In the SHADOW of BIG BEN

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 120, 22 May 1937, Page 4 (Supplement)

In the SHADOW of BIG BEN

By W.D.Johns

■Ulien we interrupted our walk [ aloriL' the Koyal processional route la-t week, we had just turned away from old Father Thames, just where Charinz Cross railway bridge spans the Victoria Embankment. ,

The street whi.h we now follow is Northumberland Avenue; and to tell the truth, it in a much le«s interesting -treet than the Embankment. Perhaps this i- ]>erause it is new; f.ir it war? cut through the Charing Cross area only fifty vears aso. The

of the old palaces of the nobility which formerly stood here was pulled down to make way for this straight, modern thoroughfare, which now provides a very necessary extra outlet for the heavy traffic from Trafalgar Square.

Northumberland Avenue is a street of tall building*:, principally hotels and clubs. As we emerge at its top end we find ourselves once azain at the south-east corner of Trafalgar Square, with the roaring traffic of the Strand coming; up on our right, and Whitehall, down which Their Majesties pa*sed on their way to the Abbey, on the left. Straight ahead i* Nelson'* column again, with it* tour faithful lions still on guard, and the fountains and the pigeons giving a touch of natural beauty amid the never -ceaeing stream of traffic. Across the Square i* something interesting—a set of bronze platen let into the wall, with the exact British inch, foot. vard. pole and chain marked out. so that anyone may go there and te'st his measuring rule. If you have your copy of "Enzed Junior" with you. you can eee whether the gauge on the front page is correct!

Of course, the shortest route hy whkh Their Majesties coula have returned to Buckingham Palace would have been through the big

Admiralty Arch, which opens just a ' few yards past Whitehall, and so' back alone the Mall. But this direct way would have disappointed many thousand* of their subjects. Instead, therefore, of turning throujrh the Arch, the procession passed straight i across the Square into Cockepur! Street.

How curiously the streets seem to be named. This one wae at one time a centre for the cruel sport of cockfighting—but that, of course, belongs to the so-called "good old daye." Cockspur Street leads into another oddly-named thoroughfare. Pall Mall, which is composed principally of clubs. It passes through Waterloo Place, where a number of interesting memorial statues have been erected. Among them are the Guard's Crimean War memorial, with figures of soldiers cast from captured Russian cannon: and also a statue of Florence Nightingale, the "Lady with the Lamp," and one of Captain R. F. Seott—an exact replica of the one in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Pall Mall emerges just ai the north gate of St. Jamee' Palace; and a very imposing gateway it is—a tall Tudor gatehouse built in the days of King Henry VIII. Adjoining it." just within the Palace, is the Chapel Royal where the Royal Family worship, and where some of the moet beautiful choir singing in England can be heard. A tiny gallery is set apart for visitors, who may wieh to attend the Sundav services.

Turning to the right at the gateway, our route leads up St. James' Street, past' more clubs—many of them centuries old—and a few quaint, old-fashioned shops, that look as though they came out of a Dickens' etorv.

And now we come to Piccadilly— another street with a storv in its

name; for this was at one time the street of wigmakers; and since one kind of wig wae a "piceadil" we can see how the name arose. Piccadilly now contains shope and offices of various kinds, as well as the town houses of many noble people. In fact, Their Majeties themselves lived, when Duke and Duchess of York, at No. 145, Piccadilly. Pafsing along to the right from St. James , Street, we soon come to Piccadilly Circus —a round, open space where several roads meet. In the centre stands a dainty bronze status of Eros, the god of Love according to the beliefs of the ancient Greeks. The eteps of this statue have long been the favourite haunt of flower sellers.

I Turning: left from Piccadilly we I pass up Regent Street until we'come : to another crossroad at Oxford Ciricus; and there we turn left again i along Oxford Street. Both Regent | and Oxford Streets are fine, modern thoroughfares, and are the principal shopping centre of the West End, - especially for ladies' adornments.

I Oxford Street ends at the Marble : Arch, at the north-east corner of J Hyde Park. This is a most historic spot. Here the old Roman road of Watling Street crossed Tyburn stream on its way to the Thames at Charing. And here, too —just a few yards ; beyond the Arch—stood Tyburn tree, where public executions were held. j To-day, Marlile Arch is the rallying I ground for "soap box" orators, who set up little stands and make sr>eeches about anything and everything, to anyone who will listen. J Just opposite the cite of Tyburn tree stands the smallest house in London —two storeys high, but only five feet wide!

I Turning , through Marble Arch, ' Their Majesties' coach paseed down

the eastern eide of Hyde Park, that great, splendid playground of the West Rnd, a whole square mile in area. Close on our left as. we walk along their route ie the edge of the Park down which passes Park Lane (the old Watling Street) and on our right the broad expanse of the park, dotted with trees and statues, and cut by broad walks in every direction. We emerge at Hyde Park Corner, one of the busiest intersections in London. On the far side of it is another fine archway, much more imposing in fact than Marble Arch. It has on top of it a fine piece of statuary representing peace in a four-horeed chariot. Both of these arches contain houses in which policemen live.

Through the archway of the chariot we enter on the last part of the Royal route, down a gentle slope known as Constitution Hill. On the left is Green Park—and it is wellnamed, for it looks just like a stretch of well-kept countryside, even to a flock of sheep gazing contentedly among the trees. On the right are the grounds of Buckingham Palace. Straight ahead is the Victoria statue in front of the palace gates. This, then, was the route which our King and Queen followed. It measured in all about six miles. Every foot of the way was thronged with people, who. despite rain and a wait of many hours, kept up a steady roar of loyal cheering throughout the journey. No wonder that His Majesty, in his broadcast speech later in the day, said: "The Queen and I will always keep in our hearts the inspiration of this day. May we ever be worthy of the goodwill which I am proud to think eurrounds us at the beginning of my reign."