Saturday, 6 June 2015

London: Not a Shabby Way to Spend a Sunday

"Happiness is not a state to arrive at,
But a manner of traveling."
| Margaret Lee Runbeck |

St. James's Park bursting into bloom.
St. James's Park bursting into bloom.


Going to church at C.H. Spurgeon's Metropolitan Tabernacle.
Going to church at C.H. Spurgeon's Metropolitan Tabernacle.
 2015 England Trip Travel Journal Entry

  Sunday, March 8

Logistics: 
  1. The 415 bus to the Elephant and Castle stop
  2. The 59 bus to Brixton Tube station
  3. The Tube from Brixton to Victoria station on the Victoria Line, then to St. James's Park station on the District Line



(10:30 PM) We made it to the Metropolitan Tabernacle during the first hymn. We were directed to the balcony, and took our seats in the old wooden pews. They were rather narrow, and I was amused by imagining Victorian ladies attempting to walk along them with their poofy, full skirts, especially since I could barely fit in my 21st-century garb. :) There was a lot Scripture read, and we got to sing some very traditional hymns by people like Isaac Watts and John Newton. Doctor Peter Masters spoke on Romans 2, and it was refreshing to hear that when all our works are judged, as Christians, we will be rewarded for Christ's righteousness imputed to us when we believed.

Walking to St. James's Park through Queen Anne's Gate.
Walking to St. James's Park through Queen Anne's Gate.
As we were looking at their flyers and tracts a young man introduced himself to us. He turned out to be very sweet as well as seeming very wise, and he gave us his testimony: having been going to the church since he was born he's what's known as a "Tab Baby," but he really didn't understand the truth of what he was hearing there until he was fifteen. It is so refreshing to be around like-minded people, and just to have some meaningful human contact after jostling around with strangers for the last four days!


Of course, we went out to do some more jostling once we left, and came home to throw our lunch
together before heading to St. James's Park. I felt so smart sitting there on that bench while eating a lunch we had made ourselves that included chicken we had cooked ourselves. :)
Enjoying a very green St. James's Park.
Enjoying a very green St. James's Park.

Sitting there with my hands nearly freezing solid took away some of my pleasure in our intelligence... But once my gloves were back on my admiration returned, unabated.

Springtime crocuses in St. James's Park.
Springtime crocuses in St. James's Park.


What a walk of pleasant surprises as well as expectations we had! St. James's Park was beginning to burst into bloom! We saw lavender and white crocuses, pink blossoms and daffodils galore. The view on either end of the lake was breathtaking - if you love historic London architecture, anyway. But the 18th century landscaping would be lovely to any eye. There was Buckingham Palace on one end and the back of the Horse Guards buildings on the other, framed by willowy trees and bushes that still look Autumnal with their brown and gold leaves.


A view of Buckingham Palace from the bridge over the lake in St. James's Park.
A view of Buckingham Palace from the bridge over the lake in St. James's Park.

Selfies in St. James's.
Selfies in St. James's.

It was cloudy, but just before we left the park the sun burst through the clouds right above the horizon, alighting everything with a glorious sunset blaze.

A view of the backs of the Horse Guards buildings over the lake at St. James's Park.
A view of the backs of the Horse Guards buildings over the lake at St. James's Park.
We then began our walk from Walking Jane Austen's London by Louise Allen. There were lots of kids in the park, chatting adorably. The cutest was a little boy who was calling out, "Mum, Mum, this is how I do it." I couldn't see him, but the sound was adorable enough. :) I loved hearing and seeing the parents just be parents, as normal as can be - only with accents. :)

We saw so many things I have only heard about as we went on our first Jane Austen walk: St. James's
St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace
Palace, Jermyn Street and Picadilly! It was splendidly surreal to stand in front of what used to be Almack's Assembly Rooms. It is simply called Almack House now, but I could still imagine all the trembling heroines of Georgette Heyer's Regency novels walking down that street, dressed as stylishly and trained as thoroughly as possible to be accepted by Almack's formidable patronesses - and then I realized that the same ordeal had truly been experienced by real young ladies of the Regency.



Almack House
Almack House

White's Club - or the building where it used to be - was almost as thrilling to see, only it was the young men I was sympathizing with this time, having to face the scrutiny of "The Beau" himself. :) I am sure those poor fellows were checking the folds of their cravats as they walked up the steps.

Where White's Gentleman's Club used to be during the Regency.
Where White's Gentleman's Club used to be during the Regency.
 We found the Beau himself - that is, Beau Brummell - fittingly, on Jermyn Street amidst the most fashionable, posh, elegant and expensive tailors, hat makers and shoe makers. I actually gasped as I suddenly beheld him standing literally in a spotlight at the end of a most dashing row of shops in the Jermyn Arcade.

The statue of Beau Brummell, the man who revolutionized men's fashion during the Regency.
The statue of Beau Brummell, the man who revolutionized men's fashion during the Regency.

Selfie with the Beau.
Selfie with the Beau.

Hatchard's Bookshop, founded in 1797.
Hatchard's Bookshop, founded in 1797.
We also found Hatchard's Bookshop - all four floors of it - situated on Picadilly, and admired its mouth-watering English history and London sections. And then, you know, we just happened to stumble upon The Ritz... It felt like I had been dropped into a world where books and history come to life right in front of my eyes! All that would improve it would be if I could be there in costume.

The Georgette Heyer section at Hatchard's. I want them all!
The Georgette Heyer section at Hatchard's. I want them all!





The last sight we found was Henry Austen's bank, a place where Jane Austen herself would have once walked. It was an unreal day.

Where's Jane Austen's brother Henry used to have a bank.
Where's Jane Austen's brother Henry used to have a bank.









Watching 'Poldark'!
Watching 'Poldark'!

















Tonight, to my great surprise and excitement, 'Poldark' premiered on BBC1! Boy, does Aidan Turner have the most twinkly smile. :) His whole face looks so happy! So far, I like it.



© 2015 Anna Morton

No comments:

Post a Comment