Trip to the UK, Part Three
January 30, 2009 | Filed under Travel
The Queen’s Gallery
This attraction is best suited to someone with a true appreciation of art. While I wouldn’t describe myself as an uncouth youth with no love of art, I’m also not a connoiseur who can happily spend all day in a gallery. A minute in front of each piece is about all I can stand before I get restless and have to move on. As a result, paying £7.50 for a concession ticket really wasn’t worth my money, as I was in and out of the gallery in forty-five minutes.
If you’re anything like myself, I recommend that instead of paying for the Queen’s Gallery, you go to the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery (free of charge, and about a hundred times bigger), as well as the Tower of London, which is more expensive, but has a better collection of jewels as well as being more engaging and historically interesting.
Westminster Abbey
This was most definitely worth the £9 concession charge, if only for the audio guide voiced by Jeremy Irons, who, Alan Rickman aside, has the sexiest English accent ever. Deep and sonorous, he literally sends chills up my spine. As well as the sexy audio guide, the Abbey is also incredible considering what it is – one of the oldest medieval buildings in England with the most incredible architecture and contents.
The Abbey is acually still a working church, so they still have services and Masses – as a result, visiting hours are structured around this. Check their weekly opening times before you go to avoid disappointment. It’s probably an attraction best for those who enjoy either theological history, medieval architecture, or history – specifically, royal history. The amount of kings and queens buried here is quite incredible. I think the elaborate gildedness of Edward VII’s Lady Chapel is particularly stunning, but those who prefer a more obvious historical figure will enjoy Elizabeth I’s tomb with her sister Mary. Literary figures are also represented – my heart skipped a beat when I saw Austen’s.
The small Abbey museum is also worth a stop when in the Abbey, if only for utterly realistic wax figurines of many great royal men and women – many of which were sculptured from the actual death masks of the dead, in order to achieve a better likeness. All in all, the Abbey is most definitely worth a visit. The blending of history with the continuation of regular use of the abbey in modern times, appears to bring history to life. You can literally breathe it in as you walk in the hallowed halls.
Houses of Parliament and the Clock Tower (Big Ben)
As you can’t actually enter and tour these two icons of London, it’s really nothing more than a quick walk by for a photo opportunity. The best place for this is actually across the river on Southbank (if you want it far in the distance), or for a closer shot, at a gate right near the corner of Whitehall and Bridge St. On the right angle, you can get yourself with Big Ben in the background.
The Jewel Tower
Don’t bother, it’s not even worth the £2.30 concession admission. While historically it’s significant as the only remaining building of the original Palace of Westminster, the interior holds only a number of posterboards explaining how the British government works, and the history of government. It’s really nothing that a Wikipedia article can’t tell you, so limit your visit to simply taking photos of the exterior, and move onto your next stop.
10 Downing Street
I was naive enough to believe that I’d be able to just stand in front of the Prime Minister’s house and take photos. This is most definitely not the case. Not only is the house completely inaccessible to the public, but the entire street is blocked off with huge iron gates and stringent security controls. The best photo you’ll get here is of the guards, unless you’re willing to wait nearby for hours on end in the hope of seeing the PM’s car leave the compound.
Banqueting House
As the only surviving building of the great Whitehall Palace to survive the Great Fire, the Banqueting House is a standing example of the belief in the divine right of kings. This is highlighted in the magnificent painted ceilings of the hall, where the king is consistently highlighted as being an equal of the gods. This said, the Banqueting House is nothing but a single large hall – a magnificent and opulent hall, but a hall nonetheless. The audio guide is fantastic, especially if you’re a passionate supporter of Charles I, but otherwise you’d be better off putting that £3.50 concession fare towards viewing opulent state apartments elsewhere.
National Gallery & National Portrait Gallery
Considering the free admission to both galleries (though not to special exhibits), you really can’t go wrong in visiting these galleries. I do however, recommend that you visit them at night (the National Gallery opens till 9pm on Wednesdays, and the Portrait Gallery until 9pm on Thursdays and Fridays), so that you can leave your days free for visiting attractions that aren’t open at night. I personally prefer the Portrait Gallery as it’s a bit more non-art-connoisseur friendly (like a game of “hey, they look familiar!”), but the National Gallery is worth a visit as well, despite its confusing floor plan.
Kensington Palace
Known by international visitors only as the last home of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Palace has a much longer history stretching back to the time of William of Orange and Queen Mary, when Kensington House was turned into a more casual home for the royal family away from the smoke of London. This sense of history is maintained in the tour – with much more focus placed upon the ancient state rooms of the seventeenth century than upon the (relatively) more recent residence of the people’s princess.
It’s not to say of course, that Diana is entirely forgotten as there is a carefully displayed collection of some of her outfits. In addition when I visited there was a special display about the old tradition of debutantes which was particularly interactive and good for older children – I personally learnt how to waltz and walk with a book on my head.
Referring back to my statements on the Banqueting House of Charles I, Kensington Palace is a much better option if you want to see opulent state rooms. The ceiling paintings and size of the apartments are equally as impressive, and while the entry price is higher (£10.75 concession), you get the added attractions and special exhibitions that you don’t get at the Banqueting House.
8 Responses to Trip to the UK, Part Three
Leave a Reply
I reserve the right to edit or delete your comment as I see fit, though I only delete comments from anonymous commenters, or people with multiple aliases. Using a genuine name/email combination will ensure that your comment is approved.
I popped into the NPG for the main purpose of using their toilets to attempt to wash my eye after a freak dust storm. Instead, I was assisted by two staff members who provided sterilised eye wash from their first aid kit and a free hot chocolate . They were the best staff I’ve ever met :) Never made it into the actual gallery though :(
Alexandra on January 30, 2009 #
Gosh I am so jealous of your trip! You’re doing everything I would have done! When I get the opportunity to go to England, I’ll be sure to remember all your tips ;)
Stephanie on January 31, 2009 #
Funny to see someone else enjoy these (typical) British / London tourist attractions. I can’t recall how many times I’ve been to the U.K. and I still love to see these things.
Chans on January 31, 2009 #
I love that you went to all those tourist-y places… that’s what I would’ve done.
I love museums/galleries too but am unwilling to pay a lot of money just to stand in front of a painting for a minute. Galleries with no entrance fees are the way to go! I would absolutely love to go to the Abbey :) I’m so jealous that you got to go.
Felisa on January 31, 2009 #
Man, makes me wanna go there so bad! Well, I already wanted to go. But you make me want to go there more!
Arwen on January 31, 2009 #
I remember going to Westminster Abbey…it’s just amazing how many historical figures are buried there. A little eerie when you think about it, but astonishing nonetheless. Museums are one of my favorite things to visit when I’m in another country, but I understand the whole standing in front of a painting for a minute thing. I’ve been staring at the same painting for 2 weeks and it’s starting to hurt, lol.
marilyn on January 31, 2009 #
Heh, I too could probably stand in front of a painting for about a minute (depending on what the style looked like, what was in it, etc). I just don’t have a whole lot to think about if no one brings anything up (and I’m an art major). XD
Noellium on January 31, 2009 #
I’ve had a photo from 10 Downing Street, when I took a class trip to London with my school at the time. There was a guard with us at all times and we were told never to look inside when the door opened… I’ve actually lost the photo though. :(
Kim on March 20, 2009 #