Top Ten Tuesday’s theme is Love, so here is my list of the top ten bookish things we did or wanted to do in London on our recent trip. (We only had three full days in London, but we tried to make the most of them!)
- The Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre is a replica of the original, but they actually hold plays there. It is open to the air for the natural light, and shows go on rain or shine. Our tour guide was great, funny and knowledgeable. (She said that they’d only have five shows a year if they canceled them every time it rained!) We learned a lot about the history of theatre in London, and especially, of course, Shakespeare.
Our tour group wasn’t allowed to go up on stage, but several school groups who came in afterwards were, for some reason, so we got to hear them test out the acoustics with some declaiming from the stage. (Acoustics were very good!)
2. Westminster Abbey — Poets’ Corner
It took us two tries to get to Poets’ Corner at Westminster Abbey where so many famous British writers are buried. The first day we arrived just moments too late for the last group of tourists to be admitted. But we were an hour too early to be let in for the Evensong service at 5:00!
For the service, people were sternly herded in and out …no wandering about the church was allowed, either before or after. (The choral evensong with a full choir was beautiful, and definitely worth going to, though!)
3. Treasures of the British Library Exhibition
The Treasures of the British Library exhibit was free, of course, and we probably spent too long there, considering we didn’t need the London Pass for it, and we needed to use the pass for four places to get our money’s worth. But it was an amazing exhibit for bookish tourists, and I couldn’t resist at least one stop at a library! If you go at 11:00, you can get a guided tour.
The other library we wanted to visit but didn’t get to was the London Library. If you’re into visiting libraries, check out this list of the Most Beautiful Libraries in London.
4. Platform 9-3/4 at King’s Cross Station
In tourist season, you probably will find a long line to pose for photos with the luggage trolley, trying to catch the Hogwarts Express at Platform 9-3/4 at King’s Cross Station. In January, there was no line at all.
For 10 pounds, you can purchase the professional photo they take when they set up the shot, but you can take it with your own phone for free, which, of course, is what we did.
5. Daunt Books
We only got to one bookstore (bookshop, I should say) in London, but Daunt Books in Marylebone (don’t ask me how to pronounce the neighborhood name) was a wonderful choice. Daunt Books is an original Edwardian bookshop, and is definitely a bookish destination to put on your own list.
I selfishly bought books for myself, but my husband shopped for an upcoming first birthday!
6. Foyle’s Bookstore – Charing Cross Road
7. Any Amount of Books – Charing Cross Road
After listening to the audiobook of 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff, I wanted to visit a few of the bookshops on Charing Cross Road, especially the flagship Foyle’s store and the used and rare bookshop, Any Amount of Books (“We are very proud to keep the tradition of secondhand bookselling alive on Charing Cross Road.”). Sadly, the closest we got was passing by the Tube stop we would have used to get there, but we were hurrying on our way to somewhere else. (We did a LOT of walking in three days!)
8. Charles Dickens House
At the Charles Dickens Museum, we had tea and scones in the tea room and took advantage of the free wifi, but we were trying to use up our London Pass and it wasn’t valid there, after all, so we hurried on without actually going through the museum. My husband and I both like Charles Dickens, though, so if we go back to London, we will visit the museum again!
9. Sherlock Holmes Museum
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to go to the Sherlock Holmes Museum, either, although it was in our original plan. (Next time we won’t buy a London Pass, to take some of the pressure off about getting your money’s worth!)
However, I was happy to get this picture of this Sherlock Holmes statue outside of the Baker Street Station.
10. Mr. Fogg’s Society of Exploration
OK, technically, Mr. Fogg’s Society of Exploration is a bar, not a bookish destination. But it was such a cool place to visit for a nightcap! Plus the 12+-page cocktail menu was like a book in itself! There are other Mr. Fogg locations, but this was the only one with the first mechanical Negroni maker, the Mechanical Mixologist.
I’m sharing this with Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, so you can find many other Top Ten lists with the theme of Love there.
(I also love that today we have a snow day and the library is closed. I’m still recovering from being sick, and am easily fatigued, so it’s nice to have a day that I may spend mostly on the couch! As long as we don’t lose power and don’t get walloped with a huge amount of heavy snow, it seems like the perfect snow day, with the storm expected to be over with time enough to clear the roads and shovel out the driveways and be back to normal tomorrow. )
What a beautiful post. I’ve never been to England, but it sure sounds amazing.
Here is my Top Ten Tuesday post.
These are all places I’d like to see! I’ve been to London but not most of these sights. Thanks for sharing.
London is my favorite city in the world and I am so jealous that you go to do all those wonderful things!
I would love to see any or all of those places. I’ve never been to England.
How amazing! All these places give me goosebumps. We haven’t been anywhere in the British Isles but it’s high on our list. Thanks for sharing!