Thursday, January 16 – Harrow on the Hill

I’m heading into the Capital today to attend another West End play. Like Barcelona, I booked this a few weeks ago because of its popularity, and the fact that the production is ending in a few days.

(Booking shows at full price goes against my cheapness leaning, I know, but I do make exceptions! Typically I’ll look for same-day discounted tickets – see website reference further on in this Entry.)

Of course, I did some walking around in advance of the show. Here are a couple views…

The play takes place in the Noel Coward Theatre, located near Trafalgar Square.

Okay, enough with the suspense! The play I’m attending is Dr. Strangelove, starring Steve Coogan. It is based on the film directed by Stanley Kubrick.

Peter Sellers starred in the film; playing three different roles. Well, Coogan tops that by one! Pretty impressive, considering it is much easier to portray multiple characters in a movie than it is in live theater! They cleverly used a stand-in for him at times, with the substitute actor’s back to the audience. But still, there were many quick wardrobe changes for Steve! A fun show!

Travel Note: Here are a couple websites I use for West End (last minute) theater tickets and seating advice…

TKTS London

theatremonkey

I have a feeling I might have recommended these sites previously; if so, I apologize!

Friday, January 17 – Harrow on the Hill

My plan is to go off the beaten path today. Let’s do this!

I’m starting out in East London, visiting a museum that peaked my interest.

My journey takes me to the Bethnal Green tube station. At the exit to the station is this memorial, entitled Stairway To Heaven. It is in remembrance of a tragedy that occurred here in 1943. In fact, it was the worst London civilian disaster of World War II, yet no bombs were involved. 173 were killed – 84 women, 62 children and 27 men, and over 90 were injured. Basically, this involved a panicked crowd attempting to descend a dangerous stairway in the dark. Please use the link above to read more about this sad story.

(I was disappointed that the base of the memorial was enclosed by a fence. Not sure why; it didn’t look like there was any work taking place.)

This is the Young V&A Museum. That’s right, it’s a children’s museum. What can I say, I’ve pretty much never grown up (as I’m sure most of you who know me will attest!)!

There are some amazing things on display…

Wow! I was pleasantly surprised to see this iconic Japanese print on display in the “Where are you going to go?” area of the museum.

Pretty cool museum, am I right?

My next stop led me back towards Central London, neat The Tower of London.

St Dunstan in the East was a church that is located in an inconspicuous alleyway halfway between London Bridge and the Tower of London. It was largely destroyed in World War II, and the ruins are now a public garden.

My next stop took me further west, near St. Paul’s Cathedral…

In 1900, the park became the location for George Frederic Watts’s Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice, a dedication to ordinary people who died while saving the lives of others and who might otherwise be forgotten.

My final destination is a short walk away…

The history of the Charterhouse begins in 1348 with the Black Death. The site was a burial ground. In 1545 it was transformed into one of the great courtyard houses of Tudor London. Then in 1611 the property was converted to a school for the young and an almshouse for the old. The almshouse remains in occupation today, while the school was re-located in 1872 to Godalming, Surrey.

Here are a couple exterior views of the grounds…

Sidenote: You may have noticed that I’m including more links in the Journal this year. I hope you find them useful!