An English Journal,2007, V I
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Transcript of An English Journal,2007, V I
An English Journal
F riday, July 6, 2007
Today Beth and I left Indiana for our first trip to London, England. Beth was
awarded a Teacher Creativity Fellowship, and I did the unthinkable and
took three weeks off work. My itinerary includes time in London, Oxford,
Cambridge, and Rye. However, Beth will spend only one day in Cambridge with me,
and then after my three days in Cambridge are finished, I will go to Rye to play golf
at the famous Rye Golf Club. Although there had been recent terrorist activity in Lon-
don, we were not really that concerned.
Judy Williamson drove us to the train station at Indiana Dunes to catch the 11 AM
train to Chicago. The English gothic architecture of the club house would make a
grand backdrop for our bon voyage lunch. We ate on the 12th floor balcony under the
canopy, and it was a beautiful day. The lake was an extraordinary shade of light blue.
We could hardly hear the sound of the cars honking on Michigan Avenue below. The
Art Institute and Grant Park stretched out below us. It does not get much better than
this.
Chicago Departure
TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL
View from the balcony of the University Club
Afterward, we rode the train to O'Hare Airport
and checked our bags, which were too heavy. In
Boy Scouts, the motto was “Be Prepared.” That
meant taking as much gear as you could carry,
and that pretty much worked. When it comes to
international travel, the better course is to pack
light and take your chances. I hope to learn that
lesson someday. After some minor accommoda-
tions we were able to arrange our luggage in such
a way that only one bag was charged for the extra
weight. Lesson learned.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
It was a long flight. It takes forever to fly from
Chicago to London. I can see why those who can
afford it prefer first class with those cool bed seats.
Our seats were dinky by comparison. We left Chi-
cago at approximately 5:00 p.m. Friday night and
arrived in London on Saturday morning at 7:30
local time, but about 1:30AM Logansport time.
Plane Trip
TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL
The breakfast of croissants and yogurt was a welcome
treat as the flight concluded. It was day break in Eng-
land.
Upon arrival at Heathrow Airport, we went through
customs (what customs?), answered a few questions,
got our Passports stamped, followed the crowd, and
found and boarded the underground subway train,
known as the Tube, for our first ride into the city, into
a section called ”Chelsea - South Kensington.” It was
the first time we heard the ubiquitous phrase, “Mind
the Gap.” It’s the Brits way of telling you to pay atten-
tion to the small gap between the train car and the
platform. Anyone who has been there has heard it,
and never forgets the phrase. The canned announce-
ments kept stating the destination for the train, which
was “Cockfosters.” The smooth, soft female voice
went “You are on the Piccadilly line to…(wait for
it!) ...Cockfosters.” The voice goes up on the first syl-
The Tube
Opposite: The Heath Row Tube Station, in-
side and out.
This Page: As fast as a Speeding Bullet;
TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL
lable, and down on the second and third, with a slight
pause between the first and second syllables. I will
remember it always. We passed several golf courses,
which were teeming with old men walking their early
morning rounds. Not a golf cart in sight. For once, I
am glad to be elsewhere, like on a train, a train in
England, heading for a bed…or so I fooled myself into
thinking.
Chelsea sits a couple miles to the west from Bucking-
ham Palace. We got off at the Gloucester Road Sta-
tion. From there we walked about five blocks to our
hotel. It was a sunny Saturday morning. Beautiful,
really. But the jetlag made it difficult to enjoy, at least
for me. Beth seemed to do better.
Our hotel is called The Cranley, and it is a very nice,
small boutique hotel which has only a few guest
rooms. It is very well appointed with traditional Eng-
lish antiques, paintings, and prints. Beth did a really
good job of picking it out. It even had air condition-
ing, which is somewhat unusual for a London room.
Gloucester Road Tube Station
TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL
Our room overlooks a small street named Bina
Gardens, which fortunately does not carry
much traffic. There are a number of private
homes, duplexes, multiplexes and hotels in
this neighborhood, and lots of German cars
parked in the streets. Mercedes and BMW are
the most common. The cars look the same as
their American counterparts, but have much
smaller engines.
MEMO TO SELF: When crossing a street, al-
ways look right first. Always. If you don’t,
you’ll get killed. In America, you look left first.
That’s because the oncoming traffic comes
from the left. Here, the cars come from the
right, the opposite direction. Seriously, look
right first, or you’ll surely perish. The accom-
modating Brits even paint the directions
“LOOK RIGHT” on the pavement, purely for
the benefit of us American pedestrians, who
instinctively look left first. In England, looking
left first could kill you.
These pages: The Cranley Hotel, Chelsea
The Cranley
TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL
After checking into the hotel,
We just left our bags with the
desk because, of course, our
room is not ready at 8 AM. To
start killing time, we went
walking, looking for breakfast.
We eventually found a very
small restaurant. There we ate
eggs, sausages, baked beans
(for breakfast!) and consumed lots of caffeine.
Fried tomatoes and mushrooms rounded it
out. We split it, Like we did in New York. We
found out later that this is known as the tradi-
tional English breakfast.
In an attempt to fight the exponentially in-
creasing Symptoms of jetlag we ventured into
the heart of London, thinking it would wake
us up. Our first stop was St. Paul’s Cathedral,
which was built in 1675 by Christopher Wren,
after the previous St. Paul's burned to the
ground in the great fire of 1666. It was about
$20 American each, but was well worth it. It is
an incredible structure. It is filled with paint-
The Cranley
TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL
ings and mosaics,
and the effect is sub-
lime. In the center is
a huge dome, and
you can climb to the
top of it, provided
you can muster the
strength to carry
your jetlagged ass up the 460 steps which spiral and wind their
way through shafts and tunnels to the balcony surrounding the
dome at the top.
This building is older than our country, and is assailed daily by
thousands of tourists. Even so, the place is absolutely rock solid.
In the basement is a crypt, also called an undercroft, which con-
tains the tombs of many famous people including Lord Nelson of
Trafalgar fame; The Duke of Wellington, victor over Napoleon at
Waterloo in 1815; and the architect himself, Sir Christopher
Wren. “Reader, if you seek a monument, look around you” reads
To the Dome of St. Paul's Cathedral
TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL
Opposite: The Dome from the south
This Page: In honor of Queen Anne.
the inscription in Latin on a
plain piece of granite placed
over his tomb, a reference to
the Cathedral itself, as his life’s memorial, and to the dozens of
churches he designed after the great fire scattered throughout
London.
It seems that most of the tombs at St. Paul’s are military heroes
who served in wars stretching from the French and Indian
Wars, thru the American Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, to
World Wars I and II. There are no royal tombs, as at Westmin-
ster or Windsor. Part of the Cathedral was bombed during
World War II, and the entire back was rebuilt in honor of the
Americans who lost their lives during that conflict. In the
stained-glass window was a small panel which depicted the
Indiana state flag. We wanted to break out in a verse of “Back
Home Again in Indiana,” but managed to restrain ourselves.
The Dead of St. Paul’s Cathedral
TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL
While we were there we spoke with one of the ministers, an ordained female priest. Those lib-
eral Anglicans. She was three years old in 1941, and can vividly remember the long nights of
the Blitzkrieg, being held by her grandmother in the underground safety of the Tube, listening
while the nazi bombs were exploding at street level, destroying London and its treasures, in an
attempt to demoralize the British early on in the war. It nearly worked. I have no idea what
that must be like. She pointed out the north transept which was destroyed by Nazi bombs, and
said that when she was a teen and a young adult, after the war, the whole section was entirely
boarded up until repairs could be made. As one looks at it now, it is almost impossible to tell
that it was replaced from the original 1675 structure. The Brits clearly went to great pains to
restore their historical buildings after the war, and St. Paul is but one of many.
By the conclusion of our visit to St. Paul's, and especially our climb to the whispering gallery
high within the dome, we were really beginning to feel the effects of jet lag. We started back to
the hotel. It seemed like a cloudy daze. Ah! The sweet sensation of sleep deprivation.
The Rebuilding of St. Paul’s Cathedral
TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, JET LAG, and ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL
A Porch Column in Chelsea
ST. JAMES & PALL MALL
The Bicycle Race
Google Map of St. James and Pall Mall Window in the Oxford Cambridge Club
W e thought it might be fun to
stop by at the Oxford Cam-
bridge Club to check in and
make sure they received the
letter of introduction from the Columbia Club,
and that we had full privileges at that Club
during our stay in London. However, to get
there from the St. James Street tube station we
had to walk through St. James Park, which on
any ordinary day would have been easy, short
and beautiful.
However, this was no ordinary day. On this
particular day, St, James Park was the starting
point of the famous Tour de France bicycle
race, which is the first time in 104 years that
the race started in London. There were an esti-
mated half-million people looking on, and the
park was all cordoned off for the race route,
which made the short walk to the Club more
than a little complicated.
Opposite: The Library, Oxford and Cambridge Club
This Page: The Tour de France starts in London
ST. JAMES & PALL MALL
The Tour de France
About halfway through, and with hardly any
strength to carry on, we decided to forget Club
land, and instead focus on making it back to
the hotel alive and not passed out in some
London side street, sound asleep or dead. We
made it back to the Cranley and got our room,
It is a beautiful room. Beth was firm in her re-
solve to stay awake, in an attempt to minimize
the effects of jet lag, while I was simply out of
gas, gave in to fate, and took a three hour nap.
Just what the doctor ordered. When I awoke I
felt much better. dressed up and rode the tube
to the Piccadilly station and walked to St.
James and Pall Mall, in the heart of clubland.
There are dozens of so called “Gentleman’s
Clubs” or “City Clubs.” Many had odd names,
like Boodles, Bucks, Whites, Pratts and Brooks.
They all occupied beautiful nineteenth century
mansions and townhouses, each consisting of
several rooms, including dining rooms, librar-
ies, and billiards rooms. They all had bars.
Some are drop dead gorgeous, like rhe Royal
Automobile Club, while others have either
ST. JAMES & PALL MALL
The Oxford and Cambridge Club
died, or are dying due to increasing costs and
dwindling memberships. The O&C is defi-
nitely a traditional, old shoe, kind of club
which contains many grand, old rooms. It
seem old, because they are old. The clubhouse
was purpose built for the new club in 1820. It
is still rock solid. Much of the glass in the large
windows is probably original to the building,
as the image through them is slightly warped
by the imperfections in the glass. Part of the
club was destroyed in the Blitz, but was re-
built soon after the war. Another club down
the street was fire bombed by the IRA back in
the 1970s.
The neatest rooms, in my opinion, were the
various libraries located primarily on the sec-
ond floor. One of the libraries was known as
ST. JAMES & PALL MALL
The Silence Library
Sockless at the Oxford Cambridge
Opposite: Weight scales in the hall; Writing
supplies in the library; 18th Century hand col-
ored almanac of Oxford college arms
ST. JAMES & PALL MALL
The Oxbridge Libraries
the “Silence Library," and there is a large sign on
the fireplace mantelpiece which contains the sin-
gle word “SILENCE". Another library is more
formal, which is, I would guess, the original li-
brary room. It has one of the most comprehen-
sive collections of Oxford Cambridge books in
existence, some in Latin and some dating from
the 18th century. It was paradise for me. I could
have spent a long, long time there before becom-
ing tired and bored, I can assure you.
We thought about eating at the club on our first
night in London, but then took a look at the
menu and realized that it was, not surprisingly,
very expensive, and we also had come to the
realization earlier in the day that the dollar was
shockingly devalued compared to the British
ST. JAMES & PALL MALL
A Rather Pricey Menu
The Oxbridge library, dining room, card
room and stairwell
ST. JAMES & PALL MALL
Dinner at Waitrose
pound, and the dollar was worth something
around $.50. With prices being double what
they normally are and with the dollar being
worth only half of what it usually is, it was a
sure recipe for a giant buzz kill. It is perhaps
the most difficult fact to accept when making
the pilgrimage to the island. Anyway, we were
staying at the club later in the week, and we
would dine there then.
We took the tube back to our hotel, and
from there we went to Waitrose, where we
purchased three quarters of a rotisserie
chicken, salads, wine and Diet Coke. We went
back to the Cranley and ate on their front patio
beneath the umbrella of a shaded table and, all
in all, everything worked out quite fine. We
Cigarettes?
ST. JAMES & PALL MALL
Rooms in the Oxbridge;
Waitrose Grocers
ST. JAMES & PALL MALL
The Oxford and Cambridge Club
talked about the good old days, the days when we
smoked cigarettes, especially at times such as this.
We vetted the idea of buying a pack just for fun.
Hard to believe, but we did not. We would soon
learn how stupid an idea that was.
The Library
ST. JAMES & PALL MALL
Shameless self-portraiture: The window overlooks
the back court of Marlborough House, which King
Edward VII built when he was Prince of Wales.
Somewhat different from the Bakers on Tenth Street.
Speakers’ Corner
S unday, July 8, 2007, we awoke and had
breakfast at a local restaurant, Garfunkels.
This was about as American as you can get
in London. Like Applebees. We ordered up
an omelet, and split it like we did in New York on
our Anniversary trip in 2005. But unlike New York,
London omelets are quite small. The pinheaded staff
couldn’t wrap their minds around the idea of having
more than 2 ingredients in an omelet. They know
now. It felt good to have food in the stomach at a
time that made sense, and freed from the chains of jet
lag. Satisfied, we embarked upon our travels for the
day. First stop: Speakers’ Corner.
SPEAKERS’ CORNER at HYDE PARK
On the northeast corner of Hyde Park, on
Sundays at noon, is an event called
“Speakers Corner.”It is an area where any-
one can bring their soapbox, stand on it,
and pontificate about whatever they
choose. People gather, if interested, and
comment, or even argue with the speaker.
Some of the arguments become quite
heated. For instance, one of the speakers
was talking smack about how Americans
were nothing more than the rouge subjects
of her Majesty and America as a mere col-
ony, and how we, American tourists, were
somehow hypocritical by coming back to
the so-called “mother country.” I truly
think her point was to simply gather the
largest crowd, mostly Americans. I was
tempted to shout that Hitler would now be
on the pound note had it not been for the
Americans in World War II, but I opted to
simply keep my Yankee mouth shut. Al-
ways a prudent course of action.
Speakers’ Corner
SPEAKERS’ CORNER at HYDE PARK
Speakers Galore
Speakers Corner
SPEAKERS’ CORNER at HYDE PARK
In America the politically inclined participate
passively, sitting on sofas and watching FOX
News. Their perception of the world is one
sided, and they stew and boil inside. Not sur-
prisingly, many need treatment for anger
management or coronary heart disease, or
both.
By contrast, the Brits take it to the streets,
literally. These participants, speakers and
audience alike, interact with one another,
which causes thoughtful reflection before
responding, or risk being called out by others
for spewing half baked ideas.
We could learn something from this.
SPEAKERS’ CORNER at HYDE PARK
F rom Hyde Park we took the Tube
to the Embankment Station,
which is right on the Thames.
Parliament stood behind us, a
perpendicular gothic masterpiece. From
there, we boarded a boat heading from
Westminster to Greenwich, both had been
a royal enclaves from the earliest days.
Very little remains of the original West-
minster Palace, although Westminster Hall
is a glaring exception, being started by
William Rufus (King William II) at the
dawn of the 12th century.
Greenwich Ho!
Smiling on the Thames; MEMO TO SELF: Camera
looking up is bad angle.
The Tower of London from the Thames
GREENWICH
The trip to Greenwich via the Thames was quite interesting and our
tour guide pointed out many different points, including various
pubs which sit along the Thames, and which were frequented by fa-
mous people, like Charles Dickens… and Cher. He told the story of
pirates coming up the Thames, being captured, tried, and executed.
The executions were quite grizzly, as the pirate was chained to the
riverbank at low tide. When the tide came in, the pirate would, ever
so slowly, be covered over with water. Slowly, he would be covered
over and drown, while others watched on in amusement, over a pint
of warm brew at the nearby Pub. You’ve got to love this little island!
For whatever reason, I felt a little queasy both upon arrival at Green-
wich and again upon arrival back at the Embankment. I initially
thought it could have been due to either the diesel fumes from the
Cher and Dead Pirates
THE RIVER THAMES
boat or the hot sun, I am now of the opinion that
I've suffered a bit of seasickness, since the
Thames is part of the English Channel and sub-
ject to ocean currents, tides, and waves. Then
again, it could have been the deisel fumes.
Whatever.
The grounds at Greenwich are both remarkable
and historic. The oldest structure is a block pal-
ace built sometime during the mid 1400s. Henry
VIII was born there, as were sister Queens Mary
I and Elizabeth I. The old structure is restored to
Westminster and the Thames
Ride on the River Thames
THE RIVER THAMES
London
THE RIVER THAMES
The Ride to Greenwich
THE RIVER THAMES
Opposite: Parliament and Tower Bridge
This page: Greenwich Palace from the river, the interior dome
of the palace
its former glory, and contains an art collec-
tion of national significance. The most
memorable paintings were the portrait of
Adm. Nelson, and a painting of a battle
scene from his victory, and sad death, at Tra-
falgar. The guy who lost his arm ultimately
lost his life as well in the service of king and
country.
The newer sets of palace buildings were
built in the 17th century by their joint majes-
ties William and Mary. The two principal
buildings frame the old tudor palace with
the hall on one side of the central axis, and
Greenwich Palace
Greenwich Palace, old and new
GREENWICH
the chapel on the other side of the axis.
Both structures have huge domes, one of
which contains a clock.
The hall is beautifully painted and incredi-
bly large for a 17th century assembly area.
It has a small stage at the front end and is
filled with murals and designs from front
to back, top to bottom. At one time it
served as a hospital. Now its principle
function is one of tourism, and it is worth
the trip. I don’t think there was an admis-
sion charge, either.
The chapel is located in the second build-
ing and is approximately the same size as
The Grounds
GREENWICH
The Painted Hall
the hall. It has pews facing forward toward the
alter, and a balcony on each side holding benches
facing one another across the width of the hall.
Upon arrival back in town we got off on the south
side of the river at a place called Waterloo Station,
GREENWICH
The Painted Hall
GREENWICH
Garfunkel’s Restaurant
GREENWICH
and from there we eventually found the
Tube station and made our way back to
the Kensington Station. And dinner
again from Waitrose.
Unfortunately, once we arrived, we re-
alized that Waitrose was already closed,
and therefore we were required to eat at
a restaurant, Garfunkles, where we split
a chicken dinner. The meals are not as
large as they are in New York; there-
A Closed Grocery
GREENWICH
fore, splitting a meal was not as satisfying. But
the food tasted good and we went back to the
hotel where we watched TV, and thought
about day three in London.
BACK TO LONDON
M onday, July 9, 2007, started as
a bright sunny day. We
thought it might be an excel-
lent opportunity to visit the
British Museum. On the way, we stopped by
the local post office/drugstore/currency ex-
change so the Beth could post letters to the
states. While we were there, a local woman
became quite angry and boisterous at the
clerk, because he did not use what she consid-
ered to be proper English. It was all quite
funny to watch. When the spectacle was over,
I ask a gentleman if that was the Queen. He
told me it was not, and that the Queen had far
better manners. He was dead serious. I don't
think he was amused at my joke at Her Maj-
esty’s expense. As an American, it is hard to
understand the Brits love of their monarchs. It
just doesn't seem rational.
A Gathering in the Post Office
THE BRITISH MUSEUM
THE BRITISH MUSEUM
A Very Old Collection
The British Museum is in a three hundred year old, classical (ie. Greco-Roman) building,
which was originally built in about 1753. It houses an incredible collection of artifacts from
all over the world, no doubt the fruits of British imperialism in the 19th century. I examined
the collection of artifacts created by the North American Indian and Eskimo peoples. They
had very old pieces, coming from the period of early exploration, but before colonization ef-
forts. These artifacts were much older than those at an American museum, like The Field in
Chicago. It also had a great Egyptian exhibit containing various mummies and other arti-
facts, taken from Cairo when England pretty much owned it.
Repatriation of artifacts is a major topic nowadays, and the British Museum may be the num-
ber one target of the efforts. The most famous of the stolen booty from lands afar is the fa-
mous Rosetta Stone, and segments from the Greek Parthenon. The Rosetta was the key to
deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics. And as for the remnants of the Parthenon, let’s just say
the Greeks want their building back.
We also briefly visited the section displaying artifacts from Asia including several ancient,
A Very Old Collection
THE BRITISH MUSEUM
golden Buddha from the Far East. As they say, the
sun never set on the British Empire at its apex, and
these exhibits highlighed the stretch of Brit domina-
tion. It is in a way a huge trophy room, with all the
cultural souvenirs from foreign lands stacked floor to
ceiling.
The most interesting part of the British Museum, in
my opinion, was the large wing containing King
George III’s personal library. There were also many
other artifacts from his collections, reflecting the
English Renaissance and advances in science made
during the 18th century. There were also many other
artifacts going back many years to the Middle Ages.
The books themselves were quite amazing, leather
bound and gold leaf stamped. Thousands of them,
The Rosetta Stone
Doors on the way to the Inns of Court
Repatriation of the Parthenon
THE BRITISH MUSEUM
and they were beautiful. They covered
a wide range of topics including geog-
raphy, history, and the classics.
While we were there, Beth's toe
started to hurt because of a nasty blis-
ter. This may or may not have been
caused by the wearing of new and not
well worn shoes. We sought help
from a security guard who took us
from the main museum to a small first
aid room. There he applied a bandage
and she was as good as new. It was
our first taste of the superlative health
care in the United Kingdom. America
could learn a thing or two. And it
would not be our last.
The Kings’ Books
THE WALK TO GRAY’S INN
More Shameless Self-Portraiture during lunch
THE WALK TO GRAY’S INN
The walk to the Inns of Court
F rom the British Museum we walked eastward,
hopefully to find the famous Inns of Court.
While they were somewhat hard to find, we
were ultimately successful.
On the way, we had lunch at a small pub near the mu-
seum. The most interesting thing about this pub was the
cigarette machine, in which the cigarettes cost six
pounds a pack. SIX POUNDS A PACK! Converted to
American dollars, each pack cost almost $12! It was ab-
solutely flabbergasting, and we were quite pleased that
we did not start smoking, as we nearly started again on
Saturday night.
Did I Say Cigarettes?
The Entry to the Hall of Gray’s Inn
GRAY’S INN
The hall at Gray’s Inn
Souvenir Hunting
GRAY’S INN
The first inn that we came upon was Gray’s
Inn. Its foundation several hundred years
ago is still shrouded in mystery. It is remi-
niscent of the typical old college quadran-
gles and courts of Oxford or Cambridge, and
each contains a dining hall, library, chapel,
and office accommodations considered es-
sential to the medieval lawyer. These are
part law school, part guild and part office
space. Some of the practices were that of the
paper pushing solicitors, while other offices
belong to the trial practice barristers. Ameri-
can lawyers do both. The Brits do not.
Kicked out of Lincoln
GRAY’S INN
Grey’s Inn Governors Room
We eventually found ourselves able to get into
the complex containing the dining hall, which
was magnificent. It was a typical sixteenth cen-
tury hall, almost identical to the one at Trinity
College, Cambridge. The original was built in the
16th century and was leveled by the Germans
during the Blitz. But the reconstruction was suc-
cessful, and you would swear that you were in a
medieval building. There were portraits and
coats of arms surrounding the hall, which seated
approximately 180 people at long tables, ten feet
long. The windows contain the stained-glass coat
of arms of various barristers and solicitors who
had been members. We went up into the balcony
in the back, originally designed for musicians,
where we took pictures, and hunted for souve-
GRAY’S INN
Souvenir Hunting
nirs.
We ten found ourselves in one of the conference rooms, probably of the head honchos, as well
as a room which contained the robes of all the members.
We then made our way to Lincoln's Inn, which survived the Blitz, and was still original late
Tudor. When we found our way into the hall, we were stopped by a rather stern English bar-
rister, and told we were not welcome and we would have to leave. I suspect that my short
pants and Pinehurst wind shirt were dead giveaway that we did not belong. Come to find out,
the Brits consider shorts on men to be in bad form. Deal with it, Winston! It was, though, one
of the few times we were not able to infiltrate a target of our guerilla tourism. I have a feeling
we will see Lincoln Inn Hall someday!
We were, however, able to find the Inn’s chapel, which was quite magnificent and dated from
the 1400s. The British poet John Donne was once the chaplain there. The stained-glass was
quite amazing and contained the coat of arms of various barristers and solicitors who were
members of the Inn going back centuries. We sat and listened to a woman practice a song with
piano accompaniment, apparently for the next service. Her voice sounded beautiful in the
chapel, while we soaked in the history of it all.
We made our way across the street to the Courts of Justice, where we arrived just at closing
time, and told to come back the next day. We did not make it back during our visit and it will
no doubt be one of our stops the next time we come to London.
After that, we found our way to the Middle Temple and the Inner Temple, both Inns of Court
as well. Sadly, the only building we could infiltrate was the library of the Middle Temple. It
was an excellent law library, with books going all the way back to the 18th century.
Sir Winston
GRAY’S INN
Grey’s Inn
GRAY’S INN
Grey’s Inn
GRAY’S INN
High Table at Grey’s Inn
GRAY’S INN
Chapel at Lincoln’s Inn
LINCOLN’S INN
Sir Thomas More
LINCOLN’S INN
The Train to Canterbury
CANTERBURY
T uesday, July 10, 2007. We made our Chauceresque pilgrimage to the ancient town of
Canterbury, and its famous cathedral. Geoffrey would have been proud, as we have
our own tale to tell. We call it “The Tourists’ Tale.”
As background, the cathedral at Canterbury is the epicenter of Christianity in Eng-
land, and has been in existence in one form or another since St. Augustine's time in the end of
the 6th century. The current cathedral was started in the early 12th century by various use of
gothic architecture in an English church can be seen here, in the quire, which was re-
modeled with gothic, or pointed, windows in about 1170. It was the first use of a
pointed window arch, as opposed to a rounded, Romanesque window arch. Very sim-
ply, this small innovation finally allowed the construction of taller buildings with lar-
ger windows. This was a complete paradigm shift in the construction of church build-
ings in western Europe, and would hold sway for centuries to come. After all, they did-
n’t have electricity.
But the bigger story here is the story of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, and
at various times either a friend or enemy, since boyhood, of a certain Henry Anjou,
who in adulthood sat on the throne of England as Henry II. Seems the two had serious
disconnects on various church versus state questions when they became adults. Even-
tually a few royal thugs made the trip to Canterbury, found the Archbishop, and with a
sword took off the crown of his head, leaving him to quickly bleed to death in the north
CANTERBURY
Canterbury Cathedral
Night Entrance, Canterbury Cathedral
Details of the Canterbury Cathedral Gate-
CANTERBURY
Cathedral Details and Door. An
Expectant Graduate
First English Gothic Building
CANTERBURY
Thomas Becket
CANTERBURY
transept of the cathedral…oh yea, did I mention this happened ON CHRISTMAS DAY!.
..CHRISTMAS DAY?? …hard to believe, but true. Anyway, Merry Freaking Christmas, Tommy!
His people collected that piece of skull and other remnants of the Archbishop, bundled them
up and constructed a magnificent shrine in the back of the cathedral. It was claimed to have
great healing power, and thus attracting pilgrims from across England. The granite steps in the
aisles are worn with huge central groves, caused by the millions of medieval pilgrims climbing
them…-on their knees! And it was Chaucer who wrote his famous collection of tales told by
Medieval Canterbury
CANTERBURY
pilgrims making the journey to Canterbury and the shrine to Thomas Becket, which make up
the famous Canterbury Tales. It is the first important piece of literature written in English. Like
it or not, it is a big deal in the history and development of the English language.
So, back to our tale. We make the train ride from London and arrive at Canterbury about
ninety minutes later. The town retains some of its medieval appearance, although there are
now Starbucks and Gap stores in some of the 14th century storefronts. In the center of the old
town is the gatehouse opening to the grounds of the Cathedral, and it retains all of its histori-
cal charm, including the coats of arms of various princes of England, and especially the Tudor
monarchs, over the gate.
The chance to make this ancient pilgrimage was a once in a life time event. Canterbury Cathe-
dral was one of the primary objectives of this trip. All that, plus it took about an hour and a
half to ride the train from London to Canterbury, and about 75 bucks American . We were
very excited to see the cathedral. We had a bunch of energy invested in this, our pilgrimage.
We did not get there on our knees, but it clearly required its sacrifices.
When we arrived at the gatehouse, where you pay the admission fee, we soon realized that the
Episcopal HQ is Closed!
CANTERBURY
The Ancient Cathedral
CANTERBURY
University of Kent, domiciled in Canterbury, was holding its commencement exercises for the
year, and that the entire nave of the cathedral was closed to the public. CLOSED TO THE PUB-
LIC? It did not register at first. But it quickly did and I was about to go ape shit on the poor
ticket girl. What the hell is that all about? I kept my cool, but inside I was boiling. It just didn’t
seem fair, or even believable. The only sections of the cathedral which we could legitimately
get into were the crypt and the Lady Chapel, known now as the Trinity Chapel, at the back of
the cathedral. We were not sure it was worth the admission fee, which was not discounted.
Needless to say, this was very disappointing, and we stewed over it while we ate our lunch,
neither of us saying a word. “The one freaking day we come to Canterbury, it’s closed!’
We commiserated silently over our pub lunch with the locals, them drinking beer and telling
lies at the noon hour, and us the bitter, puritanical Americans, meditating on our misery over a
A Vow to Penetrate
CANTERBURY
closed cathedral and a diet coke. We resolved to each other that no matter what, we would
keep trying, probing for the weakest point of the barricades, and that sooner or later we would
make our trip to Canterbury worthwhile, even if it be by stealth and deception. We had plenty
of time. After all, this was the Myers Family they were screwing with. We are bred to infiltrate.
Somehow, someway, we were going to see the cathedral and turn this day around.
CANTERBURY
Our first good omen: Hear No Evil, See No Evil, and Speak No Evil.
The Nave
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
W e went back to the cathedral and paid
the twenty bucks admission, without
any guarantee of seeing the inside,
and just started walking around the
place, looking for all the doors and passageways, and
identifying the weak points in security. We were cas-
ing Canterbury Cathedral, and there would be a way!
We had all the time in the world.
We started in the crypt, as everything else seemed
quite secure. It contained various graves and small
chapels. It is also quite musty. It is the oldest part of
the structure, and goes back to Saxon times. I was si-
lent and buried in history as I walked through that
Saxon maze.
We came out of the crypt and into the Trinity Chapel,
which is the back part of the cathedral. The stained-
glass was magnificent. Sometime King Henry IV
(Bolingbroke) and his queen are buried there, the first
of the Lancaster kings, and the only monarch en-
tombed in the ancient church. This is because when
Royal Tombs at Canterbury
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
he died, there was a cult devoted to Beckett, and Henry
wanted to be buried next to him. There too was King Henry
IV’s uncle, Edward the Black Prince, who was the son of Ed-
ward III and heir to the throne. The sons of Edward III were
some badass Plantagenets, who hated the French, and possi-
bly each other. The Black Prince was the eldest, and heir to the
crown. He died, however, shortly before his father, and so his
son, Richard II, acceded to the throne. That did not sit well
The Trinity Chapel
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
with Richard’s cousin, Henry Bolingbroke,
who believed he was better suited to serve as
king, and usurped his cousin’s crown while he
was away. To this day, the Black Prince’s 14th
century armor and saddle hang above his or-
nate funeral effigy, which is found on few
other tombs, the most notable being Henry V’s
tomb at Westminster.
We then found a small opening in one of the
barriers separating the Trinity Chapel from the
rest of the cathedral, and made our way
through it, acting naïve in case we were
caught. We were almost immediately con-
fronted by one of the clergy. It was another
woman priest. Busted! She looked concerned.
“Can’t you see the barricade, Sir?” I immedi-
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
St. Margaret Appears
These pages: a side chapel dedicated tto war dead from
centuries ago; below, a view from the crossing up into
the tower
The Site of the Martyrdom
The Side Door used by the King’s Men
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
The Site of St. Thomas Becket’s Martyrdom
The Site of the Martyrdom
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
ately, instinctively, started in with the hard luck
tale…”all the way from America,” blah blah
blah…”wife an English teacher”,…Blah blah…
“Need to see the Chaucer sites or perish”, blah,
blah…all the obvious pleadings of locked out
tourists.
Lucky for us, she had a secret halo. Her name
was Margaret, whom we have since beautified
and canonized in the Church of St. Beth and St.
Jon, and renamed “St. Margaret of the Corri-
dor.” St. Margaret said, “I really shouldn’t do
this, but Follow Me.” And follow we did.
St. Margaret gave us a private tour, first to the
spot where Thomas Becket had his head sliced
apart with a heavy sword, a Christian martyr
murdered by agents of Henry II Anjou, some-
time King of the Realm. Oddly, the King and the
Archbishop were childhood friends. But their
A Private Tour
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
This page: funeral memorial to Archbishop Chichele top, the Black Prince below
friendship died as each became the leaders of
their respective realms. I was able to pry loose
a small flake of rock used on the stairs for our
“Rock Collection.” Think of it…that flake was
probably a witness to the martyrdom of the
first rock star of the English Church, standing
firm against the wishes of a power hungry
monarch. It would happen countless times
thereafter, usually with the same result.
She then led us to the area where his shrine
existed before it was demolished by agents of
Henry VIII during the mid-16th century Eng-
lish Reformation. The spot where the shrine
stood is now marked by a solitary candle. It
was interesting to see all of the other hapless
tourists banished from the nave due to the
University of Kent’s commencement, watch-
ing us as we were led into this most sacred
area, past the barriers, by our Episcopal shep-
herd, St. Maggie.
An Academic Procession Forms
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
St. Maggie of the Corridor took the time to talk to us about the history of the chapel, and it was
as if we had our own private tour guide into sections of the cathedral which the ordinary pub-
lic was not able to see. Perfect. My kind of day. And it was about to get better.
I love a good academic possession, and the commencement exercises turned out to be a plus. A
huge plus, actually. While the crowd of happy parents gathered in the giant nave, clutching
their admission tickets and programs, the academics from the University were assembling
back in the Trinity Chapel, next to the fifteenth century alabaster tomb of Cardinal Henry
Chichele. (Chichele was in the very first class of students at the New College, Oxford when it
opened its doors in 1379. He became great friends with Henry V and became Archbishop of
Canterbury. He also founded All Souls College, Oxford, one of the finest institutions in the
world.) We then sat in the Chapel and watched while the various big wigs at the University
gathered for their procession into the Commencement ceremonies, all dressed in academic re-
galia. There were gowns and hoods from many different universities including Oxford and
Cambridge, Edinburgh, and the University of London. There were also a few American style
doctoral robes and hoods, which seem dark and somber when compared to its colorful English
counterparts.
We took another small tour of the cathedral’s precincts, and made our way back at 5:30 for
Chichele’s Tomb
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
University of Kent faculty members preparing for commencement at the back of the cathedral
Evensong, which was held in the quire, while in
another portion of the cathedral, commence-
ment exercises for a different department of the
University were preparing to begin again.
We take these incredible structures for granted.
But think about it: They are made of solid stone,
and were constructed without the first drop of
fossil fuel or electricity. They were literally
made by hand.
Really, cathedrals were the domed stadiums of
medieval times. Under its roof, the community
could gather, protected from the elements, and
witness ritual and music. Imagine what the mu-
sic sounded like to an audience unfamiliar with
recorded music. It must have been magical. This
has to be the closest medievals got to a Grateful
Dead show! It was all very beautiful and one
certainly felt a part of history in such an iconic
venue.
After evensong, we went to a local restaurant
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
Evensong at Canterbury
and had our first sampling of fish and chips. Sadly, the afternoon cook did not defrost the fish
and the batter did not stick to the fish fillets. While they were certainly tasty, they were very
heavy in the stomach for several hours afterward.
On the train ride back, we sat with a woman named Victoria from Lithuania who was in Eng-
land working at a nursery school. She said she spoke 3 1/2 different languages. She had a per-
fect English accent. It was interesting to hear her impressions of both England as well as
America.
On our way back to the hotel, Beth mumbled something about “damn infections. “ I tried to
ignore it, hoping whatever it was would resolve overnight.
The First of Many Brass Eagle Lecterns
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
This Page: Detail of the Entrance Gate to
Canterbury Cathedral built in the mid-15th
century, showing the arms of both Royal and
ecclesiastical supporters.
Front door to the Rectory.
Canterbury Cathedral
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
This Page: detail of carved doorway in the
front gate.
Beth in the cloisters
Canterbury Cathedral
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
A nd so ended our pilgrimage to
Canterbury Cathedral. It is a
remarkable place, muddied with
history. We had our ups and
downs, but as it turns out, everything
worked out just fine. We hope to visit
again someday, and we owe it to ourselves
to do that since we had never actually
been in the nave of the Cathedral. It’s al-
ways nice to leave some stones unturned
Canterbury Cathedral
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
W ednesday, July 11, 2007, Beth
was not feeling well and real-
ized that she was indeed suf-
fering from a bladder infec-
tion. It was clear that things were going to
get bad. The only question was “how
bad?” How bad physically? How bad trip
wise? And how bad on the pocketbook? The
answer could easily have been BAD, all the
way around.
She went to the pharmacy and was directed to the local Royal Brompton Hospital, where she
was tested and the bladder infection was confirmed. She was given various antibiotics, and the
entire affair cost us just under $12 for the medical care and the prescription. Elapsed time:
about 3.5 hours. Effect on Trip? None. Thank you, St. Maggie of the Corridor, for your contin-
ued blessings. The United States could learn something about health care from the British.
HOSPITAL
Hospital
W e dressed up and went to the
Globe Theater, which sits on
the southern bank of the
Thames River across from St.
Paul’s Cathedral, where we watched
Othello, the Moor of Venice. Because the
Globe is a recreation of Shakespeare’s
original, the seats were very rustic, and
hard, and the play lasted approximately 3
1/2 hours. Renaissance Englishmen
clearly had asses which were far more cal-
loused and resilient than the asses of mod-
ern men.
MEMO TO THE BARD: It could have been about 90 minutes shorter.
THE GLOBE THEATER
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
W e went to the National Liberal
Club in Whitehall after the
play, right on the
Thames. The Liberal Party
was a powerful force in the late 19th and early
20th centuries, but hit the skids in the modern
era (but arguably making a comeback.)The
Club downsized in recent years, selling por-
tions of its grand clubhouse to other concerns,
but it still has a large library, a beautiful bar
and dining room, a gargantuan oval marble
staircase, guest rooms, and several committee
meeting rooms. It has a long, tree-lined terrace
overlooking the Embankment Park, where
members are served food and drink in season.
It was the club of the Grand Old Man, William
Gladstone, and the young English bulldog,
Winston Churchill. We sat on the terrace over-
looking the park and enjoyed light beverages.
The National Liberal Club is a fun place. Amd
the same bartender as 2007! We will be back!
We made our way back to South Kensington
and the Cranley, where we ate…where else?…
Garfunkel's!
NATIONAL LIBERAL CLUB
The National Liberal Club
Gladstone and Clegg
NATIONAL LIBERAL CLUB
The Library at NLC
NATIONAL LIBERAL CLUB
The Library at NLC
NATIONAL LIBERAL CLUB
The Library at NLC
NATIONAL LIBERAL CLUB
The Library at NLC
NATIONAL LIBERAL CLUB
The NLC
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
The Medieval Abbey
Arial and Blueprint views of the Abbey and its Precincts
F riday, July 13, 2007 we
awoke and had breakfast as
usual at Garfunkel's. It seems
to be a pattern. Or just con-
venient. After that we took the Tube to
Westminster Station to hit Westmin-
ster Abbey. This church is perhaps the
most famous in all of England. It is
actually not a cathedral as that word is
typically defined; it is instead a
“Collegiate Church” It is filled to the brim with graves and memorials, to the great and worthy
individuals in British history, including about 17 ruling kings and queens of the realm.
After paying the $30 admission, we entered the Abbey through the north porch entrance,
where memorials to military and government hero sat. We then came to the North Ambula-
tory which worked around the top arch of the apse. In the middle of this semi-circular walk is
St. Edward’s Chapel, named after the Saxon king, Edward the Confessor. This chapel is where
many of the early Plantagenet kings of England are buried, circling St. Edwards shrine in the
middle. This would include Henry III, Edward I, his grandson Edward III, Richard II, the
great Lancastrian Henry V, as well as most of their Queens. Unfortunately, we were unable to
get close to the shrine as that was apparently reserved for VIPs. I will make it there someday.
Immediately in front of the high altar was the exact location where all the kings and queens of
England have been crowned at their coronations for nearly a thousand years. Beth and I stood
The Abbey Cloisters
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
The Lady Chapel
in this exact spot. Nothing happened. Clicked heels...nothing.
The Abbey holds approximately 2000 people in regular seats if all of the seats are set
up. However, during the coronation of monarchs, bleachers are erected and up to 8000 people
are jam packed into the Abbey to witness the event. After all, the chief purpose of the corona-
tion was to make sure the true monarch was crowned, and that everyone there recognized and
agreed that the right person was being crowned. Not a concern nowadays, but it was a huge
concern in medieval times.
To the east of the apse is the Henry VII Lady Chapel. It was originally built by the great Tudor,
Henry VII, to house the tomb of his pretended ancestor, Henry VI. As there was a cult calling
for that dead king’s sainthood, it was easy for the parsimonious Tudor to highjack state funds
for its construction. It has one of the finest fan vaults ceiling in all of England, and the world.
As fate would have it, and as Henry Tudor probably predicted, the cult of Henry VI died out.
Who then to entomb in this, the finest tomb in all of England? Why, Henry Tudor, of course!
And it is a beautiful tomb indeed. Within the protective brass grill work is a large chest made
of black Purbeck marble. Atop it lie the recumbent gilded effigies of Henry Tudor (Henry VII)
and Elizabeth York. It was cast by an Italian artist named Torrigiano, and is probably pretty
accurate in appearance, at least for the King’s effigy. Their marriage was the event which
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
Nazi Damage
The Nave and North Transept
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
Newton’s Tomb
This page: current and historical views of the tomb of King
Edward the confessor, who was later canonized.
Opposite page: different views of the tomb of King Henry III,
who in 1230 started the construction of the current Abbey
and dedicated it to his hero, King/St. Edward the confessor.
In fact, Henry III named his son Edward in honor of his
hero, who went on to become the great warrior king Edward
I, who is known principally for sacking both the Welsh and
Scots
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
Dead Kings
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
Tomb of Henry III
Henry VII Chapel panorama; the carved
effigy of Mary Queen of Scots who was
brought (in two pieces!) to the Abbey for
reburial by her son, King James I. One won-
ders if perhaps Prince William, upon being
made Kingin the 20 or so years, would move
his mother’s mortal remains to the Abbey for
reburial with the Kings and Queens of Eng-
land.
I would.
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
Royal Tombs
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
Royal Tombs
Top: the fan vaulting in Henry
VII Chapel, arguably the best
in the world.
Various historical views of the
Abbey, including a view into
the burial crypt of Henry VII’s
tomb, which is when they dis-
covered that King James I was
also buried with his grandfa-
ther Henry and his grand-
mother Elizabeth of York
Below: an exterior view of
King Henry VII’s Chapel
which is located on the far
East side of the Abbey
united the Lancaster and York claims to the
throne of England, all stemming from Edward
III’s youngest son, John of Gaunt, who sired fami-
lies with two women, and descendents from both
families have ruled as monarchs. A Brit version of
the Hatfields and the McCoys, except they were
royalty, not hillbillys. (little difference)
It is there that we also saw the tomb of Elizabeth I
and Mary I, the sisters, who are buried together,
but who were separated by religion during their
lifetimes in the aftermath of the Reformation, and
the bloody legacy of their mutual father, Henry
VIII. On the other side of Henry VII’s chapel are
buried all the Stuart Kings of England, as well as
their matriarchs, the beheaded Mary, Queen of
Scots, and Henry Tudor’s mother, the incompara-
ble Lady Margaret Beaufort. She engineered the
Tudor usurpation of the throne, and was clearly a
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
Survives the Blitz
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
Poets Corner
Different views of the southern transept,
familiarly known as “Poets’ Corner.”
master manipulator. She is highly
regarded even today.
After that, we proceeded around
the South Ambulatory around the
south side of the Confessor’s Tomb,
to Poets’ Corner, where there are
graves and memorials to some of
the world's most famous authors
and actors. Most notable was the
grave of Geoffrey Chaucer, as well
as the memorial to William Shakespeare. But there are also tributes to Sir Laurence Oliver,
Mark Twain, and David Garrick, to name only a few.
We strolled through the cloisters which surrounded a fine garden, and walked through the
Chapter House which was built by Henry III in medieval times as a meeting room for the
clergy of Westminster, and at various times the room has served as the home of the English
Parliament, as well as a storage room for documents up until late 19th century. Much of the
stained glass was blown out during the Blitz, and the new stained glass is brightly colored and
depicts the Arms of several loyal subjects. It looks old, but is relatively new.
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
The Dark Cloister
Westminster Abbey is nature crystallized into a conventional form by man, with his sorrows, his joys, his failures, and his seeking for the Great Spirit. It is a frozen requiem, with a na-tion's prayer ever in dumb music ascending.
M. E. W. Sherwood
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
The Cloisters
The Abbey suffered significant damage during
World War II. One bomb hit the bulls eye and
nailed the central crossing, the place where mon-
archs are crowned. It was no doubt targeted by
the Germans due to its symbolism to the Brits. It
is nothing short of amazing that it has been recon-
structed in such a way that one would never rec-
ognize the sections destroyed during the Blitz-
krieg.
We also visited St. Margret's, which is immedi-
ately next door to the Abbey. How fitting, they
named it after St. Maggie of the Corridor! It is a
fine old church dating from the 17th century and
contains many graves and memorials. It, too, was
damaged during the Blitz, but again, you would
never know it.
On Friday evening we purchased a
roasted chicken and other deli
foods from the Waitrose and took
the Tube to St. James Park. There
we had a small improvised picnic
in the park, on a beautiful clear and
cool evening. We could see West-
minster Palace (not Abbey) and
hear Big Ben chime the evening
hours. We shopped around Picca-
dilly and returned to our hotel.
A panorama of the magnificent Henry VII Chapel. The colored
stained glass in the rear window was put into place after World War
II, when the original window was blown out by Nazi bombs
Originally, the entire Chapel was lighted by colored stained glass.
However, these are found to be too showy for the Puritans, who re-
placed the original colored stained glass with simple clear glass.
The colored flags each represent a member of the Order of the Bath,
which calls this Chapel its home. It is much like the Chapel at Win-
dsor, which is used as the headquarters for the Order of the Garter.
While the Prince of Wales is responsible for running the Bath, it is the
Queen who alone chooses members of the Order of the Garter.
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
Tudor Fan Vaulting
"And they shall then behold the scene around
In wasted age, in antique beauty, faded;
Our great Cathedral fane in silence bound."
Whitehead's "Legends of London."
T hursday, July 12, 2007 we hit the Tower
of London, which was the first official
residence of the current line of British
monarchs starting with William the Con-
queror. It is much larger now, after several enlarge-
ments over the past thousand years. It has served
more as a prison and armory in the last few centu-
ries, and it is most famous for housing the mon-
arch’s jewels and regalia, including the various
crowns of state, the oldest dating back to the Resto-
ration in 1661. The earlier bejeweled crowns were
seized and destroyed by the Parliamentarians in the
aftermath of the Civil War. Thank you, Oliver
Cromwell… Dick. (But I understand your point!)
After a brief walk through the Tower’s precincts, we
sat in the chapel of St. Peter, where they claim 1500
headless bodies are buried beneath its stone pave-
ment, one’s remains being deposited there after be-
ing execution at the block. This number has to be a
gross exaggeration, as there were only seven execu-
tions which actually took place in the Tower, and
THE TOWER OF LONDON
Headless Bodies in the Tower
The Tower from the air: One can
see the various security rings which
enclose the central area, and were
added over the course of several
hundred years. Before modern war-
fare, it had to be a pretty tough nut
to crack.
three of those were queens.
(Boleyn, Gray, Howard…see ya, girls!). There may be 1500 bodies, but they aren’t all headless.
It does make a good story, though. The Boleyn headstone is on the high alter, but it is covered
by a communion table. They have to pull the table cover up to see the stone. It is hard to tell if
they like her or not. She was the mother of Elizabeth I, arguably the best monarch the Brits
ever produced, so cut old Bessie some slack, I say!
Outside of the chapel we saw the site where Boleyn and several others had their heads lopped
off at the block. There is a beautiful monument, capped with a crystal pillow…the pillow they
would let these soon-to-be headless queens to rest their shaking knees as the knelt and passed
into the great unknown. We also saw one of the blocks used for the last beheading which oc-
curred in the 18th Century. There were LOTS of axe marks on the ridge that one laid their head, each with
THE TOWER OF LONDON
The Bloody Tower
its own story. It was rather gruesome.
.
We then hit the so-called “Bloody Tower,”
which is where builders discovered the bod-
ies of the young teen Edward V and his
brother the Duke of York. They were killed in
1483, and their skeletons were found by
workmen while doing renovations back in
the 1600s. The two were allegedly killed by
either Richard III, or Henry VII, or one of
their cronies. It depends on who you talk to.
Historians seem to be unevenly divided on
the issue, with the majority favoring the Rich-
ard III theory. But Henry Tudor knew a thing
or two about usurping power, and had the
motive as well. So, who knows?
We left the castle and visited Tower Hill which
is the site of public executions for people who
THE TOWER OF LONDON
Tower Hill and More Dead Bodies
Opposite: Traitors Gate, which opens up to
the River and through which enemies of the
state were transported to the Tower. Site of
numerous beheadings.
Above: columns located in St. John’s
Chapel.Royal Canons and one Beefeater
did not have great favor with the king, which is located outside
the Tower walls. We also viewed all of the crown jewels, including the Imperial Crown of State
which contains the largest diamond in the world. The display also had various coronation ac-
coutrements, such as punch bowls, chalices, and maces, all made of solid gold. Most only date
back to the Restoration(1661), as the originals were destroyed by Cromwell and the Parliamen-
tarians during the Civil War and the Interregnum.
Finally, we visited the dungeon in the bottom of the Bloody Tower, which was re-created with
the various instruments used for the torture of enemies during the reign of the early kings of
England. The Tower was also used as a prison for the Nazi, Rudolf Hess, before being trans-
ferred to Nuremburg Prison.
The Tower was pretty cool. It would have been nice for there to have been fewer people, but
that’s the way it goes, I guess.
THE TOWER OF LONDON
The Nazi Prison
THE TOWER OF LONDON
Too Many People at the Tower
Opposite: the central aisle and high
alter of St. Johns Chapel.
This page: stained-glass Located in
the Chapel and a carving displayed in
the general exhibits area
THE TOWER OF LONDON
The White Palace
THE OXFORD CAMBRIDGE CLUB, LONDON
The Oxford Cambridge Club
The front entrance of the Oxford and Cambridge Club, located on Pall Mall, London. The blue crest of Oxford and
the Red Cross of Cambridge topped the entrance. The windows to the left Are in the Morning Room, and the win-
dow to the right is the formal dining room. The Windows above are parts of the library.
S aturday, July 14, 2007 In the
morning we packed our bags and
made our way from The Cranley
to the Oxford Cambridge Club
(O&C, or The Oxbridge) in St. James. O&C
is reciprocal with the Columbia Club of
Indianapolis, and thus we were able to use
its facilities. After we checked in our lug-
gage, we went off exploring the St. James
area, and all the different clubs, including
White's, Boodles, Brooks, and the Carlton.
This is not to say that we went inside. But
it was fun viewing the exteriors. We Then
THE OXFORD CAMBRIDGE CLUB, LONDON
Clubland
returned to the club andexplored exten-
sively the O&C, including its four fine li-
braries and ample supply of free station-
ery, just ripe for the picking. In the base-
ment was a large billiards room, as well as
private dining rooms. We had dinner in
The formal dining room which dates from
the early 19th century, and didn’t have
electric lights until the mid Twentieth cen-
tury. To this day, members may request
candles on the tables, just as tradition
would dictate. There were old paintings of
ancient aristocrats and royals affiliated
with the two universities, covering the
walls. Luckily, there was a large group of
An Expensive Room
THE OXFORD CAMBRIDGE CLUB, LONDON
people at the table next to us, and therefore
the dining room seemed very lively, despite
the fact that there were very few present, and
those were mostly old men, scattered about
the club either sleeping in leather chairs, or
possibly dead. Although we had a nice time at
the club, the truth of the matter is that the
rooms at the O&C leave something to be de-
sired. We slept in a very small room, no bigger
than a couple of elevators, in a bed which
must have dated from the early 19th century.
Not a very good bargain, and for a mere $500
per night! On the plus side, we can say that we
stayed at one of the oldest, most exclusive gen-
tlemen's clubs in London.
Quid Pro Quo.
The Morning Room
THE OXFORD CAMBRIDGE CLUB, LONDON
The Parlor
THE OXFORD CAMBRIDGE CLUB, LONDON
The beautiful library of the Oxford Cambridge Club. I
would like to die in this room, and not some nursing
home. Not sure how the membership would take it,
probably not well.
THE OXFORD CAMBRIDGE CLUB, LONDON
The Oxbridge Library
THE OXFORD CAMBRIDGE CLUB, LONDON
The Oxbridge Library
The Formal Dining Room of the Oxford Cambridge Club
Concluding thoughts about London
On to Oxford
OXFORD’S ORIGINS
Oxford is located approximately 60 miles northwest of London, on the Thames River.
It is a town of ancient origins. It served as a major crossroad, and offered a fine ford of
the River Cherwell, through which many a Saxon used to cross his cattle and oxen.
Over the years it has been attacked by Vikings, served as a major commercial center,
and provided a royal enclave to a host of monarchs.
More importantly, though, is that Oxford was home to several significant religious in-
stitutions, including an abbey, a priory, several monastic houses of one order or the
other, countless churches, some next door to one another, and ultimately a Cathedral.
These religious institutions trained its members in its particular brand of religious or-
thodoxy and dogma. Eventually, reputations developed with certain houses and cer-
tain teachers, and there came a point when parents began sending their sons to Oxford
not so they could be monks or priests, but so they would be able to read and write,
and assist either the crown or church in the administration of the realm. Thus, stu-
dents not entering the priesthood became known as the “secular clergy.”
Sometime in the 11th century a couple individuals became very well known and
were sought out as “masters.” Soon, certain masters became associated with certain
“halls, “ and the halls ultimately evolved into the Oxford college of today. ” It is
about this time that the University recognizes its origin, in the late eleventh century.
THE COLLEGES
What is different about Oxford from American colleges is that the so called
“University of Oxford” is composed of about 40 different, independent colleges
which are composed of anywhere from 200 to 1000 students apiece. Every single stu-
dent and every single faculty member is a member of one of the 40 colleges. While
the University does maintain certain academic buildings and the great Bodleian Li-
brary, the rest is maintained by the colleges. And they are protective of their treas-
ures. Nearly all of the colleges are secured by former military personnel, and access
to and from the property is only to be found at certain gates, or gatehouses. With some
exceptions, one does not just walk into an Oxford college to stroll its grounds or tour
its buildings. But they can be penetrated if one is polite, knowledgeable, and patient.
Several were founded during medieval times, several more during the Renaissance
and the Enlightenment, and several more in the 19th and 20th centuries. Some are
quite famous, others you have never heard of. Some were founded by kings, queens,
bishops, and wealthy benefactors who wished to create an eternal group of young men
who would pray daily into perpetuity for the founders’ departed souls. Others were
founded by religious houses or community organizations. Each has its own story, its
own treasures, its own academic reputation.
And each of these colleges is independently owned, has its own property composed of
several acres, and its own set of buildings, which are primarily composed of quadran-
gles. That means that each college has its own chapel, its own dining hall, its own li-
brary, student accommodations, and athletic amenities . Some of these buildings are
hundreds of years old, and some were built within the last 10 years. These buildings
are usually one of two styles: either some form of gothic architecture, some form of
classical architecture, and even a couple buildings are an unusual combination of both.
Also, some colleges have more money than other colleges. Sometimes, a lot more
money. The wealthier colleges not only have ample reserves of cash, but they also own
significant tracts of real estate all over England, which create a steady source of reve-
nue for the college. Many of these properties were given to the college at its founding,
and have been owned ever since and providing a steady source of money. Some have
art treasures and historical artifacts comparable to any major museum. You can usu-
ally tell which colleges have a lot of money based upon the condition of their oldest
buildings. If the oldest buildings are well maintained, you can bet that the college has a
healthy endowment. Some are so famous that they charge an admission fee, for exam-
ple Christ Church, which has been used in all the Harry Potter movies. Thousands of
visitors a day pay the $8 charge to see the famous hall, the front quadrangle and the art
museum.
Each college has a head, whom is known variously from college to college as either a
warden, master, president, principal, dean, provost or rector —based upon the dictates
of the individuals or organizations which founded that particular college. Many of
these heads are at Oxford after long and productive careers in business or the church,
and some work their ways through the faculty ranks. Also, educators are known as tu-
tors, readers, lecturers, or professors based upon their merit and tenure. All are re-
ferred to generally as Fellowes.
GOTHIC VERSUS CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURAL STYLES
To summarize, the college and university buildings at Oxford are probably the best
collection of pre-industrial age buildings in the world. To understand them architec-
turally, one needs to understand the differences between gothic and classical architec-
ture.
Gothic is a term used to describe a style originated in France but mastered by the Eng-
lish. It is what we Americans know as a traditional style of church, with pointy win-
dows, bell towers and a lack of exact bilateral symmetry. In England, any building-
church, school, offices, palaces, government buildings-can be found it the gothic style.
The style hit England in about 1170, in the Quire of Canterbury Cathedral by a French
bishop named Lanfranc, and continued as the primary style of a public building
through 1600, and then was resurrected in the late 19th century which is known as
Gothic revival. Parliament building in London is the prime example of Gothic architec-
ture built during the revival of the 1800s. Other than churches, in America about the
only place one will find Gothic buildings are on university campuses that can afford to
build such highly ornamental buildings. Some American colleges with significant
gothic buildings include Yale, Princeton, Duke, and the University of Chicago. Many
state universities had large gothic libraries that were sadly raised in favor of more
modern buildings in the late twentieth century. Our loss.
In about 1600 Gothic became a worn out style of architecture and the classical style of
architecture from Rome and Greece was used by colleges in new buildings constructed
between 1650 and 1850. The style of architecture is the type that most all American
governmental buildings have used since time immemorial. The Capitol building , the
White House, the Supreme Court, the Lincoln Memorial, and countless statehouses…
are all of the so called “classical” style.
THE MEDIEVAL HALL
E ngland is a country with many halls, some centuries old, and all of them beautiful in
their own way. The tradition was started by the Anglo Saxon invaders of the sixth
century. Their origins on the continent are obscure, but it seems logical that they
evolved from the Viking long houses. The oldest English hall still in existence is
Westminster Hall, which was started by William II (Rufus) in about 1100.
Each of the Oxbridge colleges also contain a Hall in which the members eat daily. They too can
be ancient or modern, big or small, extravagant or quaint. There are some that seat a relatively
small number of people, while others can accommodate large crowds. Some are without a
question the most beautiful rooms in all of England, and arguably the world.
COMPARATIVE HALLS
All Souls College, Oxford 1720
New College, Oxford 1380 St. John’s College, Cambridge 1515
Magdalen College, Oxford 1460
COMPARATIVE HALLS
Jesus College, Oxford 1600
Trinity College, Cambridge 1600
St. John’s College, Oxford 1430
Christ Church, Oxford 1525 Exeter College, Oxford 1620
COMPARATIVE HALLS
Jesus College Christ Church Magdalen College
Merton College
Trinity College, Oxon New College All Souls College
Exeter College St. John’s College
COMPARATIVE CHAPELS
THE OXBRIDGE COLLEGE CHAPEL
E ach of the many colleges at both Oxford and Cam-
bridge have a chapel for the use of the faculty and
student body. These chapels can be ancient, or rela-
tively new. They can be quite large and magnificent,
or small and quaint. Some are in the Gothic style of architec-
ture, while others draw upon classical architecture. Most con-
tain memorials to college worthies, and a few contain the si-
lent tombs of men dedicated to their College. Many contain
treasurers related to the history of the college. In any event,
each chapel is an individual treasure. While they may appear
similar upon a first inspection, further study will reveal the
subtle differences among them.
Clare College
Kings College St Johns, Cantab Trinity College, Cantab
Corpus Christi Sussex College
COMPARATIVE CHAPELS
S unday, June 15, 2007 We repacked our
bags, for the second time in as many
days, and headed to the Piccadilly
Tube, and from there to Paddington
Station to catch the train to Oxford. As we
walked to the station, we cut through St. James
Square, which was very quiet at 8 on a Sunday
morning. There were lots of expensive cars
parked around the perimeter of the fenced in
gardens, and wonderful old town houses sur-
rounding the gardens. The homes originally be-
longed to the ultra-wealthy of London, and in-
cluded its fair share of royals. Later the homes
were converted into club houses and libraries.
Now they seem to be London HQ for large in-
ternational companies that can afford the prici-
est real estate in the realm.
We were excited, and it seemed like the trip
CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD
The Train to Oxford
Mansfield Col-
Christ Church
All Souls College
Bodleian Library
Magdalen College
St. John’s College
Oriel College
New College
Pembroke Col-
Merton College
Balliol College
Radcliffe Camera
took forever. We had a 300 pound American
woman wedged into her seat in front of us,
and she drove me crazy with her whiney com-
plaints. But we finally arrived at Oxford right
around noon. We grabbed a cab and started
heading toward the university. We were
somewhat disoriented and did not know ex-
actly what side of town we were coming in on.
I now know that we were on the south side of
Oxford. I soon saw some ancient buildings on
my right hand side that I sort of recognized,
especially the gatehouse tower known by the
name of its bell, Tom. Then I realized that we
were right in front of my destination, Christ
Church. The gate house and Tom Tower are
massive. The cab stopped, I kissed my wife,
got out with my baggage, and walked through
CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD
Arrival at Christ Church
the magnificent front gate built by Wolsey
almost 500 years ago. There were tourists
everywhere, who were not allowed to pass
through the front gate. They were all gawk-
ing at the quadrangle, probably because of
its association to the Harry Potter movies. It
was a lot of fun walking between them, tell-
ing the porter I was there for the program,
and being ushered into the college, straight-
away. So long, Oxford tourists barricades!
As I walked into the great quadrangle of
Christ Church I could not help but to be
stunned into awe by its immense size and
scale, and its age. After all, it was built, for
the most part, in the early 1500’s. I was very
happy to be there. I was told at registration
CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD
The Old Library
The Cathedral
CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD
"The wind had dropped. There was even a glimpse of the moon riding be-
hind the clouds. And now, a solemn and plangent token of Oxford's perpe-
tuity, the first stroke of Great Tom sounded."
— Max Beerbohm, Chapter 21, Zuleika Dobson (1922)
that my room was in “Old Library.” I had
done enough reading to have a pretty good
idea where it was. A student helped me take
my bags to my room which is a very large
room, number 11, located on the third floor.
The old library is actually the original hall,
or “Refectory,” of the old priory church
which stood here and was in existence long
before Christ Church was founded in 1525.
Parts of the ancient Church are said to have
existed since Saxon times, probably around
the year 900. The Vikings attacked it once,
and a few of their number where locked into
the church they were sacking, and BURNED
IT DOWN!. It originally consisted of a very
small church, which is still attached to the
cathedral and is called the Latin Chapel.
There they have a shrine to St. Frideswide.
My room has two very large windows with
gothic points at the top and which are ap-
proximately 6 feet tall and overlook the mas-
My Room
CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD
The East Range of Tom Quad;
sive Meadows Building. I found out later that the building was
converted to rooms for aristocratic students from Westminster
School in London, in about 1771. My room had two single beds, a
study table, refrigerator, sink and closed up fireplace. The large
windows were excellent, and contained the ubiquitous window
seat and cushion. These are found in most of the pre-electricity
rooms at Oxford, as an aid to reading.
CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD
Christ Church, Oxford
CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD
Christ Church, Oxford
"Those twins / Of learning that he [Wolsey] raised in you,
Ipswich and Oxford! one of which fell with him,
Unwilling to outlive the good that did it;
The other, though unfinish'd, yet so famous,
So excellent in art, and still so rising,
That Christendom shall ever speak his virtue."
— William Shakespeare, Henry VIII
Direct reference to Christ Church
CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD
Mercury
I n the middle of the front quadrangle is a fountain known as Mercury. It stands about 10
feet tall and has a pond around it probably 15 feet in diameter. It is actually the second
statue of Mercury to occupy the spot, as the first one long since disintegrated and was
replaced. However, the head of the old statue still resides in the Upper Library of the col-
lege.
Probably thousands of undergraduates have been involuntarily thrown into the fountain and
its pool, either for good reason or no reason. However, when I was there no one was thrown
MERCURY FOUNTAIN AT CHRIST CHURCH
into the pool.
There are thousands of photographs
of Mercury. These are a few of mine.
I found that the fountain changed in
a way that it appeared based upon
the position of the sun and shadows.
It was always a temptation to take a
photograph of the fountain when-
ever I walk by it.
Mercury
MERCURY FOUNTAIN AT CHRIST CHURCH
Mercury
MERCURY FOUNTAIN AT CHRIST CHURCH
MERCURY FOUNTAIN AT CHRIST CHURCH
Mercury
"By way of light entertainment, I should tell the Committee that it is well known that
a match between an archer and a golfer can be fairly close. I spent many a happy eve-
ning in the centre of Peckwater Quadrangle at Christ Church, with a bow and arrow,
trying to put an arrow over the Kilcannon building into the Mercury Pond in Tom
Quad. On occasion, the golfer would win and, on occasion, I would win. Unfortu-
nately, that had to stop when I put an arrow through the bowler hat of the head por-
ter. Luckily, he was unhurt and bore me no ill will. From that time on he always sent
me a Christmas card which was signed 'To Robin Hood from the Ancient Briton'"
— Lord Crawshaw, House of Lords Hansard, Tuesday 8 Jul 1997
T he crown jewel of Christ Church is
its early 16th century hall, which
sits in the southeast corner of the
front quad. It was built by Cardinal
Wolsey in about 1525 and was the first build-
ing started and completed for his new college,
which was to be known as Cardinal College.
Unfortunately, the good Cardinal did not last
long enough to finish it, once he was proved
unable to obtain a divorce between King
Henry VIII and his Queen, Catherine of
Aragon. The college consequently remained
only partially completed, with the Hall, the
west and south ranges of the front quad, and
the humongous kitchen which adjoins hall be-
ing the remnants of the Cardinal’s great en-
deavor. After Wolsey fell, these buildings
were taken over by King Henry VIII and incor-
porated into his new college, Christ Church, in
about 1546.
Wolsey’s Project
CHRIST CHURCH HALL
Paintings in Hall
The Hall will look familiar to most people as it is
the original inspiration for the hall depicted in
the Harry Potter movies. Further, it has been
duplicated at American institutions, like Cornell
and the University of Chicago.
The Hall contains dozens of oil portraits of its
more famous members painted by very famous
painters, including several Gainsboroughs. The
most famous portraits are at the front of the
Hall, and include the famous Holbein portrait of
Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey, Queen Elizabeth I,
and several others. In the rear are notable por-
traits of Lewis Dodgson, (Lewis Carroll) who
spent his adult life at Christ Church, as scholar
then fellow. There is also a portrait of John
Wesley, the founder of Methodism, who was a
CHRIST CHURCH HALL
High Table at Christ Church
CHRIST CHURCH HALL
CHRIST CHURCH HALL
scholar here in the 18th century.
Joining the Hall are several private dining
rooms which are used by various clubs and
individuals throughout the year. Also, at the
top of the stairway, is the college buttery,
CHRIST CHURCH HALL
which is to say that it is the college bar. It is deco-
rated with several rowing oars which have been
used by the championship rowing teams fielded by
the House.
CHRIST CHURCH HALL
Ancient student graffiti at tha base of the
stairway to hall, from the early 1700’s,
done in nail heads and protesting the
prime ministership of Robert Peel, him-
self a former scholar from the college
during his Osford days.
M y classes were held in a room located
in Peckwater Quadrangle. The room
itself was on the ground floor, and
was composed of a large room with
walnut paneling (real walnut paneling) and a small
bedroom off one side and a smaller bedroom on the
other side. Initially, the small bedrooms for the stu-
dent and the smaller bedroom was for his servant.
This quadrangle was built in the very early 1700s,
And that was a far different time than we find our-
selves in today
PECKWATER QUAD, CHRIST CHURCH
The Walk to Peckwater Quad
The walk from Tom Quad to Peckwater.
Sundial; Staircase 3, site of my class: Boat
Club triumphs Wrought Iron light fixtures
PECKWATER QUAD, CHRIST CHURCH
Peckwater
E ven though Christ Church is one of the
largest colleges at either Oxford or Cam-
bridge, the odd thing is that it never has
had a purpose built chapel. At first, this
was unnecessary, as the land which was dedicated to
the college was the site of a medieval priory, includ-
ing a large priory church. In 1546 King Henry VIII
restructured the church and made Oxford and the for-
mer priory at Christ Church the new Oxford Cathe-
dral, complete with a bishop and a Dean. To this day,
the Chapel at Christ Church is still a Cathedral in the
Anglican Church and has several services each and
CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL
Tha Cathedral
every day. It is also the smallest Cathedral in all of England.
Portions of the Cathedral date back to the 10th century, and maybe earlier. On the Northeast
side of the Cathedral is a small chapel known as the Latin Chapel. This is what remains of the
original structure. Contained in this area are relics belonging to a St.Frideswide who allegedly
lived during the ninth century and was responsible for several miracles. Whatever.
Beth and I attended a couple of services in the Cathedral. Although it is the smallest Cathedral
in all of England, it is a medieval gem and is one of my favorites.
CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL
Creation of the Cathedral
A Side Chapel
CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL
Views in the Oxford Cathedral
CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL
CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL
Stained glass in the Cathedral
CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL