I just heard this on TV and thought that I was not hearing correctly. So I searched nd apparently, I did hear correctly. This must be a big story in London.
It was a lot of stuff for one insider to steal. I feel liike he / she must have had accomplices.
While I am at it, my trip is actually coming up fast. Can you believe it? As some on this forum can attest to, I have been working on it for about a year.
Will I still need to make reservations to go to museums and other sites?
Reservations should be made for:
Churchill War Museum
Bletchley Park
St Paul’s
Hampton Court
London is a favorite tourist destination. Expect crowds.
If there is a play you must see, research and purchase advance tix.
And for Westminster Abbey too. Buy your tickets before you leave home! We always visit Westminster Abbey m, beautiful and so important in history.
The really sad part for me is that precious ancient items were sold on eBay for a pittance, and probably melted down for the gold. They could not be sold to real collectors who might keep them intact, due to the lack of provenance.
This definitely varies by season, I waltzed into St Paul's, Westminster, the Nat Gal and the War rooms without ressies. Granted it was around Thanksgiving ...
The Bletchley Park website is quite clear that you do NOT have to book.
The same is true of St Paul's Cathedral- there are no quota controls, and you book a 2 hour timeslot. Again the website is totally clear that you can book on line or in person.
Westminster Abbey does not seem to understand that it is a working Church, not a Museum. St Paul's understands the difference.
In truth, especially in October, the big crowds are thinning, and all the evidence is that the Westminster Abbey time slots are not booking out as they were.
isn31c, the only time I have been to St. Paul's was for an Easter service. There was someone at the entrance turning tourists away for the duration of the service. The service was sublime and the music was what I expected for a church of that stature.
Re- the thefts- it is not as big news as you might expect. I think it is reprehensible that such an institution has such lax security and admits to not having a full catalogue.
That to me is the real disgrace.
It is not as if they are a new museum, or have recently moved to new premises.
Westminster Abbey does not seem to understand that it is a working Church, not a Museum. St Paul's understands the difference.
This!!! I could not believe that you have to book to get inside WA! The last time I went (late 90's), I just walked in, and then came back later for Evensong.
Unfortunately isn1c, the vast majority of visitors to Westminster Abbey regard it as a tourist attraction and don't appreciate that it is actually a church... It is a long, lomg time since I last went, but I seem to remember it was a lot smaller than St Paul's as well. Maybe St Paul's can cope better with the number of visitors?
I have been a regular worshipper in my time at both Westminster Abbey and St Paul's, both at the major services and at Daily Office, having been on a number of construction sites close to both, over a period of well over 10 years.
I have never been able to put my finger on exactly why, but I always found St Paul's a far more sacred building in how the building feels- it's aura. It is actually surprising how intimate such a vast space can be.
So much so that even when I was on Canary Wharf I went to St Pauls if I was in work on call on a Sunday or over Easter.
I know well how long the walk down the nave of St Paul's is, from going to Office at 7am!!
