Diaries of visits to London by Lillie White in 1891, 1894 and 1902
These diaries cover three visits to London, Sept-Oct 1891, May-June 1894 and May-July 1902, by Lucy’s sister, Lillie, and their Aunt Georgie.
The entries describe their journey from Carmarthen to Paddington by train, visiting a number of London’s monuments and sites including the National Gallery, St Martin’s church, St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, British Museum, Indian Institute, the Imperial Institute, Trafalgar Square, the Mall, and so on. They also visited shops such as Whiteleys, Mappin Bros, and gardens such as the Embankment Gardens and St James’ Park.
Visits were also made to theatres and ballets as well as the Earls Court Exhibition Centre. Their arrival in London in 1902 coincided with the declaration of peace after the Boer War. The aim of that 1902 visit was to see the Coronation of Edward VII, scheduled for June 23rd. The King was taken ill just before that date and so the Coronation was postponed to August.
The diary entries cover descriptions of going to see bulletins posted outside Buckingham Palace about the King’s health and sighting of various royalty going to visit the King.
