Day 3 in London - Part II

My hubby loves horses so the Royal Mews was also a part of our itinerary, but before sharing that visit I'm going to digress briefly...

Remember the Radley teapot handbag I saw in the pop-up Buckingham Palace gift shop but didn't purchase?  Well, I couldn't get it out of my mind and knew I'd regret not getting it when I got home.  We had to walk past the palace tour queue to get to the Royal Mews, so I stopped to ask an attendant if there was any way I could get to the palace pop-up gift shop without going on the tour again.  I told her about the purse I had seen there.  She said I couldn't, but there was a permanent palace gift shop right across the street from the Royal Mews and they might have the purse there, so off we went.  The gift shop had some Radley handbags, but not the teapot handbag.  A kind saleslady said she would call the palace pop-up gift shop and ask if they would bring the handbag over to their store.  Within a short time a salesperson from the pop-up gift shop appeared with the handbag in hand and I was able to purchase it.  It was a happy day!

The Royal Mews are just south of Buckingham Palace.

We purchased our tickets and souvenir guide book, and went through a security check before entering the Royal Mews.  It's a self-guided audio tour, but there was a tour guide as well.  It takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour to tour the mews.  

Arch and clock tower mews entrance seen from inside the mews.

The mews are built around a quadrangle.

It was a bit of a disappointment that only two 'Windsor Grey' horses were in the stable out of about 30 horses that reside there.  The guide said the brown horses were boarded at Hampton Court Palace for a "holiday."  Who knew horses went on a holiday?  She said the white horses handle the large flow of summer tourists better than the brown horses.  Both of the horses in the stalls the day we visited were lead horses that pulled the Coronation Carriage for King Charles III and Queen Camilla's procession.  

Viewing the six Royal Carriages did not disappoint, and the history and day-to-day operations of the mews was very interesting.  It was worth the visit.  The palace has over 100 carriages in its collection, but only the royal carriages used on ceremonial occasions are displayed.

~ Scottish State Coach ~

Originally built around 1830, the coach was acquired by Queen Mary in 1930.  It was converted to the Scottish State Coach in 1968 when Queen Elizabeth II needed a coach to use in Scotland.

~ Irish State Coach ~

Queen Victoria bought this coach during a visit to Dublin in 1852.

~ Queen Alexandra's State Coach ~

This coach is used for the State Opening of Parliament, and carries the royal regalia [Imperial State Crown, Cap of Maintenance and the Sword of State].

~ The Glass Coach ~

Traditionally this is the coach in which royal brides travel to their wedding.  It was used by the Queen Mum [Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon] in 1923, Princess Anne in 1973, Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 and Sarah Ferguson in 1986. 

~ The Gold State Coach ~

This is the oldest and most spectacular coach in the collection.  It was commissioned by Geroge III in 1762 but wasn't completed in time for his coronation.  It has been used by every coronation since that of George IV in 1862 with the exception of King Charles III this year.  It weighs 4 tons and requires eight specially trained horses to pull it.  It is now so old and so precious that it is only used on very special occasions, such as Queen Elizabeth II's Silver and Golden Jubilees.

The Diamond Jubilee Coach [built in Australia] was on display at Buckingham Palace.  It is the coach King Charles III and Queen Camillia used for their coronation procession.

The coach below was provided for visitor's photographs.

The Riding School commissioned by George III in 1765-66.  It is the oldest building in the Royal Mews and is still used to train horses and riders.

~ Liveries ~

~ Saddles and Harnesses ~

And last but not least, cars for royal engagements.  There are three state Rolls Royces, two state Bentleys, three semi-state Daimler limousines and two Jaguar limousines in the fleet.

When we left the Royal Mews we walked past Buckingham Palace towards Green Park... 

And Wellington Arch that was originally built as an entrance to Buckingham Palace and later became a victory arch in Wellington's defeat of Napoleon.  It's also known as Constitution Arch or Green Park Arch.  Inside the arch are three floors of exhibits dedicated to its history and it provides great views of London.  The historic landmark rivals the Arc De Triomphe in Paris.  We didn't take the time to go inside the arch.

We walked to the end of Constitution Hill Road and crossed over to Picadilly Road where I was hoping to go to the Ritz and Fortnum & Mason.  As we walked along Picadilly Road I spotted a lady from our church walking towards us.  What are the odds of seeing someone from home in bustling London, totally unplanned?  It was such a nice surprise to see Bev who was vacationing there with her cousins.

By this time it was getting late in the afternoon and we decided we had walked enough, so we got a taxi and went back to our hotel without going to The Ritz and Fortnum & Mason.  After unloading our packages, we went back out to find the neighborhood Gloucester Tube Station that we planned to start using the next day.  The gal at our hotel front desk said riding the tube is part of the London experience!

~ Gloucester Tube Station ~

Across the street from the tube station was Stanhope Arms Pub, so we went there for the first pub meal of our visit.

It was filled with enthusiastic fans watching a soccer game.

A yummy fish and chips meal that I wish was sitting in front of me right now!

Next post, day trip to Bath, England, home of Jane Austen.