On our third day in London, we had the opportunity to meet Lucinda Hawksley, who is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens. On this warm and sunny day, she guided us on a historical walk through the neighborhoods of London. As we walked and passed by historical buildings, Lucinda shared some amazing insights not only about her famous ancestor, Charles Dickens, but also about other travel writers from London. He knowledge of them made the experience truly memorable, she painted a picture of the city’s literary heritage.
As we walked through the streets of London towards the neighborhoods, you could smell the different scents from nearby restaurants that filled the air. The weather was so nice I could feel the breeze flowing through my hair. When we reached Gordon Square Garden, I could hear the sounds of laughter from nearby couples and the sound of pages turning in books this created a peaceful scene of the garden here in London
So, as we continued our walk, Lucinda had led us to the area where Virginia Woolf once lived We were able to pass by her home and see the very steps that she would walk on. When I was there at the steps I remember feeling a sense of admiration that i was in the same space where a literary giant once lived. As our walk continued she then took us to Tavistock Square, where we were able to see and admire the statue of Virginia Woolf. It was really nice to see that even til this day people still stop by her statue and leave her flowers.
As our tour with Lucinda ended, we had made our way to the bus stop where you could hear the busy street and just taking in the last moments of our literature walk. While my friends and I were standing and waiting for our bus, we noticed the remains of where the original World War II fences used to be.My friend Berklee explained to us how the fences had been removed during the war because they needed steel for the war. Soon after, they put the fence back once the conflict had ended, but not in its original spot, so you could still see the original steel from that time period. Seeing this felt like a perfect end to our historic walk around the neighborhood, blending wartime in London with its literary heritage.
