Medieval England

When I think of England, or any European country, I often think of their attire. There is a drastic difference in my opinion between European fashion and American fashion. Months before this trip I began planning my outfits. I started on pinterest taking screenshots of outfit ideas, then went to instagram and tiktok, screenshotting and saving images I thought would be acceptable for my time here. With the handful of screenshots I gathered I picked up on one key component, neutrals and basics. I always thought Europeans dressed “expensive” and always “posh” (a term I learned over there) meaning fancy, but in reality it was just the way they layered their clothes, and the accessories they wore. Weeks before I ordered a couple basics and gathered my accessories and began to plan my outfits. I had my suitcase packed over a week in advance, I was so excited. Packing was a lot easier than I expected it to be since many of the outfits I wore could just be reworn in different ways, by taking bits and pieces of each outfit. I learned before my trip that English attire does not consist of shorts, and rarely consists of hoodies and sweatpants. This was difficult for me considering the majority of my closet is sweat sets. The weather in England is very unpredictable, so bringing layers was very important. I brought 2 jackets with me which were in neutral colors, so they could be reworn multiple times. I may have over packed a little bit with the shoes. I packed 2 sneakers, knee high boots, and a pair of sandals. I ended up wearing them all, but I could have gotten away with one pair of sneakers. When I first arrived in Manchester I was in heaven over all the stores. When buying souvenirs and pieces of clothing I stayed away from popular brands at home, even though there was a Zara and H&M around every corner. I wanted to buy pieces that could only be found in England. I bought a pink jean jacket from a very popular department store in England called, Mark and Spencers. Picture JCPenney or Macy’s but bigger and more grand, that is Mark and Spencers. I wore this jean jacket multiple times over my trip, and got so many compliments! The second piece of clothing I got, and definitely my favorite was this long cream knit dress. I got it from a store called River Island. This was one of the nicest stores I have ever been in, there was not one piece of clothing I did not like. It was the coldest in Manchester so having the jackets came in handy. In York it rained almost every day, besides having the umbrella, wearing my leather jacket multiple times kept me dry. In London it was very warm, which allowed me to dress up more by wearing skirts and cooler outfits. My favorite outfit was a long tan flowy skirt with a matching tan tank top, paired with a flowy white button down. I brought very little accessories with me as I was planning on buying many there. My favorite kind of souvenir to buy is jewelry. It is something that will be a keepsake forever, and they never go out of style. When I went to London two years ago, I discovered this jewelry store and I bought a ring and necklace. I still wear both of them today. I stumbled across the same store this past week and bought a couple pieces of jewelry, which I will keep forever. I bought a beautiful bracelet with pearls beaded around it, and a simple ring with a dark blue gem. These pieces are so simple but so beautiful. I have not taken the ring off since I bought it, and every time I look at it I remember my trip. In Manchester I found a jewelry shop where I bought 2 pairs of earrings for my younger sister, and in York I bought bracelets for my mom. I hand picked out each pair of jewelry because they are designed as something I have never seen before. Each piece is unique and something that will not be able to be found here in the US.  Overall I was very pleased with my outfit choices, and felt I fit right into the culture, and I will cherish and value all the pieces I bought on my trip forever.

Although in the grand scheme of our trip, the couple of hours spent at the Tower of London may seem insignificant, it was one of the items on our itinerary that I had been most looking forward to. One of my first historical interests was the Tudor period of English history. Many people, as was I, are captivated by the tragic stories of the wives of Henry VIII or the glorious reign of Elizabeth I or maybe even the brief rule of Lady Jane Grey. Although my main focus has shifted back a couple centuries from then, Tudor England still manages to catch my attention and no where was that more true than at the Tower. Everywhere I turned there was evidence of Henry, Mary, or Elizabeth ordering someone’s imprisonment, torture, or execution. Indeed, I spent a while standing at the execution memorial on the green, then at the graffiti in Beauchamp Tower. These people, deemed traitors or criminals in their lifetimes have left lasting impressions in the stone, ensuring that their legacies live on. Similarly, I stayed for a while in the Chapel of Saint Peter ad Vincula, where Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, and Jane Grey are all buried.

But our tour began four hundred years before in a different chapel. Sitting in the chapel in the White Tower, I was focused on two things. First, the heat inside that room, and second, the austerity of the chapel. Having come from Westminster earlier in the morning, it was a stark contrast to the gothic abbey, and yet compared to all the other Cathedrals we had seen on the trip, that simple yet marvelous chapel was the one I felt would be easiest to worship in. Even after we finished talking about it, I just sat for a moment looking around the room, trying to imagine what it would be like to be a Norman royal in eleventh century England, living in the Tower and praying or attending mass in that chapel.

After our time in the White Tower, I also went to the Bloody Tower, as it is now called. It was originally called the Garden Tower, but after the legend of the princes in the tower spread, it took on a more sinister moniker. I was immediately thrown into the mystery of what happened to the boys. Personally, I am of the belief that Richard III did not kill his nephews, but clearly, something did happen to the young King Edward V and his brother, be it disease, injury, or murder. I was quickly reminded that the grounds are said to be haunted by the ghosts of the boys. Some people report hearing them laughing and playing. I don’t generally believe in ghosts, but I still found myself listening to see if I could hear them. I didn’t, but I still wonder if their spirits remain at the Tower.

It wasn’t the most magnificent place we went to, but I will always remember the Tower of London.

Manchester was our first destination for the trip and was the city I was most excited about. Before the trip, I was already heavily invested in Manchester culture, especially through music. Some of my favorite bands are from Manchester; bands such as The Stone Roses, Oasis, New Order, Joy Division, and The Smiths (my personal favorite) all have their roots in Manchester. After our first free day in Manchester, I looked up sights to see during the remainder of our time; the city had so much to offer. But one place that particularly stood out to me because of my interests was the Salford Lads Club.

The club was not exactly in Manchester, rather it was a thirty-minute trolley ride and walk through the city outskirts. Thankfully, many of my friends decided to join the pilgrimage towards Salford even though none of them are Smiths fans. I enjoyed the trip through Manchester more than I thought, it was very nice seeing the outside of the city, and it reminded me much of Queens. The club had interesting hours, only open for tours on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11-2. But as the clock nearly hit 2, we were able to get into the building. When we walked in, we were immediately greeted by the sweetest woman I’ve ever met. Even though they were about to close, she was delighted to give us a tour of the building. From her explanation, we all learned that the building offered much more history than just the famous door. This is what she mentioned:

The Salford Lads Club is a boy’s youth club that opened in 1903 and is a refuge for local boys to hang out and learn life skills. This allowed less fortunate young boys to have opportunities to establish a sense of community through connections in music and sports and helped keep crime off the streets. Although the club massively grew in popularity for something completely different.

The club gained worldwide attention after The Smiths chose to use the club for a photo for their album, The Queen is Dead. The club’s door used for pictures in the record gave the club a reputation. At first, it brought a lot of negative attention, fans would visit and trash the building and nearby homes; this nearly caused the club to close its doors. Thankfully, after Morrissey (the band’s lead singer) wrote to the club vowing his support, the club remained open where it continues to serve the community and preserve the legacy of Salford; the gym was even in a scene of Peaky Blinders.

The main attraction I came to see was The Smiths exhibit. Basically, it is a room that used to be a weight room that was turned into a unique exhibit. The exhibit contains photos of the band, the music, and many of the fans who helped to keep the club’s legacy alive; I felt like a kid in a candy store, and I was ecstatic. My favorite part of this room is the tile collage of the band made by a native Manchester artist celebrating the band’s legacy in the city.

The most unique part of the club that I never heard of was located where they document all the club’s members. It was a massive wall that had the names of every member of the club from 1903 to the 1970s. This was something that I never hoped to see from a place like this, it was fascinating.

The biggest takeaway I got from my afternoon in Salford is that even the small things have deep and unique histories. I originally was drawn to the building because of the door used for a picture by my favorite band (which we had to take a picture behind,) and I came out of it knowing the history of the small suburb and how the building had such a major impact on the local culture outside of the music. I loved their message so much that I bought a lot of their merchandise, the proceeds of which go into funding the community events that they still host. My trip to the Salford Lads Club was by far my favorite part of the trip and is one that I will never stop talking about.

Seeing The Globe was one of the things I was most excited for on this trip, and the history behind it made the visit exceed my expectations. I learned many things that I was not aware of, and also discovered how history has been preserved through the shows put on today in the theatre.

Shows put on at The Globe are famous for the amount of crowd interaction and eye contact, which exceeds the amount you’d find at any other theatre in England. Here, the actors even talk with the crowd during the play. This shows not only the talent of the actors, but also how important it is to them to get the audience involved. Another detail that shows the crowd’s role in the show is the lighting. Typically, when any type of show on a theatre begins, the lights go down on the audience and a spotlight hits the stage, illuminating the actors and props, making them the focal point. However, this is not what you’ll find at The Globe. There, you have an open air theatre, meaning that the whole stadium is lit up, and no lighting is there to emphasize the stage above the audience. Although I already found this interesting, what blew my mind was that these are not new techniques.

Shakespeare intended wholeheartedly for his plays to be performed this way from the second the reached The Globe in 1599. The Globe was a place of entertainment, in more ways than one. At this time, theatre was banned in London, but only on one side of the river, Where the Globe was set up, all was fair, so they went all out. From gambling to prostitution, you could find it all at The Globe. Even while plays were being shown, the theatre was not quiet. Business was being handled, deals were being made, and people were having a grand old time. This was the way Shakespeare intended it, almost as a retaliation to the people in power for taking away the “joys of life,” in his people’s eyes.

When I heard we were seeing a Shakespeare play at The Globe, I expected it to be a very serious, formal experience. While the show was incredible, the vibe was quite the opposite. We saw “The Taming of a Shrew,” and it definitely was not what I was expecting. The play was chaotic in a sense, and to be honest I wasn’t following the purpose of it at first. However, upon talking to one of the actresses after the play, my mind expanded much more to the world of theater and what certain things can sometimes intend. The story behind this play is quite awful, so the eccentricity of this rendition really tries to emphasize that. They also do this with Kate, the “shrew’s,” interaction with he audience. I learned an incredible amount from this trip and have continued to think about it upon being home. I am beyond thankful for this experience and the new things I have learned!

I was never the biggest fan of Shakespeare. It’s not that I didn’t like his work, I did, but it didn’t provide for me the visceral reaction that it prompted in so many of my peers. It fell for me into a similar category as Pulp Fiction: certainly great, but for me, not as amazing as other people made it out to be. So, seeing a play at the Globe was certainly exciting, but I wasn’t initially jumping out of my seat at the thought of the experience. We were seeing “Much Ado about Nothing” a play that I had never read and in all honesty, wasn’t at all familiar with, but the group seemed very excited, so I fed off of that. We began the day with a tour of the Globe and a brief history lesson which immediately made me more interested in what was to come later. We were able to go into the theatre before the performance and take a look around. As we were sitting and listening to our guide, the performers were warming up behind us, doing vocal and kinesthetic exercises to prepare themselves for what was to come in the next few hours. Initially it was comical, hearing the blurt out animalistic sounds, practicing lines to no one, and dancing to nothing. But once I got over the initial comedic discomfort, I began to appreciate both the process, and the fact that they were willing to allow us to see them in what most would consider a fairly vulnerable moment.

 

The play began shortly after, and it took me a while to get into the groove of it. Perhaps it was the fact that I had never really seen a play performed like this, or that I didn’t know the story too well, or being able to catch certain dialogue with the accent, but I couldn’t quite enjoy it for the first few scenes. But not too long after, I was reeled in. I started to feel entirely immersed in the atmosphere of the Globe and the play itself. The words that were previously on a page came alive, and had faces and voices that were previously just constructed in my head. The audience became a part of the play through both their reactions to what was happening or they would quite literally become a part of the performance. The actors were feeding off of it, catering their lines to the crowd’s reactions to create and inclusive and intimate atmosphere. The audience felt a part of the comedy and drama that was unfolding before us. I began to understand how other people felt when they read the plays—I just need to see and feel them performed.

 

And then, similar to what happened multiple times in the various churches we visited, I started to feel as if I was in a very roundabout way, participating in history. While the Globe had been remodeled and changed multiple times from when Shakespeare’s plays were originally performed, I felt transported in a way. I could imagine the packed theatres on weeknights or weekends. I could see the crowd laughing and cheering and on occasions booing. The Globe created such and atmosphere that I felt as if I were meant to be there and begin to understand the feeling that Shakespeare’s plays have for everyone else. If there was one thing I would say was the best experience of the trip, and something I would go back for again, it would be the Shakespeare play at the Globe.