February 19-20, 2010
As residents of the UK we were able to obtain tickets to a tour of the Big Ben Clock Tower. It was during the kids half term break so Jeanne, the kids and Gloria all drove down to London. We parked and caught a quick tour of the Chistlehurst caves.
Chistlehurst Caves
The caves themselves were NOT from Roman times, or ancient times but actually modern times. Local farmers hand dug the soft chalky stone to form caverns for animals and eventually MUSHROOMS!
During WW2 they were used extensively as a makeshift dormitory for displaced persons who lost homes from bombing.
They also had a makeshift hospital.
Though it wasn't exactly what we expected it still was fun.
We met up at Westminster Station with Scott who took a half day off. Gloria very graciously offered to watch Christina and go to the Aquarium while the rest of the family went on the Big Ben Tour. (Unfortunately, Christina wasn't allowed to climb up with us due to age restrictions).
Big Ben Tour
Unfortunately, they didn't allow photographs... at all. But they do provide this link to view a video of our entire tour. So you can see everything we did without having to climb all those steps! And they also allow use of some stock photos, but I didn't get to take them... sigh.
http://www.parliament.uk/about/livingheritage/building/big_ben/inside_clock_tower/tour.cfm
To get tickets we actually had to contact our MP (like a US Congressman) and request tickets through him. It took several months before we were finally able to go. But the day came during the kids half term break and we met up with our local MP's assistant at the Portcullis House. There was a sneaky exit under the road that brought us right to the Clock Tower stairway. Actually, Big Ben is not the name for the tower, but it is the name that stuck. The tower is actually called the Clock Tower. Anyway, we walked up halfway to the first resting point. A ten minute talk enabled us all to catch our breath and up we went again.
stairway was square-ish and circled around and around and around. Looking down could make you dizzy.
We exited and were BEHIND the clock face. The sun shone in and we could see the minute hand move every two seconds. It was really neat! I had visions of Peter Pan sitting on the minute hand... okay, Disney's Peter Pan movie has been a long time family favorite.
Then up to the bells. Big Ben is really big! It was great to see the bells chime. Thankfully they provided us all with earplugs!
Then we went down to the mechanical room. Scott really enjoyed seeing the mechanics at work. Even for us non-mechanical people it was really interesting.
We met up with Gloria and Christina outside and excitedly talked about our tour. It really was great! Goodbyes came next and we were off again to another quick weekend in Southern England...
Battle of Hastings
After an overnight near Battle, we were off to explore. The main purpose of this trip was to see the Battle of Hastings. This was the location of a very pivotal moment in British History. On our way we stopped first at Pevensey Castle which also played a role in the Battle of Hastings. We hadn't been castle visiting in awhile so it was a fun explore for us all.
Then to Battle Abbey... Actually, the battlefield is still just that- a field. Not too much exciting to see. There is a fantastic looking entrance into a private school and a small but good museum / film area. Then we followed the path to the battle sight.
Unfortunately, there had been lots and lots of rain. So even the barked pathways were very muddy and squishy. We hiked long and far (all the while thinking how tough it would have been to be a soldier carrying gear into battle). Christina slipped and totally wiped out her backside in the mud. Yuck! She wasn't too happy either!
But she finally cheered up when we made it to the top of the hill again and got to walk into Battle Abbey. Apparently after King Edward the confessor died William the Conquerer (Norman- France) was trying to claim title to the English crown from his English cousin King Harold II. Talk about family squabbles! But during this decisive battle on 1066, Harold died. Some think it was an arrow to the eye, others think he was injured by an arrow but finished off by the blade. Either way, after the battle Harold was dead and King William (a French King) took the throne and forever changed the country.
Here is a memorial to King Harold where he is thought to have died. Madison decided to reenact the scene for us...
But the battle was quite bloody and most every soldier was slaughtered. In the aftermath, William the Conquerer apparently was ordered by the Pope to pay penance for killing so many people during their conquest of England. So Battle Abbey was built and still stands today.
Lewes Castle
Pronounced Lewis, this beautiful seaside town was a sight that friends from church said was a must-see. And it was very charming. We didn't have a lot of time to walk through town, but we did get to stop by and see the castle that overlooks the entire valley area.
Parking is quite restricted but once we found a space for our big van we were off climbing to the top!
The stones were very interesting. They tended to crack the rocks open and place them into the mortar for unusually beautiful exterior walls.
On our way out of town we drove by Anne of Cleve's house. She was one of the "lucky" wives of Henry VIII...she lived! But only after agreeing to divorce did he provide a home for her. Although her house wasn't a castle- looking at his track record she was very lucky!
Then it was a 4 hour drive home. Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? And finally we were!
Good weekend!
