More London – April 2025

On Monday, it was time for us to remove to a new neighborhood so we took an Uber to the Princess Hotel near St. Pancras. This was not as nice as our previous venue but extremely well located, which is why I had chosen it. We took the Tube to Marylebone so I could show my mother the University of Westminster dorm that Southern Miss took over for my study abroad three years ago and we visited always-gorgeous Daunt Books, then had tea at a cafe on Paddington Street.

We spent the afternoon at the National Gallery, which had recently reopened after a big renovation. I had to go to three bookstores to find the book I was looking for – admittedly, not a hardship. I love the Foyle’s on Charing Cross Road! I also mailed three packages to different parts of Britain and all three arrived on Tuesday! At home, I can’t even be sure something I mail in the same zip code will arrive the next day!

The National Gallery

At 5 pm, we went to Nicky Smith’s library on Charing Cross Road, which is tucked away next to a theatre and I am sure I have walked by it multiple times (including on Saturday night) without noticing it was there. She said that most of the patrons are from nearby Chinatown, plus a lot of homeless people, one of whom was haranguing her as we arrived. I had not seen her for three years so we had a lovely dinner at my second favorite London chain, The Real Greek. Only one bad moment – at 6:53 pm when Nicky noticed that are theatre tickets were for 7:00 pm, not 7:30! We had to run frantically after her and I had forgotten what we were seeing or where the theatre was, so there were a few bad moments when we lost her crossing the streets! The show had started when we got there but the kind staff brought us in through a back entrance in the pitch dark so we only missed a few minutes. The gentleman on my left had just run the London Marathon and was very good natured about our pushing past him, in fact, apologizing to me for being uncomfortable and restless.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is very loosely based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story and this version is set in a Cornish fishing village. The main character is born elderly and ages backward so falling in love is doomed from the beginning, but there is lively folk music, lots of dancing, and some beautiful singing by Clare Foster, who plays Button’s love interest, Elowen. I enjoyed both the charm of the production and the skill of the actors playing various instruments.

The Round Table

Our final day was devoted to Winchester, former home town of Alfred the Great and William the Conqueror, as well as the final resting place of Jane Austen. We took the train from Waterloo, which was a short hour-long trip, and walked to the historic Westgate, entrance to the city, which is one of two surviving fortified gateways in Winchester. These were once part of the Winchester city walls from Anglo-Saxon days.

Medieval Herb Garden

Nearby is the Great Hall, all that is left of William the Conqueror’s first castle built in 1067, and it is quite thrilling to be inside and think about him feasting there with his Norman warriors. At one end is a replica of King Arthur’s round table made of oak that dates back to 1275. It is believed to have been made to celebrate the betrothal of one of Edward I’s daughters. Originally black and white, it was repainted for Henry VIII with the Tudor Rose at its center. The outer design is thought to flatter Henry by portraying him as King Arthur on his throne. The 24 seats at the table each bears the name of one of the legendary Knights of the Round Table. The hall also contains an oversize rendering of Queen Victoria and a replica of a medieval herb garden honoring two Queen Eleanors (but neither of Aquitaine).

Next door is Westgate Museum, a former debtors' prison telling the history of Tudor and Stuart Winchester. My mother succumbed to a stunning tapestry pillow in the gift shop that will look good in her living room. By now, I was famished so after we’d strolled down toward the cathedral, we stopped briefly at a bakery where I had tea and a Cornish pasty and my mother had something chocolate and twisty.

We overshot Winchester Cathedral, which is slightly hidden away, but that meant we got to see a statue of family favorite King Alfred (they've lost his remains so this statue is the least his former subjects can do)! And although I had visited the Cathedral in 2022, if you have a good tour guide you always learn something new. It was built in the gothic style (but with Norman transepts and a tower) from 1079 to 1532 and primarily honors St. Swithin, and it has a long nave but not as long as the one in St. Albans! There were people in our group who had only come to see Jane Austen’s grave and the guide was so chatty about the Dissolution of the Monasteries, they became agitated and had to say they’d miss their train before she would get moving to the 19th century!

In the 20th century, the cathedral was falling apart with cracks in the walls so large, a child could crawl into them. An engineer was called in to solidify the foundation and regular (and expensive upkeep) has taken place regularly since.

Winchester Cathedral has inspired fiction and film. Those who have read A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier (which I recommend) will appreciate the needlepoint seat cushions still in use at the cathedral. In addition, the cathedral and city were used as inspiration by Anthony Trollope for his Barsetshire novels. The cathedral was used as a substitute for Westminster Abbey in filming of The Crown. 

And of course, Jane Austen worshipped there and spent her last days in Winchester.