Grosvenor Square London England

 Grosvenor Square is a garden park in Mayfair, which is a district in Westminster, London. The park is named after the Duke of Westminster.

A statue honours president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. People all over the UK contributed to the memorial, which was unveiled by Mrs. Roosevelt  with King George VI on 12 April 1948.

In 2023, Grosvenor hosted Mayfair's Coronation Garden Party.

More history

John Adams was the first to establish an American presence nearby in 1785. The house is still there on the corner of Brook and Duke Streets.

A memorial honours Eagle Squadron--244 Americans served in the Royal Air Force before the US entered WW II.

Eagle Squadron/ Grosvenor Square
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Later, General Dwight D. Eisenhower established his quarters at 20 Grosvenor Square. The building was used by the US Navy until 2009.

For years, the US Embassy was nearby until they moved to their new location.

There's a commemorative stone placed on the 50th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

And there's a memorial garden to the 67 British victims of 11 September 2001.

Google Map of Grosvenor Square London

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St Mary-le-Bow Church Cheapside City of London England

 St Mary-le-Bow church was originally built about 1080 by Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury. The stone came from Caen and is the same as in the nearby Tower of London. 

A tradition has it that people born within the sounds of its church bells (Bow Bells) are Cockneys.

The Great Fire of 1666 destroyed the church. It was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren then destroyed during World War II in 1941. It was rebuilt in reopened in 1964. Below ground, the crypt dates to 1080 and is one of the oldest rooms in London.

Church sign below the Bow Street sign.

Nearby is the churchyard.

Captain John Smith preached here about the settlements in Virginia. His statue is in the courtyard.

John Smith above and text below the statue

A wall plaque marks refers to the birth of John Milton

A view of the western door

And entrance in the courtyard

Church website

History of the Church on AMAZON and elsewhere

Google Map of St Mary-le-Bow in Cheapside

Hyde Park London England

Hyde Park/ Sutton-Bing 2023*

Hyde Park is one of London's Royal Parks. It's a refreshing wide-open green space in the heart of London where people come to rest, walk, watch birds, exercise, enjoy a picnic, and attend public events.

In the Spring, the inviting 40-acre Serpentine lake comes alive with ducklings and the promise of cygnets.

Will the duckling join its family? Watch the video of this mini-drama.

One one side of the lake is a café, where I stopped for a light lunch during one of my visits.

There are several monuments and sculptures. 

Achilles at Hyde Park London England

Cavalry Memorial , St George

Serenity by Gudgeon

You will also find flower and rose gardens.

Speaker's Corner is at the corner of Hyde Park near Marble Arch and Oxford Street. Free Speech is protected within broad limits. Controversial speakers like Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and George Orwell have had their say at this spot.

There are benches throughout the park and on occasion, I've stretched out on the grass. However, you'll have to pay up to recline in a traditional deck chair. The sign posts the rates for hourly rentals in 2023.

Hyde Park was owned by the monks of Westminster Abbey. In 1536 the land was acquired by King Henry VIII. It was a royal hunting ground before King Charles I turned it into a public park in 1637.

In 1655 Londoners headed to the park to escape the Great Plague. In 1851, Hyde Park hosted the Great Exhibition. The Crystal Palace was on the south side of the park.

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HYDE PARK website 


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Location

When facing north, Kensington Gardens is the Park on the left and Hyde Park is on the right. 

For more details, see Google maps. There are signs in the park to help locate various sites.

Map link https://goo.gl/maps/FnfyMBXg7LJG8GCh8

Updated 17 May 2023

Trafalgar Square London England

Trafalgar Square Fountain 2016

Trafalgar Square is a large community space in London's City of Westminster. The name refers to the Battle of Trafalgar and the tall column (Nelson's Column) is a memorial to Lord Nelson who was killed in the battle.

For many of us, it's a good place to stop and rest or eat lunch.




Also bordering the square is the National Gallery of Art--A place I definitely recommend visiting if you like art.





Across the street to the right of the National Gallery of Art is St Martin-in-the-Fields Church. My dad used to pass through the area during the war years (WWII). Once when he stopped in for prayer he noticed and chased a purse-snatcher.

This short video provides an overview of Trafalgar Square better than I could capture in one photo.

I've been walking through Trafalgar Square for a long time. It's more colourful now.

Trafalgar Square c 1954 Geoff Sutton

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Oh, there's still a lot of pigeons in Trafalgar Square.

Trafalgar Square c 1953 Geoff Sutton

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Buckingham Palace London England

Buckingham Palace is an iconic building in Great Britain. It is of course home to the Queen or King when the monarch is in town. It has been the official residence since 1837.

People throng to the gates in front of the palace to view the Changing of the Guard ceremony. many congregate on the higher ground around the Queen Victoria monument in front of the palace. It is really crowded on summer days.

Here's a couple of close ups of the Queen Victoria monument.

atop Queen Victoria Monument

Looking in the opposite direction of the Palace, is the wide Mall used in processions.




Some photos of the Changing of the Guards Ceremony

A short video of Buckingham Palace and the area 2017.

Buckingham Palace official website 

The Palace is very large building with 775 rooms. The palace measures 108 by 120 metres and is 24 metres high. Buckingham House was purchased by George III in 1761 for Queen Charlotte. It was converted into a palace by George IV following his accession to the throne. Queen Victoria was the first sovereign to live in the Palace in July 1837.

It is possible to visit inside the Palace during the summer (LINK).

Parting shots

My mum couldn't resist a photo
with a Queen's Guard

One distant view of Buckingham Palace.

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Nelson's Column Trafalgar Square London

Nelson's Column is a victory monument completed between 1840 and 1843 in Trafalgar Square, London (AZ map). The 98 feet granite column rests on a granite base with an overall height of the monument of 170 feet. The statue of Nelson atop the column measures 18.1 feet and was sculpted from Craigleith sandstone.

The four bronze panels on the base were cast from captured French guns.

The statue honours Admiral Horatio Nelson who died in the Battle of Trafalgar aboard HMS Victory in 1805. Admiral Lord Nelson led the British Royal Navy in the defeat of the French and Spanish navies.

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Piccadilly Circus and Statue of Anteros

Piccadilly Circus is 200 years old this year (1819-2019). The circus, or round space at the junction of Regent and Piccadilly streets is in the old City of Westminster, which is in London's West End.

To the right you can see a London underground (tube) sign. Piccadilly underground station is beneath the statue area.

The statue of Anteros is the work of Sir Alfred Gilbert and sits atop Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain. It is reported to be the world's first aluminium cast statue. Many refer to the statue as Eros, but in Greek mythology, Anteros is the brother of Eros, the god of requited, or returned, love.

The memorial honours the benevolent works of Anthony Ashley Cooper, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury who is remembered in part for his successful efforts resulting in education replacing labour for children and the 1845 Lunacy Act, improving the treatment of people with mental disorders.

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You might like this fun and informative guide to British words and phrases.

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