A London Year

I have revisited some of my favourite London places as part of my London Interrupted series of posts and also in my London walks and ALF @ blog posts. There are also memorable places in London I have visited, which I might not visit again until sometime in the distant future, or maybe never. While thinking about them I concluded that they could be appropriate places to visit at different times of the year. Below are these twelve places to visit in my imaginary ‘London Year’.

January-Winter Wonderland

It was a cold, grey day in January when I visited London’s Winter Wonderland. It’s at the other end of Hyde Park and Amy and I had to walk past the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens and the Princess Diana water feature to get there. Winter Wonderland has a Germanic and Scandinavian feel about it, with craft stalls selling wooden and woollen wares, funfair rides, beer taverns and hearty, wintry eateries. When we visited it was crowded and a bit too commercialised for my liking, but still it was different and memorable. Hyde Park probably looks better in the Spring and Summer.

February-London Dungeon

I visited the London Dungeon with Richard, back in the 1990s. I remember it looking like a Hammer Horror film set. What made it really special was our actor-host. He resembled a cross between a plague victim and Jack the Ripper; he had a London roughness about him which made him quite gorgeous. It was a good introduction to London’s shabby, gory history and also had some pretty scary exhibits and a thrilling theme park ride for you to enjoy. If you want more, shabby, gory London history, the museum of London near the Barbican is also pretty good.

March-Museum of childhood

The museum of childhood in Bethnal Green was a lovely opportunity for me to reacquaint myself with the relics of my own childhood. There was a collection of Cindy dolls, teddy bears, doll houses, childhood games I used to play and pieces from a bygone era. The area that really fascinated Amy and I, were the magic lanterns and zoetropes in the animation section. We spent a couple of hours working out animations for a mermaid swimming and a girl eating. Then we went home and worked on ballerinas dancing. These later were developed into ALF animations using GIF animator and movie maker. The results of this work can be found on the LornaJHart YouTube channel.

April-Handel Museum

The Handel Museum is a very small museum in Central London. It occupies several floors of a London townhouse. Amy and I visited it to partake in a Easter Egg hunt. The museum was possibly quite quiet and demure on usual days with its pristine glass cabinets in small, grey rooms, but on this particular day it was full of small children running up and down stairs and from room to room looking for Easter Egg hunting clues.

May-Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens has many associations for my family. I used to work next door to it, my dad used to work in it. We used to visit practically every summer, we still do. It’s all very lovely. My favourite bits are the treetop walk, the palm houses, the pagoda, the queen’s beasts, the alpine garden, the Princess of Wales conservatory and the Marianne North Gallery. The most special part for us now is the wooded area near Queen Charlotte’s Cottage, it is here we scattered my dad’s ashes.

June-Camden Market

Camden Market is great for a visit at any time of year. It has an intriguing interior in an exquisite wrought iron Victorian market place structure and a buzzing exterior next door to the canal, where you can indulge in various foodie delights from across Europe and around the world. Both inside and out you can buy ethnic and eco-friendly clothes, bags and accessories. Amy bought a tree t-shirt, some interesting jewellery and a deathly hallows key ring.

July-London Zoo

One summer Amy and I and Amy’s Swedish aunt and cousin, took a canal boat ride from Camden Lock to Regent’s Park, which takes you to the back of London Zoo, near the very impressive aviary, which looks like something out of Jurassic park. I can safely say that a pleasant day was had by all. I have visited London Zoo often in my life; I remember Guy the gorilla when he was alive not just a statue. The reptile house is particularly memorable and also significant for Harry Potter fans. London Zoo is one popular tourist destination we may revisit. Amy thinks it may help her overcome her fear of spiders.

August-Imperial War Museum

There is much more to the Imperial War Museum than just uniforms and weapons. Over the years the museum has expanded more into the psychology of war and the impact it has on civilians leading ordinary lives. Poignant exhibitions include the holocaust centre where you can read personal testimonies and see photographs from people caught up in the horror of these times. When we last visited there were two interactive exhibits which gave you a fleeting taste of life in the two world wars. The first was the trench experience from the first world war and the second was the blitz experience from the second world war. Both were sobering food for thought.

September-Madame Tussauds

Mum, Dad, Amy and I all agreed that our visit to Madam Tussaud’s was a relentless day and the only respite came in the early evening when we were enjoying dinner in Pizza Express, across the road from Baker Street Station. Nevertheless Madame Tussaud’s was on our list of London places to visit and visit it we did. We queued for three hours inside and out before we got our tickets to enter the waxworks museum. We were in a moving queue throughout Madame Tussaud’s pausing now and then to enjoy the exquisitely modelled celebrities both contemporary and historical. Mum had to go back to visit the Beatles. I’m glad we went, but we will not be hurrying back.

October-Royal Observatory

When I was a teenager I loved seeing the star shows and light shows in the planetarium next door to Madame Tussaud’s. Unfortunately the planetarium has been consumed by Madame Tussaud’s and is not what is used to be. These days the best place for a starry show in London is the Royal Observatory; in Greenwich. Last time we visited we watched a film about the sun, explaining why is is like the other stars in the night sky. We got to fly all over the galaxy visiting Betelgeuse and the crab nebula amongst other places. Also at the observatory is a brief history of time and measurement and a chance to cross the meridian line.

November-Covent Garden

I have been a frequent visitor to Covent Garden over the years. It is always a pleasure to visit it. It has become a bit over-gentrified in recent years, but the arts and crafts are well worth considering, there is a nice cafe in the middle of it and a good pub on the lower level. Shopping is also good, a couple retro toy shops, a soap shop and a book shop. Also in the area is the transport museum and the Royal Opera House. Street entertainment in the area is usually quite spectacular.

December-British Museum

The British Museum often gets into the news, because of the disputes surrounding what exhibits are held there and who actually owns them. The Elgin Marbles come to mind, they were originally Greek. The building itself is very impressive with an amazing enclosed but spacious forecourt leading to the various themed areas. The British museum is perhaps best known for its collection of paraphernalia from Ancient Egypt including mummies. This was still the most exciting and popular area to see when I last visited the British Museum.