Today the students explored historic, bustling London, with field trips taking them from the Supreme Court to Canary Wharf, the Science Museum to the Wellcome Collection, Regent’s Park to Shakespeare’s Globe, and ending with everyone meeting for dinner around Covent Garden. It was a busy and exciting day, and we all arrived back in Cambridge this evening ready to recharge after a fulfilling trip.
Each class arranged their own excursions in London, choosing places and activities that would enhance the students’ understanding of their subject.
Film and Drama started the morning with a surprise viewing of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who were at the Southbank Centre to visit the new Nelson Mandela Exhibition. The photo doesn’t do justice to the excitement of the moment!
Prince Harry and Megan Markle.
They then took a tour of the Globe Theatre – they even caught a glimpse of the cast rehearsing Othello! After, the students visited the British Film Institute and ended their tour of the Southbank with a visit to the Tate Modern.
Science and the Future started the day at the Wellcome Collection, looking at exhibits on the history and future of medical science. After that, they crossed London to visit the Science Museum – particular highlights included learning about the upcoming satellite mission to Mercury in 2018.
Science and the Future outside the Science Museum.
Medical Science started the day with a fascinating talk about surgery in the 1800s from a medical historian at the Old Operating Theatre – a museum which is in the only surviving part of the old St Thomas’ hospital. We sat in the oldest surgical operating theatre in Europe, and then explored the museum exhibits, learning about the history of medicine.
From London Bridge, the Medical Science students went up to Euston for a tour of the ‘Medicine Now’ exhibit at the Wellcome Collection.
Coding had a fantastic day at the newly opened Postal Museum (recently nominated for the Art Fund Museum of the Year). They learnt about the long history of the Royal Mail and the way in which it has functioned from its inception. The students learnt about the logistics and patterns behind sorting and sending millions of letters and packages each day to different locations. A particular highlight was the repurposed “Mail Rail” that only went out of service in 2003, and was used to deliver all of London’s post via underground rail. They finished off the day with a trip to the London Transport Museum.
Law started their day in the Royal Courts of Justice, where they sat in on an interesting Court of Appeal case about fraud offences. They saw the grandeur of the Houses of Parliament, followed by a visit to the Supreme Court.
They saw a case on whether public authorities owe children a duty of care and should be liable in tort for negligence. After watching law in action, they took a river clipper down the Thames to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.
They walked down the Southbank, to the Tate Modern, where they caught an incredible view of London from the roof terrace. Finally, the students walked across Millenium Bridge to St Paul’s Cathedral.
Global Business went to Canary Wharf for lunch, the home of many major European financial institutions. They then went to the British Museum – exploring exhibits and artefacts from Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and Medieval England.
Engineering went to the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Science Museum – learning about the significant feats of British engineers over time and the mechanics of engineering.
Social Psychology spent a morning in Regent’s Park, using the pedalos on the water. They also went to the Wellcome Collection, to join some of the other groups in the tour.
The day ended with the students getting to do some shopping and sightseeing in Covent Garden; and meeting up with their friends from different classes for dinner. All in all, it was a packed day, with a lot of ground covered, and we hope the students came back to Cambridge with many amazing memories of London.
