Sights in London
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Museum of Rugby
This museum, which will clearly appeal only to rugby-lovers, is tucked behind the eastern stand of the stadium. Relive highlights of old matches in the video theatre, take a tour of the grounds and visit the museum collection, exhibiting or storing some 10,000 items related to the sport.
reviewed
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B
Tower House
This enormous building now redeveloped as an apartment block was once a hostel and then a dosshouse. Past residents include Joseph Stalin and authors Jack London and George Orwell. The latter describes it in detail in his Down and Out in Paris and London (1933).
reviewed
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C
Lambeth Palace
This gorgeous red-brick Tudor gatehouse located beside the church of St Mary-at-Lambeth leads to Lambeth Palace, the London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Although the palace is not usually open to the public, the gardens occasionally are; check with a tourist office for more details.
reviewed
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D
St Paul’s Church
To the south of Albury St is this baroque church built in 1730. In the churchyard is the grave of Mydiddee, a native Tahitian who returned with Captain Bligh (of Bounty mutiny fame) on the HMS Providence and died in Deptford almost immediately in 1793.
reviewed
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E
London Central Islamic Centre & Mosque
On the western side of Regent's Park is the impressive London Central Islamic Centre & Mosque, a huge white edifice with a glistening dome. Provided you take your shoes off and dress modestly you’re welcome to go inside, although the interior is fairly stark.
reviewed
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F
St Augustine’s Tower
West of Sutton House in the restored St John’s Churchyard Gardens is 13th-century St Augustine’s Tower, all that remains of a church that was demolished in 1798. The tower and its 135 steps can be climbed on special open days. See the website for details.
reviewed
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G
Kinetica
There always seems to be something eye-catching going on within the clear glass walls of the UK's first museum dedicated to kinetic, electric and magnetic art. Whether it's a robot playing drums or a giant inflatable figure 'squirming' on the floor, it just seems to draw passers-by in.
reviewed
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H
Brixton Prison
Serving a number of courts in South London, Brixton Prison started life as the Brixton House of Correction in 1819 and has done time as everything from a jail for women to a military prison. It now houses a mixture of remand and sentenced prisoners.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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J
Tyburn Tree
A plaque on the traffic island at Marble Arch indicates the spot where the infamous Tyburn Tree, a three-legged gallows, once stood. An estimated 50,000 people were executed here between 1300 and 1783, many having been dragged from the Tower of London.
reviewed
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K
Kew Gardens
In 1759 botanists began rummaging around the world for specimens they could plant in the 3-hectare plot known as the Royal Botanic Gardens. They never stopped collecting, and the gardens, which have bloomed to 120 hectares, provide the most comprehensive botanical collection on earth (including the world's largest collection of orchids). The beautiful gardens are now recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
No worries if you don't know your golden slipper orchid from your fengoky or your quiver tree from your alang-alang, a visit to Kew is a journey of discovery for everyone. You can easily spend a whole day wandering around, but if you're pressed for time, the Kew…
reviewed
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Hayward Gallery
Part of the Southbank Centre, the Hayward hosts a changing roster of contemporary art (video, installations, photography, collage, painting etc) in a 1960s Brutalist building.
reviewed
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M
Millennium Bridge
The elegant Millennium Bridge staples the south bank of the Thames, in front of Tate Modern, with the north bank, at the steps of Peter’s Hill below St Paul’s Cathedral. The low-slung frame designed by Sir Norman Foster and Antony Caro looks spectacular, particularly lit up at night with fibre optics, and the view of St Paul’s from the South Bank is one of London’s iconic images.
reviewed
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N
Admiralty Arch
From Trafalgar Sq, The Mall passes under this grand Edwardian monument, a triple-arched stone entrance designed by Aston Webb in honour of Queen Victoria in 1910. The large central gate is opened only for royal processions and state visits.
reviewed
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O
Docklands
It's worth sparing a few minutes to glance around the strange sci-fi neighbourhood of Docklands. Sir Norman Foster's sleek Canary Wharf Underground station is monumental, while Cesar Pelli's 244m Canary Wharf Tower dominates the landscape.
reviewed
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P
Green Park
Less manicured than the adjoining St James’s, beautiful Green Park has wonderful huge oaks and hilly meadows, and it’s never as crowded as St James’s. It was once a duelling ground and served as a vegetable garden during WWII.
reviewed
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Q
Greenwich Foot Tunnel
Reached via glass-topped domes on either side of the river, this Victorian-era pedestrian tunnel provides an atmospheric back route from Greenwich to the Isle of Dogs. Wheelchair users can use the tunnel when the lifts are in operation.
reviewed
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R
Church of St Ethelburga-the-Virgin
Perhaps the finest surviving medieval church in the City is the 13th-century Church of St Ethelburga-the-Virgin near Liverpool St station, which was restored after Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombings in 1993.
reviewed
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S
St George’s, Bloomsbury
Superbly restored in 2005, this Nicholas Hawksmoor church (1731) is distinguished by its classical portico of Corinthian capitals and a steeple that was inspired by the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. It is topped with a statue of George I in Roman dress.
reviewed
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T
County Hall
Begun in 1909 but not completed until 1922, this grand building with its curved, colonnaded facade contains a vast aquarium and a museum devoted to the local film industry.
The excellent Sea Life London Aquarium is one of the largest in Europe. Fish and other creatures from the briny deep are grouped in 15 zones according to their geographic origin, from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean and from temperate waters to tropical seas. There are over 40 sharks, a colony of gentoo penguins and other Antarctic creatures, ever-popular clownfish and a rewarding rainforests section.
The London Film Museum is surprisingly well done and because it looks at films made in the UK, not…
reviewed
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East London Mosque
Within a few minutes’ walk of Whitechapel tube station you’ll find the large East London Mosque and behind it on Fieldgate St the Great Synagogue built in 1899.
reviewed
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Royal British Legion Poppy Factory
This unusual factory creates 34 million artificial poppies and 107, 000 wreaths for Remembrance Day (11 November) each year. Admission is on a guided tour only, which takes about two hours.
reviewed
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Bushy Park
Out in London’s southwestern outskirts, the wonderful Hampton Court Palace is pressed up against 445-hectare Bushy Park, a semiwild expanse with herds of red and fallow deer.
reviewed
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APT Gallery
Creekside street running parallel to Deptford Creek is lined with galleries and artists’ studios that have regularly changing art exhibitions, including APT Gallery.
reviewed
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Y
Art Hub
Creekside street running parallel to Deptford Creek is lined with galleries and artists’ studios that have regularly changing art exhibitions, including Art Hub.
reviewed