Travel

Historic City Of London

Places Of Interest:

1.Central London(contd):

- The City Of London:
A.St Paul's Cathedral, Ludgate Hill. (Nearest tube: St Paul's). The main cathedral of the city of London, and a significant building in British history, having been the site of the funerals of several British military leaders (Nelson, Wellington, Churchill), and significantly held peace services marking the end of the two world wars. Visitors can climb up to the Golden Gallery atop the Dome for superb views over the city, stopping at the Whispering Gallery around the base of the dome where whispers on one side can be heard at the other. The crypt is also open to the public, holding the tombs of Nelson, Wellington and the cathedral's designer Christopher Wren.
The Tower of London (Nearest tube: Tower Hill) Built in the 11th century by William I, the Tower of London has been a royal palace, an armoury, a prison and place of execution, and a jewel house. The Crown Jewels remain on display here, and visitors stand on a travelator which slowly inches them past the crown, orb and sceptre. It's worth joining one of the tours led by the Yeoman Warders (beefeaters) which run from the entrance gate at regular intervals throughout the day, but you'll be expected to tip. The admission fee is steep, but the sense of history is unmatched.
C.Tower Bridge (Nearest tube: Tower Hill) When Tower Bridge was built, the area to the west of it was a bustling port - necessitating a bridge that could permit tall boats to pass. The exhibition looks at how the current design was selected, and how the hydraulic mechanism used to open the bridge works. Visitors go up lifts in the towers to pass over the high walkways to give good views upriver. The bridge opens several times each day to permit ships to pass through - timings are dependent on demand, and are not regularly scheduled.
D.The Museum of London (Nearest tube: Barbican, St Paul's) The world's largest urban history museum, visitors follow the history of the city of London from Roman times to the present day, presented in an engaging and interesting way.

- Bloomsbury:
A.The British Museum, Great Russell Street. (Nearest tube: Tottenham Court Road) An outstanding collection of antiquaries from around the world, including the largest collection of mummies outside Egypt, the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles. A definite highlight of a trip to London.
B.The British Library, Euston Road. (Nearest tube: Kings Cross St Pancras) The official book depository of the United Kingdom, the British Library holds a copy of every book ever printed here, and a wide variety of periodicals. In the central atrium stands The King's Library (the library of King George III) surrounded by a glass wall, so visitors can watch librarians retrieving books for readers.
C.Cartoon Museum - Located near the British Museum this museum has a vast collection of cartoons and comics on display.

- West End:
A.Trafalgar Square. (Nearest tube: Charing Cross) The main, central square of London, Trafalgar Square is associated with celebration and demonstration - it is the site of London's lacklustre New Year celebrations. In recent years, the square has been associated with the many hundreds of pigeons that used to be found here, but London's Mayor Ken Livingstone passed a bylaw in 2003 making it illegal to feed them. Nelson's Column, surrounded by the four bronze lions can be found here, on the south side of the square. The north-west plinth in the square has been vacant since 1841, and controversial contemporary sculpture has been displayed here in recent years.
B.National Gallery, Trafalgar Square. (Nearest tube: Charing Cross) The National Gallery houses one of the most outstanding collections of European art in the world, displayed chronologically from Medieval art (including a da Vinci cartoon) in the more-recent Sainsbury wing, through to 1900.
C.National Portrait Gallery,Charing Cross Road. (Nearest tube: Charing Cross) The National Portrait Gallery is just around the corner from the National Gallery and is an entertaining way to learn about British history since the Tudors. Visitors walk around the gallery chronologically, viewing portraits of notable figures from British history - from Henry VII, painted by Hans Holbein, to Blur, painted by Julian Opie.
D.Leicester Square (Nearest tube: Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus) Possibly one of the busiest areas in London. It houses the largest cinemas (frequently hosting star-studded premieres), as well as cafes and restaurants. Due to the huge influx of tourists, everything from cinema tickets to bottles of water are very expensive. In the north-west corner of the square is the Swiss Centre - unaccountably popular with tourists, the building is nowadays home to Sound nightclub, and boasts a carillion in the corner which depicts a Swiss mountain scene and plays tinny versions of Beatles hits on the hour throughout the day.
E.Covent Garden (Nearest tube: Covent Garden) Covent Garden is a covered shopping mall with shops predominantly selling clothing, but also gifts and cosmetics. There is a popular pub, The Punch and Judy Tavern at the western end, with a large balcony overlooking a square where street entertainers perform. At the eastern end, the corresponding balcony is occupied by Chez Gerard, a restaurant selling relatively-expensive but good continental cuisine. In the central area of Covent Garden is The Apple Market, a small market of handicraft stalls or antiques stalls.
F.Piccadilly Circus (Nearest tube: Piccadilly Circus) At the junction of five major roads, Piccadilly Circus is the home of the famous aluminium statue of Eros, which sits atop a fountain. The north side of Piccadilly Circus holds an enormous display board of electric advertisements, including Britain's biggest illuminated display (the widest in the world), advertising a popular soft drink.
G.Oxford Street is probably the main shopping street in London and is claimed to be the busiest street in Europe.
H.Soho is a region of central London, part of the West End, generally considered to be enclosed by Piccadilly Circus, Shaftesbury Avenue and Cambridge Circus to the south, Charing Cross Road to the east, Oxford Street to the north, and Regent Street to the west. Soho has the densest concentration of restaurants, cafés, clubs and bars in central London, and represents the vibrant, bustling heart of the city. Although true of much of Soho, and some districts immediately surrounding it (such as Covent Garden), the area immediately surrounding Old Compton Street in the southern part of Soho is widely recognised as London's premier gay village.
I.Chinatown, around Gerrard Street. (Nearest tube: Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square) The centre of London's Chinese community, the area around Gerrard Street has an incredible number of restaurants to suit all budgets, as well as a handful of bakeries.

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