Saturday morning. We stopped for a great breakfast at our favorite place, Peyton and Byrne, which was right around the corner from our hotel.
Great breakfast options, incredible baked goods and good coffee. And check out that herringbone floor. May I have one for my cottage, please?
We headed toward Parliament Square and Westminster Abbey. After standing in line for a while, we paid for our tickets and went inside.
I didn’t know until after I took this picture that you’re not supposed to take photos. (I’m glad I got one in.)
It’s glorious, isn’t it? It’s simply stunning. So many famous people are buried and/or memorialized there. I can’t list them all, but Queen Elizabeth I? Mary, Queen of Scots? Richard II? The two young princes who were murdered in the Tower of London? Not to mention all the actors and poets and political figures and, most recently, Stephen Hawking. Everywhere you turn, there’s a marker and a story and you realize the enormity of history that is a part of Westminster Abbey. We were easily there for well over two hours.
I had to pay homage to my ancestor, Sir Rowland Hill, who is buried there. Rowland is a family name and it was my father’s middle name. Arthur and Frederick are also family names – two of my uncles had those names, and those were the names of two of Sir Rowland’s brothers.
He was a social reformer; both in education and in the postal system. He invented the Penny Post. At that time, the postage for letters was based on distance and the number of sheets of paper used and the receiver had to pay the postage, not the sender. Often, the receiver couldn’t afford the postage charges, so the letter never got to them. Fraud was commonplace. The system itself was in need of change. Hill proposed a system based on weight, not distance, and changing to a uniform rate of postage of a penny per half ounce. He is responsible for the what we now call the modern postal service. The adhesive postal stamp was his creation. The first adhesive stamp – the Penny Black, with a portrait of Queen Victoria – came into being in May of 1840.
You can find out more here.
There is a bust of Sir Rowland in the Abbey and a marker.
I placed my hand on the bust of my ancestor to acknowledge him and, though I wasn’t supposed to, snuck a photo of his marker.
When I was in London in 1991, I went to the Postal Museum and bought packets of commemorative stamps that were issued in 1980 – one for me and for each of my family members.
They are framed and hang in our upstairs hallway. I also bought a biography of Sir Rowland, which sits on my bookshelves in the den.
After our visit to the Abbey, we had lunch in one of the cafes there. Delicious.
As we emerged from the Abbey, we ran smack dab into a huge Brexit Protest Rally in Parliament Square. We knew there was going to be a rally, but had no idea just how big it would be. This was one of those moments in our trip where we just stopped and let the day evolve based on what we were encountering – in this case, the rally. Too important to ignore. Theresa May was in Brussels at the time, meeting with members of the European Union, so this march and rally was timed to coincide with that.
The protestors were asking for a second vote on Brexit. Many were carrying the flag of the European Union. All were peaceful.
This statue of suffragist Millicent Fawcett is the first statue of a woman in Parliament Square. It was unveiled earlier this year.
As we walked against the direction of the marchers, we saw that they were coming from Trafalgar Square and beyond. We later learned there were anywhere from 500,000 to 750,000 marchers that day. Extraordinary.
We kept walking toward the Strand and eventually, we split off from the march. Don said it well: We spent the morning immersed in British history and emerged to see what will be significant political history happening in the now. Very powerful.
As the Strand became Fleet Street, evidence of its long association with the Press.
That night, dinner at a favorite restaurant, Caravan. It’s just down the street from our hotel – such delicious food with exotic flavors. Very inventive and such a fabulous interior!
A few shots from the next morning:
Can’t help thinking of The Barretts of Wimpole Street.
All encountered on our walk toward the Tube and our destination: South Kensington.
More tomorrow!
Happy Monday.
Great photos again today Claudia. Westminster Abbey is breathtaking isn’t it. How fascinating seeing the bust of your ancestor.
I read this online this morning and thought you might like to see it as you visited the tower so recently: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/05/tower-of-london-lights-up-in-stunning-armistice-memorial
Thank you so much! I’ve forwarded the link to Don, as well. xo
What a wonderful history lesson! I love that you have such a famous and interesting relative. Just very cool. The Brexit march sounds amazing. All those peaceful protesters. Again such a lovely day and thanks for taking us along with you. Tomorrow is an important day in our history here and I hope everyone will VOTE. Our voices must be heard!
YES! Everyone must vote! No excuses. The future of our planet, of our citizens and of our children and grandchildren is at stake. xo
Hello Claudia – still loving your European road trip. How wonderful that your ancestor is Sir Rowland Hill! I can remember being taught about him in primary school over fifty years ago!
Don’t get me started on Brexit – I don’t know a single person who’ll admit to voting to leave. How can such a major decision be implemented when the majority was only 51 percent?
Anyway your lovely blog isn’t the place for me to have a political rant. Back to the fantastic Sir Ian Mckellan ( a fellow Northener – I love it when he drops back into a Lancastrian accent!), is a guest this Friday evening on the Graham Norton show. If you’re unable to access the BBC, some one usually posts clips on YouTube x
51 percent is a ridiculous – that’s not enough, in my opinion, to decide something so momentous. But then again, Hilary got 3 million more votes than Trump and because of the antiquated Electoral College, Trump “won.”
Thanks for the tip on the Graham Norton show!
Claudia, I was glad to be able to bring my daughters to Westminster Abbey. We didn’t have to stand in line. I had ordered tickets on-line and I asked someone there where the line was for ticket holders and I flashed my print-outs. “Oh, come on in!” He unclipped the rope and we just walked in! Anyway, Hawking was my most exciting find. The girls loved poet corner, and we marveled at the Abbey’s holding so much history. How cool that you have an ancestor there. I’m saving the names of the eateries at which you ate, for next time.
We didn’t do anything ahead of time – we wanted to be spontaneous, not knowing when we would feel like seeing a particular place. Hawking’s marker was beautiful.
Love your description and photos of your London trip-
Looking forward to reading/ seeing more
#LetsExitBrexit
Yes to your hashtag! Thanks, Siobhan.
Thank you for such an interesting day!! So much history. And to exit into the Brexit rally was really rather amazing!
Yes. We must vote. I voted early and the numbers are up for early votes in our little village. And Madison quadrupled the 2014 mid term early voter numbers. As I read this weekend ~~ to stay away and NOT vote is actually a vote for what we have been living with these long and weary 2 years. (It seems like 20). Please go out and vote if you haven’t done so already. Everyone. Vote.
We don’t have early voting here, Chris, or I would have already voted. But there is something exciting about going to the polls on the actual day, right?
EVERYONE READING THIS: VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!!!! (I’ll be reminding everyone tomorrow.)
I had a friend at the Brexit rally/protest. It all sounds rather grim, the process but whether or not the protest makes a difference, I’m glad they had it.
Lucky you with a shot in Westminster Abbey! I wasn’t so lucky!
I would have been protesting had I been a Brit. It was fascinating and I feel fortunate to have witnessed it.
More wonderful photos. And wow, you have an ancestor who virtually “revolutionized” the postal system – seriously. And now he’s buried at the Abbey! What an honor. Such a great idea too – brilliant even, as the Brits would say. Super cool that you were there for the Brexit protests too. Especially in light of tomorrow. Hope all your US readers are voting – it couldn’t be more important to do so. I mailed my absentee ballot about 10 days. I even put 3 stamps on it, just in case. I’m sure it only needed one but I am taking NO chances with this vote. The good news is that here in NY state voting matters do seem to be very efficient. I mailed my request for a paper ballot on a Friday afternoon & was STUNNED to receive it the following Wednesday!! Which, IMO, is SUPER speedy. So PLEASE everyone, get out there & vote!! There are still people around the world who DREAM of being able to do it. Vote for the future of your loved ones, and in honor & memory of those who came before us. Especially those who died to defend democracy & to preserve the right to vote. Peace. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I will be definitely publishing a reminder to vote tomorrow. From what I can tell so far, many readers have voted already. That’s a good thing! I don’t vote absentee, and, as you know, there’s no early voting here, so I will be heading to our local voting site tomorrow. So will Don. I must admit I feel a surge of excitement when I vote right there at the polls on the day of the election.
Luckily, we’re a small town, so it’s never that crowded and the wait isn’t wrong.
Not voting is, in reality, the opposite of ‘not voting.’ It’s handing a vote to those you disagree with. It’s cowardly. There, I said it. I remember people leaving comments here two years ago to the tune of “Neither of them is good, so I’m just not voting” I wanted to scream. That false equivalence, and it was false, gave the election to the unqualified, disgusting racist currently in the WH. I’ve absolutely no patience with those who don’t vote. I’m almost 66 and I’ve NEVER not voted. NEVER.
End of rant, my friend!
You two really made the most of your time on vacation.
Your photos and commentary take us with you. Thank you so much!
Peace ~
You’re very welcome, Monica! I’m glad you’re enjoying the posts.
i understand the need to protect fragile things (like art) from damage caused by flashbulbs, but i also understand why people want to document seeing that art or being in a famous and beautiful place … so i am glad you were able to take a couple photos in westminster abbey, especially the one of your relative’s marker. seeing that place where a family member is honored, in such a beautiful place, is overwhelming, i think.
and “wow … thanks!” to his accomplishments!
great that you could also witness some current history in the brexit rally, too!
glad you found some favorite places near your hotels so when your feet hurt or you were tired, you didn’t have far to go to get something you’d like to eat.
i know you had to write some big checks to get there and that the first hotel room in london wasn’t up to par, but you and don have had so many cool experiences on this trip that it all seems so very much meant to be … God’s blessings! and for that i’m so happy for you!
kathy in iowa
Yes, it was an expensive trip. But it was a once in a lifetime trip as well and it was worth every penny, Kathy. xo
What an incredible day you had….from the visit to the Abbey, and your family history….to the Brexit rally! Such great pics too….I had to go back just to study the pictures.
I’m excited to vote tomorrow, too. We are voting for America’s soul after all…sure hope we can redeem it! Fingers double crossed! ;)
Fingers double and triple crossed, Donnamae! xo
Hi Claudia, What a fabulous holiday you and Don had and I’m really enjoying your posts, too. I decided to read about your famous ancestor, Sir Rowland Hill and I was fascinated to read that he served as Secretary of the South Australian Colonisation Commission which was successful in establishing a settlement of free settlers (not convicts), namely the City of Adelaide, where I was born and grew up. Rowland’s sister Caroline Hill Clark, together with her husband Francis Clark, emigrated to Adelaide on the advice of Rowland and another of her brothers, after two of their children died of TB. (Some of my ancestors also arrived from England and Scotland around that time, too.)The beautiful, leafy suburb of Hazelwood Park was named after a school in Birmingham founded by Thomas Wright Hill, which became Hazelwood School under her brother Rowland Hill. I love Hazelwood Park and was remembering about it only last week as I used to visit the swimming centre there when I was 15 and working there during my school holidays, and I also took my boys when they were young to play there, on a few occasions. Thank you for this little trip down memory lane and I find it so interesting to learn the background history of places. So many familiar place names in that article brought back a ton of memories as I sadly no longer live in Adelaide.
I knew about Australia and his sister, etc., but reading your thoughts about it and your connection is very powerful! Than you so much for sharing this with us, Beverley!
Interestingly, my maternal grandmother (no connection to the Hills) was named Caroline and her married name was Wright. Connections everywhere!
What an amazing man your ancestor was…you must be very proud of him!
Thanks, Nancy!