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  Catherine of Aragon
    — ONE-BEDROOM CITY APARTMENT —

      ST. KATHARINE'S MARINA
                                                                         
by the Tower of London                                  photos © Home At First

 

The view from the building location of Home At First's Anne of Cleves Apartment across the East Dock of St. Katharine's Marina by the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. Photo © Home At First.
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VIEW FROM THE BUILDING LOCATION OF THE ANNE OF CLEVES APARTMENT OF THE
EAST DOCK OF ST. KATHARINE'S MARINA AT THE TOWER BRIDGE AND THE TOWER OF LONDON.
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SPECIAL OFFER: Stay at the Anne of Cleves Apartment for 3 nights or longer any time from January 10 to February 21, 2009 starting at US$87.00 per person/night (depending on number of persons occupancy. This value price makes visiting London  a very affordable Christmas gift for travel-lovers!

 

THE
       
CATHERINE OF ARAGON  CITY APARTMENT is a two-bedroom, 1½-bathroom, two-story London maisonette apartment, a comfortable lodging for four to six persons. The apartment is on the second and third floors of a building bordering exclusive ST. KATHARINE'S MARINA by the Tower of London. The marina’s enclosed riverside location provides a quiet pedestrian refuge with a yachting atmosphere while allowing easy access to all of Central London.
 

Double canopy bed at the Anne of Cleves Apartment. Photo © Home At First.
CANOPY BED AT ANNE OF CLEVES APT.

HISTORY: During the Middle Ages, KING HENRY VIII and his six wives were royal patrons of the St. Katharine’s hospice that occupied the site of today's St. Katharine's Marina serving as both a hospital and a lodging for travelers and pilgrims. The king and his wives were often in residence at the neighboring TOWER OF LONDON, then a royal palace as well as a fortress. ANNE OF CLEVES was wife #4 (reigning 1540, following #3 JANE SEYMOUR and ahead—no pun intended—of #5 KATHRYN HOWARD). Anne, Henry's "Flanders Mare", knew the Tower least of all of Henry’s wives, for her marriage lasted only 6 months before ending in annulment. No longer queen, Anne became designated as "The King’s Sister". Anne died a natural death in 1557 and outlived her erstwhile husband by ten years and was buried in Westminster Cathedral. Not so the man who brought Anne and Henry together, THOMAS CROMWELL, Henry VIII's chief minister-advisor. Having fallen out of favor with the king for, among other things, arranging Henry's marriage to Anne, the poor little Dutch girl. Henry divorced Anne and sent her away, but he imprisoned Cromwell at the Tower of London and arranged to have him executed there by an inexperienced lad who required three chops before separating Thomas from Cromwell. Such were the neighbors at the Tower of London in July, 1540.

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THE APARTMENT: The apartment’s upper floor has two double bedrooms (one with twin beds, one with a king-sized 4-poster canopy bed), a full bathroom (with tub-shower), and powder room (toilet & sink). Downstairs is a comfortable living room (with double fold-out couch bed, and cable color TV), a well-equipped kitchen (microwave, coffee maker, and clothes washer-dryer), and dining area. Two small furnished patios open off the living room. Because they are on the second floor, these patios lack views of the marina. However, the marina is visible from

Spacious, well-appointed kitchen at Home At First's Anne Boleyn apartment at St. Katharine's Marina by the Tower of London. Photo © Home At First.
SPACIOUS, WELL-APPOINTED KITCHEN
AT THE ANNE OF CLEVES APARTMENT

the upstairs bedrooms. A hair dryer is provided, as is a table-top pay phone (accepts incoming calls; takes coins for outgoing calls). The two-story apartment is spacious, well-equipped, comfortable, and well-kept. Its optimal occupancy is four persons, but it

Warm, comfortable living room with patio at Home At First's Anne of Cleves Maisonette Apartment. Photo © Home At First.
WARM, COMFORTABLE LIVING
ROOM WITH ADJOINING PATIO AT
THE ANNE OF CLEVES APARTMENT

can accept a family of five or six using the fold-out sofa bed in the living room.Entrance to the apartment is on the lower (second) floor.
          While the entrance and hallways of the apartment building are undecorated and lack a concierge or doorman, the complex is safe (with a coded entry system), well-managed, and clean. The building has stainless steel lifts (elevators) that are spotless and well-maintained.
        
Guests are met upon arrival by the friendly apartment manager who lives elsewhere in the complex. He opens the apartment, explains its workings and is available throughout your stay to answer any questions you might have.


Floor plan of Anne of Cleves Maisonette Apartment © Home At First.
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FLOOR PLAN OF HOME AT FIRST'S ANNE OF CLEVES MAISONETTE APARTMENT 

 

THE SETTING: ST. KATHARINE'S MARINA is located on the north bank of the RIVER THAMES about a five-minute walk from the famous TOWER OF LONDON and the TOWER BRIDGE. The apartment is a seven-to-ten-minute, traffic-free walk from the TOWER HILL UNDERGROUND STATION (subway trains) and TOWER GATEWAY (for the Dockland Light Railway), and a three-minute walk to a bus stop for London’s well known red double-decker buses.
         The Marina is a traffic-restricted pedestrian zone, which does not permit cars

Tower Bridge from the river entrance to St. Katharine's Marina. Photo © Home At First.
TOWER BRIDGE FROM THE RIVER
ENTRANCE TO ST. KATHARINE'S MARINA
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The popular 18th century Dickens Inn in the center of St. Katharine's Marina has two restaurants and a pub. Photo © Home At First.
THE 18TH CENTURY DICKENS INN
OFFERS TWO RESTAURANTS AND A PUB.
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other than for a few privileged residents who are provided with underground parking. Strolling to the DICKENS INN or to any of several of other marina restaurants and cafés is a pleasure. The marina offers exclusive shopping at several small boutiques. There is also a STARBUCKS coffee shop in the center of the marina.
         After a day of sightseeing in the hustle and bustle of downtown London, you will find the marina’s quiet atmosphere a real joy. On the outside edge of the Marina is a state-of-the-art WAITROSE SUPERMARKET, ideal for guests wishing

to make good use of the apartment’s fully-equipped kitchen. In the small shopping center by the supermarket there is also a laundry/dry cleaner, a bookstore, and a video shop.

LOCATION: St. Katharine’s Marina is just five minutes, traffic-free walking from London’s number one attraction, THE TOWER OF LONDON. The 1,000-year-old fortress occupies the southeast corner of the original Roman city of London. This 2,000-year-old city is today’s vibrant square mile of banking and international commerce, a mixture of post-modern skyscrapers and great history.

Bedroom with twin beds at Home At First's Anne of Cleves Maisonette Apartment at St. Katharine's Marina. Photo © Home At First.
TWIN BEDROOM AT HOME AT FIRST'S
ANNE  OF CLEVES MAISONETTE APARTMENT
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Big Ben, London's landmark clock at the Houses of Parliament, Westminster, 11 minutes by Underground (slightly longer by river boat) from St. Katherine's Marina. Photo courtesy John Mraz  © Home At First.
BIG BEN:
11 MINUTES
BY TUBE
FROM ST.
KATHERINE'S
MARINA.

THE CITY (as it is known) offers museums, restaurants and pubs of all sizes and styles (and for all budgets). It also has historic churches, open and covered markets, and some of the world’s great architecture, including the TOWER BRIDGE, the SWISS RE BUILDING, and ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL.
          Tracing both sides of the River Thames are pedestrians-only "pathways". Within traffic-free walking distance of St. Katharine’s Marina are such attractions as the
HMS BELFAST naval warship museum, SHAKESPEARE'S NEW GLOBE THEATRE, the exciting TATE MODERN art museum, the LONDON EYE super Ferris wheel, and the popular BOROUGH MARKET. Great restaurants and pubs line the pathways on both shores, including several historic pubs still lining the river in suddenly-upscale COCKNEY EAST LONDON.
         
Beyond walking distance but easily reached by Underground, bus, river boat, and light rail in 30 minutes or less are all the famous attractions of London, e.g.:
GREENWICH (22min), WESTMINSTER & PARLIAMENT (11min),

SOUTH BANK THEATRES (23min), COVENT GARDEN THEATRES (30min), PICCADILLY CIRCUS (22min), REGENT'S PARK (25min), THE BRITISH MUSEUM (30min), BUCKINGHAM PALACE (25min), and HARROD'S DEPARTMENT STORE (30min).

AVAILABILITY: For current availability information, call HOME AT FIRST at (800) 523-5842, or contact us by e-mail at: info@homeatfirst.com.

The Tower of London — London's most popular visitor attraction — one of many attractions within easy walking distance of Home At First's Anne of Cleves Maisonette Apartment at St. Katharine's Marina. Photo © Home At First.
THE TOWER OF LONDON—LONDON'S #1 VISITOR ATTRACTION—IS A 5-MINUTE TRAFFIC-FREE
WALK FROM THE ANNE OF CLEVES APARTMENT.

   

— HOME AT FIRST —

Learn more about HOME AT FIRST's travel program to: LONDON.