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HOME AT FIRST

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                                                                                                           photos © Home At First

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BALCONY VIEW FROM HOME AT FIRST'S JANE SEYMOUR APARTMENT AT ST. KATHARINE'S MARINA
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THE
        CITY APARTMENT is a one-bedroom, one-bathroom, London apartment, a comfortable lodging for two to four persons. The apartment is on the fifth floor of a building bordering exclusive ST. KATHARINE'S MARINA by the Tower of London. This riverside location provides a quiet pedestrian marina atmosphere plus easy access to all of Central London.

EAST DOCK OF ST. KATHARINE'S MARINA

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. JANE SEYMOUR was wife #3 (reigning 1536-7) following #2 ANNE BOLEYN (for whom the king broke with the church of Rome) and preceding of #4 ANNE OF CLEVES. Jane Seymour died less than two weeks after bearing the king the son and heir he desired. At 9 years old the boy became KING EDWARD VI. Jane's brother the Duke of Somerset served as Royal Regent until he lost his head on Tower Hill by the Tower of London in 1552. Edward—spurned by MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS from a marriage offer that would have united the thrones of England and Scotland—died at 15 years old in 1553. Like his father, mother and his uncle, Edward would have known the Tower and neighboring St. Katharine's Hospice, as would his two half-sisters, QUEEN MARY I and QUEEN ELIZABETH I (who was imprisoned at the Tower for three months) and his distant cousin (and son of Mary Queen of Scots) KING JAMES I, all of whom followed him to the throne.

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THE APARTMENT: The apartment bedroom has twin beds. The bathroom has a tub-shower combination. The comfortable living room includes a double fold-out couch bed, and cable color TV. The well-equipped kitchen (including microwave, coffee maker, and clothes washer-dryer) connects via a pass-through to the dining area. A small furnished balcony opens off the living room and overlooks the auto-free marina toward the famous Tower Bridge. The apartment provides a hair dryer and a table-top pay phone (accepts incoming calls; takes coins for outgoing calls).

OPEN-PLAN LIVING ROOM AND DINING
AREA WITH PASS-THROUGH KITCHEN
ACCESS AT HOME AT FIRST'S
JANE SEYMOUR APARTMENT.

FLOOR PLAN OF THE JANE SEYMOUR APARTMENT
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          Like most European city apartments, the apartment is compact, but well equipped, comfortable, and well-kept. Its optimal occupancy is two persons, but it can accept a family of three or four by employing the sofa bed in the living room.
          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.

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 other than for a few privileged residents who are provided with underground parking.

PEDESTRIAN WALKWAYS LEAD TO THE EXCLUSIVE SHOPS OF
ST. KATHARINE'S MARINA.
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