For your interest: These are the photos of our trip to England (October 6th – 14th, 2008). I have finally uploaded all of them, and what better way to share them than to provide them via lightbox? Click on the image to enlarge them.

Enjoy! We certainly did…

A sweet house on the corner; the logo of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea:

Entering Kensington Gardens; the gates of Kensington Palace; statue of William of Orange:

Bit O’ History: William was born a sovereign prince of the Dutch house of Orange. He became King William III of the British isles in 1689 after he supplanted his father-in-law, the Catholic James II. William ruled jointly with his wife, who was titled Queen Mary II.

The palace itself was originally built in the early 17th-century, constructed in what was then the village of Kensington. King William obtained the palace from the Earl of Nottingham’s heir. The King wanted a residence near London but away from the smoky air of the capital, because he was asthmatic.

Kensington Palace’s Queen Victoria statue:

Bit O’ History: This lovely statue was sculpted by Victoria’s fourth daughter, Princess Louise. The young princess was a very accomplished artist who was rarely seen without her pencil and drawing pad. Her favorite form of art was sculpting, influenced by her father, Prince Albert. The Consort has been quoted as saying that, “As an art, it is even more beautiful than painting”.

Because Prince Albert admired the art of sculpting, Victoria relented when Louise pressed her for art lessons. Later, in 1863, Louise enrolled at the National Art Training School, South Kensington.

‘Physical Energy’ statue in the Palace grounds:

Feeding the birds at Kensington’s Round Pond; Gardens in the autumn:

The birds were all shapes and sizes, and all LOVED bread. They formed a small parade behind my husband as he tried to walk and fling bread at the same time.

The garden must be beautiful in the spring and summer. As it was October, the vibrant colors were waning.

The Albert Memorial:

One of my favorite photos is the approach. You don’t realize how imperial and majestic this statue is until you are right on top of it. Absolutely brilliant. Across the street from the memorial is the Royal Albert Hall. I don’t think Queen Victoria loved him too much, do you? ;-)

Outside the Household Cavalry building

The sign behind me warned that the horses bite. Which I noticed after I had given the horse a hearty stroke on the nose.

Visiting Parliament: Westminster

We visited the Palace of Westminster, where we were patted down and given ID badges so we could sit in the Public Gallery. We chatted with a jolly Scot police officer, who confiscated our cameras for the duration of our visit. It was amazing to sit inside the gallery and look down at where so many PMs and MPs had gone before. It was a vast, extraordinary feeling.

Bit O’ History: Westminster Palace is the seat of the two houses of Parliament — the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Palace sits on the River Thames embankment in the City of Westminster, across the street from Westminster Abbey and the government buildings of Whitehall and Downing Street. It is actually designated as a royal residence, though none of the royal family uses it as such.

At the north end of the Palace is the famous Clock Tower, commonly known as Big Ben (for the bell within). The Victoria Tower at the opposite end contains the Sovereign’s Entrance, which the Queen enters during the opening of Parliament ceremony.

Westminster Hall

Bit O’ History: The magnificent hammer-beam roof of Westminster Hall is the largest medieval timber roof in Northern Europe. Measuring 20.7 by 73.2 metres (68 by 240 feet), the roof was commissioned in 1393 by Richard II, and is a masterpiece of design. (source)

Oliver Cromwell Statue Outside Parliament

At least he’s all in one piece in this rendering. ;-)

Westminster Abbey

Benedictine monks first came to this site in the middle of the tenth century, establishing a tradition of daily worship which continues to this day. The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs.