Travel

Historic City Of London

Places Of Interest:

1.Central London(contd):

- Holborn:
A.Somerset House, Strand. (Nearest tube: Charing Cross) This magnificent 18th century building off the Strand, recently restored to the public, houses the collections of the Courtauld Institute of Art, Gilbert Collection and Hermitage Rooms. You'll also find shops, cafés, a restaurant and the spectacular Fountain Court, scene of public ice-skating in the winter.
B.Royal Courts of Justice, Strand. (Nearest tube: Holborn, Charing Cross) The building holds the High Court and the Court of Appeal, two of the highest courts in the United Kingdom - though only civil cases are heard here. Trials are open to the public, but tourists would probably more interested in seeing the impressive entrance hall, and admiring the stunning Victorian Gothic exterior.
C.Sir John Soane's Museum, Lincoln's Inn Fields. (Nearest tube: Holborn) The former home of architect Sir John Soane, the building has been converted into a museum, displaying some of the objects he collected during his lifetime, including the alabaster sarcophagus of Seti I, and paintings by artists including William Hogarth.

- Clerkenwell:
A.Smithfield Markets (Nearest tube: Farringdon). Smithfield Markets is London's largest wholesale meat markets and hence a great source of fresh meat from Britain and around the world. Additionally, there are many good restaurants (St. John's, Club Gascon) in the vicinity as well as Fabric nightclub.

- Southwark:
A.Southwark Cathedral: The small churchyard on the south side of the Cathedral is a small oasis of peace and is a favourite lunch-time resting place for local office workers and visitors.
B.London City Hall (the new GLA Building), near Tower Bridge, the brand new headquarters for London's Mayor and Assembly, a radically-designed glass fronted and rounded building.
C.The London Dungeon, Tooley Street.
D.The Imperial War Museum: the Imperial War Museum - London site, with an afternoon's worth of British military history, is free except for some special exhibitions; the same institution owns the Central London Cabinet War Rooms, HMS Belfast (a WWII cruiser, now a floating museum extensive enough to satisfy the most warlike son or husband), and Duxford Air Museum, an airbase a day trip from London with five hangars' worth of historic aircraft (you are unlikely to fit everything in in one visit).

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