Walking Through History

I am a nut for history, especially stories of royalty. London is crammed with historic places.

When I visited Jack and Margaret in London, they were busy with his work and her commitments to other activities. So, for two weeks I left their house in Highgate and took “the tube” into the center of London to go sightseeing on my own in one of the greatest cities in the World.

I made leisurely visits to all the famous places, finding space between the groups of tourists who crowded the aisles of Westminster Abby and taking time to read the inscriptions on the monuments. Then it was a short walk across the square where Margaret told me I could find an inexpensive lunch in the Methodist Church’s cafeteria.

After lunch it was back to the Abby Museum to see the effigy of Queen Mary II (in history books as half the reigning duo of William and Mary). The life-like figure was placed on top of her coffin for the long procession from Hampton Court, where she died, to be buried in Westminster Abby.

Another day I saw non-tourist London from the window of a city bus on the long ride to Hampton Court, where, in the wing added by William III, I saw the small bedroom where Queen Mary II died of smallpox.

In the older part of that huge palace I stood in the chapel where the tiny son of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon was baptized, only to die two months later, dashing Henry’s hopes and leading to their divorce.

I walked down the corridor where Catherine Howard, the fifth of Henry VIII’s six wives, ran screaming for him to save her. He didn’t. The guards dragged her away to have her head cut off in the Tower of London.

I also spent a day at the Tower of London. The White Tower is surrounded by a park-like lawn encircled by a high walls with many smaller towers, including the one where Sir Walter Raleigh was confined before his execution, and another where Princess Elizabeth was briefly held until released by her sister, Queen Mary I, who later conveniently died, and the princess became Queen Elizabeth I.

Inside the White Tower is a fine collection of armor, including Henry VIII’s huge and magnificent suit of armor with its beautifully engraved breastplate. On one of the upper floors of the tower is a chapel, “the oldest church in England” (I doubt it), where Anne Boleyn was buried after Henry had her head cut off.

In Medieval Times the White Tower was believed built by Julius Caesar. It wasn’t. It was built by William the Conqueror. Julius was there. A nearby tube station is “Roman Wall” where I stepped out of the underground and saw a fragment of the wall standing 12-feet high, with a modern statue of Caesar in front of it.

Across the street from the Tower of London is an old church which escaped the great fire of London in 1666. In this Medieval church William Penn was baptized into the Church of England. When he grew up he became a Quaker and founded Pennsylvania as a refuge for people of all religions. His descendants reverted to the Anglican church. The font in which he was baptized was brought to America and is in Christ Church Episcopal in Philadelphia. Tourists go there to see the pew where George Washington worshiped when he was first President of the United States.

History is full of twists and turns that kids don’t read about in World History courses in high school or college.