Discount London Blog

Viewing the Autumn Colours in London

2011-10-05T14:48:00.002+01:00

Summer is finally over and the falling temperatures and windy days tell us that we've moved firmly into autumn. While it may be a time to put away the shorts and sandals for another year it's also a great time to get out and explore London's many open spaces. The city is blessed with dozens of parks and woodland areas where the leaves have now started to take on their autumn shades. For the next few weeks it's well worth heading to any of London's parks to take a walk and enjoy one of nature's finest shows.

Here are just a few of London's best known parks where you can take a walk, bring a picnic and for a while forget that you're in a major city. Don't forget your camera!

1. Hyde Park

Hyde Park

Whether you're on an open-top bus tour or just taking a stroll through the capital, you'd have to try hard to spend much time in London without touching the boundaries of Hyde Park. At this time of the year Hyde Park is popular with visitors taking a walk (or riding their bikes) and admiring the colours among the park's many trees.

No sooner have the leaves dropped than the park gets prepared for its biggest event of the year, the Winter Wonderland fun fair.

2. Regent's Park

Just beyond Madame Tussaud's is Regent's Park, very popular with Londoners and a great place to go for a picnic. You can watch the more energetic folks playing sports in the park (from the comfort and warmth of the famous Honest Sausage if you wish) before wandering out and kicking up the freshly fallen leaves that will soon form a golden carpet across the park.

Kyoto Garden, Holland Park

3. Holland Park

This wonderful little park is a local favourite among locals and visitors who want to enjoy a bit of fresh air in the heart of London. Wander along the narrow paths that snake through the woodland or sit in peace in the lovely Kyoto Garden. At this time of the year the mix between the autumn colours and the stubborn green of the evergreen plants is picture-perfect, especially on a sunny day!

4. St. James's Park

St James's Park is surrounded on all sides by important landmarks: Buckingham Palace to the west, Horseguards Parade to the east and the Mall along its northern edge. It's a popular haunt at lunchtime when civil servants from surrounding offices come pouring out to eat their modest sandwiches before rushing back to their desks. Take your time to walk along the water's edge and enjoy the park at its best. If you arrive early or late you may find that you'll have more squirrels than people for company.

5. Hampstead Heath

Sham Bridge, Kenwood House, Hampstead Heath

Hampstead Heath is perhaps the best place to come if you fancy a decent walk. You can easily wander around the Heath for a couple of hours without retracing your traces, while the park offers plenty of variety in its scenery, from the superb views across the London skyline from Parliament Hill to the pleasant grounds of Kenwood House to the north end of the park.

6. Richmond Park

Perhaps the largest of all the parks we've listed here, you can easily spend a whole day in Richmond Park, allowing yourself plenty of time to enjoy its paths on two feet or two wheels while popping into nearby Richmond or Kingston for a spot of lunch or a refreshing drink.

The autumn colours are magnificent in Richmond Park and many London folks come to the park to enjoy the annual spectacle. If you're driving to the park be prepared for heavy traffic at weekends.

9 most popular places to have your picture taken in London

2011-08-15T14:25:00.001+01:00

It might not be cool to do it, but sometimes you just have to line up for that tacky photo that everyone else is posing for. These are the ones that people back at home are most interested in seeing, where they have visible proof that you have actually been to the famous place that you claim to have visited.

As a light interlude this week we're featuring the most popular photo locations in London. I expect you'll recognise all of these scenes instantly and you may even have posed in front of these iconic London landmarks/objects yourself!

1. In front of Big Ben

2. On Westminster Bridge with London Eye as backdrop

3. By the Trafalgar Square lions

4. In front of Buckingham Palace

5. By the Olympic clock (Trafalgar Square)

6. Crossing the road at the Abbey Road zebra crossing

7. In front of Tower Bridge

8. Next to a solider in a red coat

9. Inside a red phone box

Photos: Espinr, PhillipC, Brownpau, King Chung Huang, reservasdecoches, Shht!, Rev Stan, clarkworldtravel,

The London Eye and previous iconic landmarks on the South Bank

2011-08-15T14:25:00.000+01:00

The London Eye is consistently listed as one of the city's top attractions. Millions of visitors to the city come to take a ride (or a flight as the people behind it like to say) while many millions more line up at various points along the river to take their photo with the Eye as their backdrop. Even those of us who regularly pass the giant wheel accept it as an essential part of London and forget that 12 years ago it was absent from the city's skyline.

If its acceptance as one of the favourite landmarks of London was universal, the same cannot be said for the controversy that surrounded its construction. Planned as one of the Millennium projects it was overshadowed by the construction of the Dome at Greenwich and on many occasions there was doubt as to whether there would be the will or the funding to see the project through to its conclusion.

The very spot in which the Eye now stands bears witness to previous iconic structures that have long since gone. The Dome of Discovery, built for the Festival of London in 1951, was at the time a major attraction in the city. Nearby the Skylon Tower, a tall cigar-shaped creation that seemed to float in the air without any visible means of support, added to the futuristic landscape of the South Bank.

Both the Dome of Discovery and Skylon were demolished and sold for scrap soon after the conclusion of the Festival as they were deemed too expensive to maintain. Stand at Jubilee Gardens, the lawn by the London Eye, and you're standing at the site of the former Dome.

And those who consider the London Eye as a groundbreaking 'first' for the city might be surprised to know that a similar structure stood proudly in the city over 100 years earlier. The Great Wheel was erected in 1894 for the Empire of India Exhibition at Earls Court and was an impressive 94 metres tall. It stood for 13 years before being demolished in 1907. Somehow I suspect that the London will not suffer the same fate.

A ride on the London Eye takes around 30 minutes and on a clear day offers views across the whole city and even out to the green fields beyond. Visit our London Eye Tickets pages to book your 'flight' on this famous London landmark.

Why take a Thames River Cruise?

2011-08-15T14:23:00.000+01:00

When you've covered as much of central London as you can by foot or by Tube, it pays to consider the city's riverboats as a great way of getting around while relaxing and seeing London from another angle. Regular hop-on/hop-off cruisers make their way between Westminster and Greenwich. You can board outside the London Eye and sit down with a refreshing drink while watching the sights of the city from the river.

Here are 10 reasons why taking a boat can be the best transport option in London.

1. It's a better alternative to the underground or buses for getting around the city (especially to and from Greenwich).

2. You can enjoy an uninterrupted view of many of the buildings of the London skyline as you travel along the river.

3. You are guaranteed to get a seat. There is no hanging on to an overhead rail or being squashed against a door when you take the boat across the city.

4. You won't get stuck in traffic. Even with London's Congestion Charge getting stuck on the busiest streets can mean it takes over an hour to get between major sights.

5. There's something different (even exciting) for most of us about riding on a boat. It doesn't matter if it's only for 15 minutes; it's something we typically only do on holiday.

6. The boat passes under many of the city's bridges and you can get perhaps the best pictures of Tower Bridge as you pass under the central arch of the bridge. If you're really lucky you may even be on the water when the bridge is lifted to allow a tall ship through.

7. The boat is actually a quick way to get around London, usually taking less time than any surface transport option and not much slower than the Underground.

8. The commentary on the boats does provide a few pieces of London trivia that even most lifelong London residents don't know.

9. You can get a cup of tea or coffee on the boat while travelling across the city - perfect for a winter's day.

10. You can choose between an open and covered deck to make the most of the changeable London weather.

Check out the Discount London site for tickets for the River Thames Sightseeing Cruise boats.

St Paul's Cathedral and the night it was almost destroyed

2011-08-15T14:22:00.000+01:00

St Paul's Cathedral is considered one of London's most instantly recognisable landmarks. Yet had the events of one evening 70 years ago taken a very fortunate turn Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece would not be here today. Only bravery, good fortune and a miscalculation by the German air force saved the iconic cathedral from destruction in what is often referred to as the Second Great Fire of London.

29th December 1940

The night of December 29th 1940 is one that no Londoner who lived through it will ever forget. In a 12 hour period from 6pm and 6am the Germans dropped over 24,000 high explosive bombs and 100,000 incendiary bombs on the city. St Paul's was a primary target as it was considered that its destruction would deal a mighty blow against British morale. Throughout the early part of the evening wave after wave of bombs fell on the area around the famous church. The Guildhall, St Brides Church and St Lawrence Jewry are just a handful of the famous buildings that didn't survive the night.

Source: http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk

The real danger to St Paul's came from the little incendiary bombs. With tens of thousands of these falling in many locations around the cathedral the fire watchers on duty were on high alert. The importance of saving St Paul's had been stressed to these volunteers who now manned the dome of the cathedral in case one of the bomblets pierced the lead dome.

A Lucky Escape

Accounts from that night tell of how one bomb did lodge itself in the roof and started to burn. A fire warden risked his own life to clamber along the interior of the dome to try to reach the incendiary bomb in time. Such was the combustible nature of the roof that reporters who had seen the first flames from a distance had already begun to write their headlines about St Paul's being burned to the ground.

London was lucky that night. The bomb fell outwards from the roof and to the street below before it was able to cause more damage. The Germans meanwhile, whose tactic had been to produce a firestorm that would engulf the entire city, were prevented from executing their final mission by bad weather; a mission that would almost certainly have finished off St Paul's and a lot more of London besides. British military chiefs watched on with some interest and would later 'perfect' this strategy to devastating effect in Berlin and Dresden.

St Paul's in 2011

Visiting St Paul's today it is hard to imagine that such a valuable treasure could have been lost for ever. The elaborate interiors and the structure itself would not have been easily replaced and Wren's greatest legacy would have been wiped from the London map. Perhaps the miracle of 29th December 1940 is best appreciated when standing up on the Golden Gallery at the top of St Paul's. From here, almost every major building that now stands has been either heavily repaired or completely rebuilt as a result of that terrible night.

by Andy Jarosz

The London Dungeons - Blood, Guts and Petrified Parents

2011-08-15T14:21:00.000+01:00

I don't know when someone decided that seeping wounds, rotting flesh and torture were the perfect combination for family entertainment. The London Dungeons have long known about the public's fascination with the dark side of the city's medieval history and have been welcoming visitors for almost 40 years. What started as a modest museum charting the darker periods of London's long and often bloody history has become one of the UK's most popular interactive visitor attractions. This Travel Channel video provides a good insight into what you might expect on a visit to the Dungeons:

Will you leave the Dungeons laughing or screaming? Will you tell your friends about your experience or will it keep you awake at night? That, according to the Dungeon staff, depends on how you handle the explosion of noise, foul smells and graphic sights that you face on your visit. Grown men can turn into gibbering messes while young children laugh and call out for more.

In May 2011 the London Dungeon opened Vengeance - a 5D laser ride, as part of the experience. Taken back to 1850s London and armed with a Victorian style laser gun (some imagination required here), visitors are thrown into a horrible scene. They are at a seance in Berkeley Square with famous medium Florence Cook when things go horribly wrong. Using all their wits (as well as their guns) the unfortunate guests must find their way safely out of this ghostly pickle.

With two rides and plenty of interactive exhibits a visit to the Dungeons will take around 90 minutes; less than that if you run for the exits before you reach the end! There is a strong education element to the experience and those who spent hours in the classroom reading about old London from their history text books will appreciate how children today have access to a very different way of learning about the city's past. But then the warnings about the London Dungeon experience are not aimed so much at the children; it is their parents who are most likely to need a comforting cup of tea when they emerge into the reassuring daylight of 21st century London.

Find out more and book tickets for the London Dungeons.

Top 9 London Squares

2011-08-15T14:19:00.000+01:00

Perhaps one of the greatest achievements of the London city planners throughout the centuries is the creation and preservation of open spaces. The design of public squares was intended to create an open urban space where the public could meet, relax and socialise. It was also a way of efficiently creating a gap between large prestigious properties, affording them must sought-after light, albeit from a communal space.

Almost every visitor to London will at some point visit one of these 10 squares, whether it is to enjoy a bit of London greenery or merely pass through on the way elsewhere. These may be 10 of the best known squares, but there are several hundred across Greater London, each with their own unique charm.

1. Trafalgar Square

Probably the most famous of all of London's squares. Trafalgar Square may not be green but it is a focal point for London to gather and mark important events. The awarding of the Olympics was celebrated here and this has traditionally been the main place to mark the New Year celebrations in the city. Nelson's Column and the four bronze lions are one of London's most popular photo spots.

Olympic countdown clock, Trafalgar Square

2. Leicester Square

Not really square shaped Leicester Square is the heart of the London's cinema scene, with many of the world movie premieres taking place here. Normally a very popular place to hang out and watch some of London's stranger folk, 2011 has been a disruptive year for Leicester Square with wooden boards closing off the square as it receives a complete facelift in time for the Olympic year.

3. Parliament Square

A favourite spot for both TV presenters and peace protesters, this green lawn just outside the Houses of Parliament is a good spot to unwrap your sandwiches and look out for famous politicians trying to look good on camera (or indeed trying to avoid the cameras altogether).

4. Berkeley Square

More of an elongated rectangle, Berkeley Square is a green oasis in the heart of London's Mayfair and is surrounded by embassies, sports car showrooms and million pound apartments. The square serves as a lunchtime retreat for the shoppers of nearby Bond Street.

5. Grosvenor Square

Also known as the American Square, Grosvenor Square is entirely dominated by the imposing if ugly building that is the US Embassy and its security paraphernalia. Step into the park itself and you'll find fascinating memorials to past American presidents and a simple but tastefully designed 9/11 remembrance garden.

Grosvenor Square, 9/11 remembrance garden

6. Soho Square

This is indeed a perfect square and a lovely green space too. A place to relax from the rigours of an afternoon drink in Soho, the square is also home to the Football Association and the British Board of Film Classification so you may see some surprising faces wandering the streets surrounding the square.

7. Sloane Square

Not really worthy of the square label in any sense, Sloane Square is in fact an oval and is covered with paving slabs. It is however in quite a posh part of south west London and perhaps deserves inclusion in this list as an excellent place to sit on a bench with your sandwiches and people watch.

8. Russell Square

This square in north London makes a very pleasant place to sit and rest awhile if you're walking between King's Cross or Euston and the West End. Russell Square is also a popular park for the residents of this part of London.

9. St. James's Square

This is surely one of London's most elegant squares. It is green, perfectly square and surrounded by some of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in London. Take the time to read the information boards to learn of the many famous (and infamous) residents of the square.

Statue of King William in St James's Square

Why not tour these and other sights of central London by bike? Visit our site to book a London Cycle tour now.

In search of Harry Potter in London

2011-08-15T14:18:00.000+01:00

Harry Potter was a regular visitor to the city of London. At least once in each book Harry is found in the streets of London shopping for wizard accessories, dodging deadly villains or merely catching the Hogwarts Express on his way to school. So where can a mere muggle find clues of Harry's adventures on a visit to London?

1. Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross station

Quick to seize on an opportunity the management of the station featured throughout Harry's adventures have installed a Platform 9 3/4 within the station. Fans of all ages can be photographed pushing a luggage trolley through a brick wall just as Harry and his friends do at the start of each school year. The phantom platform is to the side of platform 8 (on the way to platform 9 which is found in a separate part of the station).

2. Diagon Alley - the Inspiration

Take a walk down from Leicester Square Tube station and you'll soon find Cecil Court on your left. This narrow street filled with bookstores and antiques is widely accepted as the inspiration behind JK Rowling's Diagon Alley. It's a fascinating street to explore and even has a shop that specialises in magic books.

3. Diagon Alley - the film location

Take a trip east to Leadenhall market to find the actual filming location for the outdoor scenes of Diagon Alley. It also happens to be one of London's most visually impressive market buildings, dating back to Victorian times and now carefully preserved as a London treasure.

4. Gringotts Bank

There's something quite strange about a bank run by goblins and the fact that the film setting for Gringotts Bank was Australian House on the Strand is not something that is as well publicised. You will probably not be welcome wandering into the Australia High Commission looking to see where the goblins are working...

Harry Potter Walking Tour

Of course finding the many Harry Potter-related locations around London is not easy without a bit of expert knowledge. Fortunately there is help at hand with regular organised Harry Potter walking tours of London that not only point out the locations of importance but also share plenty of movie trivia as well as telling the story of why those sites were chosen. Good news for us muggles who wouldn't otherwise know!

Eurostar Day Trips to Paris

2011-08-10T11:11:00.000+01:00

Since the advent of Eurostar in the mid 1990s Paris has become a easy day trip destination from London. Where once it took the best part of a day to reach the French capital (unless you were taking an expensive flight) a little over two hours now separates London St Pancras from Gare du Nord in Paris. But with so much to see and do in a city as magnificent as Paris is there any point in visiting for the day?

I have taken a few Eurostar day trips and with a typical 0730 departure from London you arrive a little before 1100 in Paris. This allows for eight hours in the city before checking back in to Gare de Nord for a 1930 return train, getting back into London before 9 o'clock. There's a lot you can do in eight hours in any city. Of course it's not enough to say that you've 'done' Paris, but it provides a good taster for first-timers and a chance to enjoy a few familiar places for those who have been to the city before.

Paris on foot

For those who like to walk a lot, many of the sights of Paris are within easy reach of one another. A well-worn route can take you from Gare Du Nord down to the Louvre, through the Jardin de Tuileries to the Champs Elysees. From its high point at the Arc de Triomphe you walk on to the Trocadero and the Eiffel Tower, heading along the Seine past the many bridges and on to the Notre Dame before heading back to the station. This still allows time to linger at each spot, pick up some lunch and snacks along the way and plenty of great photo opportunities.

Taking it Easy

Of course there's no need to walk so far if you prefer to observe the delights of Paris in a little comfort. A cruise along the Seine is a classic way to enjoy many of the city's sights in relaxing style. Some options provide you with a meal or even champagne, while the majority of boats are sightseeing excursions that focus on the many stories associated with the Seine and its bridges and riverbanks.

There are many options of cruising the streets of the city in a comfortable coach or open-top bus and enjoying a guided commentary of the famous sights of Paris. This method allows the first time visitors to the city to catch a glimpse of all of the most famous Parisian landmarks and still affords plenty of time for independent exploration afterwards.

There is plenty to see and do in Paris and just as with London, a week or even month may not provide enough time to see everything. What a day trip does provide is a change of scenery, enough time to enjoy a top Parisian meal and then to work it off by taking a stroll through the streets of this fascinating city.

Check out our Paris Day Trips page for more information.

The Ceremony of the Keys: Locking the Tower of London for the night

2011-08-03T08:54:00.000+01:00

Every night for over 700 years a ritual has taken place that involves locking of the Tower of London for the night. In the days when it was an active prison housing the main enemies of the English crown this was of course a matter of utmost importance. In recent years it has become a spectacle of the finest British pageantry and a highlight for many of their visit to London.

Visitors are required to arrive at the entrance of the Tower at 9.30 and after being greeted by one of the Yeoman of the Guard are given a briefing on what to expect during the 10 minute ceremony. As the main gates of the Tower are locked for the night the Yeoman, with his armed guard, proceeds along the main street inside the Tower complex and is challenged. A well-rehearsed exchange takes place before the Yeoman along with his guard are granted access to the Tower itself.

The Ceremony ends with a rendition of the Last Post by a solitary bugler. On our visit the poor soldier playing the bugle was either a novice or was having a bad day but the sound was so off-key that the crowd of onlookers started to giggle and ended up barely suppressing their laughter. Thankfully he was around 100 yards away and may have been unaware of this. I hope so for his own sake...

The Ceremony of the Keys has occurred at the same time every night since the 1830s, before which it took place at sunset (or whenever the Yeoman responsible decided to lock up and go to the pub). There has only been one delay in the 9.53pm start time of the ceremony when a direct hit by a German bomb in 1941 meant that the Ceremony took place a few minutes late. Profuse apologies were made to the King who thankfully pardoned the guards' tardiness.

Tickets for the Ceremony are in very high demand and applications must be made in writing several months in advance. There were around 50 in our group and in addition there were probably around another 100 corporate guests who had presumably enjoyed a meal and drinks within the Tower before heading to watch the show. No photography is allowed at any time during the ceremony.

If you don't want to stay up late to witness the Ceremony but would like to visit the Tower and see the Crown Jewels and many other historical points of interest, you can buy your Tower of London tickets through Discount London.

10 best views in London

2011-07-27T09:22:00.000+01:00

View from London Eye at sunset

Littered with iconic buildings that are known around the world, a visitor to London is spoiled for choice when it comes to great views. Yet there are a few spots in and around London that offer particularly impressive views of the city - and some of the best ones are free! Here's a selection of 10 of the finest places to admire the London skyline - feel free to add others that I've missed here.

Free places

1. Primrose Hill - a short walk from London Zoo to get to the highest point of nearby Primrose Hill is a decent little work-out. Once at the top you'll be treated to an excellent view of the West End and City skylines. Primrose Hill is also a popular spot for local families to enjoy in good weather.

2. Parliament Hill - a little further away from the centre of the city the highest point of Hampstead Heath offers perhaps the best views north of the river. You can enjoy unhindered views of all of London's most famous landmarks, including the rapidly rising Shard, a building that will surely top this list once it's opened in 2012.

3. Greenwich Park - to the east of the city, many local people come to the leafy parkland by the famous Greenwich Observatory to take a walk, fly kites or just sit and enjoy the views over Canary Wharf and the O2 dome.

View from Tower Bridge

Panoramic bars and restaurants

4. Millbank Tower - this unattractive 1960s tower just to the south of Parliament Square provides outstanding views along the Thames, made so much nicer for the fact that you can't see the building in which you stand. The trendy Sky Bar is found on the top floor along with a high-end restaurant if you prefer your food to come with a view.

5. Park Lane Hilton - Another one of London's 1960s architectural mistakes, the Hilton at Park Lane has a well-established reputation as one of the city's leading hotels. The stylish Windows restaurant is a place to come for special occasions to enjoy a posh meal along with fantastic views of Hyde Park, Piccadilly and beyond.

6. Tower 42 - at 600 feet above street level, Vertigo 42 occupies the top floor of this prestigious office building. Come here for fine dining, fine drinking and exceptionally fine views across the financial heart of London and beyond.

Landmarks with views

Climbing to the top of St Paul's

7. London Eye - erected specifically for visitors to London to enjoy spectacular views across the city, on a clear day you can see for miles in any direction. For those who want a little more you can ride the London Eye while sipping champagne!

8. St Paul's Cathedral - entrance fees to St Paul's Cathedral are not cheap but the ticket includes access to the stairs that lead all the way to the Golden Gallery at the top of the dome. From here the views across the city and along the river are superb.

9. The Monument - one of my favourite spots in London, getting to the top of this free-standing tower involves a brisk climb of the narrow spiral stairwell before emerging in the open air to enjoy fine views of nearby Tower Bridge and the Thames. The tower was designed by Sir Christopher Wren to commemorate the Great Fire of London, which started in nearby Pudding Lane.

10. Tower Bridge - most people visit Tower Bridge to admire its structure and its illustrious history but once at the top it's hard not to enjoy the excellent views up and down the Thames.

by Andy Jarosz

Exploring Old London - a walk down Fleet Street

2011-07-21T09:41:00.001+01:00

So many streets in London are full of clues to the city's rich and colourful past. Few however can compare with a short section of Fleet Street and the Strand where almost every building and alleyway hides a wonder of architecture and a story of London from centuries past. Here are just a few of the surprises you can uncover while visiting this area.

St Brides

Perhaps the oldest church in London, St Brides has links back to the 7th century and its Saxon walls are still visible if you take a look inside the crypt. This underground treasure trove was in fact only revealed after the church took a direct hit during the Blitz in 1940 and was severely damaged.
St Brides has long had a link with the workings of Fleet Street and is indeed often referred to as the Journalists’ Church. In fact the repair and restoration after the Blitz was paid for by newspaper proprietors. Now you’ll even find the editors’ designated seats in the choir stalls: perhaps there is one recently vacated bench…

Lloyds Bank

Whether or not you are a customer of Lloyds it is well worth taking a peek inside this highly impressive building. The entrance porch is filled with beautifully crafted stone work and includes an ornate drinking fountain. Step inside the bank and you’ll find a grand hallway with a marble-tiled staircase and a spacious old banking hall.

The staff seemed surprisingly uninterested in the fact that a few people were taking photographs inside the building.

This branch of Lloyds is directly opposite the Royal Courts of Justice.

Royal Courts of Justice

Step inside this cathedral-like building and (once you’ve passed through security) you’re free to wander into many of the court rooms and observe a wide range of cases in progress. Even if legal arguments are not your thing however, it is impossible not to be impressed by the grand scale of the main hall and the many passageways leading from it.

Tours of the Royal Courts are available on the first and third Tuesday of each month.

Old Bank of England

This now trendy wine bar was once a branch of the national bank (as the name suggests). It's worth popping in here just to admire the superb decor and to read a little about the history of the building.

There's even a reference to Sweeney Todd who had his infamous barber shop next door.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

One of London’s oldest pubs, it has become a popular haunt for tourists in recent years but that shouldn’t detract from its gloomy charm and olde-worldliness. Order your pint on the ground floor and head the stairs into one of the many vaulted chambers where customers make themselves comfortable in any nook and cranny available.

Food is served here too – I’ve never eaten but from reading the many reviews online the popularity of the Cheddar Cheese appears to lie more in its beer than its culinary offerings.

Other sights

There are many other points of interest on this short stretch of road. You can venture down to Temple to see the old legal buildings that are still in use today (professionals in gowns and wigs are often seen scurrying between buildings). Dr Samuel Johnson's house is well worth a look (just behind the Cheddar Cheese - don't miss his cat Hodge in Gough Square). Look out too for the old newspaper offices along the street, some with the names of publications still printed on their walls while other buildings require a closer inspection to work out the identity of the previous owners.

As a visitor to London it's hard to take in so many of these tales in a busy sight-seeing schedule; one reason perhaps why so many people choose to take a guided tour, either on foot or by the double-decker open top bus tour which makes it way along Fleet Street telling many of these stories in colourful detail.

Hidden London: the Inns of Court

2011-07-13T11:21:00.006+01:00

Take a walk or an open-top bus along Fleet Street and you can’t fail to notice the impressive façade of the Royal Courts of Justice. Stay awhile and you’re likely to catch a TV crew battling the relentless traffic noise to try and report on the latest judicial review or high profile appeal.

What is less well known but equally impressive is the existence of the four Inns of Court that are found in close proximity to the Royal Courts of Justice. These are professional associations for barristers and each acts as a supervisory and guiding body to its members. Every barrister must be a member of one of the Inns of Court: Gray’s Inn, Lincoln’s Inn, Middle Temple and Inner Temple

While these Inns are for the sole use of barristers and trainees the grounds around these institutions are open to the public. Each Inn is also home to a chapel and these have public opening hours; they are well worth a visit as they have been impressively constructed and well maintained, in so small part to the wealth and generosity of their alumni.

Tour of Lincoln's Inn Fields

I joined a guided walk around Lincoln’s Inn. These take place on the first Friday of every month at 2pm and are conducted by an accredited Blue Badge Guide. The tours cost £5 and take around 90 minutes. It’s immediately clear that, to the outsider at least, an Inn appears to be very much like an Oxbridge college. There is a grand chapel with stain glass windows recognising both benefactors and past treasurers (I’m glad I never chose this path as I would have had real trouble designing my own coat of arms). The library is enormous and while we weren’t allowed in to disturb the silence I could almost sense the musty smell that comes with the giant law books that must fill its well-worn shelves.

The Old Hall and Great Hall were suitably impressive, decorated as they were with grand paintings by Hogarth and other celebrities of their day. There was a sense of impending grandeur as both halls were being prepared for weekend dinners; perhaps more of a suggestion of Hogwarts than Oxford?

These are institutions that work hard to prepare young men and women (at least in recent years) for life in the legal elite. For ordinary folk a look behind the closed doors of these solemn buildings is an opportunity that’s well worth taking.

London is possibly the world's best city for exploring on foot with so many points of interest within such close proximity. Visit our London Walking Tours site for more information on a range of fascinating walks.

Visiting the Bank of England

2011-07-07T09:23:00.000+01:00

Have you ever held a gold bar in your hands? It’s heavier than it looks. Mind you, I suppose if you were to pay over £370,000 for one of these blocks you’d like to think you got something substantial for your money.

The block sits safely within a glass panel with a hole big enough for a hand to reach in, touch it and attempt to lift it, but not so large that the gold is at risk of an opportunist making away with it. It is the most popular exhibit within the Bank of England museum, housed within the main bank building in Threadneedle Street.

Entry into the museum is free (don’t you just love London for this?) and every visitor must pass through airport-style security at the museum entrance. Once inside, there are two main rooms with several side halls and a leisurely visit can easily take a couple of hours to complete.

The first room that visitors enter is the Bank Stock Office, a reconstruction of the original 18^th century banking hall. The hall houses interactive exhibits that try to explain how and why inflation exists and what factors influence it. There is even a hot-air balloon ride that allows you to control the height of the balloon in much the same way as the government and bank attempts to control inflation; all rather silly but quite entertaining.

The second major room is the Rotunda, in which is found the Bank’s silver collection as well as the famous gold bar. Some folks have even managed to scratch their initials on the bar itself; the ingenuity of vandals knows no bounds. My favourite exhibit was in a side room, the Banknote Gallery. Here we were able to see not only original 17^th century banknotes (simple slips of hand-written paper) but also the notes that those of us over the age of 40 still remember handling in our first wage packets.

Much of the interpretive material is presented as short film clips, explaining such topics as exchange rates and production of money in a way in which the average person should understand. I must say though that while the museum was busy during my visit the more ‘cerebral’ exhibits were largely empty while the interactive safe-cracking and balloon-flying ones were very popular.

It is an excellent museum that provides an insight into the world of money and the history of this famous institution. The layout has been well designed for children to enjoy the more interactive exhibits. As a result I would advise those visitors who want to benefit from the economics and history lessons on offer in the museum to visit at a time at one of the more quiet periods.

Check out some of the many other sides of Historical London.

London - a very walkable city

2011-06-29T11:04:00.000+01:00

London might be one of the world's biggest cities but there is no reason to use this as an excuse to use taxis or public transport to get between its major attractions. It's surprising in fact how many visitors I speak to who say they would have walked more around London if they'd known how close everything was.

If you're planning your next London sightseeing trip it's wise to bear three things in mind before diving down the nearest Tube station entrance.

1. The Tube map is NOT an accurate map of London.

Since Henry Beck designed the current design of Underground map (with a few tweaks) in 1931 it has become the most recognised map of London. Brilliant it may be for working out how to cross from Hammersmith to Bethnal Green with only one change of train, it's surprisingly useless if you try to use it to navigate your way above ground. While the average walking time between two stations is probably 10-12 minutes, it's possible to walk between certain stations in less than 5 minutes, while others may take half an hour. These variations are not reflected on the Beck map.

Get a good map (overground) of London and work out where you want to go. The chances are that you'll be able to plot a route that takes in your intended stopping points and that doesn't involve too much walking.

2. It can be quicker to walk

This is certainly true of two of the most popular Tube journeys taken by visitors to London. To walk from Charing Cross to Embankment takes no more than a couple of minutes, while a comfortable five minute stroll will take you from Leicester Square to Covent Garden. I would challenge anyone to make these journeys in less time by underground. To think that people regularly pay £4.50 to take longer to make such a short journey is hard to believe.

3. It's nicer above ground!

This applies to any major city, but perhaps nowhere more so than London. There are literally thousands of impressive buildings, each with their own character and style. Throw in a few green spaces, the odd statue and a quirky shop or two and you start to capture a little of the charm of this wonderful city. Any 10-15 minute in the centre of London will reveal things that a guide book won't mention and will probably lead to you taking a set of photos that are actually a little different from the standard London pictures.

It's far better to explore what the city has to offer above the surface when you can, unless of course it's raining. But as everyone knows, it never rains in London. Ever.

Days out from London: 5 great places 30 minutes by train from the city

2011-06-22T13:43:00.000+01:00

It might seem strange to write about leaving the city at all during a visit to London. After all, even a week of thorough sight-seeing in the British capital will do little more than scratch the surface of this multi-layered and inexhaustible city. Yet there are many worthy places only a short train ride away from central London that offer a delightful diversion from the relentless noise and crowds of the city. Here is a small selection of spots that you might consider next time you have a few hours and want to venture a little out of the heart of London.

1. Hatfield House

Hatfield House, with Henry Moore exhibit

This 400 year old house is the home of the current Lord Salisbury. It is also used extensively as a filming location for a wide range of TV dramas and movies (Lara Croft Tomb Raider, Batman and more recently Sherlock Holmes). A visit to the house will provide an insight into the Jacobean style of architecture and interior design, while the gardens are a pleasure to visit at any time of the year. This summer Hatfield House is also hosting a major exhibition of the works of celebrated sculptor Henry Moore.

Hatfield House is around 25 minutes from King's Cross station. The entrance to the house is directly opposite the railway station at Hatfield.

2. Guildford

Guildford offers a range of things to do both for fair weather and foul. There are activities focussing on the River Wey and the canals passing through the region (check out Dapdune Wharf and the River Wey navigations). There's nearby Loseley Park with its impressive 16th century house and gardens, and on a hot day why not be brave and take a dip in the Guildford Lido.

Guildford Cathedral is worth a visit but don't mention filming locations to the Dean (the building was used in the filming of The Omen in the 70s and has suffered from the associated image ever since).

Guildford is around 33 minutes by train from Waterloo.

3. St Albans

Verulamium Park, St Albans

Ok I'm biased as this is my home city, but St Albans is well worth making a short excursion to visit. It is home to a very impressive Roman heritage, with a well-preserved amphitheatre and a set of carefully displayed mosaic at the Verulamium Museum. St Albans Abbey is one of England's finest churches and as the mixture of styles on the outside suggests it was gradually built up and extended over many years.

St Albans has a mix of the usual boring high street shops and several interesting independent stores. For a small place it also offers a good choice of restaurants of every type.

St Albans is around 20 minutes from St Pancras station.

4. Berkhamsted

This busy market town lies north west of London and offers a pleasant day out exploring the town itself and its surroundings. Berkhamsted is home to a good range of independent shops and if you arrive on a Saturday you'll see the market in full swing. Take the time to have a look at Berkhamsted castle (free entry). There's not much left of the original buildings but the grounds do offer many clues to the size and importance that this fortified house once enjoyed.

A few miles north of Berkhamsted is Ashridge Park. Home to a well-regarded business school this country home is set in a large wooded parkland and is a great place to take a walk through the woods. Climb the Ashridge Monument to see views all the way to London on a clear day.

Berkhamsted is around 25 minutes from London Euston station.

5. Chelmsford

The county town of Essex, Chelmsford is a pleasant place to while away a few hours exploring the local attractions. It is a market town, with the main market taking place on a Saturday. Fridays may be a good day to visit however, as this is when you will encounter the town's weekly Gourmet Food Fayre.

Other attractions include the Police Museum and 15th century Chelmsford Cathedral, notable for being the smallest cathedral in England.

If you're a fan of cricket (or if you'd like to see it for the first time) Chelmsford is the home of Essex Cricket Club and in the summer months check out their schedule to see if you can catch a game.

Chelmsford is around 32 minutes from London Liverpool Street station.

Top 21 things to see in London - in 1951

2011-06-15T10:22:00.000+01:00

Taken from Ward Lock London guide

On a recent visit to a second hand bookshop I chanced upon a well-preserved little red book that caught my eye. It was a London guide book by Ward, Lock and co. from 1951. Considering its age it was in remarkably good condition, and given its modest price tag (£4.95) I could pass up the opportunity to give this mildly musty smelling book a new home.

The first thing that caught my attention was the language used. When referring to the London police, the following advice is given: "although a large number of offences are committed within the borders of London, a comparatively small number of policemen is found sufficient to protect its inhabitants from the Ishmaelites whose hands are against every man." Try getting away with a line like that today, Lonely Planet.

There's also some excellent advice on how to mix in with the locals. "Dress. Visitors from abroad desirous of doing in London as Londoners do may welcome a hint or two under this head, though great latitude is allowed, and all varieties of costume may be seen in the streets. For formal calls and social events of importance a black morning coat and silk hat are de rigeur, but City and business men are usually content with lounge suits, and soft felt hats and 'bowlers' are generally worn."

The proposed itineraries are perhaps evidence that the world had not yet got comfortable with the peacetime era and military discipline was still in vogue. Here is the one-day plan for visiting London's highlights:

National Gallery
National Portrait Gallery
Whitehall (passing Government Offices, Royal United Service Museum and the Cenotaph)
Houses of Parliament (open Saturdays and Easter and Whitsun Mondays and Thursdays)
Westminster Abbey
Westminster (R.C) Cathedral
Buckingham Palace (exterior)
St James's Park
St James's Palace

Luncheon in neighbourhood of Piccadilly or Leicester Square

Regent Street
Oxford Street
Wallace Collection, Manchester Square
Drive through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens
Piccadilly
Royal Academy
British Museum
Lincoln's Inn (walk through)
Law Courts and Temple
Fleet Street
Ludgate Hill
St Paul's Cathedral

And there it thankfully ends. A insanely ambitious plan, and still the guide goes on to helpful suggest a few extras to be added on if the prolonged summer daylight allows it. I would love to meet anyone who could manage to complete this itinerary in a day. To do this in three days would be a push.

Of course London has changed a great deal in the last 60 years. New creations such as the London Eye have sprung up and quickly become leading attractions; Madame Tussauds on the other hand, which had already stood on Baker Street for nearly 70 years by the time the book was published, attracts no more than a single line entry and doesn't even feature in the 'London in One Week' itinerary.

What's so good about free admission to London's museums

2011-06-09T10:22:00.012+01:00

One of the delights of visiting London, whether on a holiday or as a day-tripper, is the huge choice of free museums on offer. On the face of it, removing admission fees from the bulk of the city's museums increases visitor numbers to these attractions, and, so the thinking goes, to London itself. But the benefits run much further than this.

It is perhaps a gross oversimplification, but there are two very different ways in which to experience a museum. For those who have a deep interest in the subject on offer, a visit to the museum can involve a full day; several hours at least for a smaller place. These visitors will read everything, stop to admire the fine details and sit from time to time to absorb both the environment in which they find themselves and the exhibits that have held them in awe.

The other type is the casual observer, and I place myself in this camp for the majority of museums I visit (didn't I mention that we can be different types in different museums? it depends what gets us excited). The casual museum visitor will wander in, get an overall sense of the museum, admire the building itself (if suitably noteworthy), look closely at the first few exhibits and then glance through the rest, perhaps seeking out a particular section of interest and concentrating the remaining attention there. Large museums are typically covered in an hour; 90 minutes max. Smaller places can be seen in half an hour. The experience is not the same, but for certain types this provides the most stimulating and enjoyable way of seeing what is being displayed and actually learning and remembering something of what the museum is about.

It is for this group of people, a majority of the population I dare say, that free museums are a real benefit. I have been into more than a dozen London museums in the past year that I wouldn't have otherwise visited; places that held a mild degree of interest but enough for me to have shelled out £10 or so. I have often 'done' these museums in a short time; in most cases I've had a good experience, learned more than I expected to learn and have even been known to give the 'suggested donation' at the end of the visit.

A good example of such a museum is the Hunterian Museum, located in the Royal College of Surgeons. The building itself is worth a look, but the sight of thousands of specimen jars, each containing different pickled body parts, is not something you see every day. There's the skeleton of a giant, several exhibits telling the story of the many advances in surgical techniques, and most disturbing of all, several examples of a foetus, the latter ones being to all intents and purposes, a baby in a jar. It is likely that most of the crowd milling through the museum on a rainy afternoon would not have been enticed through the door if a £6 admission fee applied; but they will each take away something different (knowledge, appreciation, curiosity) from their visits.

London's free museums are a real treasure and a genuine draw for both international tourists and those who live close the city. Yes, they offer us an opportunity not only to save a few pounds on the prestigious museums that attracts thousands of visitors each day; but more importantly they allow us to be amazed at things we wouldn't necessarily have otherwise seen.

Related post: 10 free museums in London you might not know

10 things you didn't know you didn't know about the London Underground

2011-06-02T10:11:00.005+01:00

The London underground will soon complete 150 years of (almost) continuous existence. In that time it has become synonymous with the city itself. Songs, films and plays that celebrate London's energy and recent history are littered with references to riding the Tube. Yet for many of us who ride underneath the city aboard its steely (or should that read plastic) carriages, we take for granted what is the world's first underground system.

This week we share with you a small selection of London Underground trivia that may surprise you:

1. The most popular route for tourists is Leicester Square to Covent Garden on the Piccadilly line. It is quicker to walk this distance than travel on the tube.

2. The oldest tube line in the world is the Metropolitan Line. If you happen to sit in one of the older carriages on this line you won't be surprised by this fact. It opened on January 10th 1863.

3. Northfields station on the Piccadilly line was the first to use kestrels and hawks to kill
pigeons and stop them setting up homes in stations.

4. There are only two tube stations which have all five vowels in them - Mansion House and South Ealing.

5. More than 50% of the London Underground runs above ground.

6. The 409 escalators on the Underground network do the equivalent of two round the world trips every week.

7. The Northern Line station at Angel has Western Europe's longest escalator - 318 steps.

8. The most popular station to watch mice on the tracks is Oxford Circus.

9. The originally Tube carriages had no windows and buttoned upholstery. Unsurprisingly they were known as padded cells.

And my favourite Tube fact of all time:

10. There is only one tube station name which does not have any letters of the word "mackerel" in it - St John's Wood.

(more than a small nod to http://www.goingunderground.net/ who have many more strange facts about the London Underground)

10 London places that people mispronounce

2011-05-27T09:22:00.000+01:00

English is not an easy language. In fact I have a lot of sympathy for those who arrive in London and have to make sense of our Tube maps and street signs. The trouble with English is that, unlike Spanish for example, it is impossible to read every accurately just by following a set of rules. No sooner have you learned how to pronounce 'cough', when you're faced with 'tough' or 'dough' or 'bough'; have you seen enough?

Perhaps the trickiest part for a visitor to London is getting the place names right. The city's districts and streets follow the same confusing inconsistencies as the rest of the language. Here, as a guide for the would-be London visitor, are 10 place names that are worth learning:

1. Leicester Square - the heart of tourist London and always mispronounced. Read as 'Lester Square'.

2. Holborn - if you struggle with this one, don't worry. Many English folk from outside London get it wrong too. Read as 'Ho-burn'.

3. Southwark - another one where it's hard to find an easy explanation of how the language has twisted this around. Read as 'Suth-uck'

4. Streatham - one might ask first what a visitor is doing in Streatham in the first place. If you do find yourself there however, you should read as 'Strett-um'.

5. Marylebone - a railway station made famous by its inclusion on the Monopoly board. Read as 'Marlybone', although there are other variations that depend heavily on one's perception of social class.

6. Wapping - another place where tourist may be unlikely to willingly find themselves. Read as 'Wopping'.

7. Warwick Avenue - a street and a Tube station immortalised (for a little while at least) by the Welsh singer Duffy. Often mistaken by Americans who pronounce in the same way as Dionne Warwick. Read as 'Worrick'.

8. Gloucester Road - another name that sounds far shorter than it looks on paper. Read as 'Gloster Road'.

9. Grosvenor Square - the American corner of London, it again falls prey to many a mispronunciation. Read as 'Grow-vner' with the emphasis on the first syllable.

And a final one from the advanced course:

10. Battersea. Many people would pronounce this as it is written - 'Batter-sea'. Be warned however: you may fall foul of those who have invested more than their life's savings in a stylish pied-a-terre in this part of London. When speaking to such folk, read as 'Ba-TER-she-ah'.

Eat the world: Where to find the best 'foreign' food in London

2011-05-19T10:21:00.001+01:00

One of the biggest myths about London that is still peddled by many people who've never been here is that the food is bad. Yes, you can get served some barely edible excuses for food; but that is equally true if you end up in the wrong restaurants of Paris, Rome or New York. What London does offer is an unparalleled selection of international cuisine, often at very affordable prices. Here is a quick guide to a few of the places where you can sample the best of world food without blowing your budget.

Chinese

While every London neighbourhood has at least one Chinese restaurant the highest concentration is in the West End. London's Chinatown is small but lively and is centred on Gerrard Street, a short walk from Leicester Square. Here you will find scores of places offering very similar menus, with set meals starting at around £10. A feature of Chinatown is the vivid sight of ducks hanging in the windows to entice the customers. Presumably it does little for the vegetarian punter, but nevertheless there is rarely a quiet restaurant at any time within these few blocks.

Indian

Avoid the tourist traps of Brick Lane, where touts attempt to talk you into their deservedly empty restaurants. Instead head out on the Tube to Wembley where the high street is lined with a rich variety of excellent eateries. Dosa is a speciality here as is good vegetarian food (the type where the most carnivorous of customers will forget that they haven't eaten a scrap of meat). You can eat well here for around £5.

Middle Eastern

The hotspot for Middle Eastern food is around Edgware Road, just north of Marble Arch. Here you can find the best kebabs and shawarmas this side of Beirut. Again, prices are very reasonable and you'll find a lively and friendly atmosphere. If you have a taste for a sheesha pipe you won't be short of opportunities here.

Vietnamese

One street dominates for Vietnamese cuisine in London. Head out to Kingsland Road in Shoreditch and get your fill of pho. You can even attempt a Pho Crawl, although you'll run out of steam long before you reach the end of the road!

Japanese

Harder to pin down to a specific part of town, although many Japanese restaurants are concentrated in the business districts of the city and in Mayfair. For extremely cheap, top notch sushi served in a lively supermarket setting head to the Japan Centre, a short walk down from Piccadilly Circus. The food is cheap at any time of the day, but arrive after 7.30pm and you're likely to get a 50% discount on the fresh produce.

Korean

A modest selection of Korean cafes and restaurants sits in the shadow of Centre Point, a short walk from Covent Garden. The Seoul Bakery is a great choice on a cold day for a bowl of hot noodle soup and a side of spicy kimchi!

Are there other places in London that I should have included on this list? Feel free to add your suggestions. Bon appetit!

London's Boris Bikes - a mixed first cycle hire experience

2011-05-14T08:55:00.000+01:00

I've finally got around to having a go on a Boris bike - or a Barclays Cycle as the sponsors of the scheme would have me call it. I arrived at St Pancras at 11 o'clock on a sunny Tuesday morning, and needing to get to Piccadilly for a meeting an hour later decided I had plenty of time to hire a bike and cycle across town.

Having done minimal research online I'd found that there was a cycle bay across the road from the station. Problem no. 1: when I arrived I was met by the scene below. A row of empty docking points; not a bike in sight. Actually that's problem no.2 as I had already been unable to buy my £1 24 hour access pass online, as for some annoying reason the payment system was having a bad day.

Undaunted I tracked down the next hire point around 5 minutes south of here. My luck was in - there was one solitary bike available. After working out how to pay and then release the bike I was off - 30 minutes of free time to reach St James's Square.

Ready to ride, but no bikes in sight

The ride itself was very enjoyable. Central London is remarkably flat, and while as a pedestrian I was aware of the occasional cycle lane it is only now that I realised how well connected these lanes are. I made great progress down to Oxford Street and then on to Regent Street.

It took less than 5 minutes for the first car driver to pull out in front of me without noticing me. I accepted his apologetic wave and immediately understood why regular cyclists develop such a hatred of the motorist. I also saw my fellow cyclists ignore every type of traffic signal along the way. Cyclists and motorists should be forced to reverse roles from time to time; I'm sure it would help promote mutual understanding.

Having arrived safely at St James's Square I then faced problem no.3: nowhere to dock my bike. Every station was full, and having taken the 15 minutes grace period that is on offer in such cases I then cycled to three other nearby stations before finally managing to deposit my bike. Adventure over and I stepped into my appointment at 12.01.

Was it a success? I'll certainly ride one of these bikes again. On a good day they are a very enjoyable and efficient way of getting around town. However there is obviously a flow of cycles from the stations to the centre in the morning rush hour and back again later. Next time I'll consider this when deciding which journeys are better done with a bike instead of the Tube.

Sir John Soane's Museum in London: one of London's finest free museums

2011-05-05T09:44:00.000+01:00

London is arguably the museum capital of the world. Not only is it home to many of the grandest, most comprehensive collections in the world, but the best part of it is that they are almost all free for the visitor.

First-time tourists to London will typically head for the biggest museums: the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum or the V&A. Yet beyond these world famous attractions there is another layer of lesser known but highly impressive museums for the visitor the enjoy. I decided to explore another one of these recently: the John Soane's Museum at Lincoln'a Inn Fields.

Approaching the house along the north side of the leafy square we could see immediately which building was the legacy of a famous architect, with its decorated and well-maintained facade. A man greeted us by the entrance gate and read us the rules (no phones, no cameras, bags put away etc) and then we waited for others to leave before we were allowed to enter through the heavy green door. The one in one out policy is easy to understand once you enter.

The house is essentially a rabbit warren of antiquities, gathered in the late 18th/early 19th centuries years by Soane and now displayed in a haphazard way across the three floors of the house that are open to the public. The picture room is a treasure trove of prestigious paintings with pride of place going to the Hogarths; in particular the the series of pictures named Rake's Progress. These are hidden from view when you enter the room and are then revealed by the staff member who opens and closes a set of doors to slowly reveal more and more surprises.

The most impressive antiquity in the collection is undoubtedly the sarcophagus of King Seti I in the crypt of the house. Using the step to stare inside the casement you can see the intricate carved details telling the story of the voyage to the underworld.

There is so much to see that a visit to this modestly sized home can easily take a couple of hours. Donations are welcomed (a very reasonable £3 is suggested) and a handy booklet providing more information about the museum is available for £2.

The museum closes at 5pm, but if you wish to see the collections in a different setting you should plan to visit on the first Tuesday of the month, when the house opens between 6pm and 9pm to allow a candlelit visit of the fine exhibits within. Be warned though; we left the house at 5pm on a first Tuesday and the line of people waiting for the 6pm opening was already a good 20-30 metres long.

London's Lifeline - the Thames in photos

2011-04-27T09:16:00.000+01:00

The Thames is one of the world's best known rivers. It's not particularly long, not very wide and it doesn't even boast any spectacular waterfalls. But in running through the heart of London it has become the backdrop for so many iconic images and the location for many of the greatest blockbuster movies.

There is much more to the river than merely standing on Westminster Bridge and a good walk along the Thames Path, hugging first the north bank and then the south, will reveal many aspects of London's history throughout the ages. This week's post takes a stroll from Hammersmith Bridge in the west all the way to Greenwich. Ideally this walk should be broken into two or three sections (it is around 15 miles in total) - the different weather conditions in these pictures will confirm that they were not all taken on the same day!

The Harrods Depository in Fulham - now a block of trendy apartments

One of London's most enduring landmarks; the now disused Battersea Power Station

Parliament with the amphibious Duck Tours making a river crossing

The Thames by night

A view of the Tower of London from Tower Bridge, with the City skyline beyond

Looking west from the top level of Tower Bridge, to HMS Belfast and City Hall

The view from the Golden Gallery of St Paul's Cathedral

Schoolchildren looking for treasure along the north bank - discoveries from medieval and even Roman London are often unearthed as the low tides reveal regular surprises

The rich history of Victorian London is still evident in the buildings that hug the riverbank - here the Sailmarkers House at Limehouse

A view under the Thames - the Greenwich Foot Tunnel

Celebrating London's past and present: Reliving the 1951 Festival of Britain

2011-04-21T09:38:00.000+01:00

It was 1951 and Britain was in need of a morale boost. Years of depression caused by war, rationing and financial hardship had spurred the government of the day to create a public platform for the nation to celebrate all that was best about Britain.

Millions may walk along the South Bank of the river Thames today, yet few will pause to consider that much of the construction here was designed for the 1951 Festival of Britain. The Festival Hall is in fact the only prominent building from that time that still stands today. Other structures were built and demolished shortly afterwards, with their modernist style being considered by Churchill to be too much like the constructions of Stalin's empire. There was even a dome, which was soon dismissed as a flop and dismantled for scrap when the festival was over.

The news clip below from the 1950s provides a little flavour of the Festival of Britain:

Fast forward 60 years and we're going it all again. The 2011 Festival of Britain celebrations will focus on all that is best in modern Britain. Some would argue that the timing is perfect, as recession and uncertainty have again created an appetite for a morale boost through a celebration of all this is enduringly great about our country. This promotional film gives a little taste of what's in store. Keen observers will note the clever use of the commentary from the original film here:

This summer's celebration will focus on British arts and culture, and will feature many of the top British names in all branches of the arts. The programme will run from April 22nd all the way through the summer. Full details can be found at the Southbank Centre website.