3rd and 4th form
trip to London
by Toby Smith A
group of twenty-six 3rd and 4th
form pupils, accompanied by Mrs
Duckham, Mrs Cashmore and Mr
Smith, visited London over the last
weekend of the Summer term. After
lunch on the Sunday in Hyde Park and
some entertainment from the ranters at
Speakers' Corner, we had a guided tour of
BBC Broadcasting House, getting a
chance to record a Sherlock Holmes-style
radio drama or present the news and
weather, as well as a view of the editors
at work in the newsroom.
Our evening excursion began with a river
trip from the youth hostel, ending at the
London Eye, taking in some of the history
of Westminster, the Houses of Parliament
and Whitehall, before returning, almost
exhausted, to Canada Water.
Everyone was up for breakfast even
earlier than at school, and we followed
the new Governor of the Bank of England
by tube into the City, for a visit to St
Paul's culminating in the dizzying climb
to the Whispering Gallery, then up to the
outside of the 111-metre dome, the
tallest building in the UK until 1964.
The views were duly impressive. Then
the group split, some fortunate enough to
have a private tour of the News UK
offices arranged by George Willis through
his uncle, a US bureau chief, seeing the
Sunday Times magazine in production
and the newsdesks, while others explored
the tea clipper Cutty Sark at Greenwich.
In the afternoon, some pupils went east
to the British Music Experience at the O2,
some to Tate Britain and others to a
temporary exhibition of astounding
images of outer space, Visions of the
Universe, before we once again braved
commuter trains to get back to
Hammersmith just in time to grab a bite
to eat before catching the coach home.
The pupils were engaged, lively company,
happy to walk the distances necessary
between the public transport, and up the
528 steps to the summit of St Paul's, and
all had an amazing experience. Many
thanks to Mrs Cashmore for all her
organisation, and the support from the
Joan Sewell Bequest Fund that helped
make it all possible.
Aluredian 33