London Things to Do Tips by mrclay2000

Of the many properties owned or controlled by the royal family, the most famous is Buckingham Palace, where crowds throng the front gate at the proper times to watch the changing of the guard. The royal family has owned this residence for the past 300 years, but to my mind the front facade is a cold presentation, as stiff as English ceremony, far less warm and inviting than St James Park beyond. When the standard flies high on the flagpole, the royal family is in residence.

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The history of St Paul's covers many centuries, but we can give our deepest thanks that so many centuries of history were not bombed into rubble during WWII (St Paul's survived with only a scratch). Briefly speaking, the old St Paul's before the Great Fire of 1666 had a great spire towering over 500 feet, but this was brought down by lightning. After the Great Fire, Christopher Wren fought for two things above all others, one being the Latin cross versus the Greek cross plan, and the other raising a dome rather than a new spire. You can see from this photograph that he got his way on the dome.

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Phone: 020 7236 4128
Address: Ludgate Hill
Directions: eastern London
Metro: St Pauls.
Website: http://www.stpauls.co.uk/rindex.htm
Other Contact: chapter@stpaulscathedral.org.uk

On the outside, St Paul's resembles almost any state capitol building in America. The plainness of its exterior hints very little of the explosion of colors within, where sadly the officials do not allow photography. You might amble around the exterior and wander through St Paul's Churchyard or observe the dome from Paternoster Row. Once you enter, you'll still march through a plain nave before the transepts, the dome and the altar overwhelm everything you've ever seen.

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Website: http://www.stpauls.co.uk/rindex.htm

St Paul's was my first important European cathedral, and as such I had no common point of reference. When I first entered and marched through the cold nave, my expectations were a little wounded until I reached the area beneath the dome. If the decoration that covers the transepts and the altar were extended to the nave, I might say this church competes with St Peter's. Suddenly confronted with so much finery, I wanted to take a million pictures, when another man was peremptorily ordered to put away his camera. With an unexpected change of heart, he shortly turned aside the prohibitive icon, and added, "I don't see why you can't take a shot."

I took him at his word, consuming two entire rolls -- on a tripod no less, taking the ultimate license.

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Website: http://www.stpauls.co.uk/rindex.htm

The Tower of London is a must-see on anyone's list. Standing for over 900 years, the structure is ringed by a curtain wall, which in turn is protected by several towers overlooking a moat that was drained in the 1840s. The outer bailey still has its defensive features, mainly the windows through which archers could strike their opponents without incurring accurate return fire (these appear almost like Latin crosses throughout the walls). You can walk around the Tower (outside the moat) at all hours, and even if you never pay your admission, it is still obvious why this is justly one of London's most popular attractions.

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Other Contact: Tube: Tower Hill

If you visit the Tower just as the night sky is going from blue to black, you can take some pretty interesting pictures. This particular image peeps over the curtail wall toward the White Tower, the central keep built by the Conqueror. The light green hues are not natural light, but represent instead a temperature variation to the film.

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Directions: Tube: Tower Hill
Other Contact: Metro: Tower Hill

The Tower represents the best features of the medieval fortification system. If you are an attacker or a visitor (the Beefeaters treat both the same), you can plainly see that every feature is designed to give the defenders a chance to repel you. Over the centuries as the Tower transformed into what it is today, some of the keeps fell into disuse or disrepair, such as the Wardrobe Tower, now a lone ornament within the bailey.

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In the center of the Tower of London is William the Conqueror's White Tower, once the tallest building in London. Today it houses medieval relics, including suits of armor (mainly from Germany) from the days of jousting and chivalry. The interior otherwise is stark and Gothic, as primitive still as when it was constructed in the 11th century. Remember, though Norman royalty once lived here, the White Tower came into being long before the days of the feudal manor.

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The Jewel House allows two things (1) a chance for tourists to line up in the errant attempt to evode a smirk from the stoic guard, and (2) a tour amid the Crown Jewels. At first I took some interest in whether the 22-year old manning the booth would flinch at so much tomfoolery. He did not. Inside, we were led through cordons past mere filmstrips of the Crown Jewels, and I thought this farce would be my entire tour -- until we came upon the actual crowns and scepters and goblets used by centuries of English monarchy. For such a treasury of gem-encrusted works of gold and silver, photography is not allowed within the Jewel House. Don't press your luck -- remember, the block is just outside the barracks with the blade marks still visible.

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The Tower Bridge stands just beyond the Tower of London and is ordinarily included as part of the same visit. This Victorian-era structure is unique among Thames bridges in central London and extremely charming by night or day.

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Phone: 020 7940 3984
Directions: near Tower of London, eastern City
Website: www.towerbridge.org.uk