Showing 1-12 of 12 results
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Arsenal Emirates Stadium
Arsene Wenger's team seemed to have a little trouble settling into the bigger pitch of their brand-new stadium, with a home win seeming elusive at the start of the 2006 season. Still for the spectator, the 60,000 new seats are more luxurious and the extra capacity makes it more likely you might actually snaffle one of them.
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BBC Television Centre
If you're interested in TV production, this is the perfect chance to visit the vast complex of studios and offices that bring the BBC's TV programmes to the world. TVC, as it's known to BBC staff, is a pretty monstrous 1960s concrete structure. Visit is by two-hour guided tour only and bookings of two days in advance are essential.
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Brit Oval
Home to the Surrey County Cricket Club, the Brit Oval is London's second cricketing venue after Lord's. As well as Surrey matches, it also regularly hosts international test matches. The season runs from April to September. It's also famous as the place where cricket-lover John Major went immediately after losing the election to Blair in 1997.
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Fuller's Griffin Brewery
Of interest to anyone who enjoys bitter and/or wants to see it being made and/or would like to engage in a comprehensive tasting session, Fuller's is now the last working brewery extant in London. You can visit only on the 1.5-hour guided tour, which must be booked in advance by phone.
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London Dungeon
Under the arches of the Tooley St railway bridge, the London Dungeon was supposedly developed after somebody's kid didn't find Madame Tussauds Chamber of Horrors frightening enough. Well, they failed in that endeavour but the place continues to mint money.
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London Zoo
Established in 1828, these zoological gardens are among the oldest in the world. This is where the word 'zoo' originated. After a patchy period in the 1990s, London Zoo has become one of the most progressive in the world. The zoo is in the middle of a long-term modernisation plan and the emphasis is now firmly placed on conservation, education and breeding, with fewer species and more spacious conditions.
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Lord's Cricket Ground
The 'home of cricket' is a must for any devotee of this peculiarly English game: book early for the test matches here, but also take the absorbing and anecdotal 90-minute tour of the ground and facilities, which takes in the famous Long Room, where members watch the games surrounded by portraits of cricket's great and good, and a museum featuring evocative memorabilia that will appeal to fans old and new.
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O2 (Millennium Dome)
Since it closed at the end of 2000, having failed miserably in its bid to attract 12 million visitors, the huge circus tent-shaped O2 (renamed from the Millennium Dome in 2005) was, until recently for the most part unemployed. It has now hosted Bon Jovi and Barbara Streisand concerts and a massive exhibition called Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs.
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Royal Albert Hall
This huge, domed, redbrick amphitheatre adorned with a frieze of Minton tiles is Britain's most famous concert venue. The home of the BBC's Promenade Concerts (or 'Proms') every summer, it was ironically never meant to be a concert venue. Instead, this 1871 memorial to Queen Victoria's husband was intended as a hall of arts and sciences.
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Royal Opera House
On the northeastern flank of the piazza is the gleaming, redeveloped - and practically new - Royal Opera House. Unique 'behind the scenes' tours take you through the venue, and let you experience the planning, excitement and hissy fits that take place before a performance at one of the world's busiest opera houses. As it's a working theatre, plans can change so you'd best call ahead. Of course, the best way to enjoy it is by seeing a performance.
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Vinopolis
Vinopolis, spread over a hectare of Victorian railway vaults in Bankside, cashes in on Londoners' love affair with things red, white and rosé. Vinopolis provides a pretty cheesy tour of the world of wine and it's very popular with hen parties; need we say more?
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West End Theatre
There are some 50 theatres in London's West End, so you'll need a listings guide like www.timeout.com or www.whatsonstage.com for the latest productions. For tickets, including to music gigs, comedy shows etc, try Ticketmaster; a booking fee is charged. For last-minute booking, turn to the tkts booth in Leicester Sq. It sells half-price, same-day tickets for a reasonable commission.
Showing 1-12 of 12 results
