Abbey and Palace and Globe oh my!

Another busy day in London - perhaps too busy although we enjoyed every bit of it. I’m already planning our next trip in March and wondering about having some quiet time as well as all the dashing about that we tend to do in a city. 

In the morning we went on our much delayed Westminster Abbey trip, originally booked for spring of 2020. On the way there were a lot of police around Parliament Square and we saw Boris Johnson’s car being whisked into the grounds of the House of Commons for Prime Minister’s Questions. We started by going up to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries which are in the triforium of the abbey, at the top of the walls in the structural part of the roof space where there are lots of beams. Like that of St Paul’s this had long been used as a storage area, but unlike that of St Paul’s it was converted into a smart display area which opened in 2018. (Although when we visited St Paul’s Triforium in August 2018 I rather liked its dusty charm, which was rather like a secret treasure trove) It has an eclectic mix of objects on display; funeral effigies of various monarchs including that of Henry VII, a copy of the Magna Carta, beautifully illustrated medieval books, bits of stained glass, even William and Kate’s marriage certificate! And it has lovely views down into the abbey itself 52 feet below.

We then had a wander around the floor level of the abbey and I particularly enjoyed looking around the flagstones at Poets’ Corner, there are lots of actors too. 

Our next destination was Kensington Palace where we had booked tour tickets to see the Royal Style in the Making Exhibition about couturiers who have worked with the royal family. We had plenty of time to have lunch in the café first, and to visit the new statue of Princess Diana which has been placed in the garden this year to marked what would have been her 60th birthday in July. It’s quite good from a distance but dare I say the face is just a tad too “manly” in my opinion - Diana had strong facial features but she wasn’t at all masculine. 

The tour was better and worse than I had expected. I had somehow formed the impression that I would be seeing quite a few Royal wedding dresses in the exhibition, but in fact there was only one! Mind you, that was Princess Diana’s wedding dress; it was amazing to be so close to it and to see all the 1980s ruffles and sequins, even through glass. There were a couple of Princess Margaret’s and the Queen Mother’s evening dresses, and lots of information on dress designers. It was interesting but I would have liked to see more dresses! On the other hand, the part of the tour about Queen Victoria’s childhood was absolutely fascinating; with her toys and schoolbooks on display, lots of pictures, and we even saw the room where she was born. So all in all it was a good experience. 

But our day was not over! Back in the tube we went to St Paul’s and across the river, where Cat had booked us a Greek restaurant just along from the Globe and she and Ally joined us for dinner and theatre. I do enjoy Greek food and we were soon tucking into a tasty array of hot and cold meze. We then strolled along to the Globe to see Twelfth Night. It was a really good production, very musical and funny. The actors were great. The October evening air was pretty cool compared to my previous summertime visits, but it was ok - by the end I was beginning to get very slightly cold, but I soon warmed up on the walk back across the Millenium Bridge to St Paul’s and a nightcap in The Happenstance in Paternoster Square. A very busy but excellent day.