London

We did two day trips to London on Wednesday 23 July and Wednesday 27 August 2025. It is interesting that both times it happened to be a Wednesday and even though we were blessed with no rain it was very overcast. Here is a recap I’ve enjoyed putting together.

After my excitement of the gruelling long haul flight from Sydney to Heathrow Airpot it was fun doing the 40 minute train from Three Bridges near Horsham to Victoria Station, London. Heathrow is the UK’s biggest airport, located 14 miles west of Central London serving hundreds of destinations around the world.  Heathrow Terminal 3 (T3) is a major global hub, primarily serving Oneworld alliance airlines (including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Qantas, and Emirates) with flights to Europe, the US and worldwide. Three Bridges railway station serves the village of Three Bridges, a district of the town of Crawley, in West Sussex near Horsham where I was staying.

An interesting fact, have you ever wondered where the distance to and from London is measured?

Victoria station is a central London railway terminus, connected to the London Underground station, long-distance coaches and London’s Red buses. It’s located in the City of Westminster and is the second busiest railway station in London, right after Waterloo.

The London Brighton & South Coast Railway (LBCSR) and the London Chatham & Dover Railway (LCDR) decided to pool their resources and back the Victoria Station & Pimlico Railway.  Access to Victoria Station was to be reached by the newly constructed Grosvenor Bridge, the first railway bridge to cross the Thames in London and designed for the Victoria Station & Pimlico Railway by John Fowler. Fourteen acres of land had been purchased for the new terminus. The LBCSR’s side of the station, designed by their engineer Robert Jacomb Hood, was finished first and opened on 1 October 1860. The LCDR’s station on the east side of the site opened two years later on 25 August 1862 with a trainshed roof designed and constructed by their engineer Sir John Fowler.

Walking along Buckingham Palace Road from Victoria Station crossing the intersection of Lower Grosvenor and Bressenden Place towards Buckingham we passed Bag O’Nails first licensed in 1775, the Ruben’s Hotel, we stopped to taste the iced tea at Whittard of Chelsea, then past The Royal Mews one of the finest working stables in existence, the horses and carriages play an important part in the monarch’s official and ceremonial duties.

Continuing along Buckingham Palace Road towards Buckingham Palace we pass the Buckingham Palace Shop, The King’s Gallery where you can see exhibitions from the Royal Collection then along Buckingham Gate created in the 17th century where there are a number of embassies, hotels and businesses to Spur Road which takes us though some amazing gates to see the majestic Buckingham Palace appear around the corner.

Buckingham Palace is recognised around the world as the home of the monarch, the focus of national and royal celebrations, as well as the backdrop to the regular Changing the Guard ceremony. The history of The Palace Gates is tied up in one of the most important periods of British, and indeed, world history: The Industrial Revolution. The Palace Gates are not only a barrier they have their own history, The Industrial Revolution.

Looking around it is impossible to miss the impressive Queen Victoria Memorial standing outside Buckingham Palace which is a vast work consisting of numerous sculpted figurative elements and a fountain.  Surrounded by a large ornate marble reservoir of water mermaids, tritons, mermen and nereids frolic in the sea with dolphins on a carved marble relief that encircles the base of the memorial just above water level.  Neptune/Poseidon is there, riding his horses, trident in hand.  Sitting on top of the fountain’s walls in pairs are bronze figures representing Military and Naval Power, Art and Science.  At the four corners of the memorial are large bronze figures representing Peace, Agriculture, Progress and Manufacture, each stand by a lion. 

Surrounding the Queen Victoria Memorial are three further gates; Australia, Canada and South & West Africa.

The Mall, a prestigious, tree-lined ceremonial avenue, plays an important part in ceremonies such as Changing the Guard, Trooping the Colour and also Royal events such as weddings and funerals and the recent Jubilee celebrations.

After stopping for lunch we walked over to Victoria Street passing the Duke of Your opened in 1838 by George Hudson (the “railway king”) during one of his stints as Lord Mayor of York. It was demolished in 2012 in order to enable improvements to Victoria Underground Station, before being rebuilt and reopening in December 2019.

Across the road the Little Ben clock, a cast iron miniature clock tower stands proudly, passing The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, informally known as Westminster Cathedral, which is the largest Catholic church in England and Wales.  As we walk further along we pass Westminster City Council and The Great War Memorial in the pedestrian passage of Kingsgate Walk at the base of Westminster City Hall, the a friendly British pub, the Albert before seeing our next destination, Westminster Abbey.  Formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster it is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster.   

Looking around there is Central Hall Westminster, owned by the Methodist Church it is one of the largest conference and events venues in Central London and the Crimea and Indian Mutiny memorial, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott remembering Westminster School pupils who died in the Crimean War 1854-1856 in Russia, and in what was known as the Indian Mutiny 1857-1858.

Our next stop was Parliament Square was laid out in the 19th century featuring a large open green area in the centre with trees to its west and is home to a number of notable statues of political figures.  The historic county flags were first flown on 23 July 2019 and the Commonwealth flags of 56 nations were hang in Parliament Square to celebrate CommonwealthDay 2025.

Sir Winston Churchill Statue commissioned by the British government was incorporated into the opening of the 2012 Olympic Games in London in a filmed sequence that involved ‘James Bond’ (Daniel Craig) and The Queen flying over London in a helicopter, with Churchill’s statue waving at them.

The Houses of Parliament or Palace of Westminster is the seat of the UK’s bicameral legislature, comprising the House of Commons and House of Lords, commonly called the Houses of Parliament.  

Big Ben is the nickname for the massive 13.7-ton hour bell inside the Elizabeth Tower at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.  Completed in 1859, this iconic Gothic Revival clock tower—not the bell itself—was renamed in 2012 to honour Queen Elizabeth II.

Parliament Street is the southern extension of Whitehall beginning south of the Cenotaph connecting Trafalgar Square and the British Parliament.  Parliament Street includes Government departments, offices and ministries such as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the Treasury, memorial statues and monuments. 

Walking along Parliament Street we passed His Majesty’s Treasury, King Charles Street Arch connecting the Treasury with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Red Lion, Derby Gate formerly the Whitehall Club, the Cenotaph ‘empty tomb’ in Greet is the site of the National War Memorial of Remembrance, Downing Street is a gated street that houses the official residence and offices of the British Prime Minister, the Women of World War II is a large black-coloured bronze memorial remembering the 7 million women who contributed to the war effort, 8th Duke of Devonshire statue, Banqueting House before heading to St James’s Park though the Royal Horse Guard. 

Horse Guards, Whitehall is the official ceremonial entrance to St James’s and Buckingham Palace and headquarters to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment who provide troops for The Queens Life Guard. The Royal Horse Guards (officially known as “The Blues and Royals” since 1969) is a senior British Army cavalry regiment and part of the Household Cavalry. They are responsible for guarding the Monarch, participating in state ceremonies, and serving as operational, armoured fighting troops. Horse Guards originally formed the entrance to the Palace of Whitehall and later St James’s Palace; for that reason it is still ceremonially defended by the King’s Life Guard.

Horse Guards Parade is a historic, major ceremonial parade ground in central London, situated between Whitehall and St. James’s Park. It hosts the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony and features the daily Changing of the King’s Life Guard at 11:00 AM and the 4:00 PM dismounted parade.

Walking across Horse Guards Parade the Guards Memorial, as we enter St James’s park commemorates 14,000 Guardsmen who died in the Great War.  

St James’s Park is a 23-hectare (58-acre) urban park in the heart of London that was once part of the hunting grounds of Henry VIII. In the 17th century Charles II had the park landscaped and opened to the public and is now one of London’s most scenic spots. 

St. James’s Park Lake is a historic feature of London’s St. James’s Park, featuring two islands, Duck Island and West Island, and a variety of waterfowl, including pelicans introduced by the Russian Ambassador in 1664. The lake is surrounded by landmarks like Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards Parade, offering picturesque views from the central Blue Bridge. It provides scenic views and is a popular spot for visitors to enjoy nature in the heart of the city.

Leaving St James’s Park via Birdcage Walk is a historic road in Westminster, London, running along the southern edge of St. James’s Park from Storey’s Gate to Buckingham Gate. Named after a 17th-century royal aviary, it was formerly a private road for the monarch and is now a key scenic route near Buckingham Palace.

Birdcage Walk runs from the crossroads with Horse Guards Road at Storey’s Gate to a junction with Buckingham Gate at the southeast corner of Buckingham Palace. The street is named after King James I of England’s Royal Menagerie and Aviary, which was expanded by King Charles II of England in 1660. Until 1828, only the British Royal Family and the Hereditary Grand Falconer were permitted to drive along the road.

Our next day trip to London included our red bus trip and a ride on the London Eye.

We are now venturing further afield on the London Red Bus taking route 38 to Angel Central. There was so much to see from the top of the bus travelling from London’s Victoria Bus Station along Grovenor Place running alongside Buckingham Palace gardens and The Peninsula turning into Piccadilly passing Air Street with its three story Doric columned arched bridge and passing famous shops, galleries, restaurants, renowned hotels to Piccadilly Circus and the familiar neon advertising, Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain and road junction of West End. 

Then turning into Shaftesbury Avenue we could not miss the Lindt shop, the Cambridge at Cambridge Circus, a bustling, iconic traffic intersection in central London where Shaftesbury Avenue crosses Charing Cross Road, linking Soho and Covent Garden. Renowned for the historic Palace Theatre, it serves as a central West End hub and is famous as the inspiration for “The Circus” in John le Carré’s espionage novels.

A left turn into Charing Cross Road onto New Oxford Street and a massive traffic jam on Bloomsbury Way due to roadworks near Bloomsbury Square one of Londons earliest squares developed in the late 17th century and past Victoria House crossing Southampton Row onto Theobaids Road, named after Theobalds Palace, as King James I used this route when traveling between the palace and London. then past Sadler’s Wells Wells Theatre on Rosebery Avenue and now only a short way to go via St John Street and Islington High Street to our bus stop on Upper Street.

With another short bus along City Road to Old Street we stopped at Greggs for some food before walking along Old Street to the Bunhill Fields Burial Grounds, a place of rest from 1665 until 1854 with approximated 123,000 burials with some notable people including William Blake. 

On our way to the London Eye we stopped off at Bond Street Underground on the north end of Oxford Street for a walk around. Included in our walk was South Molton Street which is not only a stylish pedestrianised haven in the heart of Mayfair, number 17 was the home of William Blake for 17 years. William Blake, author of ‘Jerusalem’, regarded as the unofficial national anthem, is internationally revered as a Poet, Artist, and Visionary.

Time for another stop before this day is done in London.  I do not remember having such transport issues when living in London in 1979, it has all changed so much and feeling very much like a soulless, people moving factory,which it is.  Heading to the London Eye via Waterloo Station serving as a terminus for the channel Tunnel, originally constructed in 1848 the new Waterloo Station was opened in 1922 by Queen Mary. 

What a great way to finish of my London adventures seeing many of the landmarks from the London Eye, originally the Millennium Wheel, it is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames. Launched in 2000 the London Eye is a135-meter tall cantilevered observation wheel featuring 32 glass capsules with 360-degree views of London and a full rotation taking 30 minutes.