Things to do in London - Tate Gallery of Modern Art - Tate
Posted by admin in London Attractions, Things to do in London, Uncategorized on 04 20th, 2009
Situated at Bankside (Southwark, Blackfriars), Tate Gallery of Modern Art (frequently abbreviated as Tate) holds the status of Britain’s national museum with its branches Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, Tate St Ives. Originally, the building of the Tate Gallery in London was converted from an old power station by architects Herzog & de Meuron and presents modern art in four themed groups - “Landscape”, “Still Life”, “The Nude” and “History”. This gallery is a popular destination for locals and tourists. There is no admintance fee required.
read comments (0)Things to do in London - National Gallery
Posted by admin in London Attractions, Things to do in London, Uncategorized on 04 20th, 2009
Placed within the Buckingham Palace, there is The National Gallery which houses permanent collection of masterpieces created by the greatest artists in the painting history of the world. Founded in 1834, this Royal Gallery displays art from1250 to 1900 and consists of Western European paintings of masters like Rubens, Monet, Vermeer, Leonardo da Vinci. For many ages these spectacular works belonged to monarchs and were closed to the public. Apart from these gems of art there are also artifacts such as jewelry, sculptures or furniture. At present, they are available for a certain admission fee and with London Pass there is no fee.
Things to do in London - St Paul’s Cathedral
Posted by admin in London Attractions, Things to do in London, Uncategorized on 04 20th, 2009
St Paul’s Cathedral is placed in the oldest part of London, the City. The fragments (substructure) of the monument date back to 694, but after great fire in the seventeenth century it had to be redesigned by Christopher Wren and rebuilt. The reconstruction is counted as a new cathedral. At present, this Anglican cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of London. It has hosted numerous event of national significance like the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer or the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill. The building includes plenty of treasures and for this reason it belongs to London’s most visited places.
Things to do in London - The British Museum
Posted by admin in London Attractions, Things to do in London, Uncategorized on 04 20th, 2009
The origins of The British Museum date back to 1753, the year in which Sir Hans Sloane bequeathed his private collection consisting of 71,000 objects to King George II for the nation in return for payment of £20,000 to his heirs. From the very beginning the new institution was governed by a body of trusted people whereas the collection of the museum belonged to to the nation that could attend it without admission fee. The natural history collections grew swiftly and similarly increased the number of visitors, particularly during the 19th century. In 2003 The Museum relived its 250th anniversary which was associated with with the resoration of the King’s Library and the start of a new exhibit called ‘Enlightenment: Discovering the world in the eighteenth century’. Today this institution is subject to uncountable masses of tourists every year. Placed on the Great Russell Street, the museum is huge and contains two and half miles of exhibits, thus a good pair of walking shoes is highly recommended. Expect everything under the dome, from old Mesopotamia, Egypt and Roman art through China to the times of Anglo-Saxon Britain.
Things to do in London - The Victoria & Albert Museum -V&A
Posted by admin in London Attractions, Things to do in London, Uncategorized on 04 19th, 2009
The Victoria & Albert Museum (abbreviated as the V&A ) placed near South Kensington tube station welcomes its visitors with its extensive collection of furniture, painting, tapestry cartoons, sculpture, glass, photographs, silver and an excellent collection of Samurai swords. This establishment was founded in 1852 and holds the status of the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design with as many as over four milion objects being displayed. The works that are included within this home of applied art. are dedicated to the period from antiquity to the present day (art deco). They boast comprehensive collections of Islamic, Indian, Chinese and Japanese art, as well as this deriving from Europe, North America or Africa. Because of the wide array of exhibits and their variety there is something for even most demanding visitor. On Wednesdays they organize special theme nights. Lectures may be integral part of them but are charged additionally.
Things to do in London - Fat Tire Bike Tours
Posted by admin in London Attractions, Things to do in London, Uncategorized on 04 19th, 2009Fat Tire Bike Tours was founded in 1999 with the intention of showing tourists the majority of attractions that London offers on their Day Bike Tour. It is recommended for both those new to the city, as well as those who orientate around the city the city relatively well. The guides provide solid dose of facts and stories about London, so there is always something new to find out. The main tourist attractions that are included in the trip are: Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Hyde Park, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Kensington Palace & Park, Princess Diana’s Memorial.
Things to do in London - Westminster Abbey - Church of St Peter
Posted by admin in London Attractions, Things to do in London, Uncategorized on 04 19th, 2009
Church of St Peter at Westminster also well known as Westminster Abbey is a sizeable Gothic church situated to the west of the Palace of Westminster. Famous for its architectural beauty, this historically rich place was originally founded in 616 and was assigned to Benedictine monks later on. This Medieval monument has been a place of significant national events like coronations, as well as a burial site for monarchs since 1066. Many well-deserved citizens, artists (Geofrey Chaucer, Henry Purcell, George Heandel), politicians, generals and people of science has been memorialised here. Also it has been a fact that except for Edward V and Edward VIII, all British monarchs have been crowned in Westminster Abbey. It also played an important role as a great seat of learning in England, right after Cambridge and Oxford. Put in this light, it becomes obvious why the first third of the King James Bible Old Testament and the last half of the New Testament were translated here. Nowadays, it is devoted to regular Mass services and celebrations of national importance as it is still a Royal Peculiar.
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.
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.
