Oct 24 - Globe Theater, HMS Belfast, Westminster Cathedral, & RCAF Update

 Lots of topics today, visited in the order above. 

Nice day today and here's the St. Pancras hotel in the sun.  No, it is not falling over - that's what happens when I use the extra wide angle on my phone and shoot an object in perspective.

Anybody with a spare two or three hundred thousand GBP can buy me this car.  It's a McLaren and it's been parked at the St. P Hotel for days.

Getting off the Tube and walking towards the Globe, I go by the Borough Market.  Nice looking breads and pretzels in the first stall.

More views of thames bridge. Just about at the Globe.

First Glimpse of the Globe, behind the adjoining Sam Wanamaker theatre.

Some history:  The original Globe was built in 1599  by the Lord Chamberlin's Men,  William Shakespeare's acting company. It burned down in 1613.  Sam Wanamaker, an American actor and director spearheaded the construction of this replica, which was finished in 1997.  This location is not far from the original site.

The courtyard and one of the entrances.

View of the stage from the lower (cheap) seats. Actually, we are sitting under cover - the really cheap seats are on the floor, not under cover.  The extensions off the stage, the big boot and the 'TROY' sign (a play on Troilus and Cressida?) are props for the current production.

A better view of the roof above the stage.  The lighter circle in the centre of the grid is a trap door for effects from above.  Note the two "marble" columns - they are actually painted wood.

The 'Gentlemen's' boxes on the other side of the theatre.  They are higher up, have nicely painted walls AND cushion seats!  Everubody else gets wooden benches, or the floor.

Ticket prices range from 5 GBP on the floor to up to 80 GBP for the gallery seats.  Up from a penny or so for the floor from way back when.

A view of the thatched roof and moss growing on it.  

We've moved up to the Gentlemen's boxes on the left side of the stage.  Apparently, being close to the stage was desireable because those on the floor could tend to be rowdy (and drunk?).

On of the painted walls in our box.

Wanamaker did a lot of fundraising in order to raise the money to build his dream project.  Contributors would be rewarded with their names immortalized on the concourse to the theatre.

Two notables

The name may be famous but our guide (Martin) said there was no evidence they were close relatives to the bard.  Martin suggested that perhaps Wanamaker was simply going through the phonebook with his fundraising.

Back inside the theatre, here is a picture of Elizabeth I at the gala opening of the Globe in 1997.  Elizabeth II was attended the opening, comng to the theatre on a barge up the Thames.

Here is the actual costume for the Jane Lapotiere.  Below that is a description of the challenges in Making the dress and fitting it on the actress. 

My last photo from the Globe is of a page from the book

Mr. william Shakespeare,

the

Of course ther is a 'shop' associated withmthe theatre, with lots of Shakespeare memorabilia.

I left the Globe and headed back toward the Belfast.  On the way Im passed the replica of Francis Drake's.  It's a (somewhat shoddy looking replica, under maintenance, so I took ma photo and gave it a pass.  The Forward Mast Crow's Nest looks somewhat off kilter.

HMS Belfast:  Since I doubt anybody has the same level of interest in a great big pile of floating steel as I do, I'll try to refrain from going on & on about the Belfast.

Details:

-Launched in 1938.  Unfortunately, hit a mine and had to be repaired

-In WW2, saw Artic Convoy duty.  Supported D-Day landings by fring at German defenses         behind and around Juno Beach (where Canadians landed).

-Saw duty in Korean War

-Specifications (from Wikipedia):

Some pictures:  Part of the kitchens (there were up to almost 900 crew aboard):

Sick Bay

Crew Bunks

Crew Washroom

Captain's Cabin 

The Bridge: Note - the helm was down lower in the ship.  The officers here would

 shout orders to the helmsman through the speaking tube

(Kid's got to sit in the Captain's chair.  I didn't)

Here's the Helm.  He doesn't get to see where he's going.

The big (6 inch) guns

And, my favourite - the Engine Room.

Here's one of the 4 Steam Turbines, with the covers removed.

I'll quit there.  I have lots more photos if anybody wants....

That's it for tonight.  I have more to add tomorrow.

Tomorrow's trip is Kew Gardens.

It's tomorrow now, so time to finish this post

The next stop was a short Tube ride to Westminster Cathedral.

A much different style and newer, opened in 1903.

The description says it was inspired by early Christin Byzantine

architecture.  It is the largest Roman Catholic church in England

The Nave

The two photos below are the Blessed Sacrement Chapel.

The second shows the mosaic detail of the ceiling

The Chapel of Saint Joeseph

I'm not sure which Chapel this is (bad note taking, Greg!),

But it shows the intricacy of the Mosaic

My last two photos.  I was using my camera (phone getting low again),

so the quality is poor, especially when I try to enlarge the photos.

Low lighting in the cathedral doesn't help, either

Leaving the Cathedral, I made my way back to Holborn station 

(yesterday's tube tour) to find where the RCAF was headquartered during WW2. 

Here it is!  Unfortunately, the whole building is under renovation.

And the Maple tree, planted by Jean Cretian in 1997

On the way in / out of Holborn, here is one of the two

escalators you use, in addition to a short flight of  stairs.

This escalator rises 23.4 meters (77 feet). that puts the station about 

50 meters below ground level

I went out to a pub for dinner, 4th time to a pub this trip.

This was the best so far.  A great steak and mushroom pie, with salad (no peas!) and fries.

All of the pubs I've visited are a 5 - 10 minute walk from the flat.  And I went by a fifth on the way back!

That's it.  Off to Kew gardens.

Greg