Soham Grammarians : IIS's Visit to London 25 June 1960

From the Soham Grammarian Summer 1960 - If you can add anecdotes or photos about this trip, please contact the editor.

As arranged for Saturday, June 25th the three parties from Ely, Newmarket and Mr. Grassi and Mr. Bozeat with the Cambridge boys met at Cambridge and went onto London together. At Liverpool Street Station we waited for an absent member to join us there but he didn't arrive.

Then we went by underground to Tower Hill and the Tower of London. While most members went into the Bloody Tower to see the crown jewels Mr. Grassi and Mr. Bozeat and a few others went to see the place where well known executions took place. When the party had gathered together again, we went into the Beauchamp Tower, and then to another part of the Bloody Tower and along Raleigh's Walk.

Next we went to the White Tower where we split up and made our own way around the floors and saw the armour, weapons and the Norman Chapel.

We should have met outside at 12.15 p.m., as indeed we did, with the exception of Mr. Grassi and Mr. Bozeat who were eleven minutes late.

We then went out onto the Thames Embankment to have dinner. After which Bailey took a photograph of a certain infamous member of our party being thrown into the Thames. Unfortunately this person didn't meet his fate.

Outside the Tower grounds after a mass protest by Capes and Bailey who wanted to go to the Imperial War Museum, Mr. Grassi told us that we were going to the British Museum. We then went by underground to Tottenham Court Road. We left the station to the sound of Capes' voice echoing, "I wanna go on the escalators again", and proceeded to the Museum.

In the Museum we saw mostly Eygptian, Asiatic, Greek and Roman Britain statues, carvings, pottery and weapons. We then went into the King's Library where we saw the Magna Carta.

We then came out of the Museum after looking at some of the many books and inscribings and sat outside for ten minutes where some of us rested our feet and ate fruit.

We managed to get to the station where we were to catch the train to Liverpool Street, but unfortunately only half of us caught the train because the doors closed before we all had a chance to get on.

Then after waiting about half an hour on Liverpool Street Station, during which a number of the members of the party had a go on a printing machine which seemed to be out of order because all the letters came out on top of each other, we caught the 4.27 p.m. train home.

We should like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Grassi and Mr. Bozeat for such an enjoyable outing.

R.D.B. and M.J.F., IIS.