Category Archives: Westminster

Westminster Abbey – Pt 2 The Tour Begins

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Westminster Abbey - Pt 2 The Tour Begins

The featured image at the top of the page shows the north side of the abbey at evening time, and this is where the tour begins. After passing through the security checks, we enter the abbey through the medieval North Porch where there are two ticket desks – one on each side of the doors. I believe at busy times those with pre-booked tickets are ushered through on one side, and those without, on the other. I can’t say with certainty, as I’ve never been involved in a queue, but it does seem to make sense.

As you walk into the North Transept, you’ll see a desk in front of you with free audio guides being dished out, and if you haven’t been before, I recommend that you take one. In actual fact, you can download an app to your phone, but the audio guides are better. Over to your right are maps in different languages which are useful, but not detailed.

The North Transept is also known as the Statesmen’s Aisle, which is an apt description given all the statues and monuments to politicians here. The problem with trying to photograph them though is that the benches with the audio guides get in the way somewhat.

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Originally posted 2023-03-07 05:58:00.

Westminster Abbey – Pt 1 An Introduction

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Westminster Abbey - Pt 1 An Introduction

When I started blogging back in 2017, Westminster Abbey was one of my earliest attempts at connecting with the blogosphere, but things have changed since then. Not only has my style changed, but also the rules regarding photography in the abbey, and rather than update the post again, I thought it made more sense to start afresh with a new approach.

Through a series of posts I want to take you on a virtual tour of this magnificent building, but if you intend coming in person it has to be remembered that Westminster Abbey is primarily a place of worship. I’m a spiritual person rather than a religious one, but whatever your reason for coming is, whether it’s to admire the building, immerse yourself in its history, see where every English monarch has been crowned for the last thousand years, or just to pray, I guarantee that you’ll find it a most welcoming place to come.

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Originally posted 2023-03-05 15:42:10.

Visiting the Houses of Parliament

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Visiting the Houses of Parliament

 

There are any number of ways of visiting the Houses of Parliament and it‘s best to visit the website to find out the latest times and prices, but if you’re a UK citizen you can arrange a tour through your local MP.

http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/tours-of-parliament

Entry is through the Cromwell Green visitor entrance where you will have to go through a series of airport-like security checks. There aren’t any luggage lockers and they recommend that you only carry a small bag. Continue reading →

Originally posted 2017-09-25 15:34:06.

A Palace and a Parliament

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A Palace and a Parliament

 

When King Canute started to build a home for himself in Westminster back in 1016 I don’t suppose for one minute that he thought it would become a place known throughout the world a thousand years later, and in a way he would be right because there’s nothing left of what he, or his successor, Edward the Confessor, built.

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Originally posted 2017-09-24 14:22:59.

Around Parliament Square

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Around Parliament Square

 

There are any number of places where a visitor can start a tour of Westminster, but I’ve chosen Parliament Square, not least because of its proximity to two of London’s most famous landmarks – the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

To visit both landmarks will involve some planning and a considerable amount of time to do them justice, but visit them you must (check out my page on Visiting the Houses of Parliament).

The location of Parliament Square is busy with traffic as well as an obvious magnet for tourists, and if that doesn’t make it busy enough, it’s also a magnet for demonstrators who come here to protest outside parliament about anything and everything.

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Originally posted 2017-10-18 16:34:22.

City and Borough of Westminster

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City and Borough of Westminster

 

London has 31 Boroughs, 1 City (The City of London), and Westminster, which is both a Borough and a City.

Whereas the City of London became the legal and financial powerhouse of London, Westminster became the religious, royal and political centre.

This is the home of Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and the Houses of Parliament, but it’s also the place to come for entertainment, shopping and culture in places like Piccadilly Circus, Oxford St and Trafalgar Square. I guarantee that you’ll run out of time – or steam – or both, before you’ve even scratched the surface. Continue reading →

Originally posted 2017-09-24 10:27:31.

Temple

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Temple

I’m going to have to tread carefully writing this article because Temple is at the heart of the UK’s legal system, and as I know next to nothing about how it works, I don’t want to end up with a solicitor’s letter on the doormat.

I think I’m on safe ground though by saying that the area gets its name from the 12th century Temple Church built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters.

Temple, or The Temple, as it’s sometimes called, covers an area roughly between the Strand/Fleet Street to the Victoria Embankment, and Surrey Street to Blackfriars. This means that some of the area lies within the City of Westminster and some of it within the City of London.

The Strand meets Fleet Street near to the Royal Courts of Justice and the Westminster/City of London boundary. This boundary was traditionally marked by Temple Bar, an invisible barrier to begin with, but then a ceremonial gateway where the monarch halted before being welcomed into the City by the Lord Mayor of London. The gateway, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, was removed in 1878 and currently stands at Paternoster Square near St Paul’s Cathedral; The boundary is now marked by a large plinth with a dragon – a symbol of the City of London.

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Originally posted 2019-01-02 11:38:10.