Things to do in London - Hyde Park - Kensington Gardens
Posted by admin in London Attractions, Things to do in London, Uncategorized on 04 18th, 2009Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are both placed one next to the other and take up a substantial overall area of 637 acres within the west part of central London. For regular visitors they serve as a delightful oasis of tranquility to spend their time during pleasant weather. There is no visual boundary between Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens thus the latter is often confused with the first one. It was Queen Caroline who made this division in 1728. What perhaps makes them different is that Kensington Gardens are closed at dusk whereas Hyde Park remains open from five am until midnight. Divided in two parts by the Serpentine Lake, Hyde park (350 acres) includes many interesting sites of interest such as the famous Speaker’s Corner that allowes to give a free speech on a topic of your choice, Serpentine boating lake with its swimming area, as well as Rotten Row and Tyburn Gallows. Before it became a public park , in the past it belonged to one of Henry VIII’s hunting parks. Nowadays, within its extensive and well-kept area you can enjoy picknick, organize a football game or just lie on the grass and observe people pass by. Kensington Gardens (275 acres) presents avenues boasting abundance of ornamental flower beds and beautiful trees and for this reason it resembles more of a garden than a park. All this picteresque natural scenery makes up the right setting within which visitors can admire Kensington Palace, Peter Pan statue, Italian Gardens or Serpentine Gallery.
read comments (0)Things to do in London - The Houses of Parliament - Westminister Palace
Posted by admin in London Attractions, Things to do in London, Uncategorized on 04 18th, 2009The Houses of Parliament also known as Westminster Palace present an assemblage of houses possesing Gothic style that are the official home of British government. This is where the two Houses of the British Parlament meet within the House of Lords and the House of Commons to debate and pass laws. The nearby Parliament Square offers the best views of this massive expanse of the building. Historically, it dates back to the times of Canute the Great (1016–35), one of the first rulers and occupies an area of eight acres. It includes over thousand rooms (Westminster Hall, Royal Gallery, Crypt Church, the Prince’s Chamber, Commons Library and the Peers Library , The Robing Room) and eleven courtyards. After a great fire (1834) that devastated part of the building and subsequent refurbishment (1840) the palace takes up its current Ghotic architecture designed by Sir Charles Barry. Also the Second World War inflicted damage to the monument but it was soon renovated. The successive increase of necessary office space in 1975 and the following years has allowed all MPs to have their own office facilities. It is a tradition for The Queen to ride in in her coach to Westminster to open each new session of Parliament which takes place in the second week of November. It is possible for UK citizens to ask their Prime Minister a question during so called PMQ (Prime Minister’s Question Time) but they must arrange it with their local MP beforehand.
Things to do in London - Big Ben
Posted by admin in London Attractions, Things to do in London, Uncategorized on 04 18th, 2009
Placed at the north-eastern end of The Houses of Parliament, Big Ben is a clock tower designed by Augustus Pugin, but to be more precise the clock’s name refers rather to the bell weighing as much as 13 tons. They say it derives its name from either a renowned heavyweight boxer of the time, Benjamin Caunt or the original Commissioner of Works, Benjamin Hall. The mechanism announces its presence by loud striking on the quarter hour. More importantly, it is possible to deduce if the House of Commons is in session from a light in the clock that indicates it. The hands of the clock are 2.7 metres long (the hour hand) and 4.3 metres long (the minute hand). Equipped with its large enough faces it is the biggest four-faced clock with chimes in the world. Being properly isolated from weather factors like ice, snow and birds, Big Ben’s pendulum is very reliable in terms of time accuracy. Perhaps because of its substantial size and glorious name the clock is one of the most popular landmarks in London.
Things to do in London - Madame Tussaud’s Wax Gallery
Posted by admin in London Attractions, Things to do in London, Uncategorized on 04 17th, 2009If you have ever dreamed to meet film stars, sports stars, historical figures or famous murders face to face Madame Tussaud’s wax gallery is a perfect opportunity to do so. In London the gallery is situated in the west wing of the London Planetarium. Started by the very same person (whose real name was Marie Grosholtz) in 1835 this place is subject to uncountable masses of tourists every year. With their fast-track booking system you can now make reservations for your visit while skipping the usually long queues and reducing your waiting time to the minimum. The founder of the gallery learnt how to prepare masks during the violent times of the French Revolution and continued the trade later on. A good example of the oldest masks are those of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette that can be found currently on display next to the blade that beheaded them. Generally the wax works bear perfect resemblance and present some characteristic point of their prototype’s life. Thus Sylvester Stallone has been captured wearing boxing gloves as Rocky Balboa – one of the parts that he is most associated with. Nowadays Madame Tussauds has expanded and its branches can be found in major cities of the world like Berlin, Amsterdam, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, New York and Washington DC.
Things to do in London - The Tower of London
Posted by admin in London Attractions, Things to do in London, Uncategorized on 04 17th, 2009Situated near the river Thames, The Tower of London is popular within tourists as a place of imprisonment and execution. In the past the building fulfilled different functions as a fortress, an armoury, royal residence or observatory. It is where the Little Princes were murdered by their uncle Richard III, two of Henry VIII’s wives were executed and where Sir Walter Raleigh was kept imprisoned. Although the years of its bleak history passed long time ago, gloomy atmoshpere of torture and death is still present within the walls. It is a busy place of visits and guided tours due to the tremendous Crown Jewels that have been kept since the fourteenth century. Since that time they are available to the public and include the renowned 317-carat Indian diamond, called the ‘Kohinoor’. There are also multiple other gems like pearls, rubies or emeralds to be seen. Interesting thing about the towers is that they keep ravens there. The legend says that if the creatures ever leave the country, which is impossible because of their clipped wings, Britain will be invaded and conquered.
Things to do in London - Trafalgar Square
Posted by admin in London Attractions, Things to do in London, Uncategorized on 04 17th, 2009Trafalgar Square is a square placed in the very heart of London that was laid out in 1830. It was built to honour the naval victory of Admiral Lord Nelson at the renowned battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Placed in the central point of the square and guarded by four lion statues, Lord Nelson’s proud statue towers hundred and sixty feet above the ground. You can also spot a fourth plinth - statue that displays pieces of contemporary art and is a site of political demonstrations. Generally, Trafalgar Square enjoys great popularity among tourists and is frequently visited by masses of persistent pigeons. People usually come here to feed the birds which has become a popular activity with Londoners. Because of the bird dung destroying the monuments and posing hazard to people’s health, pigeon food sellers has been banned from the place. Since 2003 the place underwent certain changes, namely its north side was redeveloped. The main Eastbound road was closed, a part of the wall was changed and a wide set of stairs were added which resulted in a better access to a terrace placed right in front of the National Gallery. Apart from the mentioned attractions, nearby there is the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Offering music concerts, it is also a popular destination for tourists.
Things to do in London - London Eye
Posted by admin in London Attractions, Things to do in London, Uncategorized on 04 16th, 2009Placed on the South bank of the River Thames, London Eye is the biggest ferris wheel in the world thus this is what its name stemms from. This popular attraction is also recognized as the Millennium Wheel rising up over 450 feet above ground, it guarantees unparalled views of London on the condition that you have nerves of steel. The observatory wheel is capable of taking twenty five passengers in one of its capsules and in terms of time it takes fifteen minutes to get you to the top in order to admire spectacular panoramic views spreading over twenty miles. There is more than enough time to take shots of the chosen landmarks and places within its steady thirty minute round. Other interesting monuments to visit located in close vicinity are Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.
Things to do in London - Buckingham Palace - Buck House
Posted by admin in London Attractions, Things to do in London, Uncategorized on 04 16th, 2009Since the time of accession of Queen Victoria in 1837, Buckingham Palace (colloquially known as “Buck House”) has been the official place of residence of Britain’s sovereigns and monarchs. Originally built by Duke of Buckingham in 1703, then purchased by George III, it was subject to renovation by John Nash and last structural changes made by Aston Webb in the late 19th and early 20th century to eventually become what it represents now. It serves as a venue for royal entertaining and state events on numerous occassions, as well as one of the London’s major tourist attractions opened to public on a regular basis. It is also possible to view the State Rooms of the Palace but mostly during Annual Summer Opening traditionally held in August or September. The rooms contain genuine gems of the Royal Collection like some of the finnest pieces of funiture, masterpieces by Rubens, Rembrandt, Vermeer, porcelain by Sèvres. It is definitely the largest private house in the city with more than six hundered and sixty rooms in general.
Things to do in London - Tower bridge
Posted by admin in London Attractions, Things to do in London, Uncategorized on 04 16th, 2009Tower Bridge belongs to one of the most characteristic and visited landmarks while visiting London. Designed in 1894 by Sir Horace Jones, the bridge possesses twin bascules each weighing about 1,000 that are raised for the sake of the river traffic. It has been estimated that it has already been lifted at least half a million times throught its hundred years old history. Equipped with electric motors, it only takes one and a half minute for the bridge’s mechanism to raise the heavy bascules. Tower Bridge offers magnificent views of the city from a glass-enclosed walkway, over other popular tourist landmarks like Tower of London, HMS Belfast (cruiser famous for participation during D-Day in Normandy) or the Thames River itself. Visitors can ascend by the North Tower of the bridge, go throught the enclosed walkway and finally go down by the South Tower. Each of the towers and engine rooms contain exhibition called Tower Bridge Experience with information on the rich history of this structure.
