London Day 3: The Tower of London and Westminster Abbey

Anne Boleyn at the Tower of London

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Bowyer Tower

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The Tower of London. Bowyer Tower, built between 1238-1241 by King Henry III. Behind is the rear of Waterloo Barracks. "...in the Bowyer Tower, the Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV., is popularly supposed to have been drowned in a butt of malmsey..."--Baedeker 1915. Part of the Tower of London UNESCO World Heritage site. IMG_2009

Western Casemates

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The Tower of London. Outer Wall, Western Casemates and Moat. The casemates are a succession of rooms in the outer rampart. Part of the Tower of London UNESCO World Heritage site. DSC_0842

Trebuchet

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Trebuchet at the Tower of London moat. DSC_0841

Tower Hill Postern Gate

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Ruins of a Medieval gatehouse near the Tower of London. It is thought to have been built on the site of a Roman city gate. The gate is known to have partially collapsed in 1440. DSC_0826

Tower Bridge

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ITower Bridge. "Immediately below the Tower the Thames is spanned hy the huge Tower Bridge, built by the Corporation in 1886-94. This bridge, designed by Sir Horace Jones and Sir John Wolfe Barry, comprises a permanent footway (closed), 142 ft. above high-water level, reached by means of stairs in the supporting towers, and a carriage-way, 29 1/2 ft. above high-water, the central span of which (200 ft. long) is fitted with twin bascules or draw-bridges, which can be raised in 1 1/2 min. for the passage of large vessels. The bascules and footway are borne by two massive Gothic towers, rising upon huge piers, which are connected with the riverbanks by permanent spans (each 270 ft. long), suspended on massive chains hanging between the central towers and smaller castellated towers on shore. The substantial framework of the bridge, including the central towers, which are cased in stone, is of steel. The bridge is 1/2 M. long, and cost 1,600,000£., including the S. approach (made by the County Council), which was opened in 1902".--Baedeker 1915. MG_2038

All Hallows By the Tower

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Church of All Hallows By the Tower (All Hallows Barking). Rebuilt in 1957 after World War II destruction. Byward Street. "At the end of Great Tower St., to the W. of the Tower, is the church of All Hallows, Barking, an ancient foundation, which as early as the 14th cent, belonged to the nuns of Barking Abbey, in Essex, 7 M. distant. Several times altered, the church had a very narrow escape from the Great Fire (see Pepys's Diary, Sept. 5th, 1666) and since 1883 has undergone an extensive restoration ... The tower dates from 1659; the principal porch is modern".--Baedeker 1915. DSC_0836

Tower Hill Memorial

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Tower Hill Memorial. The memorial commemorates the members of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets lost at sea. Installed in 1928. DSC_0837

Paul Tower 42

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The Shard

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The Shard (London Bridge Tower). Office tower designed by Renzo Piano and completed in 2012. Part of the London Bridge Quarter development in Southwark. 32 London Bridge Street. DSC_0834

Old Billingsgate Market

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Old Billingsgate Market. Billingsgate Fish Market, built in 1875. "Farther to the E., on the Thames, is Billingsgate (so called from a gate of old London, named, as an improbable tradition says, after Belin, a king of the Britons), the chief fish-market of London, the bad language used at which has become proverbial. ... The present market, with a figure of Britannia on the apex of the pediment, was designed by Sir Horace Jones and opened in 1877. The market begins daily at 5 a.m. and is one of the sights of London".--Baedeker 1915. DSC_0939

Vintners' Hall

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Vintners' Hall of the Worshipful Company of Vintners. It is now used as an events centre. 68 Upper Thames Street "Vintners' Hall, built by Wren in 1671, but almost entirely rebuilt in 1820-23 (adm. on written introduction). The old council chamber contains good oak-carving, ascribed to Grinling Gibbons. The company was incorporated in 1436-37".--Baedeker 1915. DSC_0943

Globe Theatre

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Shakespeare's Globe. Reconstruction of the 17th century Globe Theatre opened in 1997. The reconstruction is based on records of the Globe and contemporary theatres. New Globe Walk. DSC_0944p1

Dome of St. Paul's Cathedral

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Dome of St. Paul's Cathedral. St. Paul's Cathedral was designed by Sr. Christopher Wren and built between 1675 and 1710. "The inner dome is 225 ft., the outer, from the pavement to the top of the cross, 364 ft. in height, The diameter of the drum beneath the dome is about 112 ft., of the dome itself 102 ft. (36 ft. less than that of St. Peter's)".--Baedeker 1915. DSC_0950

Sion Hall

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Sion Hall. Built in 1886 as Sion College and Library. Adaptive reuse in 1996 as office space. 56 Victoria Embankment. "... the latter is the Gothic building (1886) of Sion College and Library ..."--Baedeker 1915. DSC_0957

HQS Wellington

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HQS Wellington. Livery Hall and home of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners. Built as HMS Wellington in 1934, an anti-submarine sloop. It has been moored on the Thames since 1948. It is an event venue today. National Register of Historic Vessels. National Historic Fleet. DSC_0966

Cleopatra's Needle

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Cleopatra's Needle. "Cleopatra's Needle, an Egyptian obelisk erected here in 1878. This famous obelisk was presented to the British Government by Mohammed Ali, and brought to this country by the private munificence of Dr. Erasmus & Wilson, who gave 10,000£ for this purpose. Properly speaking Cleopatra's Needle is the name of the companion obelisk now in New York, which stood erect at Alexandria till its removal, while the one now in London lay prostrate for many years. Both monoliths were originally brought from Heliopolis, which is referred to in the inscription on the London obelisk as the 'house of the Phoenix'. The obelisk, which is of reddish granite, measures 68 1/2 ft. in height, and is 8 ft. wide at the base. Its weight is 180 tons. The pedestal of grey granite is 18 2/3 ft. high, including the steps; the inscriptions on it summarize the ancient and modern history of the obelisk. ... Two large bronze Sphinxes, designed by Mr. G. Vulliamy, have been placed at the base of the Needle".--Baedeker 1915. DSC_0975p1

London Eye

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London Eye

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The London Eye, or the Millennium Wheel. Opened in 2000. DSC_0979

Houses of Parliament

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Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster). "The Houses of Parliament, or New Palace of Westminster, which, together with Westminster Hall, form a single pile of buildings, have been erected since 1840, from a plan by Sir Charles Barry. The alternative title of the Houses of Parliament, like the names of Old and New Palace Yard, is explained by the fact that they stand on the site of the old Palace of Westminster, founded by the Anglo-Saxon kings and occupied by their successors down to Henry VIII., who transferred the royal residence to Whitehall. ... The new building is in the richest late-Gothic (Tudor or Perpendicular) style and covers an area of 8 acres. It contains 11 courts, 100 staircases, and 500 apartments, and has cost in all about 3,000,000£".--Baedeker 1915 Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including Saint Margaret’s Church UNESCO World Heritage site. DSC_0983p1

Elizabeth Tower (Clock Tower)

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Palace of Westminster. Elizabeth Tower (Clock Tower) and Big Ben. Renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. "The Clock Tower (St. Stephen's Tower), at the N. end, next to Westminster Bridge, is 318 ft. high ... The large clock has four dials, each 23 ft. in diameter, and it takes five hours to wind up the striking parts. A light in the Clock Tower by night, and the Union flag flying from the Victoria Tower by day, indicate that the 'House' is sitting. The great bell of the Clock Tower, popularly known as 'Big Ben' (after Sir Benjamin Hall, First Commissioner of Works at the time of its erection), is one of the largest known, weighing no less than 13 tons".--Baedeker 1915 Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including Saint Margaret’s Church UNESCO World Heritage site.IMG_1955