60 years today!!!

Although we use “today” in the title, it was yesterday it happened, as we write this.  As most will know, it was 60 years to the day (2nd June 1953) that the Queen was crowned and we thought we ought to spend the day in both the Royal and tourist heart of this splendid city.

So, it’s going to be a photographic record of some of the places we saw in our walk yesterday. Getting off the tube at Green Park we emerged to ‘the world and his brother’ lazing on the grass in the glorious sunshine.  Not many were enjoying the comfort of the deck chairs which were priced ludicrously high so’s very few could afford them.  We arrived at Buckingham Palace too late to see the start of the Changing of the Guard.

The Victoria Memorial looked resplendent in the sunlight.

Too late to see the start, we did see the end of the guard as they marched off back to their barracks.  It never fails to bring a lump to the throats of thousands – nowhere else in the world can they do it like us!

The Mall looked superb with the Union flags hanging in respect for the last 60 years.

The crowd control was something else that could only happen here.  The police effortlessly moved thousands of people to allow another Guard to march up The Mall.

A few hundred yards up The Mall a soldier stands guarding Clarence House, now the home of The Prince of Wales.

Next to Clarence House is St. James’ Palace.  It’s from this balcony that a new monarch is proclaimed.

At the end of The Mall we pass through Admiralty Arch into Trafalgar Square.  It was thronging with tourists, as usual, and the odd demonstration!

Looking back from Trafalgar Square we got a great view of Admiralty Arch and The Mall beyond.

In the corner of Trafalgar Square we popped into the beautiful church of St Martin-the-Fields. (It was once in the middle of fields!)

A hundred yards on we came to one of our favourite watering holes.  The Chandos has a great atmosphere and the prices are good (which is very surprising for where it’s situated).  The food is good as well so we stopped and had lunch – why not?

Doug just about to choose steak and kidney pudding.

We had a relaxing afternoon in and around the sunny and warm parts of central London, and in the early evening, ending up around Oxford and Piccadilly Circus’.  There are some wonderful displays celebrating 60 years along Regents Street and some of the other main streets.  

A very famous London image (no not Doug!) – he’s on the phone to our dear friend Ann back in Selsey.

After returning to ‘Chance’ for a wash and brush up (how many times have we used that phrase in the last week or so!) we went down to Soho for some night life and our own celebrations of 60 glorious years (all of which James has been part of!!).