Medieval England – There and Back Again

A Surreal Experience

What stood out to me the most about this trip was the surreal feeling that I got when looking at things from the past. When I am learning about history if find that sometimes it can be very easy to forget that I am learning about actually happened. I often don’t think about the fact that parts of the past are still part of every day life.

Something that I really enjoyed was seeing the reconstruction of the globe theater. While it wasn’t the globe theater that existed during Shakespeare’s lifetime, it was still really neat. I still had that sense of looking at something from long ago. I was in awe thinking about all the plays that had been preformed there and all the plays that had taken place in the original Globe Theater. I have studied Shakespeare in-depth and it was fascinating to get a glimpse into that period of time.

Seeing the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum was something that had a major impact on me. The Rosetta Stone is something that I have heard mentioned many times. I never would have imagined that I would be standing just a few inches away from something that has had such a massive impact on understanding languages and the past. While it is quite large, I was surprised to find that it was smaller that what I had imagined it to be. I always assumed something that contained so much writing would have to be massive. It was also interesting to see just how small some of the writing on the stone is.

Diagon Alley at The Harry Potter Studio Tour

Another surreal experience that I had while on this trip was when I visited the Harry Potter Studios. I have read most of the books (eventually I will read the last one) and have seen the movies. While I am not a massive Harry Potter fan I am a huge fan of movies and find the process of making them very interesting. (Having a degree in theater is probably part of the reason for this.) Seeing things I had seen on screen in person was a cool experience. When watching films I sometimes wonder about what went on behind the scenes and what happens to the props, sets, etc. afterwards. It was fun to get some of my questions answered.

My time in England was a wonderful experience and something that I will never forget. While I am glad to be back home I miss England and hope to get a chance to return someday.

-Brionna Cicak-

Haunted England

The “Haunted Gallery”

Most know when you say you are going to “Medieval England”, they think you’re going to explore the old parts of England. You would say “yes, but it’s so much more”! The history that lies in these Medieval areas have so many stories, tales, even songs (London Bridge, Duke of York, etc.) however, most people don’t realize how haunted these places we travel to actually are!
Many places have their own tales/stories about be-headings, suicides, killings that happened hundreds of years ago. For the horror fanatic in me, there was nothing more exciting than walking into the Tower of London or Hampton Court Palace knowing there have been REAL ghost sightings in these places.

As big of a tourist spot the Tower of London is, there has been a lot of gruesome murders and be-headings that happened there.
On Wednesday, January 9th, 9 of us went on a ghost tour and were able to hear about these be-headings (some failed).
Our tour guide, George, told us the story of a woman name Margaret who broke free of her be-heading. Her be-header was thinking “if I don’t kill her my boss (being Henry VIII) is going to be-head me”. So, he ran after her then chopping off her arm, she kept running, then chopping off her leg, finally she fell and he was able to be-head her with all of these body parts everywhere.
The haunted part? Many say you can hear her screams on the anniversary of her death and shadows of the axe used for her be-heading are constantly seen by guards at night.
He also told us that there are only two ways you can get into the Tower of London at night.
1) You have to work there to be able to either stay overnight or keep guard overnight.
2) You have to marry a British soldier because the Tower of London hosts your wedding.

Another great ghost story was told on our last day in Hampton Court Palace. After our tour guide told us the story, I looked up a bit more details.
In the Hampton Court Palace lived Henry VIII and his many wives. Well, his fifth wife Catherine was be-headed in the tower. She was arrested in the Palace for cheating on Henry with one of his servants. She broke free when she was getting be-headed running down what is now called the “Haunted Gallery” to try and apologize to Henry but little did she know he was long gone and she was about to be killed.
So what is so scary about that? Her ghosts is continuously seen screaming and running down the halls repeating her attempted run-away over and over again.
Our tour guide even said that a group of people once stayed the night here and had a very uneasy feeling in that hallway.
A few last stories just for fun but I thought (although sad, interesting).
Many know the great fire of England started at a bakery. Well, our ghost tour guide took us to that spot and behind it was a “skyscraper” (for that time it was a tall building). People were able to climb up this (it was a tourist attraction and still is) however, there was never a cage over the top so people were able to fly out and kill themselves.
Our tour guide told us that one man jumped and many people claim to see his ghost at 1AM continuously living his suicide over.
Last but not least, The Tube story.
The Tube is just like New York City’s Subway only, it is the oldest subway underground station in the world.
With that being said, there is one tube station that is in the center of London and continuously goes around and around. Well, this man must have been killed in this station (while digging) and cannot get out (hence the circle).
Many people say they see his ghost digging in various spots of the circle.
Now think, if it was another station, he would be able to climb the stairs and be free.
I love these stories and think they have so much meaning coming with history.
We did many amazing things in Manchester, York and London and this was an experience I will never forget.

Alanah Abrahams

Solitary Adventuring for the Anxious Casual

I’ll confess, I’m not much of an explorer. I’m a little too much of a worrywart to feel comfortable letting myself get lost in unfamiliar city streets, especially when those streets are an ocean away from the house I’ve spent my entire life in. At the same time, though, if I didn’t explore at least a little bit, what was the point of going overseas?

That’s what I told myself, at least, in trying to get myself out the door for once. But finding something to explore was almost more difficult than the exploring itself. I’d be hard pressed to care less about sports, music history holds no interest for me, and there are only so many museums I can stomach in a week — and that’s not even mentioning how my legs and lungs protest whenever I stretch them for too long. I’d always wanted to come to London for a while, but there was never anything I particularly wanted to do there. I just wanted to be.

Well, I thought. I used to like Doctor Who. Maybe I owed it to my younger self to visit some of the settings in person, while I was there?

Canary Wharf was on the same Tube line as our hotel, so that was a good place to start. Westminster Bridge had its own theme song as Rose ran across it to work in the first episode of the reboot — maybe I could reenact her flight? Ooh, and there was an actual TARDIS prop at Earl’s Court.

That wasn’t a trip, though. That was maybe fifteen minutes of teaboo-tourist shenanigans. But… there sure are a lot of Tube lines, huh? Wouldn’t it be a stupid little thing to boast about, if I could say I’d ridden every one?

And thus, #tubek18 was born.

(Credit to Hope for the travel plan)

Nineteen stops. Fifteen different tube lines. One epic quest.

I never actually finished the #tubek18 — my ticket got declined at Westminster, only two stops in, and there was no way I was paying for the rest of this odyssey out of pocket — but I came out of it a little richer, I think. I saw Big Ben shining through its scaffolding. I ran across Westminster Bridge with Westminster Bridge singing through my headphones. I stood in the doorway of the apartment at 221 Baker Street. I saw the charity of strangers, and the London Eye reflected in dark waters below.

The next day, I’d make it to the TARDIS at Earl’s Court, having planned out my own trip, asked my own directions, and taken my own picture (that still counts if it’s by proxy, right? I couldn’t fit both me and the box in the frame by myself!). And I’d make it back the same way I’d started: on my own.

Dancing on Some Pretty Cool Graves

Walking through London was an amazing experience in it of itself, but what was even more amazing is when the walking stopped. Where I especially loved to stop walking was Westminster Abbey. This amazing piece of architecture brings so much more to light than the beauty it supplies to the city of Westminster. The city itself, buzzing with modern Up until that point in time on the trip, it was pretty much all about the historical stuff (although amazing!) was not my forte. Learning that we would be going to Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey and actually have the opportunity to stand on and experience the burial sites off so many of the most important (and my favorite) minds from the English and Literature realm, really sparked my fancy.

Me, a right-brained, fashion major turned English major, was in awe of all the beautiful art and architecture put into these amazing individuals eternal resting places. As English majors, we read so much literature from all these dead guys and never really get to connect to these writers. What is a better connection to the literature than being so close to the bodies of the people that wrote it? I got to stand on the grave of CHARLES DICKENS! HOLY CRAP! My favorite poet from my Intro to Poetry class and British Literature was Alfred, Lord Tennyson and I got to stand (and maybe dance a little) on his grave. This single moment made the entire trip worthwhile. If that was the only thing I did in London, I would have been just as happy. Ok, that’s a slight exaggeration, but what do you want from me? I’m an English major so therefore I am a tad bit dramatic. Seriously though, it was such a highlight of my trip. This experience was the most enriching for me because I finally got to connect all the historical aspects of the trip to where my soul lies, English.

The day that we went to Westminster Abbey was one of the best days of my life. I feel so cool because I can say I saw the tomb of Chaucer, a Shakespeare memorial, the Bronte sister’s memorial, the grave of my favorite poet, and graves of some of the most important figures from my education. The day was followed by my getting tattoo of a book with the words “anything can be.” right above it. I got a tattoo of a book the same day as visiting the Westminster Abbey, experiencing so much rich literary history. So, now, I’ll REALLY never forget it!

-Taylor Thomas, English Nerd

I Solemnly Swear That I Was Up to No Good in London

Tucked away in the heart of London is a narrow cobblestone alley. It is lined with large windows to shops that appear to be closed. The alley, called Goodwin’s Court, is surprisingly quiet considering it’s only about a mile from Westminster Abbey, a quarter mile from Leicester Square, and less than a mile from some of the most prominent museums in the city including the British Museum and the Museum of London. Even if it’s your first time in London, Goodwin’s Court might look familiar to you. That’s because it was J.K. Rowling’s inspiration for Knockturn Alley in the Harry Potter movies. The original plan was for Warner Brothers to actually use the alley as a set, but it was too narrow. Instead, they photographed every inch of it and rebuilt the alley at the Warner Brother’s Studio. Diagonally across from Goodwin’s Court sits the less-secluded Cecil Court. This is where J.K. Rowling envisioned Diagon Alley. These two little streets go unnoticed every day, and yet they were so incredibly important to the most famous book series to ever come out of England. Across one of the many bridges that cross over the Thames River (you could take the Millennium Bridge, which was used in the filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) sits Borough Market. Hardly a local secret, Borough Market is made up of vendors selling every kind of food imaginable, as well as flowers, herbs, handmade soaps, and so much more. This collection of merchants was J.K. Rowling’s inspiration for Hogsmeade. London is infused with all things Harry Potter, but getting to stand in the same place where J.K. Rowling stood as she was writing the best-selling series of all time was incredibly surreal. If you’re looking for more fun Harry Potter sites, you can visit Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station, but be prepared to wait in line. You can also see the Australia House, which was used as Gringotts Bank in the filming of Harry Potter. You could go on a tour of Warner Brother’s Studio for £40, but if you’d like to save your money in order to buy copious amounts of Harry Potter souvenirs, I’d opt to take one of the many Harry Potter Walking Tours offered in London. They cost roughly £10 for about two and a half hours, but the sites you’ll see will be priceless.

-Brianna Mott

Emerging into Modern Culture with New Friends

I could write of the history I experience within England. Yet the things that stood out the most were things such as Abbey Road, Harry Potter, and new friendships. I knew only a few people prior to this trip and as we left the airport in Newark to go home, hugs were given to different people. The shared interests of The Beatles, Harry Potter, and venturing the tube after a night at the pubs (Waxy O’Connor’s). I was amazed at how quickly these common interests brought together a group of people. We always wanted to keep exploring and venturing to new restaurants, new places, and still get as much history as possible.We visited the famed Harry Potter Bridge in London, which was used in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”. No Harry Potter fan could visit London without going King Cross to pretend to push that famed cart into platform 9 3/4. As a lifelong fan of The Beatles, it was a personal mission to visit Abbey Road, it was surreal to see others try and get their picture on the road. Which turns out is still a functioning road, half the battle is running in between traffic to get your signature pose. This trip was remarkable and I wouldn’t change anything about it. It’s been about three weeks since I was running about England trying to see everything. I’m happy to say I talk about England all the time, I’ve turned into that person that will talk about it any chance I get. I even got a tattoo to always remember my time there. I went in The London Eye, saw the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum, and Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’ at The Tate Modern. All while eating a lot of food and drinking a lot, all while being completely happy with my new friends.

– Sarah Piraino

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