Places to visit and things of interest in London. Visiting London for the first time can be a bewildering experience. Even if you’ve visited before, you are unlikely to run out of things to do and see. It is three cities, and a seemingly innumerable number of villages, all joined up. You may be familiar with some of the obvious attractions to visit, like Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London or St Pauls. But what is the background to these places? There are so many stories lurking beneath London’s streets; stories that date from Roman times to the present. Then there’s green London – parks from the informal to the formal, and gardens tucked away in squares and ruined churches. There’s a lot you can do for nothing in London, as well – including visiting national museums and art galleries. A Bit About Britain’s articles tell you some of London’s secrets and give you an idea of places to visit in one of the world’s most exciting cities.
We did. A few other people came along too. Actually, we didn’t only go to London; we went to Slough. And Windsor. And London again. As the Coronation of Charles III was a moment in time, it seems appropriate to share a few inadequate photographs of this experience with you, dear reader, as well as […]
We went to London for the Coronation Read More »
Westminster Abbey is part of a World Heritage Site. It has been at the centre of English, and British, state occasions – coronations, weddings, funerals, services of commemoration – since William the Conqueror was crowned there on Christmas Day 1066. In fact, its roots are pre-Conquest. The powerful bishop, archbishop and later saint, Dunstan, established
Royal Westminster Abbey Read More »
Among the many temporarily closures due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) was The Mousetrap. All of you luvvies out there, plus one or two others, will know that ‘The Mousetrap’ is a play. But it isn’t just any old performance; it is has been playing to audiences in London’s West End for 67 years – until
This is Cross Bones Graveyard, surely one of the saddest places in London. Its story belongs within a wider narrative about poverty and prostitution, an important aspect of the two-thousand year history of the Borough of Southwark. Just an unfashionable step from busy Bankside in Redcross Way, Cross Bones is part of a very old
We all do it. We’re busy, things around us blend into the background. And so, for all the years I spent living and working in and around London, I had never visited Tower Bridge, one of our capital’s most iconic images, until recently. Oh, I have driven over it many times, walked across it, watched
Tower Bridge, up close and personal Read More »
On the theme of how to enjoy London for free, or on a limited budget, let’s think about walking. Shanks’ pony is often the best way to see any city and London is particularly rewarding in this regard. Not only can you take in some of the famous sites for nothing, but you’ll also often
Free London – take a walk from Westminster Read More »
Of all the thousands, or millions, of memorials in Britain, there aren’t many one arrogant enough to be known by the definite article. The Monument in London is one and, for the benefit of those bursting to know, it is the monument to London’s Great Fire of 1666. The Great Fire is so much a
Sifting through the ashes of the Great Fire Read More »
Free London is not a plea to release London from bondage, but A Bit About Britain’s attempt to explain that you can have a jolly fun time in the capital of the United Kingdom at little, or no, cost. Everybody knows that London is expensive; those who have never visited insist that it is. Certainly,
Free London – museums and art galleries Read More »
Regular watchers of TV news will be familiar with the scene outside the Houses of Parliament, where journalists interview politicians on a patch of grass opposite Old Palace Yard, against a backdrop of Gothic architecture and the appropriately barbarian howls of protestors. While you’re hanging on every sage sound-bite tripping off the tongues of our
London’s medieval Jewel Tower Read More »
Why on earth would anyone suggest that I might like to visit a pub? More to the point, why would someone I’ve never met suggest I might like to visit a pub? But that’s exactly what my ether-friend, Adrian, over on Google Plus did. It was a few years ago, when A Bit About Britain
Trafalgar Square is one of those places that have always seemed to be there. It is so famous, such a focal point, and featured in so many news clips and photographs – including those taken by most of London’s tourists – that it’s easy to take it for granted. Its name commemorates, as most people
Exploring Trafalgar Square Read More »
Peter Pan flew away from his nursery and landed beside the Long Water in London’s Kensington Gardens. And there, on the very spot, Scottish author J M Barrie decided to erect a statue to his creation. It has been there since 1912, the boy who would never grow up frozen forever in bronze, surrounded by
Peter Pan in the Park Read More »
Constantly keep your eyes open when wandering round the old City of London. Behind the steel and glass and beneath your feet are about two thousand years of history. Reminders of the past are everywhere – some obvious, others not; and some are real hidden gems. One of the finest of those hidden gems is
Dunstan in the East Read More »
Captain James Bigglesworth, known as Biggles, absent-mindedly tapped a fresh cigarette on the back of his hand and anxiously eyed the grey eastern sky. Algy – the Honourable Algernon Montgomery Lacey – was long overdue from patrol over the lines and his fuel would be getting low. Just then, the melodic hum of a Bentley
RAF100 – calling Biggles Read More »
