For those readers confused, my 1st cousin 17 times removed is King Richard II! So how can I visit him? TARDIS? Resurrection potion?
No! By visiting the royal tombs at Westminster, that’s why!
Yesterday, my mum and I spent LOTS of money to see Westminster Abbey and then wonder around London for a visit to Nelson, tea with the Prime Minister and being mean to Oliver Cromwell.
Westminster Abbey is spectacular on the outside, yet on the inside it is even more BEAUTIFUL! Unfortunately, photography was not allowed. =(
But anyway, upon entering the Abbey there is the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior and a Winston Churchill memorial. To the right there is the Coronation Chair, which the King or Queen sits on to be crowned. Next to the Chair is the famous Richard II portrait. Nearby in the science corner is Charles Darwin.
The medieval kings are all together with Edward the Confessor. There is Henry III, Edward I, Edward III, Richard II and Henry V (plus their wives).
Opposite Henry V is Henry VII’s chapel dedicated to Mary (Jesus’s mum). Outside the chapel there are two little shrines. One has Elizabeth I and Mary I. The other has Mary, Queen of Scots and on the far wall to her is an altar with Mary II, William III, Anne and her husband and, all alone, Charles II.
In Henry VII’s chapel there is (no surprise), Henry VII and his wife. In front of him are the underground tombs of George II (the last monarch to be buried there) and Edward VI. A guide told me a George II secret: George II had commissioned his tomb to have its side open so he and his wife could linger in the afterlife.
Next to Henry VII is James I (and VI of Scotland), and nearby a stone where Oliver Cromwell was buried for two years before being moved to a secret location in Cambridge. There is also a shrine to Edward V and his brother with their bones.
In the Poet’s Corner, there is Geoffrey Chaucer (I noticed his tomb was small), and memorials to Shakespeare, Dickens, Tennyson and lots of poets and authors.
There were two big statues near Westminster Abbey: one of Richard I and one of Oliver Cromwell (booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!)
After Westminster we walked round Parliament (yes, Parliament), I stood in the spot where journalists stand when reporting from Parliament.
Then we were on a hunt for the place where Charles I lost his head. We went to No 10 Downing Street (yes, Downing Street) and there were lots of tourists outside the building. We asked a guard there and not only did he tell us roughly where he (Charles I, not the guard) got his head chopped off, he (the guard, not Charles I) pointed to a building (the Banqueting House) to his left across the road.
The guard also explained that the Downing Street area was burnt down because in about 1698, a chambermaid left some towel to dry too close to a charcoal fire, and when the towel caught fire, the chambermaid chucked the burning towel out of the window and the wind blew the towel back, so the palace burnt down.
We passed the Cenotaph and took some pictures. We then found roughly where Charles I lost his head and then walked to NELSON”S COLUMN!!!!!!!!!!!!
We walked to Trafalgar Square, with Nelson’s Column right in the middle. I saw a lot of people were being very disrespectful and climbing on the steps of the statue. I didn’t like that because Nelson was a great general, and people should treat him with more respect, and shouldn’t just use Nelson’s Column as a photo opportunity without knowing who he is and what he is famous for. They might damage the statue.
After THAT, we went to Piccadilly Circus to eat at the lovely Japanese Centre.
All in all, I think this is a truly memorable trip and I recommend visiting Westminster and London. The city is full of famous monuments and exciting places to visit and well worth the money!!!!
Related Article:
Ben Williams' World 
Thanks for this virtual tour, Ben. I love the fascinating facts.
Chaucer looked small because he was small – people used to be shorter than today’s average. In 600 years, people might be over seven feet tall 🙂
I like your comment that people should’t use Nelson’s Column as a photo opportunity without knowing who he is and what he is famous for. Did you know that there are the remains of five or six kings (from pre-1066) in Winchester Cathedral? Unfortunately the bones are all scattered and spread about several coffins – no coffin contains a complete king!
What a great day out, Ben! Sometime I will show you a pic of my grandfather, Sir Angus Scott, taken at the Banqueting House when he was chairman of the London County Council in the early 1930’s. My 15 x great grandfather was Robert Bruce, King of Scotland.
@ Hazel Bateman I too am the Great Granddaughter of Robert Bruce he is my 23 Great Grandfather, along with a long list of other kings and queens.