This is the second installment of my England with kids post! We were still in London on the third day of our England trip. We found that we had to book major attractions ahead of time.
This turned out to be one of our favorite places. It can (and should) be booked in advance, but the additional Verger Tour (10 pounds per person) must be booked when you enter. We booked at 10 a.m. (finding our way everywhere by bus and train required that we didn’t book anything too early, just in case) and had to wait for a bit for an available Verger Tour. It was worth the extra pounds. Through the tour you gain access to the shrine of Edward the Confessor, one of the most interesting parts of the Abbey.
Since we had to wait, we had breakfast in the Cellarium Cafe (the cellar of the Abbey). It was a tasty meal. The Full English Breakfast, Eggs Royale, and Pancakes were all delicious choices. From there we started our tour. The Coronation Chair was one of the highlights, along with the burial mask of Elizabeth I (and the accompanying stories), Innocents Corner (where the Princes in the Tower are buried), and the memorials to all of our favorite poets and writers. It was fun to hear the stories about the Stone of Scone from the English, then from the Scottish perspectives (in Edinburgh). After the tour we went through some of the shrines that were too crowded to bring the tour through. There really is something for everyone here. Our youngest recognized names from history, as well as authors C. S. Lewis from her beloved Chronicles of Narnia and Lewis Carroll from Alice in Wonderland.
When we had seen our fill of history we headed out for The National Gallery, with a stop in the gift shop. It was a rather nice shop with some quality souvenirs. We originally wanted to hear the free St. Martin in the Fields concerts that occur at noon. But we were in Westminster Abbey too long for that. We also thought that we would be able to pop into the Hereford House and have a look at The Wallace Collection following the National Gallery, but The National Gallery was intriguing enough that we spent quite a bit of time there, and were all museumed out, by the time we were through.
The National Gallery of Art is free, but states that it requires pre-booking. Most of what we wanted to see was all on one floor, but boy does that museum ramble. Go into it knowing what you want to see. Have a few art pieces or artists to focus on. To see it all would require the entire day – or more. There are so many iconic pieces on display here. We were exhausted by the end of it. Some of the highlights were Van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers, Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait, and Degas’ Dancers.
It helps to have studied some art with your kids before seeing these masterpieces. The gift shops in The National Gallery are full of educational fun to take home. Pick up a paintbrush/pen combo for all the kids you know.
One of the attractions that my little one really wanted to see was the replica of Sir Walter Raleigh’s famous ship, The Golden Hinde. We listened to Jim Weiss‘ storytelling CD The Queen’s Pirate beforehand, and the ship caught her imagination. We did not tour it. It was grand enough on the outside to impress us. That area of the waterfront was not destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666, so there are very old things to see. Its a charming area to wander around in.
The final activity for the night was a performance of Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare‘s Globe Theater. We are big Shakespeare fans, so this was a highlight. Get there early if you want to check out the unique gift shop. It closes before the show starts. We chose the standing room tickets. There is lots of space to stand along the half circle stage. They even allow younger kids a higher spot along the rail. These tickets are a third of the price of seats in the lower level or the balcony. Our feet were tired from walking around all day, but standing was doable.
They performed the traditional language in a wild west setting. It was a fun twist. The musicians were a small part of the show, but not visible from the standing section. There are snacks for sale. We were surprised to see that The Globe has an open roof! It lent an authentic atmosphere to the already historic feel. We would not want to have missed this experience.
I read that the Sherlock Holmes Museum was a rip-off, but my kiddo really wanted to see 221B Baker Street. Jim Weiss’s Mystery! Mystery! recording has his rendition of The Red-Headed League and it is an absolute favorite of hers. So we stopped by the famous address, after hours, for a photo opportunity. It is certainly picturesque.
We dared not venture into the black hole that is the British Museum without a guide, or at least a plan. We took a Christian Heritage Tour, focusing on the most ancient of items. Seeing the Rosetta Stone for yourself is fascinating. Objects touched by ancient pharaohs and emperors sitting before your eyes brings history to life.
The British Museum is enormous, though you don’t realize it at first. After the tour we ventured off on our own to find my favorite piece by Hokusai, The Great Wave. After what felt like a mile of walking and a half hour of searching we found a museum guard to explain that it rotates on and off and was not currently on display (even though the gift shop still sold dozens of related items). I was sad. But, it is not a place to be sad for long! A fascinating medieval Asian pottery display soon cheered me up.
The gift shops are not particularly exciting, with one exception. There is a beautiful shop in the front, full of artisan craft items and art inspired jewelry and housewares. My daughter fell in love with an exquisite pair of cherry blossom earrings.
The Christian Heritage tour covered the garden of St. Paul’s Cathedral and John Newton’s church (author of the hymn Amazing Grace). It was moving to sit in the pews where Newton actually preached (in a church where, remarkably, not much has been changed) and sing his famous hymn together.
It was an amazing place to end the day! Stay tuned for the York leg of our England with kids journey!
