26 October 2019

VISIT LONDON ENGLAND



Tower Bridge London by Geoff Sutton 2 March 2007


Welcome to London! London is my hometown. Although I no longer live there, I frequently return to visit family, walk the familiar streets, and see something new. This post indexes links to many places I have visited over the years. I include some visitor tips for some places.

Click on each  LINK  for amazing photos, short videos, and information about popular places to see and things to do. 

 LONDON'S POPULAR LANDMARKS 




BIG BEN      BenLINK
 Big Ben is the Great Bell in the famous Elizabeth Tower housing the Great Clock at the North End of the Houses of Parliament. Borough of Westminster 

BUCKINGHAM PALACE      BuckLINK
“Buck house” is where Queen Elizabeth II and other Royals lived when in town. And where tourists watch the changing of the guard. Borough of Westminster


HAMPTON COURT PALACE HAMPTONLINK
An historic Royal Palace in the West London Borough of Richmond on Thames. Learn about the 1500s, the life of Henry VIII and his Queens, and more.

HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT        HPLINK
  Iconic English Gothic Westminster Palace housing Big Ben in Borough of Westminster .

LONDON EYE         EYE-LINK
 The giant wheel noted for its fantastic views of the city. Borough of Lambeth



PICCADILLY CIRCUS & “Eros”  PiccadillyLINK
  A unique traffic circle with a famous, and misnamed, statue. Borough of Westminster


SHARD            ShardLINK
   Travel to the top of London’s tallest building for brilliant views of the city. Borough of Southwark.

THAMES RIVER         ThamesLINK
 Why not enjoy a river cruise around London or further afield?


TOWER BRIDGE       TowerBridgeLINK
   Great views from above this iconic bridge over the Thames between London boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Southwark.

TOWER OF LONDON        TowerLINK
  A medieval castle makes famous and fantastic stories come alive and there's fabulous jewels. Borough of Tower Hamlets.


TRAFALGAR SQUARE    TrafalgarSqLINK
 A famous public square surrounded by historic buildings, galleries, and statues.


LONDON'S POPULAR MARKETS & SHOPS 

COVENT GARDEN         CoventGLINK
   A historic and contemporary market place full of shops and restaurants. Boroughs of Westminster and Camden


HAMLEYS TOY STORE      HamleysTOYLINK
 Visit the world's largest toy shop on Regent Street--gifts for all ages.

HARRODS     HarrodsLINK
 Visit the Europe's largest department store. Borough of Kensington and Chelsea


PORTOBELLO ROAD     PortabelloLINK
  Notting Hill area and the favourite and famous Portobello Road market. Borough of Kensington and Chelsea



LONDON'S GARDENS & PARKS




HYDE PARK     HYDELINK
 A large historic green space for walking, picnics, games, and events. Features: Speaker's Corner, Rose Garden, Serpentine Lake. Borough of Westminster

KENSINGTON GARDENS      KENSINGTONLINK
Kensington Gardens is a large Royal Park adjacent to Hyde Park. Features: Long Water, Peter Pan, Prince Albert, Italian Gardens, Princess Diana fountain and play area.


KEW GARDENS      KewLINK
 The Royal Botanical Gardens offer a floral feast. Borough of Richmond upon Thames

St JAMES PARK       StJamesLINK
 A great place to rest, enjoy lunch, and watch the famous pelicans. Borough of Westminster



LONDON'S MUSEUMS & GALLERIES





BRITISH MUSEUM        BritishMuseumLINK
  The British Museum has many of the world's treasures. It's one of my favourite places to visit as they continue to offer special exhibits. Borough of Camden

IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM LONDON       IWMLINK
 If you have an interest in military history or the history of war, this is a well organised         place to visit.  Anniversary events are marked by special exhibits. Borough of Southwark

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART       NationalGalleryLINK
 A place to sample the works of many of the world's great artists.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY         NationalPortraitGalleryLINK
  The history of the UK in its leaders' portraits.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM   NatHistoryLink
  Children and adults will enjoy a look at gems, dinosaurs, animals from around the world and more.

TATE MODERN ART GALLERY      TateLink
  Appreciate a vast collection of modern art over the bridge from St. Paul's Cathedral.


TUSSAUDS of London       MTLINK
  Madame Tussauds original museum was in London-their displays are continually updated.



BRITISH HISTORY


Links to historical sites beyond what you find in the many museums.

JEWEL TOWER       JewelTowerLINK
 A hidden gem near the Houses of Parliament


NELSON’S COLUMN         Nelson'sColumnLINK
   Monument to Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar, Trafalgar Square



TOWER OF LONDON        TowerLondonLINK
 A medieval castle makes famous and fantastic stories come alive and there's fabulous jewels

LONDON'S PUBLIC STATUES     StatuesLINK
 Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, and more


St JAMES PALACE   St JamesLink
  Explore this palace built by Henry VIII in the 1530s.

TRAFALGAR SQUARE     TrafalgarSquareLINK
  A famous square commemorating the Battle of Trafalgar surrounded by places to see and things to do.    
  

WESTMINSTER PALACE        HPLINK
 The Houses of Parliament with Big Ben- making history every year



   BRITISH MILITARY HISTORY   
















CENOTAPH   CenotaphLINK
  British monument on Whitehall honouring the war dead since 1919.



CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS         ChurchillWarLINK
 Explore the underground labyrinth where so many World War II decisions took place.

HMS BELFAST     BelfastLink     
  Explore this World War II war ship on the Thames River. Experience D-Day.


IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM LONDON     IWMLINK
 If you have an interest in military history or the history of war, this is a well organised       place to visit. Anniversary events are marked by special exhibits.

ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM       RAFLINK
 The RAF-more than a hundred years defending the British Isles.

ROYAL ARMY MUSEUM               RALINK
 Learn about the centuries of the Royal Army around the world.  And trace your ancestors who served as I did.


LONDON'S CHURCHES & SACRED PLACES

St MARY-LE-BOW    StMaryleBowLink
  The church crypt dates to 1080. The church has been rebuilt following the 1666 fire and WWII raid in 1941.

St MARGARET'S CHURCH  MARGARET LINK
  Built on the grounds of Westminster Abbey in the 1100s to serve the local congregation.


St PAUL's CATHEDRAL     StPaulLINK
 One of the world's great churches is also a museum.


WESLEY CHAPEL      WesleyLINK
  The mother church of Methodism and a museum.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY     WAbbeyLINK

 One of London's most famous landmarks is worth visiting more than once. Consider this ancient church a museum as well.



LONDON'S FAMOUS RAILWAY STATIONS

PADDINGTON STATION     PADDINGTONLINK

St PANCRAS      PancrasLINK
 The British home of the Eurostar and an awesome architecture.





MORE PLACES in LONDON 


CHINATOWN  in London     CHINALINK
 A place to savour Chinese culture and of course, Chinese cuisine.


GOLDEN CAROUSEL      GOLDENCAROUSELLINK
 Take a ride on this classic English carousel in Jubilee Park and Garden by the Thames River.


LITTLE VENICE     LITTLE VENICELINK
  Little Venice is the colourful area of shops, restaurants, and gardens along the canal part of which is close to Paddington Station.

MARBLE ARCH    MarbleArchLINK
 Built for Buckingham Palace in the 1800s but moved to Oxford Street.


OLD CURIOSITY SHOP     OldCuriosityLINK
  Charles Dickens famous shop

SHAKESPEARE'S GLOBE     ShakespeareGLINK
 Take in a play, tour the Globe

BUY Mind the Gap and learn more about British Culture

At Amazon and Google Stores






About London, England
------------------------------------

London is the capital of the United Kingdom and its largest city. People have lived in this area for thousands of years. Named Londinium by the Romans, it has been a major city on the island of Great Britain ever since. Today, London is also an English county, which is sometimes called Greater London and consists of 32 boroughs plus the old City of London, which is only 1.12 square miles. The total population of Greater London is about 9 million inhabitants.

London was the capital of the Kings of England before it became the capital city for the other nations forming the United Kingdom. The history of the UK is too long to review here; however, let me identify the capital cities of the other UK countries: Cardiff is the capital of Wales,  Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, and Belfast is the capital of the territory of Northern Ireland.

UK nation note. The long title of the nation is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain is the large island where the nations of England, Wales, and Scotland united centuries ago. Northern Ireland is a UK district on the north of the island of Ireland. Most of the people of Northern Ireland voted to remain in the UK when the Republic of Ireland became independent of the UK.

I hope to add to this page as time and travels permit.


Travel Notes for London











Following are some links to help visitors to London. I have included more links in the individual posts listed above.

CITY OF LONDON  Visit the City   cityoflondon.gov.uk

VISIT LONDON   visitlondon.com

TRANSPORTATION:    tfl.gov.uk (tfl = Transportation for London)
    TFL is the official website for London's public transportation. I typically use an Oyster Card, which allows me to use the underground (Tube) and busses. The tfl site can help you plan a journey, view maps, and learn about fares and fare cards. There are other ways to see London from tour providers and private bus companies. Those options can be suitable for visitors with a limited time to explore on their own.

  The maps from tfl are handy. I have an A-Z map on my device and I use google maps on my phone.


MONEY: The currency is the pound sterling.

PHONE SERVICE:  I get a good deal through GoogleFi with unlimited text and data and low rates on voice calls. In the past I purchased sim cards, which also worked well. You can get very good free internet service at many places throughout the city.

RESTROOMS / WC / TOILETS: Many of the large stores in London have free toilets for shoppers. Public Museums have toilets. Pubs and restaurants usually have toilets for customers-ask. There are toilets at some railway stations but be prepared to pay.

See more of what I write suttong.com

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