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One of those things that when you visit, if there is an opportunity to do it .. you just have to. I found some useful tips here and thought it was definitely worth a mention. There are three good opportunities outlined here - all of which you have a great chance to see HM and some of her family. Enjoy!
This bookshop is only a few minutes walk from the British Library in Bloomsbury, Central London. It has a great selection of books on photography and of photographers monographs. Also a good stock of books on fashion photography, photo journalism, travel, nude and portrait photography. There are quite a few signed books and rare first editions too. Unique for photography lovers.
Photo Books International99 Judd StreetLondonWC1H 9NEURL: www.pbi-books.comTel: 020 7813 7363Nearest Stations: Kings Cross, Russell Square or Euston Station
We loved this museum! It seems impossible that one man could have collected so much. While there is a great deal to see, one doesn't feel overwhelmed as in the British Museum. The Hogarths are wonderful. One of the staff, who obviously loves the paintings, spent a great deal of time with my husband and me pointing out and explaining the hundreds of details in the paintings. A most memorable afternoon.
13 Lincoln's Inn Fields, WC
Holburn LU
Free admission: a great benefit in a wonderful, but expensive, city
If you're low on cash and keen on jazz, this family-run community arts space - located in a converted railway arch under Herne Hill station - hosts a free jazz night every Thursday. The musicians - of quite a decent calibre - usually play from around 9.30pm to midnight. The studio also hosts poetry nights, like Penned in the Margins, which include open mic sessions. There's a little bar, local art and lounges.
Milkwood Road, Herne Hill
Train: Herne Hill station
Nearest tube: Brixton
This genuine 1950s coffee house has played host to Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon in its time, and it retains an artistic, bohemian buzz to this day.
The food is excellent, the atmosphere agreeably relaxed and the club beneath it has a huge range of comedy nights, poetry readings and live music. Highly recommended.
263-7 Old Brompton Road, SW5 9JA; Tel: 020 7370 1434; www.troubadour.co.uk
It may be a fair way out of London, but that tube trip to Ealing is well worth it to catch up with the new generation of British comedians at Ealing Live, a regular gang show about to go into its fourth season. The fact that it's already challenging the hegemony of the central London comedy clubs is testament to the kind of talent they've managed to attract in its fairly short history.
Tel: 020 8584 5282; www.ealingstudios.com/ealinglive
Newly restored, this glorious Nicholas Hawksmoor designed baroque church towers over the streets of Spitalfields. It's a thriving parish church, but you can also visit on Tuesdays and Sundays to marvel at the beautiful Purbeck stone floor, soaring pillars and decorative wood carvings.
In December it plays host to Spitalfields Winter Festival. There seem to be many musical treats in store from 12-21 December, from choral classics, via medieval music, to a community carol service. Some concerts are free.
Commercial Street, London E1 6LY
near Liverpool Street station
www.spitalfieldsvenue.org
www.spitalfieldsfestival.org.uk
The best cinema in London, albeit with the very worst cafe/bar (dire food, miserable staff). Great for catching up on the classics of world cinema, sniffing out the work of upcoming filmmakers or attending one of the many film festivals.
National Film Theatre, Belvedere Road, South Bank, Waterloo, London SE1 8XT
www.bfi.org.uk/incinemas/nft/
Architect Sir John Soane's house, museum and library. Soane designed this house to live in, but also as a setting for his collections of antiquities and works of art. The museum was opened for the benefit of students when Soane was made Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy in 1806 and on his death in 1837 a trust was established to maintain the Museum, 'as nearly as circumstances will admit' in the state in which it was left. Both the collections and the house itself are fantastic and admission is free.
13 Lincoln's Inn Fields, +44 (0) 20 7440 4263 www.soane.org/ nearest tube - Holborn
The fact that this is the largest bookstore in Europe, providing a huge range of author events throughout the year, is only one element of its appeal. The cafe on the fifth floor, complete with stunning views to the south, is the perfect place to pass a couple of quiet hours flicking through the bestsellers.
203-206 Piccadilly; Nearest tube: Piccadilly
Re-energised since Nicholas Hytner became the artistic director two years ago, The National has finally begun to reflect 21st century Britain, with productions as diverse as Henry IV, Jerry Springer: The Opera and Elmina's Kitchen. As a result, the whole place is buzzing again, with the most diverse and vital audience of any major artistic venue in Britain. £10 tickets for the TravelEx plays make the whole package even more attractive.
South Bank, SE1 9PX; Nearest tube: Waterloo or Embankment; www.nt-online.org/
The first museum to celebrate diversity, this run-down home in the East end was once the home of a Huguenot master silk weaver and hides a rare surviving synagogue built over its garden. Check the website for details of the occasional public open-days.
19 Princelet Street, Spitalfields; Tube: Liverpool Street, Aldgate, Aldgate East; www.19princeletstreet.org.uk/
Although he only lived here for a few years, this is the only remaining house in London that Dickens inhabited. Not only can you go and see all the usual manuscripts, furniture and usual paraphernalia associated with museum houses, you can also actually hire the place for private functions. This must be the perfect place to hold a ‘Dickensian evening’.
48 Doughty Street, WC1. Nearest tubes: Russell Square, Holborn
www.dickensmuseum.com
The birthplace of Jerry Springer: The Opera is the spiritual centre of London's fringe theatre scene. BAC's success has been founded not just on the quality and diversity of its programme, but also on establishing the building as a cultural crucible. Scratch nights, where untested ideas can be shown to audiences who are encouraged to give feedback to the artists in the bar later, along with an extensive set of festivals mean that this is where to go to find the most cutting-edge theatre in the city.
Lavender Hill, SW11 5TN; Tel: 020 7223 2223; www.bac.org.uk
Only a couple of years old and already firmly established as one of the most exciting and consistent fringe theatres in London, the Menier Chocolate Factory should be high on the must-see list of culture vultures everywhere. The programming is eclectic, but not perversely so, and with hits like Fully Committed already transferring to the West End, this venue has a sure touch for both commercial and critical success. The fact that it also boasts an excellent restaurant improves an already attractive proposition.
51/53 Southwark Street, SE! 1RU; Tel: 020 7907 7060 ; Tube: London Bridge; www.menierchocolatefactory.com
A different venue to try just away from the Covent Garden throng where you can find drinks soft and hard and homemade snacks hot and cold. It’s the home of the Poetry Society and there’s a performance area downstairs (wheelchair access via lift), though most of the performing seems to take place in the evenings (open mic night Tuesdays).
22 Betterton Street, WC2
Tube: Covent Garden
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