Something New (No 4)
Aug. 22nd, 2018 07:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smallhobbitTo round off my trip to London, I'm going to recall the things which I did which were new.
Firstly, I went to an exhibition at the Houses of Parliament. I've never been inside before, and a tour is quite expensive, but this exhibition was free. Called 'Voice & Vote: Women's Place in Parliament' this was an exhibition showing how women first watched parliamentary debates through a ventilator in the attic down into the chamber below. Later there was a Ladies' Gallery, but this had heavy metal grilles over the windows and was known as The Cage. Some of the women who were elected to Parliament after 1918 were over 21 (the minimum age to be an MP) but not old enough to vote (30 for women). Matters have since improved, but the exhibition made clear there was much still to be done.
It was raining heavily the morning I went to the exhibition, and since I was early and had no wish to get any wetter than I was, I visited the Jewel Tower. It was built around 1365 to keep Edward III's treasures, such as the expensive plates, goblets etc. Later the building was used as the main Weights and Measures office (from 1869 to 1938) which standardised all weights and measures and ensured correct measures were used.
The foundations have recently been replaced and these are some of the original foundations, plus the original vaulted ceiling in the ground floor room:
An example of the medieval plate which was kept in the tower, plus some weights and measures:
I also went to the Postal Museum. The particular attraction was the Mail Rail. Built in the 1920s the mail rail connected the various London mainline railway termini, bringing post into the main sorting office and sending it back out to be taken across the country by train. There's a network of underground tunnels, now no longer used, but instead there is now a short journey through a few of the tunnels explaining some of the history. Since the tunnels were built for mail bags not people they are very small, and it was fascinating being able to learn about the work while travelling on the little train.
Firstly, I went to an exhibition at the Houses of Parliament. I've never been inside before, and a tour is quite expensive, but this exhibition was free. Called 'Voice & Vote: Women's Place in Parliament' this was an exhibition showing how women first watched parliamentary debates through a ventilator in the attic down into the chamber below. Later there was a Ladies' Gallery, but this had heavy metal grilles over the windows and was known as The Cage. Some of the women who were elected to Parliament after 1918 were over 21 (the minimum age to be an MP) but not old enough to vote (30 for women). Matters have since improved, but the exhibition made clear there was much still to be done.
It was raining heavily the morning I went to the exhibition, and since I was early and had no wish to get any wetter than I was, I visited the Jewel Tower. It was built around 1365 to keep Edward III's treasures, such as the expensive plates, goblets etc. Later the building was used as the main Weights and Measures office (from 1869 to 1938) which standardised all weights and measures and ensured correct measures were used.
The foundations have recently been replaced and these are some of the original foundations, plus the original vaulted ceiling in the ground floor room:
An example of the medieval plate which was kept in the tower, plus some weights and measures:
I also went to the Postal Museum. The particular attraction was the Mail Rail. Built in the 1920s the mail rail connected the various London mainline railway termini, bringing post into the main sorting office and sending it back out to be taken across the country by train. There's a network of underground tunnels, now no longer used, but instead there is now a short journey through a few of the tunnels explaining some of the history. Since the tunnels were built for mail bags not people they are very small, and it was fascinating being able to learn about the work while travelling on the little train.
