Despite it being their first Saturday, the prospect of a trip to England’s capital city had the students at Hugh’s eager to get out of bed yesterday. After wolfing down some breakfast, the students clambered aboard the coaches and headed off to the big city. 

It was a short walk from where the coach dropped them off to their first stop – the houses of parliament – and the students made the most of the many photo opportunities they found along the way. Who knew an old-fashioned phone box could be so popular? 

Parliament itself – officially called The Palace of Westminster – provided both a stunning backdrop for more photos and the basis for some intense discussion. As the UK is in the process of changing prime minister, there were plenty of theories and predictions flying back and forth between our more politically-minded students.

Once our students had managed to tear themselves away from London’s iconic sights, they moved on to the National Gallery. With a collection of over 2,300 paintings, there was something for everyone to enjoy, including famous works by Botticelli, da Vinci, Van Gough, and Michaelangelo.

Students particularly enjoyed the exhibition of Spanish renaissance Bartolomé Bermejo which is currently taking place at the gallery, taking their time to wander amongst the paintings and soak in the wonderful artwork. It was great to see them all engaging with the past!

In the gift shop, a few students splashed out on card prints of their favourite pieces of work and then it was time for a quick snack in Trafalgar Square before heading back to the coach.

After dinner back at St Peter’s, some students took the chance to catch up on homework while others split off for more social activities. Football in the park was a popular choice, as always, but plenty of students stayed behind to take part in a craft workshop focused on beading.

No matter how our students ended their day, they were all smiling. It was unanimously agreed that the trip to London had been a success.