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We spent about 3 days in London, it wasn't a lot of time, given all that there is to see and do there, but we tried to make the most of the limited time that we had. This small bed & breakfast, appropriately called "The White House" was where we stayed. It was located in an interesting neighborhood south of London proper, called Tulse Hill. |
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One day we walked a few blocks from The White House and caught a bus heading in to Westminster, the main district of London. As you can see, red double-decker busses are quite plentiful in and around London. |
Parliament
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After winding our way through traffic, riding on the upper deck of the bus, we spied the Houses of Parliament and the famous clock tower, which houses Big Ben. I took this shot from the bus as we were crossing over the Thames River. |
Its' extremely difficult to do the Houses of Parliament justice in a Small collection of photographs. The building is huge. Here on the east end of the building is the famous clock tower. It is often referred to erroneously as Big Ben. Big Ben is not the name of the tower, nor of the clock. Big Ben is actually the name of one of the bells inside the tower. |
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Toward of the west end of Parliament stands another, smaller, tower. It very much resembles the tower of an Anglican church. The doors beneath it also resemble cathedral doors. This should come as no surprise though, because, I told, this was in fact once a cathedral. |
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Scenes from around the Houses of Parliament. Statue of Oliver Cromwell (above) Western Tower (above right) Massive entrance doors below tower (right) |
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Security was tight around the Parliament. The whole thing is surrounded by a high iron fence. The public-at-large is not permitted inside. We met some friendly police officers guarding one of the gates . Laura asked if it would be all right to have her picture taken with one of them. First he had to ask, "Are you American?" "Yes," Laura answered. "Do you like President Clinton?" was his next question. Laura replied, "No." "Well you can be my friend then," smiled the bobby, and he put her arm around her and posed. |
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Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey stands about a block from Parliament. It is well-known as the site of numerous royal weddings, royal funerals, and coronations over the centuries. It has stood on this site in one form or another since the time of William the Conqueror, 1066 A.D. Inside is an amazing collection of statues and monuments. Therein lie the remains of numerous kings, queens, and other royalty of England. There are also memorials to those who have perished in numerous battles in India, Africa, the Middle East and throughout the Empire. It is so full of monuments and statues that it seems it would be difficult to add even one more. |
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This is another view of the main entrance to Westminster Abbey. It shows the intricate gold work and the statuary adorning the entrance. |
Another Point of Interest
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| As we left Westminster Abbey and headed in the direction of Buckingham Palace, a building on Birdcage Walk caught my eye. It is The Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Naturally I needed to have my picture taken here. |
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This page was created May 19, 1999
Last updated June 4, 1999
