The City of London has a lot of great attractions to explore. I opted to spend my day visiting three of the top attractions in the city: St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, and the London Eye.
First stop, St Paul’s cathedral, and quite fortuitous as it was a gray, drizzly Friday morning. The majority of my time there would be spent inside, excluding the stroll around the exterior gardens. You will need a ticket to enter, if you are not attending service, and can be purchased online or at the door. The ticket gives you access to the main Cathedral floor, the crypt below, and the galleries around the dome of the Cathedral.
The cathedral was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, replacing the church that was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. Wren is also buried in the crypt, with an inscription on his tomb reading “Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you.”
Nine meters tall, the main doors lead you in to a grand view of the Cathedral interior. The main floor includes a number of statues and memorials, a grand pipe organ constructed in the late 1600s, marble arches, and varied ornate fixtures and chapels.
As you walk towards the High Altar, you will pass the statue of the Duke of Wellington, sculpted on horseback. According to my guide, the statue of Wellington was initially set to be placed with Wellington and horse facing the main doors. However, the Bishop at the time vetoed the idea, as he did not want to hold mass to the backside of a horse. Fair point! So, Wellington and horse were installed facing the High Altar.
Continuing beyond the High Altar, along the rear of the Cathedral, is a memorial to the US servicemen stationed in the UK during WWII. The memorial is decorated with flora and fauna native to North America. To the left and right of the WWII memorial are additional art pieces, including the Mother and Child sculpture and the Martyrs video installation. I found the Martyrs exhibit especially interesting. It is a video installation by Bill Viola, depicting the four natural elements, Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Broken out into individual panels, each natural element starts small and slowly builds in intensity upon the human subject. In one panel, the wind starts as an intermittent breeze, moving the person gently about the screen, and eventually becomes a hurricane force gale. The other three panels depict a similar build up. Definitely catches the eye!
Descending into the crypt, you will find the tombs of Lord Nelson and Wellington, as well as other notable figures remembered. A majority of the floor is a collection of memorial markers, some too faded to read. While I was there, a section was dedicated to the 350th anniversary and history of the Great Fire of London.
Nearest tube station: St Paul’s
By the time I arrived at the Tower of London, it had, thankfully, stopped raining. Once a palace, fortress, and zoo, the Tower of London has been standing on the banks of the Thames river since 1066.
The Yeoman Warders, dressed in scarlet and black uniforms, are the guards of the Tower of London. I was intrigued to learn that the Warders also live at the Tower with their families. Considering how old the Tower is, I would be concerned with living inside a haunted fortress… Additionally, the Yeoman Warders do guided tours of the Tower, recounting stories of the famous inhabitants, royal and prisoner alike. The Yeoman Warders are also known as “Beefeaters”; the nickname is believed to have stemmed from the Royal guard being given beef from the King’s table.
The Tower of London is also where the crown jewels of Britain are stored. You can even catch a Changing of the Guards ceremony outside the jewel house with the Yeoman Warders. Once inside, the rooms preceding the crown jewels trace through the history and use of the jewels, going as far back as William the Conqueror in 1066. With the exception of the Coronation Spoon (12th century), the jewels on display only go back to the 1600s. As you walk into the jewel room, you may (or may not) notice that you are walking into a vault. You are not permitted to take pictures, which definitely helps with the flow of traffic around the displays. And there are moving walkways on both sides of the main crown and scepter display, so no one can hog the view. You can go back to the entrance of the moving walkway if you want to view the jewels again. I went through three times!
Off to the left of the building housing the Crown Jewels is the Tower Green. The Green was the execution site within the Tower, and a glass pillow has been placed at the site as a memorial to those executed.
Traitor’s Gate, the infamous river entrance to the Tower of London, was the entrance for prisoners transported by boat. Due to the rising of the tide, the gate is mostly obscured until low tide. While you can see the gate from inside the Tower, there is a better view of it from the riverside.
The White Tower holds the Royal Armory, which houses a collection of swords, lances, and armor worn by British royalty and their horses. A couple of display cases show the evolution of armor over the centuries. On the upper level, is a dragon made out of a variety of shields, swords, and muskets. The dragon creation is based on the practice of collecting discarded battle items and making military trophies. Complete with a little modern flare, this dragon also has glowing red eyes.
Nearest tube station: Tower Hill
An hour before sunset, I reach my final stop for the day, the London Eye. The sun managed to break through the clouds and I was able to see the sun set over London from the Eye!
The Eye consists of 32 glass observation pods that slowly revolve along the wheel. I would say the trip takes about 35 minutes to make a complete revolution. You will have wonderful views of Parliament, the Shard, and more.
Each pod holds about 20-25 people, so if you are imagining a pod all to yourself while belting out “I’m on top of the world” at the top of your lungs… well… you can. But you won’t be alone. And your fellow passengers probably won’t appreciate it.
Nearest tube station: Waterloo