the Jewel Tower, which is the only remaining part of the original Palace of Westminster. After this we had a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament, to which the Bishop of Chichester came along. It was a very good day for us all.”
Cameron Hylands, Year 9: “My memories of the day are brilliant because I loved the tour of the Houses of Parliament. My overall opinion is that it was fun and educational.”
Olivia Snashall, Year 10: “I enjoyed the whole experience. I loved seeing inside places many people would not get into and I loved seeing close up all the places I had seen on TV.”
Our day in London - views of a special day from ten-year- old pupils of Sir Henry Fermor School, Crowborough
Holly Rycraft: “First we went sightseeing along the River Thames and saw many amazing things like the Globe Theatre, Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral and the London Eye. Then we arrived at the fabulous Westminster Abbey. We received our yellow tickets to get past security and went in and found five reserved spaces especially for us. It was fantastic. Then after a while it was time for the big service with the Archbishop of Canterbury. There were lots of readings from the Bible and lots of hymns. I didn’t know that many words but I tried to join in as much as I could.
“After the service we went outside the abbey and met the Bishop of Chichester and we also had a photograph with him. Then we went back inside and up the bell tower - 128 steps - and there were people actually ringing the bells and further up even more steps led to the actual bells.
“After lunch we went for a bit of a wander around and then we knew that we could go to the Houses of Parliament very soon.
“First we were chatting to some kind policemen and then it was finally time to go round. It was a bit like an airport because you had to put your bag through a scanner and you had to go through one too. A clever lady took us on a tour. Then, unfortunately, it was time to go home. So we got on the train, had our tea and before we knew it we were back in Crowborough. I will never forget this day and all the memories.”
Elizabeth Wilkes: “We had a tour of the bell tower -128 steps, I counted them as I went up. We saw the bells. Our headteacher even rang them. At the Palace of Westminster we had another tour around and I saw lovely paintings, the library and where the Prime Minister sits but I wasn’t allowed to sit there. We walked back to London Bridge via Downing Street. We saw soldiers on horseback near Horse Guards Parade. We had a fun time and I loved being an ambassador for my school.”
Katie Whibley: “We arrived at Westminster Abbey. As we approached the abbey it was amazing. As we walked into it you suddenly looked at the back of the church and the gold illuminated all of the arch at the heart of the church. We listened and sang for an hour and a half. It was quite mesmerising.”
Jodie Banks, from St Mary’s primary school in Pulborough, said: “The service was lovely and the choir sang beautifully. After the thanksgiving we walked to St James’s Park to have lunch. We also talked to two policemen at Downing Street and even tried their hats on. The children also had a tour of the House of Commons and Westminster Hall.”
Emily Dodd said: “It was a brilliant experience I will remember for the rest of my life. While we were waiting we went to see the grave of the Unknown Warrior which was covered with wreaths of poppies.”
Rachel Lees said: “We popped into a ‘posh hotel’ called The Grosvenor to use the toilets before going on to Westminster Abbey. We had lunch in St James’s Park which is big with lots of ducks and squirrels. It was a fabulous day and I will always remember it.”
Christopher Todd, headteacher at Singleton CE School, Chichester, led a group of his pupils and said they gained a sense of joy and rejoicing during the service which was awe-inspiring, particularly the music and, most especially, the choir of St Aidan’s, Harrogate. He said: “The glorious weather was the icing on the cake and the day will live long in our memories. Here’s to the next 200 years.”
17
WESTMINSTER ABBEY SCHOOLS SERVICE
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