London with Kids - part 5
by Geri Wagner
Day Four Itinerary and options
Tower of London
Tower Bridge
Butler's Wharf
London Dungeon OR
Livesey Museum for Children
Southwark Pie and Mash
Globe Theatre
Your fourth day in London and you're not broke yet?
Tell the kids that today's excursions will be better
than any scary movie on TV.and all true! You'll have some great ideas
for ghost stories tonight at the hotel, believe me! One of the things
we like to do with story telling is put some sentences or phrases
in a hat, related to the topic. Then, each participant pulls a slip
of paper out of the hat and adds to the story, begun by the first
person that uses his or her phrase! If you have little ones not yet
reading, just give them a good punch line or phrase like ".there was
a bloodcurdling scream." They'll do wonders with it.
If you've brought along a tape recorder, be sure to
turn it on to record while your story unfolds. You may be pleasantly
surprised at the results! Our kids still remember our made-up stories
from sessions around campfires and fireplaces!
Tower of London
From Leicester Square, take The Circle/District Line
to Tower Hill, London, EC3N 4AB Tel: +44 (0) 20 - 7709 0765 Admission:
£11.00 (Adults) £7.30 (Children)
Now, the Tower of London is really a.you know. museum.but
your kids will hardly realise it, nor will you.
The Tower has been a palace, prison, treasury, arsenal
and even a zoo! And Tower Hill, the area outside the walls was the
scene of many executions and today the site of the scaffold is marked
by a memorial. Some 125 Tower prisoners died here, most by beheading.
One of the most fortified buildings in the world, the
Tower of London was begun in 1078 by William the Conqueror. Castle
building was an essential part of the Norman Conquest. Following Duke
William of Normandy's invasion of England in 1066, he and his supporters
began building hundreds of castles, first to conquer, then subdue
and finally to colonise the whole of England. These fortifications
included the White Tower, the future Tower of London, one of the most
fearsome castles of all.
The Tower's history is certainly a bloody one. State
prisoners such as Guy Fawkes, Sir Thomas More and the Scottish rebel
William Wallace were all imprisoned and executed at the Tower. The
doomed would pass through Traitor's Gate from the Thames to await
their fate. Many of the prisoners in the Tower were members of the
Royal Family. Lady Jane Grey, Queen for nine days in 1554, was both
proclaimed monarch and executed within the grounds of the tower. Edward
IV imprisoned King Henry VI after he seized power in 1465 during the
Wars of the Roses.
Henry VIII had two of his wives beheaded at the tower
- Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. The ghost of Anne Boleyn is said
to haunt the battlements of the tower even today. Perhaps the most
tragic murder to have taken place at the tower was during the Wars
of the Roses. The Bloody Tower is thought to have been where Edward
V and his brother Richard were smothered in their sleep on the orders
of either Richard III or Henry VII.
Between 1190 and 1285 the White Tower was encircled
by two towered curtain walls and a great moat. This was followed in
the 14th century by the construction of the Wharf. During this period
the Tower provided the monarchy with a place of refuge against things
like the 1381 Peasants Revolt which forced the 14-year-old King Richard
II to shelter in the Tower with his family and household while over
10,000 rebels plundered and burned the capital for two days.
Following the Reformation (when Henry VIII broke with
the Church in Rome), the Tower took on an expanded role as the home
for a large number of religious and political prisoners. These included
such illustrious figures as Sir Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, two
of Henry VIII´s wives: Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, and his daughter,
Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth I). A few, if not all
of them, lost their heads at the Tower. Literally.
But there's a bit of comic relief, so to speak, by the
Yeoman Warders, or "Beefeaters." These colourful characters have been
at the Tower of London since the 14th century. Today they combine
their traditional ceremonial role with that of tourist guide, telling
great tales on subjects such as prisoners of the Tower.
Legend has it that Charles II was told that if the Ravens
left the Tower, the monarchy would fall; so he ensured that a limited
number would be kept here permanently. The Ravens are cared for by
one of the Yeoman Warders, with the title of Ravenmaster. Their lodgings,
next to the Wakefield Tower, can be visited.
Perhaps the most foreboding sight is the armour collection.
The Royal Armouries derive from the great arsenal at the Tower, which
supplied armor and weapons to the medieval English kings and their
armies. The present collection took shape in the reign of Henry VIII
(1509-1547) who restocked the Tower and set up a workshop in Greenwich.
The Royal Armouries' collection at the Tower of London is displayed
in the White Tower.
Today the Tower also houses the priceless Crown Jewels.
Also on view are the Medieval Palace, the infamous Bloody Tower where
Sir Walter Raleigh languished for 13 years and where two wives of
the Kind were beheaded and the inscriptions in the Beauchamp Tower.
Free guided tours by the Warders. New permanent exhibition, 'Crowns
and Diamonds', charting the evolution of Royal Crowns in Britain and
the important relationship which diamonds have with them. It is housed
in the Martin Tower.
Open all year, Mar-31 Oct, Mon-Sat, 9-5, Sun, 10-5.
Last admission 1 hour before closing time. Individual tickets available
in advance from any London Underground station.
Now, it's break time.
There are three catering outlets at the Tower of London.
The Café on the Wharf has seating for up to 250 and serves a wide
range of sandwiches, cakes, snacks and hot and cold drinks. Two kiosks,
also on the Wharf, serve a variety of sandwiches, snacks, ice creams
and drinks.
Tower Bridge
Admission: £6.25 (Adults) £4.25 (Children) Open April-October
daily, 10 -6:30.
After lunch, you'll want to take a closer look at Tower
Bridge, that magnificent site spanning the Thames near the Tower of
London.
Enjoy panoramic views over both the City and Docklands
from the high-level walkways. See the magnificent Victorian steam
engine rooms and experiment with hands-on working models and interactive
computers. A stop at the well-stocked gift shop, which also boasts
spectacular views of the river, completes the visit to the bridge.
If you don't want to really visit the Bridge, just look
at it, you can do so from Butler's Wharf.
Butler's Wharf
South end of Tower Bridge SE1
Once one of the busiest wharves in London receiving
cargoes of tea, coffee and spices, the 19th century warehouses of
Butler's Wharf have been beautifully restored. Now internationally
known for its restaurants, the area also has several galleries and
specialist shops. Stroll along the waterfront or relax in one of the
many bars, cafés and restaurants and take a look at Tower Bridge.
London Dungeon
28-34 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2SZ
If you haven't had enough gore, the kids will enjoy
this attraction in London's Southwark region.
This is the world's first medieval fully interactive
horror museum. Journey back to 1666 and relive the terrifying events
of the 'Great Fire of London' in this new for 2000 feature. Visitors
are plunged straight into a raging inferno with the only escape route
via a treacherous 'Gauntlet of Flames'! Also a medieval siege, torture
chamber, Jack the Ripper experience and Judgement Day featuring a
boat ride to Traitors Gate to face a firing squad! The Dungeon's unique
mixture of costumed actors and chilling tableaux continues to serve
up terror in a tongue-in-cheek style. This museum is not for the squeamish!
Here's an alternative:
Livesey Museum for Children
If you think something milder is in order, try as an
alternative to the London Dungeon, the Livesey Museum for Children.
682 Old Kent Road SE15. Tel: 020 7639 5604
This museum offers changing displays that are fun, educational
and aimed at children under the age of 12. The Livesey has a special
recipe for exhibitions that uses two ingredients: hands-on, interactive
displays and interesting educational themes. The best part: Admission
free.
Southwark
While in the Southwark area of London, you might enjoy
just strolling (running, climbing, crawling and falling?) along the
waterfront watching the boaters and looking at the likes of HMS Belfast,
the last remaining big gun cruiser. It has been preserved as a floating
museum, but no one says you have to actually go IN. Looking about
on the outside might be enough for today.
There's also the Golden Hinde, a full size reconstruction
of Sir Francis Drake's famous ship where one can, if you've a mind
to, look at life on board a 16th century ship, which was once home
to 60 people! It was in The Golden Hinde that Drake circumnavigated
the globe and claimed California for Queen Elizabeth I.
Pie and Mash
Tower Bridge Road SE1 020
Getting hungry? If you didn't succumb to a toothsome
treat on Butler's Wharf already, or if you've got a little more room,
try some traditional British food! Some of it actually tastes pretty
good.or, it grows on you. Even though I discontinued eating pork and
beans with my breakfast, it was rather fun to do so in London. Just
the names of some of the foods are fun in and of themselves.
Everyone's got to try British food! Make it a rule:
no McDonald's unless someone is just hopelessly homesick and upset
and needs something familiar.
Manze's is the oldest pie and mash shop in London. Pie
and mash is a traditional London food, which used to be sold by street
sellers until the first dedicated shops appeared in the 1860s. Pies
have been baked at Manze's since 1892 when the shop was opened by
Michael Manze, grandfather of the present owners.
See if you and the kids can invent your own interesting
names for otherwise everyday meals. For example, we like to call our
fast food hamburgers "Gut Grenades." It's a leftover from the World
War II mentality that still seems to float around London. While eating
our Gut Grenades in London, we always chimed in with a rousing chorus
of "We'll Meet Again."
Honest. My kids learned all the WWII songs in British
school! A new one every day at assembly.
If you're all in fairly decent psychological and emotional
condition, while you're in Southwark wandering about. lots to see
here, like Southwark Cathedral, the oldest Gothic church in London.
where Chaucer's Pilgrims took off for Canterbury (you might like to
read excerpts from the Canterbury Tales."gat-toothed she was." If
you're in luck during the Spring, you may actually get to see a re-enactment
of the Pilgrims in full costume, ceremoniously leaving on their famous
Pilgrimage. If you're so inclined, you can jump on a train at Victoria
Station and head down to Canterbury yourself.
OK, so you're not so inclined today.
Globe Theatre
New Globe Walk SE1 020 London Bridge
What to do this evening? If you're in London and on
the south side of the Thames on a balmy evening before the end of
September, you must visit Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.
Southwark's long history of theatre started in the Bankside
playhouses over 400 years ago. Shakespeare and Marlowe both had premieres
of their plays in Southwark playhouses. Today Southwark's theatrical
heritage continues with four theatres and occasional performances
at special venues.
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is a replica of the original,
built on a site very near the first Globe Theatre. Here you can watch
a first class performance of a Shakespeare play in its original environment.
You can stand up, or sit on one of the wooden seats (cushions are
available!) and don't forget that the theatre is open air!
If you don't find anything suitable at The Globe, check
the London publication, "What's On" for any children's productions
going on.
We have seen great performances of "The Wiz" and "Peter
Pan" in London. And, they sell ice creams right in the theatre aisles
at London theatres, just like at the good old American ball games!
If there's a villain in the production, which there
always is, the kids can vent by hissing and booing along with the
rest of the audience at the nasty Captain Hook-type character on stage.
It's all great fun!
Next: Day
Five Itinerary
See also
Orientation to London with Kids here
Day One Itinerary here
Day Two Itinerary here
Day Three Itinerary here
article by Geri Wagner
geri@starshiptravel.com
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