Victoria Tower Gardens & Westminster Abbey Gardens Teaser

Houses of Parliament from Victoria Tower Gardens, www.urban75.org 

PRETTY GREEN IN WESTMINSTER

Trying to catch the same gorgeous view of the Victoria Tower... :

...without changing the angle at all:

Victoria Tower Gardens is a pretty little green patch next to Houses of Parliament where you can rest mind and body when out and about in central London. It makes a nice green change from the many famous tourist attractions.

Here are said famous tourist attractions at an earlier and more grey occasion, photographed  out of a bus window and from a duck bus, respectively. Decent photos and none of the claustrophobia that usually comes with a visit to Parliament Square.

Big Ben

Houses of Parliament from the Thames

RIVER + TOWER VIEWS

The side-view of The Victoria Tower from the Gardens is striking; especially when the trees are in bloom. You won’t get it to yourself, but there is certainly less crowded here than in front of the Westminster Palace.

The Lambeth Bridge from a distance...

The Gardens are located on the north bank of the Thames, so grab one of the benches facing the river and watch the traffic go past as you enjoy an ice cream or a cold drink, which is exactly what I did...

Getting closer you can make out the characteristically red paint scheme

Had I been smarter, I would have turned left after snapping the above and photographed the green Westminster Bridge as a contrast. 

The colour of each bridge corresponds to the red leather seats in the House of Lords and the green leather seats in the House of Commons. Three guesses which of the two Houses is closest to Lambeth Bridge... 

AN ECLECTIC (?) MIX OF MONUMENTS

What Victoria Tower Gardens lacks in size it makes up for in monuments - a rather odd mix of them if you ask me. 

• The Buxton Memorial: A Gothic drinking fountain commemorating the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1834

The colourful Buxton Memorial

A statue of the sufragette Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928)

Mrs. Pankhurst, founding sufragette, www.newworldencyclopedia.org 

One of the twelve existing casts of Rodin's bronze sculpture The Burghers of Calais

The Burghers of Calais, www.wikipedia.org

SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO...

Westminster Abbey, www.goeuroupe.about.com

While in Westminster I wanted to visit the the three small Abbey gardens as they are supposed to be an overlooked garden gem. However, someone's wedding or rather all of the live media caravans blocked my way in. I plan to go post-William&Kate. Stay tuned. 

FIND OUT ABOUT....

Closest tube: Westminster, Pimlico


Victoria Tower Gardens is open to the public from 6 am until nightfall.


Victoria Tower Gardens 


Westminster Abbey Gardens 


Westminster Abbey

Houses of Parliament

The Buxton Memorial


Emmeline Pankhurst


Auguste Rodin