Oxford resident Charlotte Krol travelled to London to line the streets with thousands of others in observing Baroness Thatcher’s funeral. Here is her account of the momentous occasion...

 

It’s a typically grey morning with workers suited for another busy day in the capital.

“But today is different and there is none of the usual hustle and bustle.

“Westminster is peaceful, still and eerie.

“People line the streets awaiting the funeral procession, talking quietly among themselves and firing up cameras ready to record the event.

“In between cathedral bells tolling, cries come in from protesters, ‘ding dong the witch is dead’.

“But there is equally a large body of people just wanting to pay their respects.

“Just around the corner from St Paul’s is a small group of students from Kennington City and Guilds art school.

“They have an array of media with them – video cameras, phones, polaroid cameras – hoping to document as much as they can about the planned protests.

“The quiet streets of Westminster earlier are now a million miles away as banners are unfurled and pathways become blocked.

“It seems that Thatcher’s legacy will forever be met with mixed voices.”