“I explored the National Gallery and was a little disappointed – too much Italian stuff; the rest mainly Dutch and Spanish (haven’t yet been to the Tate gallery, which I believe has most of the English work). I then went through the National Portrait Gallery, saw No.10 Downing Street, the outside of the Houses of Parliament, then went into St. Margaret’s and Westminster Abbey. The Abbey is wonderful, but disgustingly cluttered up with junk – monuments littering the walls so that there’s not a square inch of the beautiful Gothic walls to be seen and filthy with grime of the years. In spite of that, it’s very, very beautiful and it was a real thrill to see it. I stayed for evensong at 3.
I came back to find Yvonne* had arrived from the Chitral. She only stayed in London till Saturday morning, so wanted to see all she could so that night we went on the bus to Blackfriars Bridge, rode along the Embankment in a funny old tram to Westminster bridge, walked around the Houses of Parliament into the Abbey, through St. James Park to Buckingham Palace, back along the Mall past St. James Palace, past Clarence house and Marlborough House (Queen Mary’s residence) to Pall Mall and up to Trafalgar Square a little way along the Strand, up to Piccadilly Circus, then home by tube! It was funny to be showing someone round London, like an old inhabitant.”
Jean’s letter ot her sister Mary, 31 May 1951.
“Yesterday I walked my legs off exploring the National Gallery, Whitehall and Westminster Abbey. Yvonne* arrived and I tried to show her all London in a night – her two Aunts are both in hospital, so she’s going up there Saturday morning. She’s meeting the boyfriend this morning and going to his place for tea after doing her business in London (his people are in Buckham in Kent). Imagine me showing someone round London! “
Jeans letter to her mother written from Mary Curzon Hostel, late May.
*Yvonne – a friend of Jeans from Melbourne, who later in the year marries the mentioned boyfriend in Northern England and Jean is to be her bridesmaid.
