII), Neville Chamberlain, Chaucer, playwright
Noel Coward,
Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Disraeli, Edward I, Edward V, Edward the Confessor, Sir Edward Elgar, Elizabeth 1, King George 1, Edmond Halley (comet fame), Handel (Messiah), Thomas Hardy, James I (bible), Dr. Joule (physics), Dr. Kelvin,
(physics),
King Charles II, King Edward III, and VI, King Henry III, V, VII, King Richard (robin hood), Rudyard Kipling (The Jungle Book), David Livingston, George Lloyd,
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Milton, Issac Newton, Laurence Olivier, Purcell (music), Queen Mary (Henry VIII daughter), Queen Mary II, The Stuart family inc. Mary Queen of Scots Stuart, Plagnettes, Alfred Tennyson, Dylan Thomas (poet), and William of Orange.
From here, and I am running out of steam, we'll visit New Scotland Yard and the famous Black Museum, where the Met keeps and displays it criminal memorabilia.
Unfortunately, the Black Museum, is private and by approved appointment only.
Finally, off to Victoria Station, where this tour ends.
Sources include: A view on Cities,
London. Also,
Wikipedia.
Time Out London is also an excellent source. Downloadable '
Tourist Map of London.'
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