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.
