From London to Windsor & Eton via Little Chalfont

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Part XVI

13th June - Tuesday

Susie wanted to take us to Portobello Road this morning so we went to catch a bus there. This was very different, the bendy buses have two doors and you pay for your ticket at the bus stop to show the driver, as they do not handle money. Guess which door everyone seems to use……the rear one…..and no ticket. We did this and were quite unsure of things. All of a sudden Susie whispers urgently for us to get off as she had spotted the Inspectors complete with clipboards getting on the bus. We walked the rest of the way

Portobello Road Market is one of the most famous markets in the world and is internationally recognised for its second-hand and antique sections. Statistically it features in the top ten rankings as the most visited tourist site in London. It is regularly the focus of press and media attention and mostly remembered from the Disney film "Bed knobs and Broomsticks" and more recently the film "Notting Hill". Its history and culture span approximately 300 years of existence.

As we were there mid week there were not many stalls, just fruit and veg and a few antique shops were open. We were very impressed with the butcher’s shop, beautifully laid out and the butchers wore straw hats. We bought some strawberries to eat later in the car.

We walked back to the main road to Kensal Green and were surprised to see, in this rather poor ethnic area, a big red Ferrari convertible with two coloured guys in it ……mmmmmmmmm.

Walking past Kensal Green Cemetery we saw a film crew at the gates but didn’t recognise any of the actors. As churchyards in London became overcrowded with bodies in the early 19th century, locations just outside of London were selected to bury the dead. Kensal Green Cemetery was one of the first. It was licensed by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and would soon turn into such a fashionable place to be buried that Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, son of king George III, found his last resting place on the cemetery in 1843.

Many other illustrious persons were buried at Kensal Green such as William Makepeace Thackery, William Wilkie Collins, and Anthony Trollope. Civil servant and novelist. Trollope spent his working life with the Post Office, his most lasting memorial being the pillar-box, which he introduced into the United Kingdom. Blondin is also buried here, he was the most famous of all tightrope walkers and in 1859, crossed the Niagara Falls on a rope 1,000 feet long. He later repeated the feat blindfold, with a man on his back, on stilts and finally pausing halfway across to cook an omelette

Kensal Green Cemetery is one of the finest examples of the Victorian garden cemetery in the world, unmatched in the UK in its range and richness of graves, memorials and mausolea.

Round the corner from Susie’s is a mini cab office so we called in to book a cab to take us to the car hire depot in Willsden. It turned out to be a big Moslem area and with a huge mosque and Moslem school opposite.

We picked up our little rental car and headed of to Little Chalfont in Buckinghamshire where our next night’s bed waited.

We soon found Cousin Judy and Chris’s place ideally situated right behind the local pub in Little Chalfont. They have the most beautiful old home full of nooks and crannies and the most wonderful staircase and inglenook fireplace. We were made so welcome and soon felt right at home even though Linda had never met Chris and the last time she and Judy had met face-to-face was over thirty years ago.

Chris and Howard went off to the pub - just a matter of walking to the end of the garden and through a gate in the hedge, which led to the pub car park - how convenient is that?

The girls had a great time talking together as Judy rustled up a fabulous meal of venison (shot by Chris) and we had another late night.

Thank you Jude and Chris for your wonderful hospitality.

14th June - Wednesday

After breakfast and saying goodbye to Chris and Annie (the gundog) Judy, Howard and Linda set off for Windsor. Finding a place to park the car was a bit of a hassle but we managed. The London Pass allowed Howard and Linda to sail passed the queue whilst Judy had to wait her turn. In the price of the ticket was the free use of an individual hand held radio guide, which proved very good with an interesting commentary

Windsor Castle is an official residence of The Queen and the largest occupied castle in the world. A Royal home and fortress for over 900 years, the Castle remains a working palace today.

Visitors can walk around the State Apartments, extensive suites of rooms at the heart of the working palace. For part of the year visitors can also see the Semi State rooms, which are some of the most splendid interiors in the castle.

Within the Castle complex there are many additional attractions, including the Drawings Gallery, Queen Mary's dolls' house, and the fourteenth-century St. George's Chapel, the burial place of ten sovereigns (Edward IV, Henry VI, Henry VIII, Charles I, George III, George IV, William IV, Edward VII, George V and George VI.) and setting for many Royal weddings.

The three of us thoroughly enjoyed looking through the palace and it was rather nice when we asked one of the official guides about the large dining table. We noticed that it looked rippled. We were invited through the barrier rope to inspect it at close quarters and were told it was over three hundred years old and the cleaners polish as far as they can reach and then one of the butlers gets onto the table and polishes the centre section using his feet. The build up of polish over three centuries has caused the rippled elusion.

We went to see St George’s chapel and were very impressed with the gardens of the people who live inside the Castle.

Parking time was up so we went to rescue it and headed for Eton - the bridge from Windsor is only for pedestrians so we had to drive around via Datchet. Parking was a bit better in Eton and so that done we walked up the High Street and found a nice pub for our lunch.

After lunch we went to Eton College, founded in 1440 by King Henry VI, as this was another place we could visit using our London Passes.

Current fees for Eton College are £8,330 ($20,344) per term and there are three terms per year £24,990 ($61,028) plus additional costs for music etc and clothing
THE ETON CLOTHES LIST
Marking All clothes must be marked with the boy’s name and laundry code (provided by the Dame).
Cleaning Tail suits are collected from Houses every fortnight, dry-cleaned and mended, and returned. A standard charge is made for this service.
Laundry Laundry is collected from Houses every week and returned within a few days. There is no charge for this service.

SCHOOL DRESS
2 tail suits (tailcoat, waistcoat, trousers)
1 pair black walking shoes (polished leather, round toes, laced, traditional design)
5 white school shirts (cotton or cotton mix, detached collar)
2 pairs cuff links (if shirts require them)
5 white school collars
6 front and back collars studs
12 white ties (disposable)
1 black/dark-grey V-necked pullover (short fitting, sleeveless, to fit under waistcoat)
1 navy/black overcoat (long enough to cover tails) (optional)
1 pair gloves (optional)
1 navy/black scarf (optional)
1 umbrella (optional)

UNDERWEAR
12 pairs black/grey socks
8 pairs underpants
6 handkerchiefs
FORMAL CHANGE
1 sports jacket or blazer
1 pair smart trousers
1 pullover
2 smart shirts, collar attached
1 tie
1 pair shoes (traditional design, polished or suede — not trainers)
1 suit (required for senior boys only)

LOCAL CHANGE
2 pairs jeans or similar, T-shirts
1 pullover
1 pair casual shoes — trainers or docksiders

OTHER PERSONAL ITEMS
2 pairs pyjamas or similar
1 dressing gown
1 pair slippers
4 bath towels
1 toothbrush, nailbrush, nail scissors
1 hairbrush and comb
1 clothes brush
1 shoe cleaning kit
GAMES CLOTHES
2 white (rugby) football shirts, long-sleeved with collar
2 navy (rugby) football shirts, long-sleeved with collar
2 navy football shorts
2 pairs Eton games socks, and garters
2 approved mouth-guards (for rugby players)
2 pairs trainers, predominantly white
1 navy track suit
1 pair swimming trunks
1 swimming towel
1 pair football boots
1 pair shin pads
PE and Tennis
2 white polo-style shirts
2 pairs white ankle socks
2 pairs white shorts
Cricket (Summer only)
1 white V-neck sweater
1 pair white cricket trousers
2 white cricket shirts
2 pairs white ankle socks
1 pair cricket boots
1 cricket helmet


We had an added bonus whilst touring the College, as there were boys in the chapel at choir practice, which was lovely. The College is very interesting but we think we would have been better to have a guided tour as they show places we probably had missed.

We had an important appointment at 16:00 at the Waterman’s Arms in Brocas Street in Eton where Judy and Linda were to meet Brian Shaw (Judy’s 2nd cousin once removed and Linda’s 3rd cousin), he came with his wife Mary from Ditton in Kent. Also Peter Williams (Judy’s 4th cousin once removed and Linda’s 5th cousin), he came with his wife Pam from Sevenoaks in Kent, Peter and Brian are 5th cousins and none of us had ever met before and had only discovered each other very recently. We all had a wonderful time looking at the family tree and seeing where we fitted in and getting to know one another.

All too soon it was time to part company and go our separate ways. Judy was to come with us to Heathrow and get a bus back to Little Chalfont.

We were due to fly out to Bangkok later that night and this part of our wonderful trip was at an end……………………………………..

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Photos

No Smiling Boys
The Queen's Guard outside the private apartments

Eton "School Yard"
Bronze staue of "The Founder in Garter Robes' by Francis Bird erected 1719