When it comes to London, it seems that everyone has a vague but specific imagination of this city. It appears to be classically beautiful, often carrying a damp and gray undertone; it's a bustling metropolis, yet also exudes a rebellious artistic sense.

These ideas about London are formed by countless different yet closely connected images, all contributing to the allure of a school trip to London. It could be the Gothic architecture of Buckingham Palace, the narrow old brick streets seen in Harry Potter movies, the famous West End, or the graffiti that is visible everywhere on London streets, all of which are indeed facets of London, but they cannot fully capture the charm of the entire UK.

So, why not come to London and see for yourself? Not long ago, we and the students came to this multifaceted city, immersing ourselves in a classic, modern, and artistic London. Let's listen to the trip leader Daniel's account of what he heard and felt.

Every Building Has Its Own Story

Considering that he was leading the students from Wellington Tianjin to London, the first stop was naturally a visit to Wellington College. The history of Wellington College dates back to 1853, established in memory of the Duke of Wellington. One of its main initial missions was to provide education for the orphans of deceased military officers in the British Army.

Over time, with the support of Queen Victoria, Wellington College expanded to become the beautiful classical campus of 400 acres that it is today. The most iconic building here is the grand chapel, The Chapel, typical of the Victorian Gothic Revival style, adorned with triangular windows, spires, and other classical features.

Of course, when in London, one cannot miss the famous landmarks.

We paused in front of Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guards, admired the exquisite architecture near the Houses of Parliament, and had a bird's eye view of London from the capsules of the London Eye.

 In London, every building is a clue to the city's history. For instance, the Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, were remodeled from the ruins of a fire in 1834. A design competition was held for the renovation, and the winner was the architect Charles Barry. However, as the Gothic architectural style regained popularity during the Victorian era, which was not Barry's forte, he invited the help of another architect, Augustus Pugin, creating the magnificent and beautiful Palace of Westminster seen today.

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

We also visited the Globe Theatre in London to experience British theatre culture, and even took part in a performance workshop. The performance of plays during Shakespeare's time was quite different. There were no directors; the actors had to direct themselves. The actors needed to be multi-talented, remembering their lines, mastering movements, tones, and stage positions. The entire plot would be hanging in the actors' green room to read together. Paper being expensive, each actor received only their lines and cues. Moreover, due to the high cost of candles, rehearsals were daytime only.

Another key difference was that there were no female actresses on stage during Shakespeare's time—all female roles were played by male actors. Therefore, Shakespeare specifically arranged plotlines in plays like "The Merchant of Venice," "Twelfth Night," and "As You Like It," where women disguised as men, which was a thought-provoking form of satire.

In contemporary performances, audiences are accustomed to sitting quietly during the show, and breaking the fourth wall is often seen as a special creative form. However, in the 16th and 17th-century theatres, the audience was very aware of the fictional nature of what they were watching, and the breaking of the theatrical illusion was not unusual. They would frequently move around during performances.  

Thus, interactive performances between actors and the audience became a feature of performances at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, with actors even walking among the audience, integrating them into the show, making it no surprise that many say the best tickets at Shakespeare's theatre are the cheapest standing tickets in front of the stage.

UK's STEAM Education

The UK's STEAM education, focusing on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, also showcases the country's technological prowess. As the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, the UK can be considered the world's first technological powerhouse.

Therefore, how can we overlook the UK's STEAM education while in London? Surprisingly, the UK is the birthplace of F1 racing, with the headquarters of many famous racing teams located in Motorsport Valley, such as Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren, and Aston Martin.

We visited the Silverstone Museum, located at the heart of Motorsport Valley, to learn about the UK's racing culture and engineering technology. The students had the chance to see the special features of racing dashboards and participate in a simulated race.

On the last day, we visited the marvelous laboratory at the Science Museum, which is arguably the best interactive science exhibition in London for children.

Here, the students experienced magical and creative scientific experiments. They could experience the wonders of friction through a slide made of three different materials, observe fascinating optical phenomena, and even try a pulley system to lift themselves.

Spending a day here will definitely ignite children's love and exploration of science.

Join us on a cultural and specially tailored school trip to London, we will lead you to a magical world.

Sources:

《A History of London in 100 Places》by David Long

https://www.wellingtoncollege.org.uk/college-life/the-chapel/

https://www.cntraveler.com/activities/london/the-globe-theater

https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/how-have-performances-shakespeare-changed-over-time

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/where-are-f1-teams-based/10348715/