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Some
of the Best Things in London Are
Free
By
Mike McLeod
Recently,
my wife and I flew to London to
celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary—ten
months late. After failing to do
something memorable for our 20th
wedding anniversary, I was determined
to succeed with the 25th—even though,
I was very late.
London
can be an expensive place to visit.
Food is higher there, hotels rooms
can be expensive, the VAT (sales
tax) is 17.5%, and many of the attractions
are costly: the Tower of London
and the Crown Jewels, $27.50; Kensington
Palace, $21; Westminster Abbey,
$18.50; St. Paul’s Cathedral, about
$10; the London Eye (the big, slow
moving Ferris Wheel with enclosed
“capsules,” or cars), $25; and so
on. But even so, it is well worth
the trip because you can capitalize
on many free attractions. For a
history buff like me, these were
some of the most awe-inspiring moments
of our trip.
The
British Library. We took an
overnight flight on British Airways
and arrived at Gatwick Airport outside
London at 7:30 am. After customs,
a train ride to Victoria Station
and a mini-bus ride, we arrived
at the hotel by about 9:30. We could
not get into our room until 2 pm,
so we started our sightseeing. Because
of the nine-hour flight, our tour
planner (my wife, Marla) had left
our first day open to recuperate
from traveling. But with no bed
until the afternoon, we headed out
to visit the British Library. Originally,
we didn’t have it on our list of
sites to see, but it turned out
to be a highlight of the trip.
Admittance
to the British Library is free,
but a donation is requested. In
the John Ritblat Gallery is an ongoing
exhibit entitled, "Treasures
of the British Library.” In it,
you can see the following for free:
*Two
of the four known existing copies
of the Magna Carta. One copy was
very dark from surviving a fire.
An accompanying video explained
that there is no evidence that it
was written down originally when
the barons forced King John in 1215
to enter into an agreement with
them about their rights—not the
common people’s. The barons were
tired of being thrown in jail by
the king without a trial and being
heavily fined and taxed to support
his reign. After agreeing to their
terms, King John went home to the
castle and violated all his promises,
so the barons called him on the
carpet again in a year or so and
had him affix his seal to the Magna
Carta. (The video pointed out that
there is no evidence that King John
knew how to write, hence the seal.)
Several copies were made of the
document and distributed to bishops
and sheriffs—just in case King John
tried to renege again.
With
no security guards around and nothing
but a sheet of glass (probably,
bullet-proof, though) between me
and both copies, I was able to get
within six inches of probably the
most important document in English
history. I don’t think you can do
that with the Declaration of Independence
or the U.S. Constitution.
*A
Gutenberg Bible dated to 1454-1455
and one of the first 180 copies
that were printed. Also on display
was an indulgence printed by Gutenberg.
The Catholic Church sold indulgences
at this time to those wanting forgiveness
of sins.
*Jane
Austen’s handwritten book Persuasion
displayed on her personal lap writing
desk.
*Beowulf,
an 11th century copy recorded on
vellum.
*Charles
Dickens’ printed copy of David Copperfield,
which was an unbound stack of pages
with a blue paper cover.
*Rudyard
Kipling’s handwritten copy of “The
Tale of the Mongoose” from The Jungle
Book.
*Handel’s
Messiah, dated 1742.
*Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart’s Adagio and Rondo
for Glass Harmonica.
*Beethoven’s
Ninth Symphony.
*A
work by Chopin.
*For
Beatles fans, the original handwritten
lyrics for: Yesterday, I Wanna Hold
Your Hand, Ticket to Ride, Fool
on the Hill, and Help!
*A
ca. 1250 map of Britain.
*Three
sketches by Leonardo da Vinci from
1504-1506 depicting a mechanical
pipe organ, rollers and the movement
of a river.
*Queen
Elizabeth’s mid-1500s letter to
Parliament wherein she refuses to
name a successor, but did promise
to consider marriage.
*Sir
Thomas More’s last letter to Henry
VIII. As Lord Chancellor, More would
not support Henry VIII’s decision
to be named the Supreme Head of
the Church, and even though he was
executed for his refusal, More expressed
his continued loyalty to the king
in this letter.
*The
logbook of the HMS Victory from
October 21, 1805 detailing Lord
Nelson’s victory over the French
fleet at Trafalgar and recording
his death in the battle.
*Captain
James Cook’s journal dated from
February 21, 1775.
*Stamps
from the British Stamp Act that
inflamed American colonists, led
to the rallying cry of “No taxation
without representation,” and helped
inspire the Revolution.
*Mr.
William Shakespeare’s Comedies,
Histories and Tragedies, the first
collected folio edition from 1623,
Richard III, and Shakespeare’s mortgage
from 1613.
*A
handwritten letter from Sir Isaac
Newton to Robert Hooke in 1679.
Hooke accused Newton of plagiarism
and said that centrifugal force
was “…an illusion.” The letter detailed
Newton’s response.
*A
24-page book on astronomy by Galileo
Galilei printed in 1610 with his
drawing of the Pleiades Constellation.
Galileo was eventually forced by
the Inquisition to recant his findings
which supported Copernicus’ heretical
belief at the time that the earth
circles the sun.
*A
ca. 1350-1370 Duke of Sussex Catalan
Bible.
 Braveheart.
Unknown to most Americans before
Mel Gibson’s movie, a memorial to
the Scottish chief William Wallace
can be visited free of charge near
Smithfield Market in an area of
London called Faringdon. The memorial
is a large plaque attached to the
side of St. Barts Hospital. In the
movie, Wallace was executed for
rebellion and treason by being drawn
and quartered. In actuality, he
was first dragged through the streets
of London for six miles tied to
the tails of horse—then he was hanged
(but not until he was dead) and
finally drawn and quartered. His
head was impaled on a spike mounted
near London Bridge as a warning
to traitors. The execution occurred
on August 23, 1305.
When
we visited, someone had left fresh
flowers near the memorial.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
 National
Gallery. In its permanent collection,
the National Gallery holds 2,300
western European paintings and pictures
dating from about 1250. Admission
to the permanent collection is free,
but there is a charge for special
exhibitions. The National Gallery
has a free map that directs you
to the highlights of its collection.
More than 50 rooms have paintings
on display—enough space to hold
more than 2,000 double-decker buses.
Among the highlights that we were
enthralled with were: Sun Flowers,
by Van Gogh; Rembrandt’s Self Portrait;
Ruben’s Samson and Delilah; Raphael’s
The Madonna of the Pinks (“pinks”
refers to the carnations in the
painting); Leonardo da Vinci’s The
Virgin of the Rocks; Botticelli’s
Venus and Mars; Van Eyck’s The Arnolfini
Portrait, or as some have loosely
titled it, “The Shotgun Wedding”;
and The Entombment by Michelangelo.
We were also treated to masterpieces
by Renoir, Dega, Cezanne, Van Dyck,
Monet, Turner, Canaletto, Bellini,
and many more, of course.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
 National
Portrait Gallery. Also located
on Trafalgar Square, admission is
free, but special exhibits have
an admission fee. We did not visit
the National Portrait Gallery, yet
it is a major attraction. It was
established in 1856 with the understanding
that it “…was to be about history,
not about art, and about the status
of the sitter, rather than the quality
or character of a particular image
considered as a work of art,” as
explained on the website (www.npg.org.uk).
An
audio guide provides commentary
on paintings of 350 famous people,
including:
Anne
Boleyn (ca. 1533-1536); Jane Austen
(ca. 1810); King Charles I (1631);
Captain James Cook (1776); Oliver
Cromwell (ca. 1649); Charles Darwin
(1881); Elizabeth I; King George
III (1761-1762); George Frideric
Handel (1756); and many others.
Both
the National Portrait Gallery and
the National Gallery are located
at the top of Trafalgar Square.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Trafalgar
Square. Here, you can spend
some free time gazing up, up, up
at the 144-foot Nelson Column, a
monument dedicated to Admiral Lord
Horatio Nelson and his victory at
Trafalgar. A 17-foot statue of Nelson
stands atop the column. At the base
are a fountain and four gigantic
bronze lions that kids love to ride
and tourist climb upon to have their
pictures taken.
In
1805, Nelson defeated Napoleon’s
combined French and Spanish fleets
off Cape Trafalgar between Gibraltar
and Cádiz, Spain. Forming his ships
into two parallel lines, Nelson
sailed them straight into the opposing
fleet—a risky and gutsy strategy.
After dividing the enemy, he conquered
them and saved England from conquest
by Napoleon—no ships, no invasion.
Nelson,
as you probably know, was shot and
killed during the naval battle,
and this has served to heighten
his fame. It is reported that at
least a million people attended
his funeral, which in that day would
be similar to a combined funeral
for Lady Di, the Pope and Elvis
today.
From
the main entrance to the National
Gallery, you can look down on Trafalgar
Square—it’s a favorite picture-taking
spot of tourists—and see Big Ben
all the way down White Hall and
Parliament Streets (the same street
with a different names at either
end). Trafalgar Square is beautiful
during the day and at night.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Changing
of the Horse Guards, Big Ben, Parliament
and West Minster Abbey.
 While
in the neighborhood, you can see
all of these sites. My wife and
I actually did this in reverse.
After seeing Big Ben and the Houses
of Parliament, we paid to tour West
Minster Abbey. However, the gothic
façade is free to see and an inspiring
sight. We walked up Parliament Street
and stopped to watch the changing
of the Horse Guards. Unfortunately,
the guard changed without their
horses when we were there—it’s hit
or miss, from what I am told. But
the Horse Guards were in their dramatic
scarlet long coats, shiny helmets
and swords.
We
somehow missed #10 Downing Street
where the Prime Minister lives,
but it is also along Whitehall.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
 Changing
of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
As Rick Steves (the travel guy
on PBS) writes in his guidebook
to London, it isn’t much of an event—just
some shouting and marching back
and forth. But it draws a crowd,
and when you get back, people will
always ask if you saw it.
While
we were there, the Palace Guard
Band and the Horse Guards marched
up the street in front of Buckingham
Palace at separate times, and then
they came back down for the Changing
of the Guards. After the changing,
the band played Crocodile Rock by
Elton John and a song from The Lion
King.
For
a vantage point, we stood around
the base of the monument in front
of Buckingham Palace, but couldn’t
see very well because the Palace
was about 60 yards away. However,
the other choice was to try and
see over the heads of the crowd
standing at the gigantic wrought
iron fence in front of the Palace.
If you want a good view, get to
the fence no later than 10 am. The
guard changes at 11:30. And FYI,
the guard changes on odd number
days in the winter and every day
during the spring and summer. Consult
a guidebook before going.
I
forgot to mention—we saw the Queen
while we were there. Actually, we
saw the helicopter she was
in fly away. As we were waiting
out front, Marla remarked that a
special flag flies when the Queen
is residing in the Palace—it has
a gold fields. There wasn’t a breath
of wind, so we couldn’t tell which
was on the flagpole on top of the
Buckingham Palace. But as we sat
there, a helicopter flew in and
landed behind it. After about 20
minutes, it took off, and the flag
was immediately lowered, and the
Union Jack was raised. So the Queen
was at BP while we were there. I
guess that is a special experience—the
driver who brought us to the hotel
from Victoria Station said he’s
worked in London for 15 years and
never seen the Queen.
 People
have also asked us if we toured
Buckingham Palace. We did not because
it is only open in August and September
when the Queen is away on official
business and on holiday.
It
is only since the fire at Windsor
Castle in 1992 that people have
been allowed to tour BP. Windsor
is the Queen’s official residence
on weekends and when she wants to
get away from London. A fire there
from an overturned electric lamp
severely damaged several rooms,
and the government initially planned
to tax the people to pay for the
restoration. The resulting outcry
caused the government to come up
with the idea of charging people
to tour BP. The restoration has
been completed, but the tour and
the proceeds from it continue to
roll in.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The
British Museum. Seeing this
was on par or even better than the
British Library.
 The
British Museum houses one of the
greatest collections of antiquities
in the world, including from Egyptian,
Roman, Greek, Assyrian, Etruscan,
Mayan, and other civilizations.
In
the entrance to Egyptian rooms,
the very first showcase holds the
Rosetta Stone, the key to translating
hieroglyphics. In this first long
hall were also: a giant stone head
of Ramses, Pharaoh of Egypt, who
had a throw down with Moses; sarcophagi,
statues, tablets and figures. Amazing,
many of these items were out in
the open and you could touch them.
They were on display with no barriers
or cases around them. Of course,
precious items like the Rosetta
Stone were under glass. In the other
areas of the museum, just about
everything was under glass.
 I
did touch a sarcophagus and a seated
pharaoh statue carved from black
stone, and in a stairwell, I touched
a Roman mosaic. That was another
thing that struck me as odd—there
were so many antiquities that stairwells
and hallways were used for display.
The
Egyptian rooms also contained a
variety of mummies and their burial
accoutrements, including: a
painted wooden boat from 1900 B.C.
with a sail and sailor figures,
glazed composite bowls from 1559-950
B.C.; a carved wooden Nephthsas
mourning figure (she resurrected
Osiris in Egyptian mythology), 300
B.C.; a statue of Nenkheftka from
2200 B.C. (the statue stood outside
his tomb and was a substitute for
his body and represented his spirit);
jewelry and ornaments; animal carvings;
and hundreds of other items.
 In
the Roman area, the most dramatic
exhibit is that of the Elgin Marbles.
Displayed in a 40- or 50-yard-long
room, the Marbles were taken from
the Parthenon in 1806 by Thomas
Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin and
ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
(The Turks were at war with the
Greeks at the time, and they were
occupying Athens and using the Parthenon
to store weapons and gunpowder.)
Fearing for the safety of these
precious antiquities, Lord Elgin
secured permission from the Turks
to take some of the marbles and
sculptures to protect them, he said.
The
Marbles depict an annual ceremony
in which a procession of people
and horsemen take a new robe to
Athena. The Marbles adorned a set
of columns inside the Parthenon
while another set or carvings in
high relief called metopes adorned
the outside above the columns. Of
the original 92, about 15 metopes
are in the museum, and they tell
the story of a battle between centaurs
and the Plinths. After the king
of the Plinths invited the centaurs
to a wedding ceremony, they get
drunk and start to carry off the
Plinthian women. The men fight the
centaurs, and in the end, the men—and
the women—lose.
The
great controversy surrounding the
Marbles is that Greece wants them
back, naturally. This has been a
great battle, much like that of
the Plinths and the centaurs. But
no matter who wins this one, the
Elgin Marbles are magnificent.
 Other
highlights of the museum include:
giant Assyrian winged bulls with
human heads that were cut in half
for transport to England; Assyrian
frieze carvings depicting a royal
lion hunt (an entire room was devoted
to them because there were so many
panels; they recorded the hunt in
frame-by-frame fashion, like a comic
strip); splendid black and burnt
orange Greek vases; Etruscan vases;
the body a man called “Ginger” who
was buried in sand that mummified
him 5,400 years ago; mosaics from
Rome and Greece; dozens of tablets
with hieroglyphics; a reconstructed
Greek temple-like tomb from Turkey
that was at least 30 feet high;
the Portland Vase (a blown glass
vase with a carved white overlay
depicting Romans that was created
at about the time of Christ); and
much more. We ran out of time and
energy to see the rest, so I went
back another afternoon—and still
did not have time to see, enjoy
and appreciate it all.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Markets.
London has an abundance of
open-air markets on the weekends
and during the week. Portabello
Road is one known for its great
variety of merchandise. The second-hand
market starts it off at the top
of the street, and as you walk downhill,
there are fruit and vegetable stands,
baked goods, various other goods
(from detergent and batteries to
cashmere and jewelry), antique shops
(which are in arcades, sort of like
mini antique malls), and so on.
The street was packed with people
by 10 or 11 am, but even so, we
stopped to buy and enjoy a great
spinach-stuffed pastry and a crčme
filled scone with chocolate icing.
In
an antique arcade we ducked into,
we saw spectacular Wedgwood jasperware,
cross stitched samplers from the
15th to 18th centuries, silver,
Orientalia, prints, antique tools—just
about everything.
But
for collectors and souvenir hunters,
the Apple and Jubilee Markets were
the best. Located in Covent Garden,
these two markets are beside one
another. Both had some antiques,
as well as new items, but Jubilee
was more of a flea market with antiques,
while Apple had a little higher
quality items. Yet, in the Jubilee
Market, Marla bought a 16-inch string
of freshwater pearls for about $5.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Harrad's
(if you don’t buy anything, it’s
free). Harrad’s is, of course,
the most famous department store
in England and perhaps the world.
TV shows have been devoted to exploring
the mystique of Harrad’s. We
made the mistake of going early
on a Saturday evening when it was
wall-to-wall people. But even so,
it was still an experience.
The
sales people were all impeccably
attired—from the perfume department
to the food market and restaurants.
We walked through the crowds and
only purchased a loaf of bread,
a cheese pretzel and a pastry in
the bakery. As we waited in the
queue to pay, a beautiful tenor
voice serenaded customers in the
pizzeria nearby with an Italian
a cappella solo. Only in Harrods,
or perhaps Venice.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
 Cleopatra’s
Needle. Actually, Cleopatra
had nothing to do with this obelisk
because she wasn’t born at the time
it was carved. Ramses the Great
carved part of it. It was found
by British explorers who encased
it in an iron tube and shipped it
toward England. The ship sank, but
the obelisk was later recovered
and erected on the banks of the
Thames. Probably a hundred feet
high, this Egyptian treasure stands
by a street, flanked by Sphinx-like
lions. It is open to the weather
and to passersby to enjoy free of
charge.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
 Blue
Plaques. Around London, there
are at least 863 round blue plaques
that mark where famous people once
lived. I did not learn about these
until we were in London, or I would
have purchased The Blue Plaque Guide
To London by Caroline Dakers to
know where to find them. It was
our driver from Victoria Station
who clued us in on the blue plaques,
so I only noticed one while we were
there. Near the end of Portabello
Road, I saw several people taking
pictures of an apartment building.
They had spotted a blue plaque marking
the place where George Orwell lived
at one time. Orwell actually has
three blue plaques marking his homes
in different places around London,
which is small change compared to
Charles Dickens who has ten plaques.
Other notables who have plaques
include: Jane Austen, Florence Nightingale,
Rudyard Kipling, Dr. Samuel Johnson,
Herman
Melville, Sir Isaac Newton, Karl
Marx (who was exiled to London),
John F. Kennedy (who lived in London
when his father was Ambassador to
the Court of St. James, 1937-1940),
and many others—some famous to us;
some famous to only the Brits.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Millennium
Bridge. The first pedestrian
bridge over the Thames built in
a century, the bridge was opened
on June 10, 2000—and closed two
days later due to lateral vibrations.
The large mass of people crossing
the bridge after its grand opening
caused it to shake sideways due
to harmonic vibration. The problem
was solved with stabilizers, so
you can now walk it motion-free
for some excellent sights of the
city.
This
is just a brief overview of some
of the free things you can do in
London. Just imagine what you can
do if you are actually willing to
spend some money. But that’s another
very long story.
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