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LONDON, ENGLAND
We would try to get into London at least once a month. You could go a little stir-crazy on the bases. And the bathing facilities left much to be desired. So a trip into London was often in the works. I took these pictures on a number of visits to the fabled city.

Old Big Ben, Himself...
The bell in the Parliament tower (Westminster Palace), London, England was named for Sir Benjamin Hall, commissioner of works when the bell was installed in 1856. The name is often used to refer to the huge clock in the tower



Trafalgar Square
This is a man nurturing the old London tradition of "Soapbox Oratory"; giving public (usually political) lectures for whomever would listen.
Bomb Damage in London
Many buildings of central London were destroyed or damaged in air raids during World War II. These include the Guildhall (scene of the lord mayor’s banquets and other public functions); No. 10 Downing Street , the prime minister’s residence; the Inns of Court; Westminster Hall and the Houses of Parliament; St. George’s Cathedral; and many of the great halls of the ancient livery companies.
Buckingham Palace
The residence of British sovereigns since 1837. The palace has nearly 600 rooms and contains a collection of paintings, including many royal portraits, by noted artists.
A Bombed out Building
Hyde Park
615 acres in Westminster borough, London, England. Once the manor of Hyde, a part of the old Westminster Abbey property, it became a deer park under Henry VIII. Races were held there in the 17th cent.

In 1730, Queen Caroline had the artificial lake, the Serpentine, constructed. It curves diagonally through Hyde Park; in Kensington Gardens the lake is called the Long Water.

Distinctive features of the park are Hyde Park Corner (near the Marble Arch), the meeting place of soapbox orators (see left), and Rotten Row, a famous bridle path.
Piccadilly Circus
The center of traffic and amusement in the City of London's Westminster borough, this is the start of Piccadilly Street, which runs to Hyde Park Corner.

The street is lined with shops, hotels, and clubs.

The Albany, a club, was the residence of T. B. Macaulay, W. E. Gladstone, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, and George Canning

Behind those posters is a beautiful statue that was covered up to protect it from the German bombing. The 'box' was then used for some upbeat patriotic messages.