Art & culture – All our local tips

Hidden beneath a sculpted bronze awning at number 195 Piccadilly, is a door to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, or BAFTA as we Brits know and love it.

Best know for its lavish, black tie awards ceremonies, BAFTA is actually a charity dedicated to promoting awareness of the art of the moving image. That means you get to see some very talented people up close and personal. Want to know how? Read on…

Interviews, tributes and masterclasses with renowned actors, craftsmen and women are held regularly, for which members of the public can buy tickets in prices ranging from £5 to £12, or in some cases for absolutely nothing.

Past events have included interviews with actors Viggo Mortensen, Robert Carlyle, Meryl Streep, Sir Ben Kingsley, Vincent Cassel and more. Talent behind the camera is also on show. Previous guests have been Avatar director James Cameron, and writers and directors from the hit TV show Lost.

The building has the air of a modern private club, but dress is usually anything from suits to jeans and a t-shirt. A lounge bar means you can relax into leather sofas and admire the surrounding photos of famous BAFTA members. You never know, you might even see one of them next to you at the bar.

You can attend many of the events by simply visiting the What’s On pages on the website. Sign up for the email newsletter for info on all upcoming film, TV and games industry events.

Details about this spot
BAFTA | Art & culture, Festivals & events
195 Piccadilly | Central (area map)
Only open for advertised events

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The area around Liverpool Street Station in East London was once associated with poor slums and the scene of the crime for the Jack the Ripper murders. Whilst the Ten Bells still stands, the pub that Jack’s victims drunk at, the area itself is now very popular with London’s edgy and artistic crowd.

After a short walk from Liverpool Street Station, you’ll come across the Old Spitalfields Markets (105a Commercial Street) which are open every Sunday. Whilst these markets are definitely worth a peak, keep wandering towards Bricklane where you’ll find the Old Truman Brewery (91 Bricklane).

These are one on my favourite markets as this is where up-and-coming designers set up shop every Sunday selling a unique variety of handbags, clothes and jewellery. There’s also a few vintage clothing stores and chic boutiques dotted around the area, which is a refreshing change from the usual high street clothing stores.

Whilst Bricklane has always been synonymous for its many curry restaurants, it now has a reputation for its warehouse art exhibitions and trendy clubs and bars. So, before your East London experience is complete, be sure to head to the Vibe Bars beer garden for a drink or two before stumbling across the road to 93 Feet East (150 Bricklane) for some late night groovin.

Whilst this place is sweaty and jammed, it has become an East End institution well known for its eclectic mix of live music and its intimate atmosphere.

Details about this spot
Bricklane | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Shopping, Restaurants (Various, however mainly Bangladeshi) | Average meal £ £5.00-£20
Bricklane | East (area map)
Markets open Sun, most clothing stores daily, 93 Feet East: Mon – Thu 17:00 – 23:00, Fri 17:00 – 01:00, Sat 12:00 – 01:00, Sun 12:00 – 22:30

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No trip to London can be complete without a visit to the British Museum (which, unlike Paris’ top destinations, has all its staff working hard each day!). It’s so famous it barely needs a mention, but there’s been some bad press recently, so it’s worth giving the old girl some much needed niceties.

Step through the lavish reception area and you’ll immediately see what all the fuss is about. Aside from the giant Great Hall area, with its honeycomb ceiling and vast pillars of marble and whitewash, there’s the famous Knidos Lion to your left, sitting alongside the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery. This should be your first port-of-call.

Colossal heads of pharaohs, the Rosetta Stone, Assyrian Lion Hunt and controversial Elgin (Parthenon) Marbles are some of the museum’s showcase attraction. But there’s much more to see, including the modern Chinese porcelain room, the Mesopotamian Room (check out the marvellous 3,000-year-old Standard of Ur) and a host of British and European treasures.

Right now the recently-discovered Staffrodshire Hoard, a £3million Saxon gold stash, is on show before being wheeled round the nation. Alas, it’ll only be in London for a short while longer – but it’s more than ample use of your (free) time. Also worth checking out are the Lewis Chessmen, a 12th century Viking chess set, and the Bronzes of Benin – stunning sculptures the museum is under intense scrutiny to give up thanks to their dubious provenance. If all this is too much you could do worse than unwind with a (slightly overpriced) coffee and cake at the museum’s decent restaurant.

The shop’s not bad either, and there are fantastic events running throughout the year. And when entry’s free, why not spend a few well-earned pennies buying one of the excellent guide books? A truly essential stop on your trip round London.

Details about this spot
British Museum | Art & culture | Free
Great Russell Street | Central (area map) | +442073238195
10:00 – 17.30 daily, late opening Thurs & Fri (see website)

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Possibly one of the more overlooked museums London has to offer, the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms in the heart of Whitehall, offers an engaging experience and insight into the underground nerve centre of the British Government during World War II. Having been abandoned and sealed up in 1945, the converted bunker was re-opened in the 1980s and turned into a museum.

The complex of rooms are preserved almost exactly as they were left the day after the war ended. I find the Map Room fascinating, with maps on the walls detailing overseas operations, jars of ink, pens and paper still left on the desks, all in the same positions as when they were left as if it were only yesterday.

One large room has been converted to house the Churchill Museum. Here you can learn of lesser-known periods of Churchill’s life; including time spent as a prisoner of war and his talent as an amateur painter, as well as his private life and his ‘finest hour’ at the height of WWII. Advanced multi-media displays (including a brilliant computerised timeline of Churchill’s life), original recordings and film footage make the information highly accessible. Display cabinets also house many of Churchill’s famous effects, including cigar stubs and, my favourite, the all-in-one ’siren suit’. I’m a big fan of anyone who can lead the country to victory dressed in, what is essentially, their pyjamas!

Even if you are not a museum or WWII enthusiast, I would still recommend this as a unique and memorable experience.

Details about this spot
Cabinet War Rooms | Art & culture | Adult £ 14.95
Clive Steps, King Charles Street | Central (area map) | +442079306961
09:30 – 18:00 daily

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Browsing in bookshops is definitely one of my preferred ways to while away a couple of spare hours on the weekend. Well, along with greasy-spoon fry-ups and drinking gin (not at the same time, you understand), anyway. Thankfully nowadays bookshop time is spent blissfully ambling around; as opposed to the frantic stockpiling of Critical Theory and Renaissance poetry that was my university years. One of my favourite places for this favourite activity is Daunt Books, an independent bookshop on Marylebone High Street just north of Oxford Street.

Fitting in perfectly on this quaint, pretty high street the shop has an attractive dark green and oak frontage with enticing window displays. Through the door, the full beauty of the Edwardian design is revealed, with polished dark wood shelves and floors, arched stained-glass windows and huge skylights. Many of the shelves are also covered in fabric with William Morris print which adds to the opulent feel.

At the front of the shop, books are organised by section, as usual. What I love though is that through the back into the large main rooms, books are then ordered by country. So you have travels guides and maps, classics and modern fiction all sitting together; perfect for some literary inspiration for your next trip. The ground floor houses books for Europe, downstairs ‘the Rest of the World’ and the beautiful gallery upstairs is for England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

For your browsing delight, there are also four other Daunt bookshops created in a similar style in Chelsea, Holland Park, Hampstead and Belsize Park.

Details about this spot
Daunt Books | Art & culture, Shopping
83 Marylebone High Street | Central (area map)
Mon – Sat 09:00 – 19:30. Sun 11:00 – 18:00

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In the mid-19th century London’s inner-city graveyards were struggling to accommodate the number of burials that went with the vastly expanding city. Highgate Cemetery, opened in 1839, was one of the “Magnificent Seven” large, modern cemeteries on the outskirts of London created as a solution .

The ivy-covered, wooded West Cemetery is a stunning example of the Victorian fashion for dramatic Gothic tombs, mausoleums and elaborately carved gravestones.

Perhaps most breath-taking of all are the Egyptian Avenue (a Grade 1 listed building) and Circle of Lebanon (with a large Cedar of Lebanon tree atop), both collections of huge vaults that have been dug into the steep hillside.

Of course there are also the many well-known figures interred in the cemetery; Michael Faraday, the Rossetti’s, Elizabeth Siddal, Radclyffe Hall, Douglas Adams, and many more. The East Cemetery (built 15 years after the West) is home to George Eliot and perhaps most famously Karl Marx.

Great architectural importance and famous residents aside, the West Cemetery is also a haven for wildlife. Access is by guided tour only and the vegetation is left relatively untouched, creating a kind of ‘managed neglect’ and a perfect habitat for birds and small animals.

My first visit was as part of a voluntary team brought in to help maintain this wilderness. I love the whole experience of wandering along the peaceful pathways and highly recommend going on a tour and taking in this beautiful, atmospheric place.

Entry to the West Cemetery is by guided tour only, the East Cemetery is open to all.

Details about this spot
Highgate Cemetery | Art & culture | West Cemetery Tour £ 7.00
Swain’s Lane, Highgate | North-West (area map) | +442083401834
See website for seasonal opening times

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Roll up roll up, La Clique is back in town! On the 20th November, it returned to London to play at the Roundhouse in Camden for 8 weeks only. La Clique is a sassy combination of unique performances such as circus sideshow, burlesque, comedy, song and dance.

Most of the acts are solo performances – ranging from a contortionist manipulating his body through a tennis racket to a tribute to the late Freddy Mercury – which is a stand-up comedy and signing routine performed by Mario Queen of the Circus.

Therefore strictly no corny show fillers, however defiantly not a family show. There is a fair bit of nudity and the ‘hide-the-handkerchief’ certainly has an adult spin on it – so best leave the kids at home! One of the most wacky and entertaining shows you’ll ever see – you can buy your tickets directly from La Clique’s website.

Details about this spot
La Clique | Art & culture, Theaters | From £ 25.00
Chalk Farm Road | North-West (area map) | +448444828008
Sun 18:00, Mon – Thu 20:00, Fri – Sat 22:30

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If your stay in London co-insides with any movie premieres, be sure to head down to the West End’s Leicester Square for some celebrity spotting.

I was in Leicester Square for the Sex and the City Premiere and witnessed a variety of celebrities, from the famous to the not so famous, strut down the red carpet, producing a sea of coloured dresses, fashion mishaps and fake tans!

After a few hours of being amongst celebrities and the flashing lights of the paparazzi I left the square clearly on a high and took the underground home, where the hot overcrowded train soon brought me back to reality!

However, if you would like to have your brush with fame at the next world premiere, here are some tips;
* For the big name premieres, try and get down to Leicester Square by lunch time to get a good position. Whilst the stars don’t walk down the carpet generally until 18:00 – 19:30, the square fills up quickly and the area gets sectioned off once full.
* Bring a water proof poncho or raincoat as there is no uncover area.
* Don’t forget your camera and a pen and paper to get some autographs!

Details about this spot
London film premieres | Art & culture, Cinemas | Free
24-26 Leicester Square | Central (area map)
See website for the next premieres

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I’m a huge film fan, and I suspect a few of you will enjoy a trip to the movies as well, but when you’re been sitting in the darkness, what is it on screen that tells you when Indiana Jones must make the death-defying leap, when Harry Potter will finally win the Quidditch match, or that this is the lovestruck duo’s final kiss?

The London Symphony Orchestra has probably been making you leap from your seat, grip the armrests or weep silently without you ever knowing them.  Well here they are!

Renowned for recording original soundtracks for dozens of films and composers, from Star Wars and Superman to The Queen, they of course perform an expansive range of classical music, with various programmes throughout the year, resident in the modern architectural maze of the Barbican Centre and the recently refurbished venue of St Luke’s.

If you have never been to a classical music concert, forget your conceptions of a stiff upper lip, these ladies and gentlemen are great fun, and obviously enjoy the music they play.

Listen to how the strings section tease a note out of absolute silence, swelling to a vibrant chorus that can unexpectedly move you to tears.

Now, when was the last time your MP3 player did that?

Photo: Alberto Venzago by permission of the LSO

Details about this spot
London Symphony Orchestra | Art & culture, Music | Approx price from £ 4.00
Silk Street | Central (area map) | +442076388891
Check website for performance times

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Is there anything more English than cricket? Or rather, is there a sport less American than cricket? In an age of overtime, in-game ads and prawn sandwiches cricket is a game played (in its purest form) from 11am to 7pm, over five days by barely fit men in white flannels – and it can still end in a draw (I can hear those NFL fans writhing in their silly, oversized shirts now) Cricket is as old as father time and as stoic as the British army – yet it can still be very, very exciting.

If you do happen across London in the summer, there will usually be a game staged at Lords, the sport’s spiritual home – either by the lacklustre national team or its domestic custodians Middlesex. If you do catch an England match the place will be full to bursting with 30,000 wobbling pink Brits slow-roasting in the weak London sun. It really is a sight to behold; especially at around 4pm when people get roaringly spannered and start jumping on the pitch. And this summer the old boy hosts the Twenty-Twenty World Cup, a fast-paced festival of sixes, stumpings and more than a few silly-mid-offs.

In short, what I’m saying is: you can go many places in London which are cool, interesting and fun. But to take in something wholly English come to Lords. The clue is in the name.

Details about this spot
Lords Cricket Ground | Art & culture, Relaxing | Tour £ 14.00
Lords Cricket Ground | North-West (area map) | +442076168500
Tour Mon – Fri 12:00 – 14:00, Sat – Sun 10:00, 12:00 & 14:00

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My fellow spotter Deanna has already mentioned the benefits of the Square for movie premieres, but I had to draw your attention to the beautiful facade of this, one of my favourite cinemas for an ‘event’ movie.

The Odeon Leicester Square has a singular beauty in it’s dark, black, monolithic design, towering 120 feet above you.  A recent refit in 1998 modernised the interior, with a cool and elegant front-of-house, and a glass balcony from the first floor circle bar overlooks the Square gardens.

In the main auditorium, a Grecian-style frieze of four near-naked women (the renowned ‘flying ladies’), stride along the walls toward the screen as one might rush to one’s seat before the film begins, just with more clothes on.  The modern seating is cheekily upholstered in faux leopard-skin, which is an original touch.  If you fancy the cheap seats but a great view, take to the stalls.  Alternatively, if one has come from one’s palace, then one simply must take the royal circle.

If you want to see the main auditorium, make sure that you buy tickets to Screen One.  The cinema also shows other movies in smaller, more regular screens.

This is Odeon’s flagship screen, so set-sail with the latest in sound and visual technology. A digital projector sits side-by-side with the more traditional film projector, but you can expect some of the best in West-End presentation when the lights go down.

Image © Odeon Cinemas Ltd

Details about this spot
Odeon Leicester Square | Art & culture, Cinemas | Royal Circle from £ 13.20
Leicester Square | Central (area map) | +448712244007
See website for film times

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Portobello Market started as a fresh-food market in the 19th Century, but expanded in the 1960s to include the renowned Saturday antiques market at the eastern end of the street, and an assortment of clothing and accessories stalls to the western end. It is of course more recently known for that Richard Curtis film, Notting Hill, and is also mentioned in many popular songs.

Have a browse through the antiques, it’s more than the usual furniture and china. I found a guy selling items of old navigational and military navigation pieces, clocks from old Russian MiG and US jets.

Walk down the length of the entire street to take in all the stalls; street food steams and bubbles in huge pots serving Ghanaian curry, Spanish paella, and grills of German chicken Schnitzel and sausages.

I strongly recommend coming here to buy your fresh fruit and veg, the flavours are so much better.

Tomatoes are deep red and juicy, unlike the fluffy, tasteless flesh of their irradiated cousins found in supermarkets. The fresh bread stall is a guilty pleasure, mostly for the mountains of sweet pastries. At about 16:30, the prices are reduced to clear and you can pick-up three doughnuts for a pound or two!

So you have to pay a bit more than in the supermarket, but your money goes to a real small business and you’ll have experienced the theatre of street vendors, rather than the anonymous and sterile experience of a supermarket queue. Love it!

Details about this spot
Portobello Market | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks
Portobello Road | West (area map)
Mon – Sat from approx 08:00 – 16:30

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For the perfect combination of glamour and eccentricity, head to Sketch, off Regent St, Mayfair. Sketch is made up of a few bars and restaurants, one of which has a Michelin star, however the main attraction of Sketch is its quirky interior. Each room is unique, however the design is consistent; opulent, edgy and alluring.

For a traditional but chic English experience, the Parlour room does a great High Tea in the afternoon from 15:00 – 19:30. For £30, you get a sample of scrumptious cakes, traditional sandwiches, tea and a glass of champagne to wash it all down.

The Gallery, which has various cultural exhibitions by day, converts into a restaurant at night with a live DJ playing until 02:00. Whilst there, be sure to wander down to the East Bar at the back of the Gallery. This intimate bar is the perfect place to sip on a delicious Tai Tai or Lovely Bubbly cocktail.

Above the East Bar, two staircases lead up to a floor that has randomly scattered white cubicles which resemble a cross between giant eggshells and space ships: naturally, these are the toilets. Once you enter your spaceship cubicle you are greeted by some interesting sounds such as cows mooing, people laughing or X rated screams.

Needless to say, after being at Sketch for only a short while you’ll begin to feel as if you have stumbled across a secret and unusual little world – a world where you won’t want to leave!

Details about this spot
Sketch | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Restaurants (English)
9 Conduit Street | Central (area map) | +442076594500
Mon – Sat

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At the top of China Town is London’s best cinema. The prices are less than the outrageously priced Hollywood junk shown in Leicester square and the venue is so welcoming people hang out here without even watching a film. The Soho Curzon is part of a chain of five similar cinemas, though my personal favourite is the Soho edition as it’s the most central and the layout is most inviting.

At street level a retro-styled café has over 20 different pastries and cakes and serves hot soup, coffees and organic wines. Downstairs a spacious bar is adorned with brown leather sofas you sink down into and tables where you can find people having pre-movie drinks, post-movie chats or just enjoying the artsy atmosphere.

The three cinemas in the basement show a selection of art house independent and less commercial titles. The Soho Curzon regularly hosts Q&A sessions with film directors and script writers along with special previews. Film festivals and a monthly quiz are also on the agenda.

Details about this spot
Soho Curzon | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Ticket £ 12.00
99 Shaftesbury Avenue | Central (area map) | +448717033988
Box office 11:00 – 21:00 daily | Bar 11:00 – 23:00 daily

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If you know anything about art and you’re coming to London chances are you’ve heard of Banksy. Yes? Well, the Bristolian behemoth spawned (or rather grew alongside) such other graffiti art notables as D*Face, Eine and Sickboy – all of which are well worth checking out. And Stolenspace, along with some other east end venues (Shoreditch’s Tramshed and Stella Dore to name a couple) houses an impressive gamut of these pioneering arty-types’ work and regularly pops up with an exciting showing to whet the appetites of London’s social set.

The building itself is a rather drab, Orwellian concrete slab adjoining the trendily revamped Truman Brewery, to the Big Chill bar (a no-go zone – toyish cans of Tiger beer for £2.50?!?!) and the excellent Rootmaster (check the Rootmaster article). But what other sort of venue would you expect to house great urban artistry? Dulwich Picture Gallery this ain’t.

Keep one eye open on the gallery’s website for opening nights and special events; they’re free and, like most east end exhibitions, carry a huge amount of alcoholic clout for free. Hold tight, pretend you like what you see and you could be staggering away full of enough beer to cost about 50 quid next door! Drinks aside, going home with a arty piece of cool Britannia is surely the best gift to take home from London. Seeing such a vibrant scene in full swing is a gift enough for me – until I get some money…

Details about this spot
Stolenspace Gallery | Art & culture | Free
Dray Walk, 91 Brick Lane | East (area map)
Mon – Thu11:00 – 19:00

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If The Bedford was a person, it would be a woman. Why? Because it can multi-task!

It was originally a hotel in the 1830s so it’s no wonder why there more than 1 room. Today, The Bedford is a place where you drink, eat, dance, laugh, listen and see.

This iconic venue in south west London is conveniently located near the Balham rail and tube stations. There is something happening each day of the week whether it be a comedy show, a dance class, a concert or a club night. You can also chill with a pint or two by the fireplace or soak in the lively atmosphere as you sit by the bar. Who knows you might be sitting beside the resident mascot – a huge German Shepherd with quite the fancy for an ale.

I go to The Bedford mainly for 2 reasons, one is to dance Argentine tango (with Tango Fandango) every other Sunday; the other is to learn the lindy hop (with Swingland) every Tuesday. But I’ve since discovered that they also serve great food, which is unusual for pub grubs, especially the chips. Big, fat slices that are oh so tasty! Possibly the best bowl of chips in SW London.

The Bedford is not just your typical local pub. It’s a centre for everything.

Details about this spot
The Bedford | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Restaurants (Pub) | Wine £ 3.00
77 Bedford Hill | South-West (area map) | +442086828940
Mon-Thu 11:00 – 23:00 Fri-Sat 11:00 – 02:00 Sun 12:00 – 22:30

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This once derelict house was bought by the Late American artist, Dennis Severs. Severs had been inspired by ‘Old England’, so he renovated the house to reflect the 18th and 19th centuries. Eager to share his passionate creation with the public, Severs then opened his house up to visitors.

However with no signage outside, the house looks like any other Victorian townhouse. Although once inside, it’s quite a different story, as I felt I had entered a time capsule and had been ejected out somewhere between the 18th and 19th centuries.

Spread out on four floors, each of the ten rooms tells a different story. Props such as the remains of half eaten toast and cups of tea make the visitor feel as someone just left the room. Whilst the more permanent structures, such as the uneven floors, low beamed ceilings, antique furnishings and the smell of gas from the fire places lingering through the air allows the visitor to visualise and smell yester-year.

To enhance your senses, attend a ‘Silent Night’ candlelit viewing on a Monday evening. The flickering of candles leave you feeling as if your presence is being observed by the occupants of the house, which of course are only as vivid as your imagination will allow.

Since Severs death in 1999, funding to keep the house open has been limited, therefore Severs intricate interpretation of centuries gone by can only be kept alive for as long as people continue to visit this special little place.

Details about this spot
The Dennis Severs House | Art & culture, Relaxing | ‘Silent night’ £ 12.00
18 Folgate Street | East (area map) | +442072474013
Mon evening & 1st, 3rd Sun & Mon of the month 12:00 – 16:00

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The Hawley Arms pub in Camden has been in the headlines for a few things over the last year. Firstly, it has been highly publicised as being Amy Winehouse’s local, however these days you’re more likely to run into Peaches Geldof on a night out than the famous Miss Winehouse. And secondly, it burnt down in 2008, devastating dedicated Hawley patrons. However it has since been re-built and is as popular as ever.

The interior is warm and cosy and tastefully decorated with a small upstairs area and a roof terrace. Whilst the music ranges from indie to classics such as the Beatles and attracts a mix of indie Camden alternative types- think skinny jeans, messy hair and edgy fashion.

The odd celebrity or band member can be seen floating around the place, however unfortunately this also means that it attracts those who think they are celebrities or in a band! Therefore as some of the clientele desperately try to appear to be effortlessly cool, the Hawley can be a tad on the pretentious side. However, the great music and the interesting mix of artistic people makes for an enjoyable night out, even if it’s just to people watch.

Details about this spot
The Hawley Arms | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Snacks | Snacks £ 2.50
2 Castlehaven Road | North-West (area map) | +4402074285979
Sun – Thu 12:00 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 12:00 – 01:00

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Unless you stumble upon this by accident it’s easy to miss the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), accessed by a simple doorway on The Mall amongst the rows and rows of white columns.  Established in 1947 by a collective of artists, poets and writers, it aims to further contemporary culture through a variety of artforms.  A special ‘ICA at 60′ season is celebrating their, not surprisingly, 60th year.

On a mission to break down the boundaries between artists and the public, the ICA offers endless art exhibitions of great creativity and fun; two small cinema screens that regularly show great documentaries and world cinema; talks and events on multitude of cultural and artistic subjects; DJs and live performance in the ICA Bar, which also serves some tasty snack food.

The ICA shop has a cool selection of irregular and kooky magazines, books, DVDs and those really nice Moleskin notebook things.

On a charge of extreme laziness I want to leave it to you to browse the website here, to really get a vision for what the ICA offers, I’ll let your taste will guide you; a mind-boggling amount of entertainment awaits, look at all the links to the website I’ve managed to dig up already! Check times for individual events, exhibitions and movies.

It’s so easy just to drop in on a weekend, without it feeling like an ordeal of endurance that visits to some of the larger museums can be sometimes.  If you live in London permanently, why not become a member, at £35 a year it’s reduces the ticket prices to some seriously low prices

Details about this spot
The ICA | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Music, Snacks
12 Carlton House Terrace | Central (area map) | +442079303647
Mon – Wed 12:00 – 23:00, Thu – Sat 12:00 – 01:00, Sun 12:00 – 21:00

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Central London, dating back thousands of years and having been largely flattened in the Second World War, is not laced with the cloud-hugging skyscrapers dotted round other European cities like Moscow or Frankfurt.

But for this reason, there are some staggeringly vast views to be had across the city, not least from the London Eye or Centrepoint. But the Eye’s expensive, and you’d do well to get up Centrepoint most days.

But there is an alternative. Tucked away between The City’s monetary monoliths sits Sir Christopher Wren’s (he of St. Paul’s Cathedral) Monument to the Great Fire of London in 1666. A huge Roman column topped with a flame, the pillar stands 202ft tall, and 202ft away from the spot in Pudding lane where the devastating fire was said to have begun. If you can stomach the 311-stair ascendence the views can be awesome on a good day.

Also good is the price – £3 entry anyone? That’ll do very nicely thank you!

Details about this spot
The Monument | Art & culture, Relaxing | Entrance adults £ 3.00
Monument Street | Central (area map) | +442076262717
09:30 – 17:30 (last admission 17:00) daily

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The Tricycle has been running since 1980 and despite being in the northwest, far from the glamorous West End theatre hub, it has become one of London’s most adored and respected theatres. Ten years ago a one-screen cinema was added on and in 2001 the Creative Space was built for educational workshops.

The theatre’s directors try to present work which reflects the cultural diversity of its neighborhood Kilburn, a heavily immigrant area and has put on plays by Irish, African-Caribbean and Asian writers.

The venue also puts on events such as the Obama Inauguration Party, where they will screen the ceremony live in the cinema with American beer, pretzels and cheerleaders.

The cinema kiosk serves ice cream and candy and it has a bar/café which has a simple menu of pasta, sandwiches and jacket potatoes. There is a separate eating area which doubles as an exhibition space. On Mondays cinema tickets are only £5.

Details about this spot
The Tricycle | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Theaters
269 Kilburn High Road | North-West (area map) | +442073281000
Box office Mon – Sat 10:00 – 21:00, Sun 14:00 – 21:00
Café & bar Mon – Sun 12:00 – 23:00 (12:00 – 20:00 for food)

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A relatively new addition to London’s many museums; the Wellcome Collection is a free museum dedicated to exploring the human condition and connections between medicine and art, displaying a curious collection of medical artefacts and original exhibitions. The Wellcome Trust was founded by Sir Henry Soloman Wellcome and it is with his collection of sometimes peculiar objects, paintings and medical implements that the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum was originally founded, becoming the Wellcome Collection as it is today.

The space is divided into three sections: Medicine Man, Medicine Today and a changing exhibition space. There is also the famous Wellcome Library housing a vast collection of archives on the history of medicine.

If like me, you have a somewhat morbid curiosity when it comes to slightly medieval looking medical instruments, then you will enjoy, ‘Medicine Man’. This permanent display of a part of Henry Wellcome’s collection includes a rather ferocious looking torture chair (not entirely sure where this would fit in with the NHS today, but I’m sure they’d find a use for it) and a collection of forceps and scalpels from days gone by that make me truly thankful for the wonders of anaesthetic! ‘Medicine Today’ is a permanent exhibition focusing on aspects of modern medicine such as obesity and DNA sequencing, with a mixture of interactive media, display cabinets and art installations.

Currently in the downstairs exhibition space is Identity, an exhibition looking at what “determines our sense of who we are”, how our identities are informed by those around us and the tension between the two.

Details about this spot
Wellcome Collection | Art & culture | Free
183 Euston Road | Central (area map) | +442076112222
Tue – Wed & Fri – Sat 10:00 – 18:00, Thu 10:00 – 22:00, Sun 11:00 – 18:00 (Public holidays 12:00 – 18:00)

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I wasn’t even aware of the existence of this Byzantine beauty until I moved to the road next door in my first year of university. You can’t miss the unusual red brick and stone building though, striking out against the concrete and glass-fronted office blocks of Victoria Street. It certainly comes as a surprise to many a person on their way to the more famous sights of Westminster, who stops in the piazza to gaze up at the intricate balconies and arches that make up Britain’s Roman Catholic head church.

One feature I particularly love is the 270ft bell tower that gives an amazing 360 degree view of the city. From here there is a great view of Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben just up the road and St Paul’s Cathedral further on the horizon. I always like being able to look over Buckingham Palace and maybe into the gardens behind, just in case HRH is out for a stroll!

The architecture inside the cathedral is equally as striking, and the atmosphere of peace and quiet contemplation inside provides a welcome escape from the noise of the city outside. The cathedral also has an exceptional choral foundation and the renowned choir sing at morning mass (10:30).

Details about this spot
Westminster Cathedral | Art & culture, Music | lift access £ 3.00
Victoria Street | Central (area map)
From first mass – 19:00 daily (closes at 17:30 on Public / Bank holidays)

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