Attractions In London
“Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”
Samuel Johnson said this to his close friend James Boswell who lived in Scotland, when they were discussing whether Boswell’s affection for London would wane should he chose to live there on a more permanent basis.
Many people say that this sums up London. London is home to many of Britain’s major tourist attractions, spanning different periods of time, styles and genre. No matter what your interest you can find things to do in London, be it the mainstream attractions or something more off the beaten track, such as one of the many smaller markets that London has to offer.
As with the Museums and Galleries of London there are far too many attractions to list here. What you will find below is a short list of some of our favourites.
Westminster Abbey
www.westminster-abbey.org
Westminster Abbey is the spectacular church located next to the Houses of Parliament. Every coronation since William the Conqueror has been held here, along with the majority of Royal burials. The Abbey is scattered with memorials to important figures in British History, including William Shakespeare.
The Tower of London
www.hrp.org.uk
Little explanation is needed about the Tower of London, which is perhaps one of London’s most well-known tourist attractions. Built on the river by William the Conqueror as a watch-point for the city it evolved into a Palace in 1100. What we see today was completed in 1307. It has been used for many things, including a zoo (many animals were housed in the moat surrounding the Tower) a mint, a Royal Residence, a place to hold prisoners, and a function for which is still used to this day, to house the Crown Jewels. Although expensive to visit the Tower is well worth a visit, and we would highly recommend going on one of the Beefeater Tours which departs just inside the entrance throughout the day.
St Paul’s Cathedral
www.stpauls.co.uk
St Paul’s has many attractions, the main one being its Dome, which is second in size only to St Peter’s in Rome. It became famous during the bombing in the 2nd World War, when it withstood the Blitz. The current Cathedral is the 5th one that has been built on the site, and this one was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, the famous architect after the Great Fire of London. Visitors can climb to the top of the Dome and visit the Whispering Gallery, which is on the first level, and the Stone Gallery, which is a little further up and offers excellent views over London. The top Gallery is the Golden Gallery, which is well worth the climb unless you are scared of heights!
The London Bridge Experience and London Tombs
http://www.thelondonbridgeexperience.com/
Experience stunning special effects, animation and real life characters will show you what London Bridge was really like in times gone by. Interact with the characters; join in with your fellow travellers and experience the journey of a life time – just be prepared for a few scary surprises! Then, if you are brave enough…
Descend into the bowels of the bridge and test your nerve in the London Tombs where human remains and historic artefacts have been discovered. This grisly tour offers Hollywood-style special effects and a huge scare factor in an authentic – and extremely spooky – setting. Anglo American students are entitled to a special discount on entrance fees. Click here to download and print voucher.
The London Eye
Originally only meant to stay for a year The London Eye, built by David Marks and Julia Barfield was created to commemorate the Millennium. However, a good few years later this 443-foot high wheel on the banks of the Thames looks like it is here to stay. Prices are steep. Originally when it opened it cost £7.00 per person and now prices have nearly doubled. From the top of the wheel you can see out all over London, as far as Windsor Castle if you are lucky. Definitely something you have to do when you are in London.
Shakespeare’s Globe
www.shakespeares-globe.org
A must for visitors, The Globe was built by Sam Wanamaker in the 1990s based on the original theatre that existing during Shakespearian times. Wanamaker sadly died before the reconstruction of the original Globe was built, but the project continued in his memory. From May-October the Globe stages productions, although there are no plans to use a cannon, which was what destroyed the original theatre by igniting the roof. Outside of the production period visitors can do a guided tour of the theatre.
Buckingham Palace
www.royal.gov.uk
Buckingham Palace, the home to The Queen was not a purpose built palace. It was built by the Duke of Buckingham, and only became the permanent Royal Residence during the reign of Queen Victoria. For 10 months of the year the Palace is closed to the public but in 1993 the Queen begrudgingly opened her doors to the public over the summer.
Ripley’s Believe it or Not!
www.ripleyslondon.com
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! offers a unique mixture of entertainment, education and fun for the entire family and appeals to anyone with a basic sense of curiosity. Guests of all ages will appreciate the 500-plus authentic, original and unbelievable exhibits which include a Swarovski-Covered Crystal Mini Cooper. Anglo American students are entitled to a special discount on entrance fees.
Southwark Cathedral
www.dswark.org/cathedral
Southwark Cathedral was originally a church but was given Cathedral status after London Bridge Station was built to compensate for the fact that they had to destroy one of the chapels to make way for the station. Inside you will find what is probably the oldest example of a Gothic structure in the form of a screen. There are also various monuments ranging from one for those who died in the Marchioness tragedy on the Thames in1989 to a chapel dedicated to John Harvard.
St James’s Palace
www.princeofwales.gov.uk
St James’s Palace is the current home of Prince Charles. It was formerly a leper hospital, and is actually the only purpose built Palace in London. It was also the home of the Queen Mother, who died in 2002 at the age of 101. Unfortunately you cannot go inside the palace, but if you want to get a close up photo of one of the Queen’s Guards this is the best place to go as there is very rarely a queue, and you can get up very close.
The Royal Mews
www.royal.gov.uk
The Royal Mews is where the Queen’s Horses live. The main attraction, unless of course you are an equine fan, is the carriages, which are displayed in the courtyard.
The Royal Opera House
www.royaloperahouse.org
The Royal Opera House was originally the Covent Garden Theatre. It was destroyed by fire in 1809, and in order to fund the rebuilding the theatre upped its prices. Riots ensued for 61 performances until the Manager backed down. Tours are available of the Opera House, which was recently refurbished by Inigo Jones. The café at the top is also highly recommended.
The Old Bailey
http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/
The Old Bailey is the Central Criminal Court, and in where the majority of the most serious crime trials take case. Famous trials such as the Guildford Four, and Oscar Wilde took place here. You can go into the public gallery and view trials but be aware, if you are going to do this you should come with the bare minimum. You cannot take anything in with you, including bags, phones, food, drink and cameras.
Madame Tussuad’s
www.madame-tussauds.com
Madame Tussuad began her career sculpting wax-heads of aristocracy that had been beheaded. The attraction boasts London’s longest queues, so booking in advance is strongly recommended. It is expensive, but lots of fun. Visitors can have their picture taken with celebrities such as The Beatles, Brad and Angelina and The Queen.
Lords Cricket Ground
http://www.lords.org/
Home to London’s most prestigious Cricket Club is Lords. Cricket fans are able to visit the Lords Museum, which gives you a background to cricket over the years, and also incorporates a tour of the ground itself.
London Zoo
www.zsl.org/london-zoo
London Zoo is inside Regent’s Park, so if you hear the trumpeting of an elephant whilst walking along the path don’t worry, you are not imagining things! The zoo has a variety of animals, although over the last 10 or so years it has had financial difficulties and has had to cut down on the amount of animals in the complex. If you are going to the zoo then you might enjoy taking a canal boat along the canal from Camden. Especially in summer (July & August), the queues to the Zoo can get rather long. It would be recommended to pre-purchase tickets to avoid this.
The Houses of Parliament
www.parliament.uk
The Houses of Parliament is the seat of British Government. There is just too much that can be said about the Houses of Parliament, all of which can be found on their website. If you want to visit Parliament then there are a few ways to get in including getting tickets for Prime Minister’s Question Time from the US Embassy in London. Again, more information can be found on the website. During summer recess you are able to do a guided tour of Parliament without any kind of restrictions. For the best view of Parliament cross over to the South side of the river, and walk along Albert Embankment.
The London Dungeon
www.thedungeons.com
You will find long queues at this somewhat gruesome attraction, which includes waxworks of people being hung, drawn and quartered. Watch out for the little “surprises” that are around a lot of the corners.
The London Aquarium
www.londonaquarium.co.uk
The Aquarium is in the basement of County Hall and has 3 floors of fish and aquatic creatures. If you go on the right day you will get to see the sharks being fed.
Kensington Palace
www.hrp.org.uk
Kensington Palace is the palace in Kensington Gardens, and was the home of Charles and Diana, until their divorce when Charles moved to St James’s Palace. When Diana died the gates of the palace were made into a shrine, and now you will find the Diana Memorial Fountain in the grounds. KP as it is known as by the Royals, owes its popularity to Diana, although visitors who expect to be able to visit some of her quarters will be sadly disappointed, as tours do not go into this area, which is still used by the Royal Family.
Hampton Court Palace
www.hrp.org.uk
Hampton Court, in Hampton, just outside of London was the home of Henry VIII, famed for having 6 wives. The Palace consists of the main building, which houses the Royal Apartments, and the Gardens, where you will find the famous maze. Guided tours are available free of charge from the main entrance.
The Cutty Sark
www.cuttysark.org.uk
The Cutty Sark is the world’s last remaining tea clipper, and sits in dry dock at Greenwich next to the foot tunnel. Other than an exhibition charting the story of the ship there is not very much to see, although the figureheads in the hold are quite fun to look at
HMS Belfast
www.iwm.org.uk
The HMS Belfast is moored permanently along the Thames, and is an excellent example of a World War II Cruiser. Visitors can climb all over the different decks of the ship, which could accommodate over 900 crew at any one time.
The Royal Albert Hall
www.royalalberthall.org.uk
The Royal Albert Hall was completed in 1871. Funding for the building was very tight, because of the amount of money spent on the Albert Memorial and it was funded partially by selling leases on the seats. Each lease was for 999 years. The Royal Albert Hall is home to the Proms, a series of classical concerts that take place between July and September.
Vinopolis
www.vinopolis.co.uk
If you are looking for something a bit different and enjoy wine then Vinopolis might be the place for you. It is not one of London’s best tourist attractions, but is certainly fun, charting the development of wine throughout the world. The highlight is said to be the wine tasting at the end, where you get to sample different wines, champagnes and ports, the amount and quality of which is dependent on the package you have paid for upon entrance.
St Martin’s in the Fields
www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org
The main reason for visiting St Martin’s in the Fields is the free concerts that are held at lunchtimes. Inside you will see a Royal box, which is there because the church is the official Parish Church for Buckingham Palace.