Want to do something different in London - well think of a hero/heroine and the reigning Monarch that they are connected to, for example:
Sir William Wallace - Memorial (It is a Grade II-listed stone shrine.)
Remember the magnificent film ‘Braveheart’, about William Wallace (played by Mel Gibson) he was a Scottish hero - who fought for freedom.
In 1305 Wallace was executed for high treason (Smithfield, London) under the order of King Edward I, ‘Longshanks’, there is a plaque on the outer wall at the side of St Bartholomew’s Hospital, close to Smithfield’s market - which is close to the site where Wallace was hanged, drawn, and quartered. On the plaque is a Latin inscription, which translates “never live like a slave.”
To a lot of people this could be one of the most outstanding places in London to visit because it is a representation of both English and Scottish history. There are so many American tourists who visit London of Scottish descent and are probably unaware of this memorial, it is situated in medieval London.
If you're of Scottish descent, or not, perhaps have a little Scotch Whisky and salute the bravery of William Wallace, whilst thinking of the role Mel Gibson played in Braveheart, but imagining the real William Wallace, a Scottish hero!
Florence Nightingale - Museum
Florence Nightingale is famous for her hard work during the Crimean War (taking a team of 40 nurses to Scutari - the British base Hospital in Constantinople). When Florence returned to London she was a national heroine and was invited to meet Queen Victoria, to report on conditions and discuss the vital role of ‘nurses’.
It was Florence Nightingale who set up the world’s first professional nursing school at St Thomas’ Hospital in London.
The Florence Nightingale Museum was opened in 1989 and will not disappoint, this is a very interesting museum allowing at least one hour to fully appreciate what is on display.
Admission tickets from £6 to £10. The museum is located at St Thomas’s Hospital facing the Palace of Westminster across the River Thames in South Bank, central London.
Do you have a hero or heroine of London you may like to share? Please submit here.