Trevor Poe ’13 – Returning to London for the first time since studying abroad brings back great memories. However, I did not come to London to relive the past, I came to learn about it. Today we visited the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey to tour some of the places we learned about in our course over the history of Anglo-American Common Law. At the palace, commonly referred to as the Houses of Parliament, our group enjoyed a private tour of the building. On our tour, we saw the House of Commons, House of Lords, and the Queen’s robbing room.
The Neo-Gothic architecture and decoration of the building impressed me with its grandeur. Westminster Hall, a particular part of the palace, held important significance for the course. The hall once served as the location for the Court of Chancery, Court of Common Pleas, and the King’s Bench until they got their own buildings on Fleet Street, which we visited earlier in the week. Seeing such a historically important building helped make important connections about the evolution of Anglo-American law, and its origins in England.
After the conclusion of the tour, our class walked across the street to enjoy the sights of Westminster Abbey. The Abbey contains the graves of many of Britain’s most important figures, and serves as the site for the coronation of British monarchs. Following sightseeing in the Abbey, I traveled with two of fraternity brothers to watch a soccer (football) match. While studying abroad during my junior year, I became an adamant supporter of the Queens Park Rangers football club. I simply could not pass up the chance to watch a match while visiting London. Seeing my club win a much-needed victory allowed me to end my trip to London on a high note. L
London is a place that I never want to leave, but traveling with my class allowed me to make the most of this learning opportunity.
