View the fantastic Millenium Dome in the Docklands area of the Thames.
Visit the River Thames Rowing Club.
View the Virtual London Web Site.
View the Live Thames Cam in London.
London is so large and vast that I am not sure anyone could
ever really know it completely. It is truly a marvelous international
city with people from all over the world coming there to visit
and reside.
It is said that there are about 7 million people living in London.
We chose to stay in Brompton, near Kensington,
and found it to be a good location to link with transportation
to various parts of the city. This then is a blueprint for a short
stay in London, if you wish to use it in that way. We liked London
very much and will return again.
The above quotation is on Wren's Monument in St. Paul's Crypt
In any discussion of cathedrals and churches in London, one must
mention the name of Sir
Christopher Wren (1632-1723). Wren was one of the most famous
English architects. He designed St. Paul's Cathedral and over
50 other London churches. He had planned to rebuild St. Paul's
before it was destroyed by fire in 1666. After the fire he was
commissioned to rebuild the cathedral, and he worked on it until
1710. His genius is apparent in the beautiful structure he planned
and built.
Wren received no formal training in architecture. All of his training
was in pure science. He was born in 1632 and was a shy and sensitive
youth. In his 30s Wren took an interest in architecture. He submitted
a plan to rebuild London after the great fire of 1666, but it
was rejected. He was then appointed Surveyor General of the King's
Works. He was knighted by Charles
II in 1673 and had been elected to Parliament. He lived to
see St. Paul's completed and died in 1723 at the age of 91.
Photograph by B. Townsend
During World War II London was bombed almost incessantly for
a time. The destruction was massive.
The father of a cousin of my wife was on the roof of the London
Times Newspaper during one of the devastating attacks on December
29, 1940, with a photographer from the Times, so the story goes.
As a result of the intense bombing, St.
Paul's could not be seen due to the smoke generated by the
fires. During a lull in the attack, the wind came up and blew
some of the smoke away from the area. The smoke cleared to show
the beautiful dome of the Cathedral showing through the night
sky, reassuring the people that the beautiful structure had survived.
At that moment, the photographer took a picture of the scene (this
very inspirational photo can be seen today in the Cathedral, and
can also be viewed in the guidebook, St. Paul's, The Cathedral
Guide, which can be purchased at the Cathedral and various bookstores
in London). A great many buildings in the vicinity of the Cathedral
were destroyed, but the Cathedral itself endured!
The Cathedral church for the diocese of London was founded in
604. The current St. Paul's was completed in 1710 after the first
four churches had been burned down over the centuries.
The Dome of St. Pauls Cathedral
Photographed by Susan Townsend
To really visit the Cathedral takes most of a day. Some of the
highlights of a visit to St. Paul's include:
There are many more historical wonders in St. Paul's. It is
a wonderful Cathedral and a must-visit on a trip to London.
Related Link:
Click here for a brief history of Westminster Abbey
In 1040, Edward
the Confessor was crowned and began the building of a church.
Since 1066, every sovereign except Edward V and Edward VIII has
been crowned here.
The Abbey is enormous and full of beautiful monuments. Work on
the structure continued for hundreds of years, the Nave being
started in the 1300s. It is a virtual museum of the life and times
of England through its history.
Among those buried and memorialized in the Abbey are musicians,
statesmen,
Queen Elizabeth I, King
Henry VII, Edward
the Confessor, Mary,
Queen of Scots, poets, soldiers, and the Unknown Warrior.
Some highlights of Westminster Abbey:
Related Link:
If you visit Westminster Abbey, you must visit the smaller
St. Margaret's Church, just next to the Abbey. It was founded
in the 12th century and is the parish church of the
House of Parliament. Among those marrying there were Winston
Churchill.
A section of the old Roman Wall near the Barbican, City of London
Photograph by B. Townsend
This is an autonomous district and is one of the world's leading centers of trade. It is one square mile in area. It is also the oldest part of the city of London, with some small sections of the Roman wall still standing. Try to visit the Guildhall, where the Lord Mayor is installed.
A very nice church to visit is St.
Mary le Bow. Downstairs in the church is a self serve cafe
for drinks and meals. Be sure and look at the beautiful sanctuary
of the church. It is outstanding.
Buckingham Palace, London, one of the Queen's residences.
Buckingham Palace has over 600 rooms. The Royal Apartments are in the north wing. When the Queen is in residence at the Palace, her royal standard flies over the buildings. One can, for a fee, tour the state rooms when the Royal Family is on vacation.
Really, this is a very brief introduction to London. We will
return and further explore the sights of the city. There are many
more things to see and places to visit. We will save them for
our next trip to London.
Some other places of interest in
London:
And many many more!
Some Helpful Books:
Related Links:
