After getting up and poking about a bit, I alluva sudden thought I might be late, so I hightailed it to Russell Square and headed to Westminster station. On the way there I checked my tour ticket and found I was going to be way early, with a couple of hours to kill (I should fire my appointmernt secretary).
Now, what to do? I looked at Google Maps and the words "The Supreme Court" caught my eye, very close by. A few steps along the street was this impressive entrance
Thisnis the entrance to the Supreme Courts.
Inside, I got a full airport style screening (had to give up my pocket knife) and went in.
First quiz question: when was the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom formed (answer a few photos down, unless you cheat and look it up).
The building is not huge and has 3 courtrooms. Upstairs, Courtroom #1 is the grandest.
By contrast Courtroom #2 on the floor below looks very contemporary
Time for the answer to my question: The UK Supreme Court was formed by an act of parliament in 2005, and was created in 2009. I was surprised when I found this out. Until that time, parliament would resolve any questions of law. By comparison, Canada has had a Supreme court since 1875, and the US since 1789.
The UK Court's purpose is summed up below.
In the basement (Floor 0) is a small exhibition with more information. You can spend about 3/4 of an hour here, but it is inspiring when compared to the gong show that has developed south of our border.
I left that building with an hour to go. I lucked in when I found put that the Horse Guard's Parade was scheduled to start any minute. I scooted over there; the horses stood at "attention" for 15 minutes - they nervously hoofed the ground as they appeared to be wanting to get going instead of standing still.
Here's a bit of wisdom at the coffee stand
Westminster Abbey
Don't expect a quiet, solemn tour through the Abbey - it is a mass of people. But it is spectacular. I took a ton of shots in here, but I'll only include a few.
The figures over the entrance. Notice the light coloured blockss. Many of them (if not all) are replacement stones installed by the Abbey's maintenance craftsmen, required by the deterioration of the original blocks.
The Quire
A beautiful entranceway
There are over 3,300 prople buried or commemorated in the abbey. Besides all the royalty, some names I noticed included Stephen Hawking, James Watt, Matthew Boulton, and Noel Coward, commemorated by floor plaques. I won't name all I recognized.
The Sanctuary, where coronations take place. The coronation chair is removed.
Looking above the Sanctuary towards the Lady chapel
This silly photo I took reminds me of how much work it takes to install and hide all the modern systems in the abbey and still have it looking like when it was built. A lot of talented modern craftsman. Electricity, heating, sound lighting (no candles any more), flush toilets - the list is endless.
One of the tombs along the North Ambulatory.
The Royal Air Force Memorial Chappel. Most of the glass was destroyed during the war. It was rebuilt incorporating squadron crests into the panes. The small hole on the left side is a shrapnel hole covered up with a piece of glass.
The Lady Chapel
In the Lady Chapel is the tomb of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York
I'm not finished but it is almost 11 pm and I am bushed.
I might do a bit more tomorrow morning before I head to a park. No churches tomorrow.
BTW, I have been carrying my umbrella around and so far haven't had to use it.
More magnificent tombs:
Elizabeth I tomb, with Mary I underneath.
Side story about AI: I often check Google to make sure I've got the correct description. The phrase "elizabeth 1 tomb westminster abbey" returned this in the AI Summary:
That picture is of Mary Queen of Scots tomb, not Mary I, who is buried underneath Elizabeth I. Unfortunately, I am not a history buff, so it took me a while to untangle it. The actual WA website had the correct infomation.
Having said that, I apologize for any mistakes you do / will find; tell me and I will correct them.
Another photo of Elizabeth I tomb.
My photo of Mary Queen of Scots tomb.
Another ornate set of tombs & memorials. I think this is in the South Ambulatory (cross eyed brain fog is setting in about this part of the tour)
Into the next chamber (South Transept) and Poet's Corner, established when Geoffery Chaucer was buried here.
Some of the other notables
From Poet's Corner into the Chapter House. I'll let the sign explain it.
Chapter House wall Paintings.
I tried to extract the decription of the paintings.
Chapter House stained glass windows
That's it for the inside photos. I have a ton more, so you could ask me about something, but no guarantees.
One thing I do recommend is a tour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries, for an extra
5 GBP (Great British Pound). You are not allowed to take photos up there. I also got into a fun discussion with Hannah, one of the guides. Among other things we talked about construction, maintenance and the early engineering of the abbey. She winced when I noted some dry rot in the beams above. I also asked about the abbey's earthquake survivability (poor to nil). Luckily, Britian is not a seismicly active zone. I tried to show her the data from the seismograph in our crawl space, but I couldn't get a decent connection up there.
As you leave the Abbey you can see Britain's oldest door, from the 1050's.
As well, the Pyx Chamber
One last photo as I left
That's it for Westminster Abbey. No architecture today, I'm off to The Regent's Park and visit the London zoo.
Oops - I was going tom include photos of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Gallery brochure. Here they are.
Looks like you will have a million photos to cherish when you are done! Enjoy! hugs Gayle
ReplyDeleteI didn’t go to Westminster Abby, but I did go to Westminster Cathedral. Lots of mosaics! 😊
ReplyDeleteI can guess who wrote this. I'll put it on the list
Delete