Let's Take the Kids to London

Chapters from the book....Part 1
Home | About Us | Contact Us | Olympics! | Links | London News | London Weather | London Blog | Retirement Coaching | Harry Potter's London | Book Chapters: Part 1 | Book Chapters: Part 2 | Book Chapters: Part 3 | London FAQs | Adult Travel To London | Order the book | Hotels
Here's some additional material—maps, photographs, and updates—for several chapters of the new
Let's Take the Kids to London guidebook. If you already own the updated copy of the book, check here for more information. If you don't have the book, these pages provide some sample sections. And be sure to check out the London News tab (on the navigation menu above) for the latest London travel news.
Look Kids! It's...

towerinred.jpg
Nigel Iskander /Historic Royal Palaces photo

the Tower of London
William the Conqueror began building the Tower in 1078, shortly after taking over England. It was his way of letting the natives know that London was under new management. For perspective, ask your children if they can name any place in North America that was built in 1078. Not Williamsburg, not New York, not St. Augustine, not the Pilgrim settlements. They’ll get the idea—the Tower of London is old. The Tower was expanded over hundreds of years to become the fortress you see today. It has served as prison, palace, zoo, armory, execution spot, place of worship, and tourist attraction.

  • Click here to see the Tower on Googlemaps UK.

  • Want to see the 900 year-old Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London? Email us for details.

    • Buckinghampalace.jpg
    Visit London Limited photo

    Buckingham Palace
    Invariably someone (usually a child) asks “Is anybody home?” For an answer, take a look at the roof. If the Royal Standard—the flag with a lion on it—is flying, the Sovereign is in residence. Historically, no flag flew above the Palace at other times, but now the Union Jack flies at Buckingham when the Royals are away from home. By the way, when you peer through the fence you’re actually looking at the back of Buckingham Palace. The front of the palace overlooks the private gardens—these are located in what seems to be the back yard to us common fence gawkers.

  • Click here to see the the Palace on Googlemaps UK.

    • Westminsterabbey.jpg
    © David S. White

    Old dead guys (in Westminster Abbey)
    Kings and queens from history books are more real when you come face-to-face with their final resting places and in Westminster Abbey this includes Henry III, Henry V, Queen Elizabeth I, and Mary Queen of Scots. The Abbey estimates that about 3,300 other people are buried on the site! The role call also includes David Livingston, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, George Frederic Handel, and Laurence Olivier. At least one person, poet Ben Johnson, was buried standing upright and another, the infamous Oliver Cromwell, was only a temporary resident.

  • Click here to see the the Abbey on Googlemaps UK.

  • Click here to read our magazine article about The Da Vinci Code and Westminster Abbey.

    • coventxmas1.jpg
    © David S. White

    Covent Garden—By George I Think She’s Got It!
    On any summer afternoon or evening you’re likely to find a variety of street performers or buskers, in the piazza near the old market. The only cost is your conscience, so drop some pence into the hat if you appreciate the entertainment. Over several trips, our kids gawked at fire eaters, a man who danced and spun on his head (wearing a helmet), and a thick-skinned individual who lay down on a bed of nails and invited an audience member to walk on his stomach. Does the admonition “Don’t try this at home” sound familiar?

    Right next to Covent Garden’s central market is a museum that attracts children like a magnet. Where else in London can you get behind the controls of a subway train and take a virtual journey through the tunnels of London’s Tube? At the London Transport Museum kids and interested adults can climb on old trams and buses, “drive” several vintages of Tube trains, and buy popular Transport for London souvenirs. The museum employs costumed actors who interact with (and occasionally startle) young visitors.

    churchill.jpg
    Imperial War Museum photo

    War and Peace—Cabinet War Rooms
    Bombs away! If your kids are interested in World War II, or even if they’re not, the Cabinet War Rooms may prove fascinating to them. The war rooms were the underground headquarters used by Winston Churchill during the blitz attacks on London.

    Most kids enjoy exploring hidden areas so walking through the warren of underground conference rooms, passageways, sleeping quarters, communications centers, and map rooms is a big hit. For a little education along with your exploration, use the audio headphones provided free with each admission. The commentary isn’t boring and listening to it slows down kids who tend to fast-forward through historical displays.

  • Click here to see the the Cabinet War Rooms/Churchill Museum on Googlemaps UK.

  • Click here to read our Washington Post article on the Churchill Museum.

    • sciencemus.jpg
    Science Museum photo

    Museums—Some Serious, Some Not...Science Museum
    Visit the Science Museum on a trip to London and you may have a problem: once your children get inside this museum, they may refuse to leave! The focus of the Science Museum is high tech, hands-on, interactive and up-to-date, with just a smidge of history.

    The displays reach out and grab a child’s attention like no other museum in the city. Start with the Launchpad, which looks like a giant indoor playground. Kids playing here may not realize that the Launchpad is really a huge physics lab. There are exhibits on fluid dynamics, suspension construction, weight, force, and other physical properties. Kids don’t just look at the exhibits or press a few buttons, they climb on machines and make them work.

  • Click here to see the the Science Museum on Googlemaps UK.

    • Click here to order the book!
    book.gif