Regency London

Today, went on a guided walk about "Regency London," roughly 1780-1830. It focused primarily on the architecture of the era, which was mainly neoclassical. We also walked around Regent's Park and the surrounding area, the only real true city planning project ever done in London. I really enjoyed it (even looking at different types of stucco, I'm turning into Dad with his obsession with building materials!!)

A neoclassical stucco facade designed by the Adams brothers, the only one left on the street, although originally all the brick fronts were covered.

The headquarters of the BBC during WWII, Edward Murrow used to broadcast from the roof during the Blitz.

The Langham Hotel, both Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle used to meet their American publisher here.

A row of Regency terrace houses along the edge of Regent's Park, the design is meant to look like one large building, but in fact is several smaller homes

St. John's Lodge in Regent's Park, one of two private villas in the park, a buyer purchased the home for 40 million pounds in the Mid 1990s.

Cumberland Terrace on the edge of Regent's Park, another neoclassical development, Wallis Simpson lived in the development during the 1930s

Waterfall in Regent's Park

The London home of Frances Hodgkins Burnet, author of A Little Princess and The Secret Garden

Statue of the Duke of Kent, father of Queen Victoria

Another neoclassical building by Regent's Park, currently it is the headquarters for the Princes Trust, Prince Charles' main charity. (No sign of him or Camilla, I think they are actually in the U.S. at the moment)

Sherlock Holmes walk

Since my next exam isn't until next week, I decided to do a little sightseeing and took a Sherlock Holmes walk. This one focused on place mentioned in the various stories about Holmes and other sites related to Arthur Conan Doyle. We didn't go to Baker Street as that is near Regent's Park and this walk took place in the West End.

A pub named after Sherlock Holmes
Cleopatra's Needle, given (or stolen by the British, depending on the source) in honor of the defeat of Napoleon
The former Charing Cross Hospital, the major hospital in the West End during the Victorian era.
The Victorian reproduction of the Charing Cross in honor of Queen Eleanor, wife of Edward I. (Original was dismantled by Oliver Cromwell, who was a Puritan)
The Duke of York Theater, Charlie Chaplin had his first professional performance here
The house where Benjamin Franklin lived while in London
A replica of the original Queen Mary ocean liner, a restaurant and pub now

London Spies walk

After having spent this week studying and then taking two exams, I was able to take the guided walk about spies in London. It was mainly focused on the Cambridge Five spy ring, but briefly touched on Sidney Reilly. It was a lot of fun, like the one we took in DC a couple of years ago. It started in Piccadilly Circus, so took a couple of pictures since I haven't yet (though I see it at least once a week)

The Eros statue in the middle
Billboard of Piccadilly Circus
Liberty department, made to look like a Tudor building, both inside and out (very expensive!!!, known for their prints)
Norfolk House, headquarters for Eisenhower in London, D-Day planned here
Office of the British Intelligence in the first part of the 20th century, Reilly was here
One of the offices of the Intelligence agencies during WWII, Kim Philby worked here
The Claremont Club, the last place the infamous Lord Lucan was seen alive (He allegedly killed his children's nanny in the 1970s, thinking she was his estranged, he fled and his whereabouts are unknown, most people think he is dead)

Shakespeare's London- the Bankside walk

Today I went on the Shakespeare's London-Bankside walk which started in Westminister (North Side of the Thames), then we took a quick boat ride to Southwark borough (on the South Bank of the River) I had never been to the South Bank area before, everyone said it was really nice, lots of restaurants, etc. Until recently it had been rundown until the Globe was rebuilt. Anyways it was really interesting and worth going to see.

The reconstructed Globe

The George Inn, a 17th century coaching inn, it's still a restaurant and pub

Southwark Cathedral, parts of it date back to Norman times, Shakespeare's brother's funeral was held here.

Another view of the cathedral

The remains of the former palace of the Bishops of Winchester, lost much of their property during the Reformation

The reconstructed ship of Sir Francis Drake

The former site of the Bear Gardens, where they held bearbaiting in Shakespeare's day

The site of the medieval Clink Prison, now a museum about prisons at the time

Big Ben from the boat

The only remaining part of the old Palace of Westminister, Westminister Hall, from the 1100s.