Tower of London, Evensong at Southwark Cathedral, & Theater at Shakespeare's Globe

Saturday, May 31, 2025

My plan for my first day in London was a return visit to the Tower of London. I had been there in 2010 and wanted to go again!

Some Tube lines were closed and of course the one I needed wasn't running. My ticket for the Tower of London was at 9:30. I left my AirBnB at 8:30, took another Tube line that was open, walked about 25 minutes, and just barely made it on time.

The Tower of London is not just one tower, but a series of buildings inside a fortified wall. The main tower in the center, called the White Tower, dates back to the 1070s. It's one of the oldest buildings in London. In the past, the Tower was a royal palace and it still has royal apartments, but it's best known as a place of imprisonment and execution throughout history. People (government employees) actually still live inside the Tower complex.

I headed into the Tower and immediately went into the café to get a coffee and something to eat. I figured I'd eat before everyone else wanted to and this was a good strategy because only me and a few other people were in there.

Then I was ready to explore. I think I first hit up the Crown Jewels. There wasn't a line to get in, so I took advantage of that. The set-up for the Crown Jewels was different than I remember. It felt more involved this time, like it took me longer to get through.

Even though there wasn't a line to get in, there were too many people in the exhibit to enjoy it. Honestly, most of my experience this time at the Tower felt like that. Too many people everywhere, too many people near exhibits to even get a good look, constantly maneuvering around, and people in your way. It just wasn't too enjoyable. It's my own fault; I shouldn't have come on a Saturday. Somehow I always end my trip on Monday or Tuesday, so I'm in London over the weekend. I need to change that for next time and try to be in London during the week.

Anywho, you're not allowed to take pictures of the Crown Jewels, but they are, of course, gorgeous.

There are a bunch of different sets on display, but this one is maybe the most iconic looking. I think this is the one King Charles wore for his coronation.

Below is the entrance to the Crown Jewels, a photo I took inside another building a bit later in the morning. Look at the line to get in!

I took a few other pictures, but not very many. The combination of the fact that I had already visited and too many people around wasn't making me feel too interested or enthusiastic.

The White Tower

This is one of the Tower ravens. According to the website, "it is said that the kingdom and the Tower of London will fall if the six resident ravens ever leave the fortress. Charles II (1660-1685) is thought to have been the first to insist that the ravens of the Tower be protected after he was warned that the crown and the Tower itself would fall if they left." The current Tower ravens are called Harris, Jubilee, Poppy, Edgar, Georgie, Chaos, Henry and Poe -- all great names, in my opinion!

Fun fact: Remember Lowther Castle and my Lowther ancestry connections? (Richard Lowther is my 13th great-grandfather.) Read below.

So my ancestor was imprisoned at the Tower!

I had to recreate this photo at Tower Bridge from 2010. I was just a wee lass at age 25 when I was last at the Tower of London!

 

Tower Bridge is often mistakenly called London Bridge. London Bridge is further upstream and fairly unremarkable. I actually walked over it on this day and didn't even realize it until later.

Okay, what else did I do this day? I walked over to All Hallows by the Tower, a super old church, the oldest church in the city of London according to the church itself. I enjoyed the crypt there.

Next, I moseyed over to St Dunstan in the East church courtyard, which is a ruined church.

I was going to go up into the Garden at 120, which is a rooftop garden with lovely views of London but there was a long line and I didn't feel like standing in line. The entrance for it was in a very businessy area of London where I'd never been, so it was interesting to be amongst high rises.

I don't know what church this is, but I liked its door.

Next, I went into the London Mithraeum, which was free. It's a Roman temple for the god Mithras that was discovered under the city streets in 1954.

Then I headed over the River Thames to Southwark Cathedral. I just needed to see a cathedral on this trip. I first stopped into their café for a bite to eat and then went in to take it in.

Gorgeous sunlight coming through.

William Shakespeare worshipped at Southwark Cathedral. They also have a cathedral cat named Hodge, but I didn't see him, unfortunately.

I timed my visit to the cathedral so I could be there for Evensong. The service booklet for Evensong made me feel like I was a part of something. It said:

"Wherever you are from, and however you have come here, you are so very welcome. Evensong gives you opportunity to listen to some beautifully sung choral music, to be still at the end of the day, and to reflect in a place where others have brought their joys and concerns to God over many centuries."

It goes on to describe what Evensong is:

"Choral Evensong is a form of worship which is several hundred years old and is unique to the Anglican Church. To be at a Choral Evensong is like dropping in on a conversation which is already in progress -- a conversation between God and human beings which began long before you were born and will go on long after we are dead."

I am not a church going person, but it's always nice to see church that is welcoming no matter who you are. The second part is one of the main reasons I love cathedrals so much -- being in a space where so many others have gathered before me.

You're not really permitted to take photos or video during Evensong, but the singers were practicing when I was looking around the cathedral before the service started. Sound on!

Beautiful flowers in the cathedral garden.

After Evensong, I was on the hunt for another meal. I passed the ruins of Winchester Palace on my way to the pub.

I ended up at this iconic pub called The Anchor. It is enormous with like four different bars to order at. And look how aesthetically pleasing it is. It's rumored that William Shakespeare frequented it.

I look so weird in this photo, like a snake or something. But anyway, I think I got mac and cheese and a blonde ale and just enjoyed the place for a while. I was killing time until I could get into Shakespeare's Globe to see a show.

The outside of Shakespeare's Globe.

And the inside!

This is not the actual Globe Theatre like during Shakespeare's time. The original burned down in 1613. I can't believe people actually stand for the whole show down there on the ground level. They are quite close to the actors, so that's probably pretty neat. Even up in the seats you can see everything very clearly.

I took this photo of St Paul's Cathedral across the river during the interval.

I saw a show called The Crucible: "A climate of mass hysteria and ruthless judgement sweeps through Salem, Massachusetts when rumours grow that a group of girls are practising witchcraft. Now the townspeople must decide – whose freedom will they sacrifice for their own?"

I enjoyed the show, but it felt a bit long. It was just wonderful to see the show in the open air and to get the feel of what it would've been like to see a show during Shakespeare's time.

I walked across the river via the Millennium Bridge to get to a Tube station with a more direct route to my AirBnB and it was cool to see St Paul's all lit up.

The Tube station was weirdly kind of empty (just me and a couple other people), which I didn't love. It took a long time for the right train to arrive, about 15 minutes. Usually trains arrive every few minutes. I think I was just having bad luck with public transportation on this trip.

The show was over at 10:45 and I got back to my room at about 11:30. It was a long, busy, and productive day out and about in London!