On our third day in London, we once again took the train into town. This time we intended to start our day at the Tower of London. After we exited the train station, we found ourselves on the south bank of the River Thames, and we needed to make our way to the north bank, near the Tower Bridge. I recall it being extremely windy, but once we found the river, we caught our first glimpse of the Tower Bridge in the distance (farther away than we had hoped!). Regardless, our course was set.
We crossed to the north bank of the River Thames over the first bridge we could find. It was a simple, unassuming bridge. Only after passing, taking the stairs down to the pedestrian walkway and looking back at the bridge did we notice the placard underneath that read, “London Bridge”. Like most people, we thought Tower Bridge was London Bridge. Many locals and guides made it very clear that calling Tower Bridge by the name London Bridge was very wrong. London Bridge, made famous by the nursery rhyme, has, in fact, fallen down several times. I suppose that’s why it’s the rather unassuming (but hopefully sturdy) bridge it is today.
After a fairly long walk along the riverbank, we approached the Tower of London. Luckily for us, we arrived only minutes after one of the famous “Beefeater” tours had begun. We hastily caught up with the group, which was in the green space surrounding the Tower, which was once the moat.
It was here, as we listened to our guide speak, that I, for the first (but certainly not last) time was struck by the incredible duality of London. Much of London is old, like the Tower itself, which dates as far back as 1066 AD. As American’s, so much of Europe feels impossibly old. But compared to a lot of Europe, London is also strikingly modern. As you can see in the photo above. You have the entry gate to the Tower, nearly 1,000 years old, and in the background, the Shard, a massive, modern skyscraper. London is full of these kinds of contrasts.
Speaking to our tour through the Tower of London, we are not really ones for guided tours. That said, the Beefeaters (technically Yeoman Warders) tour was the best tour I have ever been a part of. Our guide was knowledgeable, endlessly entertaining, and honestly a delight. If one visits the Tower, and doesn’t meet a Beefeater, they’ve done themselves a disservice. We learned more in that hour long tour than we would have in a day to ourselves. (oh, and skip the paid Audio guide device, that was a waste, join a Beefeater for free)
The tower holds the Crown Jewels (on display for all to see), as well as the Tower Ravens (about which its said should they ever leave the Tower, the kingdom will fall). The Tower is possibly most famous as a place of torture and execution of prisoners, including Anne Boleyn and others. I think if you only had a short stay in London, the Tower is certainly one of the things you must see. (if only to walk around making Monty Python jokes, which we admittedly did quite a bit of)
After leaving the Tower, we had a quick lunch of sandwiches and chips at a small restaurant across the street (food options are fairly limited in the area around the Tower). We then made our way north to the Guildhall Art Gallery (seen above). This isn’t a very famous gallery as London goes, but it holds an interesting secret in it’s basement.
There are many impressive works of art within the gallery (and we wished we had more time to see them, but we spent quite a while at the Tower, and were still getting used to navigating a city as enormous as London). Perhaps the most interesting thing, however, is what they discovered when building the gallery.
When earth was being moved during construction, the ruins of a Roman Amphitheater were discovered. It nearly halted construction of the gallery all-together. Instead, they modified their plans, and the remains of the amphitheater are on display for all to see in the basement of the gallery.
The remains are fascinating, and worth a look if you have the time. I don’t think there is anywhere else that I know of where I’ve been able to walk among ruins of the Roman Empire, nearly 2,000 years old, and do it completely alone (it’s estimated the amphitheater was first built around 70 AD). The ruins aren’t something many know about, which is part of what makes them worth visiting.
After the gallery, we made our way to the British Library (for the first time). A massive, red brick building near the famous Kings Cross Station that houses actual copies of many great works. They have a display room with original writings from Leonardo da Vinci, Jane Austen, Ian Fleming, and even an original copy of the Magna Carta. Photos aren’t allowed (for good reason), but it’s a location that anyone visiting London should make time for.
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