Thursday, September 21st 1854 ~ London

The coronation chair, Westminster Abbey.

Miss Ayres boarding house, 29 Geo St Hanover Square ~ As we drove through the streets from the [?] last evening – the lamps are just lighted and London was in her glory. But I was not as much impressed with the size of the city as I expected to be for we must have driven nearly the whole length of the place and through many of the finest streets. The streets were not fuller than those of New York and most of the buildings we passed no longer or more handsome, but there was a greater uniformity of appearance and there were less small houses placed beside great ones. All was equal and regular in the same locality, whole streets of stately edifices all looking alike. When I woke up this morning, I was much surprised to find the roof of the houses covered with an inch or two of snow. It was not enough to make bad walking however and immediately after breakfast we started out for a walk to Westminster Abbey. We are in a little street running parallel with Regent St. only a few steps from “Regent Circus” toward Cheapside, so that we had only a long half mile to walk through Regent St and the Quadrant. We didn’t come within sight of the old Abbey until we were quite upon it and then of course we recognized it by the peculiar spires that we had so often seen in prints. It is very striking in appearance, more so even than one would suppose from seeing it merely on paper. The parliament houses are just opposite and constitute, with the Abbey, a very imposing group. And now we are about to enter this great mausoleum of England kings and of her most celebrated men, pause we on the threshold and ponder its history. Here most of the sovereign of England have been crowned. It has seen them in adversity as well as in prosperity for it was for a long time the sanctuary of England and during the wars of the roses royalty and the brigand took refuge here together. Cardinals, bishops, and priests owning allegiance to the Pope have administered here. Here the covenant has been supreme. Now the sites of the church of England alone find access to these walls. How many generations of men have worshiped here. From the mail clad Norman, when might made right, to the man in bradcloth of these latter days engaged in commerce, manufacture, and invention. The proportions of the Abbey surprised me, it was more vast than I had imagined. When we entered service was being performed, and we sat down to join in worship before beginning our round of examination. It was performed in a way that did not please us at all. The reading was quick indistinct and monotonous, so much so that it sounded far more like bad chanting. The voice rose and fell in a regular cadence. It was to our unaccustomed ears anything but solemn. After service a virger carried us about and showed us the tombs of Mary Queen of Scots, the mother of Lord Darnly, Queen Elizabeth (these three lay side by side), Henry 7th and his queen, Charles 2nd, Anne, Mary, Addison, Gen. Wolfe, Mers Liddons, Sir Robert Peel,William Pitt, Kimble, Garrick, Sheridan, Dr. Johnson, Shakespeare. This is a full length figure of the great poet bearing in his hand a scroll with the words “the cloud capt towers, the gorgeous palaces etc.” Major Andre in marble size of life. Fox, a beautiful reclining figure. Newton and many hundred other great men. Besides the great assembly of Kings and Princes of whom I have mentioned but a very small part, I could scarcely realize that we were standing on the ashes of men who were so famous in their time and who even now, being dead yet live. The chair was shown us in which all the kings of England have been crowned since the time of Edward 1st. It is a very old rough and uncouth piece of carved oak with arms. We noticed here a monument to Rich and Kane, who died 1679.

Wednesday, September 20th 1854 ~ London

Pasture in Gumley, UK (photo: pdeee454 via flickr)

Miss Ayers boarding house, 29 George St Hanover Sq. ~ This is a boarding house in the American style, or at least it is called the American style but is in fact a poor imitation. She has a common parlor and charges by the week, but has a different price for brand varying with the size and situation of her rooms. This is a great place of resort for Americans who always prefer living together at a boarding house to living shut up in their own apartments at a hotel. At an English hotel a party of gentlemen and ladies are obliged to take a private parlor, in which they dine and from which they never emerge except to go to their bedrooms, or out of the house. There is no public saloon and no table (d’hote). Then the charges are made in accordance with each separate convenience or necessary one has. For instance – bedrooms so much, parlor so much, breakfast so much, tea so much, dinner so much, candles and fire are another charge. Even the dinner has no regular price, it depends upon what one orders. Being at a first class English hotel costs a party containing ladies from $3 to $6 per day each. $3 would be living with great economy. --- At half past nine this morning we started from Liverpool and reached London at half past four. We left our sea chests at the hotel in Liverpool, to be called for on our return there, in route for home. It is a great deal of extra trouble to carry much baggage in traveling abroad and a very great expense as well, for the allowance of baggage is very small to each person in public conveyances. In England it is about 60 pounds and in some places on the continent I believe every pound is charged for. We passed through an extremely beautiful country today and its is a beauty never seen with us- one arising from a state of high cultivation. The land is generally level, and almost all of it in grass, pasture or meadow, along this route, so that the effect is very beautiful. You ride for hours through a country covered with the greenest, cleanest looking grass, shaded with fine looking old trees. One almost imagines himself in a gentleman’s park for the whole distance. The houses of the cultivators are scarcely ever seen from the railroad – in a word it is a perfect garden scene, unlike anything one sees in America, where nature wild, beautiful, but uncultivated in this degree, invites labor and promise plenty. The white cows and droves of sheep look very picturesque. The depots have little flower gardens in front, are built in cottage style, and have neither the air of business or the cake and gingerbread look that ours have. Then English when they travel are not always eating cakes and pies. Both are almost unknown.