Today was our first full day in London, and it was a very full day. We started the day with a bus tour of London, during which we were able to walk around outside St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, the House of Parliament, and Buckingham Palace. The tour covered a large part of the city, and included the City of London, which is actually a separate city within London that has its own taxation and police force. Our tour guide, Eleanor, covered a large amount of the history of London as well, and gave us a lot of interesting little facts and interesting tidbits of information on the places we visited. Big Ben, for example, is actually the name of the bell within the clock tower, while the tower itself is named Elizabeth Tower. We also got to see Tower Bridge while it was open during our bus tour, which was cool because it only opens about once a month.
While the tour covered a lot of really great historical sites and famous landmarks, my favorite part was the walk through Postmark Park. In Postmark Park is the G.F. Watts's Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrafice, which was unveiled in 1900. The wall is an art installation created by George Frederic Watts, and has room for 120 ceramic tiles commemorating heroic acts of self-sacrafice. When the Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrafice was unveiled it held only four tiles, which had been designed and created by William De Morgan. At the moment the installation hold 54 tiles, the 54th of which was added in 2009, after 78 years without any new tiles having been added.
I found the Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrafice to be extremely intriguing because it commemorates the ordinary people of London for their heroics. The wall contains names and stories that most people have never heard of, but that are still incredibly opener full and moving. Every person commemorated on that wall is an ordinary person who sacraficed their own life in order to save another(s).
I agree with you Sophie on the tiles being a highlight. I honestly got a little emotional reading the stories of these unsung heroes. It's like a historical "Faith in Hunanity restored" post. I wish there were more places like this praising the unselfishness of others.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you both Sophie and Jake. The Postman's Park really is a powerful site to see. Such a great and beautiful memorial for the selfless and strong. I was surprised when Eleanor ( our tour guide) said that many Londoners don't even know that the park exists. It made me feel like I was in a secrete garden plotted right in the middle of the big busy city. I remember that this park was located sort of near the building that was a "shell". The building that was left semi destroyed to exemplify the devastation of the bombings in London. I also remember that both of these locations weren't far from the remains of the original roman wall. I have a few friends that are visiting London and I'm glad to know of these beautiful and unique sites to show them. I am extremely grateful for the bus and walking tour. It really helped me get orientated with the city. It also offered a lot education. And it introduced lots of sites I want to go back and explore.
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