Are you a lazy Londoner? Then it's time to rediscover your city's incomparable sights.
Be a tourist
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Buckingham Palace
Queen Victoria dubbed it ‘a disgrace to the
country’, but even those Londoners who aren’t given to getting excited
about royalty should surrender to their curiosity and go on one of this
summer’s guided tours. The State Apartments are open to the public, but
the highlight is the Queen’s Gallery, which contains some superb pieces
from Brenda’s art collection.
Buckingham Palace, SW1 (020 7766 7300/
www.royal.gov.uk) Green Park or St James’s Park tube or Victoria
tube/rail. Open Aug, Sept daily 9.30am-6pm. Adm £13.50, £11.50 concs,
£7 five-16s, free under-fives, £34 family.
Houses of Parliament
Given that few Londoners normally get the
chance to see inside Parliament, you’d think they’d leap at the chance
to do one of the regular summer tours of the buildings. However, this
is another place that we seem happy to leave to the tourists. Big
mistake: the tours of the main ceremonial rooms, including Westminster
Hall (one of the finest medieval buildings in Europe) and the two
Houses, are superb. Top tip: if you write to your MP with a request,
they have to give you a tour of the building.
Houses of Parliament, Parliament Square,
SW1 (Commons info 020 7219 4272/Lords 020 7219 3107/tours info 0870 906
3773/www. parliament.uk) Westminster tube. Adm visitors’ gallery free,
tours £7, £5 concs, free under-fives.
Royal Botanical Gardens
Better known as Kew. The world’s largest plant
collection is spread over 300 gorgeously landscaped acres. It’s perfect
picnic territory, but there’s also a brilliant little train to catch if
you want to explore after a bottle of white. Don’t miss the awesome
orchids and hothouses.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond,
Surrey (020 8332 5655/www.rbgkew.org.uk) Kew Gardens tube/rail. Open
Mon-Fri 9.30am-6.30pm, Sat, Sun, bank holidays 9.30am-7pm. Times
subject to change so consult the website. Adm £10 adults, £7 concs,
free under-17s.
Shakespeare's Globe
Hugely popular with Americans – who still cling
on to the fond myth that all Brits are entirely literate in the works
of Shakespeare and attend the theatre on a daily basis – the Globe is
often dismissed by locals as a Shakespeare theme park. Although that
attitude is understandable, it’s also completely wrong. The Globe is a
wonderful theatrical experience, some of the productions are
exceptional and the atmosphere is truly unique. If you’re going to
stand, get in early so you can lean against a wall.
Shakespeare’s Globe, 21 New Globe Walk,
Bankside, SE1 (020 7902 1500/ www.shakespeare-globe.org) Mansion House
tube or London Bridge tube/rail. See website for performance information.
Westminster Abbey
The abbey has occupied a central position in
city life since 1065. Edward the Confessor built the church, and it’s
where most monarchs were buried and all were crowned. If the royal
angle doesn’t grab you, there are numerous monuments inside dedicated
to various statesmen, scientists, musicians and poets. Also look out
for the grave of Old Parr who, according to the inscription, died in
1635 at the ripe old age of 152.
Westminster Abbey, Victoria St, SW1 (020 7798 9055/www.westminstercathedral.org.uk) St James’s Park or Westminster tube.
See website for opening times and services. Adm £8, £6 concs, free under-11s, £18 family.
Be a Londoner
Brick Lane
Ostensibly the heart of London’s Bangladeshi community, Brick Lane
attracts Londoners to its fashionable bars (many in the stylish former
Truman Brewery complex) and colourful Sunday market. Don’t get too
excited about eating a curry here, though – you’ll find richer pickings
in Southall or Tooting – but for all- round entertainment, Brick Lane
is hard to beat.
Brick Lane, E1. Aldgate East or Shoreditch tube or Liverpool St tube/rail.
Curzon Soho
The ICA and National Film Theatre might be for the real cineastes, but
this gem on the Soho fringes is regularly rated London’s favourite
cinema. It shows a good blend of alt. Hollywood, arthouse and
foreign-language films, features classic double bills on Sunday, is
cheap on Mondays and has a lovely bar. What more do you want?
Curzon Soho, 99 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (020 7734 2255/www.curzoncinemas.com) Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus tube.
Gordon’s Wine Bar
A dingy den by Charing Cross that most tourists will probably walk past
without even noticing on their way to the bright lights of Trafalgar
Square. Big mistake. Gordon’s is a one-off, a cracking subterranean
haunt where a diverse range of drinkers sup fine wines and chow
down on cheese plates. Get there early on sunny days to secure one of
the priceless outside tables.
Gordon’s Wine Bar, 47 Villiers St, WC2 (020 7930
1408/www.gordonswinebar.com) Charing Cross tube/rail or Embankment
tube. Open Mon-Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 12noon-10pm.
The Eagle
Londoners have always liked pubs and Londoners have always liked food,
so it’s rather surprising that it took around 700 years before somebody
put the two together and created the gastropub. The city’s now full of
them: smart, converted boozers that take as much care over the grub as
they do over the beer, and the Eagle is generally agreed to be the
trailblazer. It’s a small, simple place, serving excellent value Modern
European food and lovely warm British beer. It’s also right next to the
Guardian newspaper, so if you keep your ears open you might pick up some gossip.
The Eagle, 159 Farringdon Rd, EC1 (020 7837 1353) Farringdon tube/rail. Open Mon-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-5pm.
Hampstead Heath
There’s nowhere quite like the Heath. It might just look like a huge
green blob on the ‘A-Z’, but close up it’s a fascinating, wild,
undulating landscape – a mixture of uncultivated woodland and leafy
glades, with ponds to swim in and Kenwood House to visit, plus terrific
views from Parliament Hill. Fantasy fans might be interested to hear it
was the inspiration for CS Lewis’s Narnia.
Hampstead Heath, NW3, NW5, N6. Belsize Park or Hampstead tube, Gospel Oak or Hampstead Heath rail. Open daily 24 hours.
London for Londoners guide
London for Visitors
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