Visit the Map Room, very fascinating! Read more.
There is a café on the top floor which won’t cost you an arm and a leg Read more.
Coming here is like walking through a global gastronomic wonderland! Read more.
Every year a Norway Spruce is erected here and decorated as part of the Christmas festivities. The tree is a gift of thanks from the Norwegians for Britain's support during the Second World War
Westminster Abbey was built by Edward the Confessor and completed just before his death in 1065. Since William the Conqueror all the kings & queens of England have been crowned here.
Currently the third tallest Ferris wheel in the world (the tallest when built in 1999, but now behind Singapore and Nanchang), it moves at 0.6mph, and you can see 25 miles from the top.
The bridge had to close within days of its opening in 2000 because of a slight wobble, which caused people to walk in step with each other, causing the wobble to become much worse!
Built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham, George III acquired it in 1762 as a private house. It became an official royal residence in the reign of Queen Victoria, when it was greatly enlarged.
‘Soho’ is thought to come from the hunting and battle cry of the Duke of Monmouth, a local landlord. He used it at the Battle of Sedgemoor where he was defeated in 1685, and later executed.
The lion sculpture was once painted red and stood over the Red Lion Brewery on the South Bank in the 18th century. When the area was redeveloped in the 1950s the lion was saved and moved here.
Big Ben refers to the 13 ton bell in the clock tower of Westminster Palace. Opinion is divided as to whether it was named after the then Commissioner of Works, or a famous prize-fighter of the time.
Piccadilly is named after a type of broad lace collar fashionable in the early 17th century, the ‘piccadil’. The best examples were sold by a local tailor whose shop became known as Piccadilly Hall.
Visit the annual summer exhibition, which is London’s largest open submission art exhibition. It has been going for 242 years, and is an incredible collection of established and emerging artists.
The South London Gallery is regarded as at the forefront of the contemporary art scene, and a platform for young artists and curators. Brunch in the garden café is an essential weekend boost.
For over 10 years the ‘empty’ Fourth Plinth is a pedestal for innovative public artworks by artists such as Marc Quinn, Antony Gormley, and currently Yinka Shonibare’s Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle.
This iconic London landmark even has a private venue for hire, with wonderful views over the City. Is it London’s most stylish party venue?
The temporary exhibitions are always worth a look, no more so than the current Maps exhibition. Reasonably good for free wifi, but can be patchy. Love the quirky gift shop.
Even if you are not visiting one of the many exhibitions and events organised here throughout the year, come to sit in its beautiful and quiet neoclassical courtyard away from London’s busy streets.
