10/6: London's Westminster Walk & Horse Guards Ceremony

As Steven and I have been big fans of travel writer Rick Steves' walks, we opted to follow his Westminster Walk that began at the bridge of the same name last October. The giant Ferris wheel was called the London Eye, but originally ridiculed as the London Eyesore, when it was built to celebrate the turn of the new century!

In the background sprawled the former former County Hall building that had been transformed into a hotel and tourist complex. In the foreground was the famous 210-mile long Thames (pronounced Tems) that links England's interior to the North Sea. The city began as a trade center in the Roman period along the "watery highway." Up until 100 years ago, large ships traveled upstream to the city enter to offload their cargo but now the major port is 25 miles downstream and tourist boats are the only ones that people see.

Near Westminster Pier was a commanding statue of a woman on a chariot. It was Boadicea, Queen of the Iceni, pictured leading her people against the Romans who had invaded and captured the city they named Londinium.

The north tower of the Houses of Parliament containing Big Ben was officially called the Elizabeth Tower in honor of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and has become the city's symbol although it was named for a fat bureaucrat, according to Steves!

Britain is ruled from this long building along the Thames that once was the residence of kings and queens before they moved to Buckingham Palace and nobles and commoners then ruled the land from the 1,000 room complex.

We walked over to Parliament Square, looking first at the Supreme Court where the Union Jack flag flew.

On the street corner closest to Parliament was where the world's first traffic light was installed. Another reminder of another age was the Taxi sign that would illuminate when a Member of Parliament or MP needed a taxi!

The large lawn between Westminster Abbey and Big Ben was taken up with statues that honored famous politicians for their contributions not just to Britain but to mankind. 

Look at the one of Winston Churchill who saved his nation from Hitler. Guides like to say there's an electrical current running through it so pigeons don't leave their droppings as Churchill was adamant no statue of him be dirtied by pigeons!

Millicent Garrett Fawcett was an English writer and leader for 50 years for the women's right to vote.

Mahatma Gandhi helped free his native India from British rule.

In the forefront was South African Nelson Mandela who fought against apartheid. In the background was a statue of Abraham Lincoln from 1920 that was based on one in Chicago's Lincoln Park.

Westminster Abbey, formally called the Collegiate Church of St. Peter at Westminster, was a church famous as the site of coronations and has touched the lives of kings and queens, statesmen and heroes for over a thousand years.

Like the taxi sign, another anachronism was the red phone booth on Parliament Square that made for a perfect photo op!

As we walked away from the Houses of Parliament, we walked up Whitehall, the most important street in Britain as it contained all the government's most important ministries.

The ornamental arrowheads atop the iron fences used to be colorfully painted until Queen Victoria in 1861 demanded they be painted black in honor of her dearly departed Prince Albert.

The Red Lion pub on Whitehall was known for its eight minute bell that reminded MPs to leave for votes.

The Cenotaph honored those from throughout the British Empire who lost their lives in both World Wars and, because of their monumental devastation, the  subsequent drastic decline of the Empire. I learned there were no religious symbols on the memorial because the dead came represented many beliefs. To comprehend the impact of World War One on Britain, they had about as many casualties in one day at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 as all Americans who perished in the entire Vietnam War.

A black iron security gate guarded the entrance to 10 Downing Street, Britain's equivalent of the White House where the prime minister lives, receives foreign dignitaries and honors victorious sports teams, and many permanent bureaucrats work. The gate was installed in 1989 to protect the PM from Irish terrorists.

I was surprised and heartened to see in the middle of Whitehall a memorial to women who lost their lives in WW II as, too often in my opinion, women's sacrifices to a war effort are overlooked. My own mother who was from Biddenham in Bedford was one who fought in the war effort.

Further up the street was the equestrian statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig who commanded the British Army from 1916-1918.

Behind Haig's statue was  the white marble Banqueting House, all that remained of what had been Europe's largest palace, Whitehall Palace, which once had stretched from Big Ben to Trafalgar Square where we were heading next. In the early 1500s, Henry VIII had begun its building before he moved to the Palace of Westminster, the current Parliament Buildings. Whitehall was added onto by Elizabeth I and other monarchs.

We aren't big horse lovers but were still lured by the sight and knowledge that, for 200 years, soldiers known as Horse Guards, have dressed in their finest cavalry uniforms and protected this arched entrance along Whitehall to Buckingham Palace. The day we were there, the men were attired in blue coats and red plumes and therefore called the Blues and Royals. Other days, soldiers would have been dressed in red coats with white plumes in their helmets and called the Life Guards.  

While both sets comprised the Queen's personal bodyguard, their role wasn't just ceremonial as the elite troops have served their country in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both Prince William and Prince Harry were members of the Blue and Royals.

Thanks to Steves, we knew the Horse Guards building was the British Army's HQ from the time of the American Revolution until WW II when the Ministry of Defense was created.

We were able to walk between the guards into the courtyard where the huge area, called the Horse Guard Parade, was covered in sand during the 2012 Olympics and became the venue for beach volleyball!

If you've been lucky enough to visit London before, you may recognize Nelson's Column in the distance. More on that in a minute, I promise!

A fuller view of the Horse Guards building and former army HQ:

We continued down Whitehall a few blocks to London's central meeting point, Trafalgar Square and the world's largest Corinthian column named after Admiral Horatio Nelson who helped save England from an invasion by Napoleon in 1805 who was just on the other side of the English Channel.

Behind Steven who was taking a welcome break in the square was the domed National Gallery that we visited next.

I hadn't realized until I read Steves' notes that the impressive bronze reliefs at the base of the column had been made from melted-down enemy cannons.

Canada House, i.e. my native country's High Commission, commanded an enviable position at the top of the square and right beside the gallery. As Canada is part of the British Commonwealth, it has a high commission, the equivalent to an embassy.

After spending a few hours at the Gallery, we scurried back to the Horse Guard building by 4 to watch their Dismount Parade as there's nothing like pomp and circumstance as the Brits do it! At the parade, also known as the 4 o'clock parade or the Punishment Parade, dismounted sentries are posted and the horses returned to their stables.

Watching the inspection was a colorful treat and should be on everybody's short list on a trip to London in my opinion!

Next post: Touring Europe's top art at the National Gallery without ever having to cross the Channel!

Far more recently than last fall, I have been writing about our very short (for us!) trip to Sri Lanka and India this past March. Here's a link to the most recent post about Kochi's unusual Chinese Fishing Nets and the city's strong European feel:

https://bergersadventures8.blogspot.com/2020/07/313-kochis-chinese-nets-citys-european.html

Posted on July 9th, 2020, from Gillette, Wyoming, near Devil's Tower National Monument that Steven has long wanted to see as we come to the end of our road trip to visit the newest member of our family in San Francisco and then tour many of the national parks in the Pacific Northwest. As a dear friend often says to me, stay well and stay connected.