London

In mid March of 2025, Westlake TEC embarked on an unforgettable trip to London, England.

Wednesday, March 12th

TEC left Austin for London on March 12th, stopping for a layover in Houston. We arrived in London the morning of Thursday, March 13th.

Thursday, March 13th

Leaving the airport, we first traveled to Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. It is a royal residence with a rich history spanning back nearly 1,000 years to William the Conqueror. We later had dinner at TDQ Steaks and went back to our hotel, the Park Plaza Riverbank.

Friday, March 14th

On the morning of the 14th, we visited Westminster Abbey in the heart of London, a church that has been walked by kings, queens, statesmen and soldiers, poets and priests, heroes and villains. Westminster Abbey welcomes over one million visitors each year who want to explore this wonderful 700 year old building. After lunch, we visited White Light Entertainment for a technical visit arranged by our good friend and legend in the industry, Rob Halliday. He walked us through the history of lighting, giving details and hands-on interaction with past models of lighting consoles. Later, we visited the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and met with the deputy head of lighting, Pete Fry, for a behind-the-scenes look at the theatre. Afterwards, we went to dinner at Côte Covent Garden. To end the night, we saw Back To The Future: The Musical at the Adelphi Theatre.

Saturday, March 15th

On the morning of the 15th, we took a bus to visit Warwick Castle, a medieval castle developed from a wooden fort that was originally built by William the Conqueror during 1068. Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England, situated on a bend of the River Avon. The original wooden motte-and-bailey castle was rebuilt in stone during the 12th century. We had lunch at Pizza Express and then drove to Stratford-Upon-Avon to visit the birthplace of William Shakespeare to see the house where he grew up to become the most famous playwright in the world and also partake in some retail therapy. To end the night, we saw Stranger Things: The First Shadow in Phoenix Theatre.

Sunday, March 16th

On the morning of the 16th, we took public transport to the London Eye, the world’s largest cantilevered observation wheel, standing at over 440 feet! After, we took the Underground to the British Museum. Dedicated to human history and culture, the museum’s permanent collection, numbering around 8 million works, is one of the largest and most comprehensive museums in existence and originates from all continents. We walked from there to lunch at Byron Covent Garden. After lunch, we made out way to the Duchess Theatre for The Play That Goes Wrong, a personal favorite for many on the trip. We did some more shopping around Covent Garden until we went to dinner at Jamie Oliver.

Monday, March 17th

On the morning of the 17th, we took public transport to visit St. Paul’s Cathedral. With it’s world-famous dome, the cathedral is an iconic feature of the London skyline. As you step inside, you discover an awe-inspiring interior and uncover a rich and fascinating history. Afterwards, we took the Underground to the Tower of London. The Tower of London has been a royal palace, a prison, an armory, and even a zoo and is home to the Crown Jewels. It has a vast history including the execution of two of Henry the VIII’s wives and Sir Walter Raleigh was a prisoner in the Bloody Tower. We took public transportation to lunch at The Admiralty before walking to the National Gallery with its impressive collection of art spanning centuries and including works from masters such as Michelangelo, Titian, Cezanne and Van Gogh. We walked to dinner at Poppies Fish & Chips Soho after the National Gallery. Finally, we ended the night at the Sondheim Theatre where we watched Les Miserables. Once the show was over, we received a tour of the musical from Chris Boone. Boone worked as the Senior Production Manager at Cameron Mackintosh Ltd. for 15 years and now works as the Technical Director - UK. He gave us an incredible experience post-show, one that will leave us with memories to cherish.

Tuesday, March 18th

On the morning of the 18th, we took a bus to the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour where we explored behind-the-scenes such as costumes, sets, props, and animatronics used to produce the world-famous movies. We then took the bus back for a tour of Royal Albert Hall which was opened in 1871 by Queen Victoria and names after her late husband, Prince Albert. After our tour, we met with Stuart Crane, the head of production and technical at Royal Albert Hall. We then had a family-style dinner at the Top Hat Restaurant. After dinner, we went to Prince Edward Theatre and saw MJ the Musical, after which, we received a back stage tour from Andy Yiannaki, the Head of Sound, and some of the other crew members.

Wednesday, March 19th

On the morning of the 19th, we took the underground to the National Theatre where we took a tour of some of the theatres as well as where the shows are put together with props, scenery, and costume. After the tour, we had a Q&A session with the Head of Lighting at the National Theatre, Matt Drury. He was accompanied by our good friend Rob Halliday. After a quick lunch on our own, we made our way to His Majesty’s Theatre to see The Phantom of the Opera. After the show, we were once again joined by Chris Boone for an incredible post-show discussion. We had dinner at Bella Italia before going to see Six at Vaudeville Theatre, a British pop musical that reimagines the six wives of Henry VIII. We had a post-show discussion with the lighting designer, Tim Deiling.

Thursday, March 20th

On the morning of the 20th, we took a bus to visit Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire England that has remained shrouded in mystery despite standing for thousands of years. Archaeologists believe it was built anywhere from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. We then took the bus to All Bar One in Bath for lunch. After lunch, we visited the Ancient Roman Baths for a self-guided tour. The Roman Baths were constructed in the heart of the city around 70 AD as a grand bathing and socializing complex. We ate dinner at Sally Lunn’s, an eating house famous for serving the Sally Lunn Bun which was originally brought to Bath in 1680. Arriving back at the hotel, we went back to our rooms to pack to leave early the next day.

Friday, March 21st

On the morning of the 21th, we woke to a phone call at 5am. A fire at a substation near Heathrow. It ended up shutting down the airport for nearly 18 hours, disrupting over 1,300 flights and 200,000 passengers. Despite the shock we all felt, we tried to make the most of the day, unaware how long we would be stuck in London. We went back to our rooms until 1:30pm. At that time, we left the hotel and took a boat ride along the Thames River to Greenwich, England, home of the Prime Meridian which was formalized by the 1884 International Meridian Conference. We ate lunch and then broke into groups for time to shop. Some of us visited the Royal Observatory where the Prime Meridian was established in 1851. We took the train back to London. We ate dinner at Boulevard Brasserie in Covent Gardens. After dinner, we saw Matilda at Cambridge Theatre.

Saturday, March 22nd

On the afternoon of the 22nd, we visited Harrod’s. Harrod’s, originally founded in 1834 by Charles Henry Harrod, is a world-famous luxury department store known for its opulent design and high-end goods. We went to dinner at TDQ steaks.

Sunday, March 23rd

On the morning of the 23th, we went to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards. After that, we went to lunch before going to the Lyceum Theatre to see The Lion King. After the show, we went to Banana Tree for dinner. After dinner, we went back to the hotel for an early night to give everyone time to pack to leave the next day.

Monday, March 24th

On the morning of the 24th, we woke up at 3am for an hour long bus ride to the Heathrow Airport. From there, we stopped for a layover in Frankfurt, Germany. We then went on an 11 hour flight from Frankfurt to Houston. After arriving in Houston, we got our luggage from baggage claim and took a three hour bus ride back to Westlake high school.