Joanna Lumley Frances Segelman © Joe Alvarez
0 3 mins 7 yrs

On arrival at Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress (Official name for The Tower of London) a short walk across the cobbles led guests past the infamous ‘Traitors Gate’ and Royal Ravens to be greeted by the Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters) for an evening in aid of the Jack Petchey back to work fund for the Stroke Association. 

Celebrities including Joanna Lumley, Elaine Paige and Ainsley Harriott and many other VIP guests were in attendance for a private viewing of royal sculptor Frances Segelman’s retrospective exhibition.

More than twenty of Royal sculptor Segelman’s bronze sculptures were on display these included HM the Queen, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, and HRH Prince Wales. 

A menagerie of stars, celebrities, notable heads and famous faces were also showcased at the exhibition these also included in no particular order Sir Bruce Forsyth, Honor Blackman, Dame Edna Everage, Jilly Cooper, Boris Johnson, Cherie Blair, Linford Christie, Terry Venables, Sven-Goran Ericsson, Lord William Hague, Sir Derek Jacobi and many more.

A sculpture of Downton Abbey creator Lord Julian Fellowes was unveiled on the evening and the ever fabulous Joanna Lumley was sculpted live by Segelman and participated in a Short Q&A afterward. 

The evenings’ proceedings were followed by a harp recital by ‘Queen of Harps’ Catrin Finch and a chance to witness ‘The Ceremony of the Keys’ the traditional locking up of the tower hosted by the Chief Yeoman Warder which has been so every night from 9:53 pm without fail for the last 700 years.

After an amazing evening, the doors were finally opened at 10:05 pm and the attendees that agreed to stay for ‘The Ceremony of the Keys’ were released by the ‘Yeoman Warders’ and shown to the exit to make their way to their carriages.

Photo Gallery of Heads at the Tower Exhibition