buses – willowdot21

Gloria Visits Windsor and Eton Part 2

Gloria is from The Aquaroom which is in New England, where she helps Jennie Fitzkee of A Teacher’s Reflections.

Jennie and I came up with the idea that the children in the Aquaroom might like to find out about England..well my part of England. So we hit upon the idea of Gloria coming to stay so I could show her around. The Aquaroomers could follow my blog … And I would fill her Journal with stories and photos, for those who are there in Jennie’s class now and also future Aquaroomers. Jennie and I thought this was a great idea. So did Gloria. Below is a post aimed at The Aquaroomers I hope you and they like it!

DAY 10 . Gloria visits Windsor and Eton part2

Do you remember I said Gloria had so much fun that Louise and I decided it was time for lunch! But before we went to Pizza Express Gloria asked about the train that was on display in the station . So we back tracked to look at the train.

We had a close look at the information board and found out that it is a full-size replica steam locomotive named “The Queen,” representing the Great Western Railway (GWR) Achilles class 4-2-2 No. 3041. Built in 1982 for the “[Royalty & Empire]” exhibition, it was designed by Madame Tussauds to depict the train that carried Queen Victoria, who was the first British monarch to travel by rail. Gloria really wanted to drive the train so we had to explain that it was not a real train.

Then we went for Pizza ! We went to Pizza Express just down the hill from the Railway Station opposite the Castle walls. Gloria spent an age choosing what she wanted on the Menu. She finally chose Lazange.

While we were waiting for our food to arrive Gloria asked the Manager if she could see the kitchen. He very kindly said we could as long as she didn’t touch anything hot! So I carried her! As you can see she loved the smell of the cooking food.

When our food arrived we had a feast! Louise had chosen Canaloni and I had Lazange like Gloria and we also had salade. .. After lunch we went for a walk by the River Thames.

We had a look at the Theatre. This is the second theatre to stand on this site and opened on 13 December 1910. Built for Sir William Shipley and Captain Reginald Shipley. The first theatre was there from 1815 and had burnt down in 1908. The present theatre was designed by Frank Verity, the son of the theatre architect Thomas Verity. The building is Grade II listed and is the only unsubsidised producing theatre to operate all year round in the United Kingdom.

Gloria digesting her dinner by the River.

We walked back to the bridge to head to Eton. It’s a gentle 15min walk from the bridge to Eton College.

The Chapel Eton College from the river Thames.

Eton College is a world-renowned, independent boarding school for boys aged 13–18 in Eton, Berkshire, founded in 1440 by King Henry VI. As one of England’s most prestigious schools, it features a 1,300+ student body, 25 boarding houses, and a strong history of producing leaders, including numerous Prime Ministers and Royalty.

Originally established to provide free education to 70 poor scholars and prepare them for King’s College, Cambridge. It has evolved into an elite institution for 1,340 boys, known for its historic campus, strict traditional uniform, and prominent alumni.

For the 2024/25 academic year, Eton College fees are £17,583 per term (£52,749 annually). However, due to the addition of VAT from January 2025, fees are expected to rise to approximately £21,099.60 per term, bringing the annual total to over £63,000. There are three terms (Halves) in an academic year.

Gloria decided it was too posh and too expensive for her. Louise and I decided that Gloria had made the correct decision because she would miss the Aquaroomers too much 💜💜

So tired but happy we set off for home. Guess what Gloria did when she got home….

Gloria Visits Windsor and Eton .Part 1

Gloria is from The Aquaroom which is in New England, where she helps Jennie Fitzkee of A Teacher’s Reflections.

DAY 10 : GLORIA GOES TO WINDSOR AND ETON.

The sun was warm through the window and Gloria and Earl were having a few quiet moments before everyone was up. willow was up though, she was in the kitchen with Olivia. Earl and Gloria could hear willow singing to Olivia.

” willow and her friend Louise are taking me to Windsor today. Earl do you know what Windsor is?” “I certainly do Gloria . It is a town in Berkshire, it’s very popular with the royal family and tourists. There is a Castle, a railway station, a Royal Theatre and the River Thames.” “That’s in London ” interrupted Gloria.”You’re right Gloria but it flows through Windsor too, as I was saying there is plenty to see and do. It’s one of the Royal family’s homes and they like Windsor very much. Are you going by train?” ” No, apparently we are going by bus…not just one but two.” Winked Gloria .

Later that morning Gloria was ready to go! She was in the Backpack. willow met Louise at the bus stop and they only had a few minutes to spare before the first bus arrived. Bus numbered 4. They found comfortable seats and off they went to Bracknell Bus Station. After asking at the office on which stand to catch the Windsor bus from, they went to Stand 3 and waited for the bus numbered 703.

Once on the second bus they all relaxed and chatted while Gloria watched out of the window. Gloria thought to herself this is like the train, lots of stops, some people got on with suitcases, they were going to Heathrow airport because this bus stopped at Terminal 5. Also some people got on with children wearing backpacks they were going to Legoland! Gloria almost wished she was going to Legoland!

As she did on the train, Gloria asked every time the bus stopped, are we there yet?

Gloria posted a letter a Queen Victoria post box.

As they got off of the bus the first place they saw was a very quaint building with lovely flower beds and a covered over portico area with benches. This is the Windsor Guildhall, the Town Hall, located on the High Street. Completed in 1690 by Sir Thomas Fitch, it is a Grade 1 listed building that historically has housed the town council, court, and market. Today, it is the Windsor & Royal Borough Museum and serves as a venue for ceremonies and weddings including Royal Weddings such as the one between the now King Charles and Queen Camilla. Gloria loved the flowers outside and insisted she had a photo taken sitting in them. Then she and Louise knocked on the on of the Mayor’s Parlour.

We then wondered along the High Street towards Windsor Castle. Louise and Gloria checked out the gift shops especially those with Teddy bears! Then we reached the Statue of Queen Victoria outside the Castle. The bronze statue of Queen Victoria is at the foot of Castle Hill, outside Windsor Castle. It was created by Sir Edgar Boehm and unveiled in 1887 to celebrate her Golden Jubilee. The statue depicts her wearing a small coronet rather than a heavy state crown, reflecting her personal preference. Gloria thought Queen Victoria looked very stern. Louise and I agreed.

We decided to look at the Castle next. We were lucky there were no big queues! We told Gloria about the castle but there was so much information that she started to fall asleep!

The original castle was built in the 11th century, after the Norman invasion of England by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry 1st (who reigned from 1100 to 1135), it has been in constant use by the monarch and is the longest-occupied palace in Europe. The castle’s lavish early 19th-century state apartments were described
as a superb sequence of rooms, widely regarded as “the finest and most complete expression of later Georgian taste”. Inside the castle walls is the 15th-century St George’s Chapel, considered to be “one of the supreme achievements of English Perpendicular Gothic” design.

Originally designed to demonstrate Norman dominance around the outskirts of London and to oversee a strategically important part of the River Thames, Windsor Castle was originally built as a wooden motte-and-bailey castle, on a central mound of earth. Gradually it was replaced with stone fortifications. The castle withstood a prolonged siege during the First Barons’ War at the start of the 13th century and King Henry III commissioned a luxurious royal palace within the castle during the middle of that century. Later King Edward III went further, rebuilding the palace to make an even grander set of buildings. King Henry VIII and his daughter Queen Elizabeth Ist made increasing use of the castle as a royal court and centre for diplomatic entertainment.

Windsor Castle survived the tumultuous period of the English Civil War between 1642 to 1652, when it was used as a military headquarters by Parliamentary forces and a prison for King Charles I. At the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, King Charles II had much of Windsor Castle rebuilt, creating a set of extravagant interiors. After a period of neglect during the 18th century, King George III and George IV had King Charles II’s palace renovated and rebuilt at colossal expense, producing the current design of the state apartments. Queen Victoria made a few minor changes to the castle, which became the centre for royal entertainment for much of her reign. In the reign of King George VI, the Castle was used as a refuge by the royal family during the German bombing campaigns of the Second World War. The Castle caught on fire in 1992 and after an extensive restoration of several state rooms took place. The castle is currently a popular tourist attraction, a venue for hosting State visits, and was the main residence of Queen Elizabeth II from 2011 to 2022.

After looking at the castle, we decided we would go to the Railway Station to look at all the shops and stalls inside. We felt this would help to wake up our little Gloria who had fallen to sleep through boredom listening to all of the information about the castle .

So we popped across to the station. It’s a very vibrant place full of shops and stalls and restaurants and lots of people.

The station, which is directly opposite the castle, was specifically built for Queen Victoria in 1849 so she could get to get to the castle from London more easily than using the road system. The station had a dedicated royal waiting room.

Windsor Castle Station was formally opened on 8 October 1849 on the completion of the branch train line from Slough. The opening was after considerable opposition from the leadership of Eton College, a very expensive fee paying school. It is amusing to note that the leadership were convinced a railway in their vicinity would lead the Eton College boys astray.

Gloria had so much fun that Louise and I decided it was time for lunch! So we went to Pizza Express.

Before we went to Pizza Express Gloria asked about the train that is on display in the station but I will tell you all about that, lunch and our visit to Eton in part two tomorrow.

Theme: All things travel

Proclaimers : The Proclaimers are a Scottish band composed of identical twin brothers Charlie and Craig Reid. They are best known for the songs “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)“, Their song I’m gonna be, provides our travel theme by walking 500miles.

Adam and the Ants : Adam and the Ants were a British rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original group, which lasted from 1977 to 1982, became notable as a cult band during the transition from the … Wikipedia They take us back to the days of stage coach travel.

W.H. Auden: Wystan Hugh Auden (/ˈ w ɪ s t ən ˈ h juː ˈ ɔː d ən /;^[1] 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973), who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,^[2]^[3] born in England, later an American citizen, regarded by many critics as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.^[4] His work is noted for its stylistic and technical achievements, its engagement with moral and political issues, and its variety of tone, form and content.^[5]^[6] The central themes of his poetry are love, politics and citizenship, religion and morals, and the relationship between unique human beings and the anonymous, impersonal world of nature. Wikipedia This video “This is the night mail” takes to the wonderful era of the steam train

Magical Mystery Tour :

This article is about the Beatles’ EP and LP. For the song, see Magical Mystery Tour (song). For the film, see Magical Mystery Tour (film). Magical Mystery Tour is a double EP and LP by the English rock group the Beatles, produced by George Martin, both including the six-song soundtrack to the 1967 film of the same name. The material was released in the United Kingdom on 8 December 1967 as a six-track double EP on the Parlophone label; in the United States the record, released on 27 November 1967, was an eleven-track LP compiled by Capitol Records, adding the band’s 1967 single releases. It takes us to then next type of travel , the bus.

my white bicycle Nazarath :Nazareth are a Scottish hard rock band, founded in 1968, that had several hits in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. Their track brings us to the bicycle!

Trains and boats and planes Dionne Warwick : Burt F. Bacharach (/ˈ b æ k ər æ k / bak-ə-rak; born May 12, 1928) is an American singer–songwriter, composer, record producer and pianist. A six-time Grammy Award winner^[1] and three-time Academy Award winner,^[2] he is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many with lyrics written by Hal David as part of the duoBacharach and David. WellBurt Bacharach wrote the song but Dionne Warwick sang this version mentioning all or well most of our modes of travel,

Road to Hell Chris Rea : Chris Rea (/ˈ r iː ə / ree-ə; born Christopher Anton Rea, 4 March 1951)^[1] is an English singer-songwriter, recognisable for his distinctive, husky voice and slide guitar playing.^[2] The British Hit Singles & Albums stated that Rea was “one of the most popular UK singer-songwriters of the late 1980s. He was already a major European star by the time he finally cracked the UK Top 10 with his 18th chart entry; ‘The Road to Hell which brings us singularly to the car.

Chaiyya Chaiyya : “Chaiyya Chaiyya” (English: [walk] in shade) is an Indian song from the 1998 Hindi film Dil Se.. directed by Mani Ratnam. The song was composed by A.R. Rahman, written by Gulzar, and sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi. It quickly became popular upon release and its music video gained the same status, partly because it was filmed on a moving train. The Urduversion of the song is called “Chaiyya Chaiyya”, while the Tamil version is called “Thaiyya Thaiyya”. This is not only about travelling on a train it is the most wonderful song and video , it always lifts my mood!

Led Zeppelin Stairway to heaven : “Stairway to Heaven” is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by guitaristJimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for the band’s untitled fourth studio album (often referred to as Led Zeppelin IV). It is often referred to as one of the greatest rock songs of all time.^[2]^[3]^{[4] Wikipedia The travel is really in the groups name Zeppelin but they are on a stairway going to heaven.}

Gerry and the Pacemakers : “Ferry Cross the Mersey” (sometimes written Ferry ‘Cross the Mersey) is a song written by Gerry Marsden. It was first recorded by his band Gerry and the Pacemakers and released in late 1964 in the UK and in 1965 in the United States. It was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number six in the United States^[2] and number eight in the UK.^[3] The song is from thefilm with the same name and was released on its soundtrack album. In the mid-1990s a musical theatre production also titledFerry Cross the Mersey related Gerry Marsden’s Merseybeat days; it premiered in Liverpool and played in the UK, Australia, and Canada. This beautiful song takes to the water travel and the Ferry. This too is one of my most favourite songs.

And now my last but one video a travelling show ! and who else but a remastered and remade Cher!!!!

Elton John: Sir Elton Hercules John CBE is an English singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor. He has worked with lyricist Bernie Taupin as his songwriter partner since 1967; they have collaborated on more than 30 albums to date. Wikipedia The song “Passengers ” refers to those who travel.