William Bill, DD, Dean of Westminster Abbey engraving 1822 by Robert Grave after a drawing by G. P. Harding. |
Westminster Abbey will be the church where Prince William and Kate Middleton celebrate their wedding. It’s a leading tourist destination, and the site of many formal British celebrations, royal and civil. It has been an Abbey since about the year 600, with various buildings in same location. It was the coronation site for many kings, and many members of the royal family are buried there, as well as historical figures, poets and authors.
Brass Rubbing of William Bill's tomb plaque |
At the same time we were at Westminster, we were staying at the Girl Scout/Girl Guides house in London, Pax Lodge. It was also Thinking Day, 22 February 1997, which was the joint birthday of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell, the founders of Scouting. Every year there is a big celebration for Thinking Day at Westminster Abbey, and we were lucky enough to get tickets in the VIP section since we were visiting from abroad. While I was watching the ceremony I was thinking of the marriage of Lady Diana and Prince Charles. This year everyone will be thinking of Prince William and his Kate. It was a wonderful ceremony, full of pomp and music, attended by hundreds of Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, VIPs and even members of the royal family who had been scouts, from all over the UK and all around the globe. It was fun to see so many uniforms. My daughter, exhausted from jet lag, promptly fell asleep and missed the whole thing!
At each Thinking Day service at Westminster, a wreath is laid on the memorial of
Sir Robert Baden-Powell and his wife, Olave Baden-Powell.
signed by Betty Clay, daughter of Baden-Powell |
Yours truly back at Pax Lodge with Mrs. Betty Clay who signed my invitation to The Thinking Day and Founder's Service at Westminster Abbey |
This was our view of the main altar, by the West Entrance This is where the Queen will be sitting for her grandson's wedding and where Kate will make her entrance to marry her prince. Same view! |
For more information:
History of William Bill at the Westminster website
http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/people/william-bill
Wikipedia article about William Bill http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bill
Girl Guides UK Thinking Day page for 2011 http://draft.blogger.com/goog_879992758
A video from YouTube of the international team of young women from Pax Lodge visiting Westminster Abbey for World Thinking Day service 2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzB39cswXP8
My Blog Post about Thinking Day and our visit to Pax Lodge, when I met Betty Clay (daughter of Lord Robert Baden-Powell)
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/02/february-22-thinking-day.html
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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo
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