May Bank Holiday Weekend in London - Miss Alice

One of the great things about summer? Bank holiday weekends! Even though Monday won't be a holiday for me, there's still something to be said for everything that's going on the rest of the time.

Tomorrow is May 1st, so the May Day Parade will be wending its way towards Westminster. Given that International Workers' Day not only falls on a Saturday but falls on the Saturday before a General Election this year, expect this to be a large and politically vocal event. (In recent years the parades have been peaceful occasions, but it's not so long since they resulted in violent clashes between police and protesters, so - go carefully).

On Sunday, Trafalgar Square will be hosting celebrations for the Sikh holiday, Vaisakhi with music, food and live entertainment from noon.

If indie music is more your thing, The Old Queens Head in Islington is hosting an all-day event with Evil Nine, New Young Pony Club, and a host of star DJs. Entry is free between 3 and 7, and a mere £5 after that.



* Photo by estherase, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London in summer - Miss Alice

Question of the week: What's one of your favourite things about London in the summer?

"When the weather gets warmer and the evenings start to lengthen, a fabulous richness of free events start to bloom along with the flowers - dance, theatre, food, music - it's not as if London was short on options to start with, but through the summer months there's an additional abundance.

The Scoop hosts all sorts - a month of free theatre, a month of free film, free music - even free fitness classes. Big Dance in July is ten days focussed around participating in dance, whilst the Greenwhich and Docklands festival in June/July focusses on amazing performances. This year there's also the Portavillion Program, bringing still more dance goodies to London parks as well.

In fact, almost every London park has it's own string of festivals and events over the summer - Paradise Gardens in Victoria Park, the Lambeth Country Show, down in Brockwell. It's not even restricted to parks - Trafalgar Square hosts dozens of events (more than they actually list here), and the Brunswick village fete on May 15th brings the fete vibe to the New Brunswick shopping centre in Bloomsbury."
- Miss Alice

* Photo by estherase, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London in summer - Kris

Question of the week: What's one of your favourite things to do in London in the summer?

"A lot of things that you can do in summer in London, you can really do any time of year - they're just nicer when the weather is good. But one thing that really is a summer-only activity is swimming outdoors, especially in the more natural pools. Obviously there are normal outdoor swimming pools in London (but perhaps fewer than you'd think), but, in my opinion, it's more fun to swim in the wilder water of the Serpentine and the Hampstead Heath swimming ponds.


The Serpentine, in Hyde Park, has a swimming area (lido, in local parlance) that is open between mid-May and September. There is a small charge for swimming, but it's worth it for the experience. The lake water is clean and unchlorinated, and it's nice to sit on the grass and watch the world go by if you don't feel like swimming.

Hampstead Heath has three ponds - one for men only, one for women only, and one mixed pool - as well as a lido. I've only been to the mixed pool, and it was really great. I've been told that the women's pool is 'a beautiful oasis'. The men and women's pools are open year round, and all three, plus the lido, open fully on May 1, and continue till September 19. A small fee is charged for the upkeep of the facilities.

One piece of advice, the water in all of these pools is cold. If you have any health conditions, you may want to check with a doctor before venturing into the water. Other than that, they're wonderful places to get out and have a swim!"
- Kris

* Photo by STML, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London stories - Miss Alice

"Firstly an apology: posting may be a little uneven this week. Sorry. Normally I coordinate things, but thanks to the current volcano / ash situation, I'm currently enjoying an unscheduled stop-over in Boston, and may be here for some time... We''ll do our best to keep things updated, though.

Our planned theme for this week was to be some favourite London stories, but as my laptop's battery is low and my wifi-voucher is about to run out, I will have to leave you with links to other people's accounts of one of mine - the story of little Dick Whittington and his cat.

There's an audio version here, a classic written version here, and a script for the pantomime version here.

(disclaimer - due to the wifi/battery situation, I've not checked those links as thoroughly as I would normally - if anything seems wrong, please do let me know!)"
- Miss Alice

* Photo by Yersinia, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Free London - Kris

Question of the week: "London may no longer be in the top ten most expensive cities in the world to live in, but it can still seem pretty pricey sometimes. Do you have a favourite free London place or event to recommend to help balance the budget?"

"Have you noticed that the weather is getting better? That there are flowers and green trees where before everything looked dead? That suddenly there seem to be more animals around? (Sure, they're only squirrels and pigeons for the most part - but they're there!)

It's Spring in London! Get out and enjoy it in one of the many public parks and gardens. Take a book! Take your lunch! Take whatever sports equipment you have and get out and explore! You may get a different perspective on London, and if you have a soccer ball (or whatever) you may meet some cool people in the process!

My favourite parks are Regent's Park and St. James' Park, but Hyde Park is great as well. But there are all sorts of places to spend time outside, some more packed than others... Find your own favourite and enjoy!

Have fun out there!"
- Kris

* Photo by Mr Jaded, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Free London - Miss Alice

Question of the week: "London may no longer be in the top ten most expensive cities in the world to live in, but it can still seem pretty pricey sometimes. Do you have a favourite free London place or event to recommend to help balance the budget?"

"Thinking of evenings again, there are also the Museum Lates programs - not only do still more museums and galleries throw open their doors for free, including some who normally charge, but they do it on weekday evenings, and many of them make real events out of the occasions.

I'm a huge fan of the V&A Lates especially. I love the V&A for its building and its collections anyway, but every month they throw a big party with a different theme each time, and the atmosphere's so different from the day time's serious study - they're always fascinating, crowded, buzzy, excited, hands-on, unique events. They're on the last Friday of each month, and well worth arranging your weekends in London around."
- Miss Alice

* Photo by Wolfiewolf, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Free London - Miss Alice

Question of the week: "London may no longer be in the top ten most expensive cities in the world to live in, but it can still seem pretty pricy sometimes. Do you have a favourite free London place or event to recommend to help balance the budget?"

"Free daytime stuff is easy - all those museums and galleries who throw open their doors, rehearsals at St Martins in the Fields, and the whole city to walk through and explore. Evening can be a little trickier. Trickier, but far from impossible - Time Out will give you listings of the free gigs (40+ of them) and free clubs(50+ of them) on offer in the next week.

Plus, if you're under 26, there's A Night Less Ordinary - an Arts Council funded scheme to encourage people into a theatre habit - by giving away free tickets"
- Miss Alice

* Photo by Mickal, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Free London - Prof Kucich

Question of the week: "London may no longer be in the top ten most expensive cities in the world to live in, but it can still seem pretty pricy sometimes. Do you have a favourite free London place or event to recommend to help balance the budget?"

"My two favourite free cultural sites in London are the British Museum and the British Library.

The British Museum is one of the world's greatest museums and can be visited time and again. The location around the museum, in Bloomsbury, is also dotted with wonderful bookshops and printshops. Great for exploring.

The British Library has a fabulous section open to the public containing on display some of its most treasured artefacts: an original version of Magna Carta, an early Chaucer edition, a Shakespeare First Folio, and on and on. There's also a nice piazza style square to hang out in outside of the Library.

It's next door, moreover, to all the glitzy shops and cafes in St Pancras International Station, from which the EuroStar departs for the continent. Great place for people watching."
- Greg Kucich

* Photo by alanbenzie, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Free London - Kris

Question of the week: "London may no longer be in the top ten most expensive cities in the world to live in, but it can still seem pretty pricy sometimes. Do you have a favourite free London place or event to recommend to help balance the budget?"

"London is full of free museums, I'm sure that anyone can name at least three without having to think too hard. But some of them are less well known - and possibly one of the smallest is the Soane Museum.

Sir John Soane, a celebrated architect in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, left his house and everything in it as a 'collection for the benefit of "amateurs and students" in architecture, painting and sculpture'. He also stipulated that everything was to be left as he had designed it.

The museum is a fascinating collection of things that interested Soane - sculpture dating from Ancient Egypt to Soane's own time, time pieces, Chinese tiles, paintings and anything else that struck Sir John as interesting or beautiful.

The museum is really worth a visit - and you can make a free day of it by visiting Lincoln's Inn Fields either before or after the museum! The beautiful park is just across the street from the museum and is also totally free!"
- Kris

* Photo by Adriana Lukas, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Public art - Kris

Question of the week: London's full of public artworks - do you have a favourite?

"There is lots of public art (mostly statuary) in Hyde Park, but one that you shouldn't miss is the Wellington Monument at Hyde Park Corner.

The Monument is, in total, 36 feet high (including the mound and the granite base), with the highlight being the 18-foot-high statue of Achilles.

It is remarkable in a number of ways: the statue was made from re-melted enemy cannon, and it was so big that they had to knock down a wall to get it into the park. Ironically, as the monument was publicly funded by women, it was the first public male nude in London since antiquity - causing not a little stir in the London of 1822."
- Kris

* Photo by drinksmachine, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Public art - Miss Alice

"Question of the week: London's full of public artworks - do you have a favourite?"

"That's a really hard question, but I must admit to a certain fondness for the City of London dragons - there are many of them around the City, as well as the well known examples guarding the boundaries. There's a fantastic Dragon Safari guide here that makes a good foundation for an exploration of the City. The Embankment pair are old friends, but I think the magnificence of the Fleet dragon might just pip them to the post if I really have to choose a single favourite."
- Miss Alice

* Photo by FredR, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Public art - Kris

Question of the week: London's full of public artworks - do you have a favourite?

"Did you know that there is a statue of Lincoln in Parliament Square? Most people are surprised by this nugget of information, as there aren't any statues to British Prime Ministers erected around the Capitol in Washington DC. (There is one statue of Churchill, but it is at the British Embassy...)

I like the fact that there is, in fact, a special relationship between Britain and the US, and this statue represents that to me, in a small way.

The statue itself is a replica of one in Lincoln Park in Chicago (sculpted by Augustus Saint-Gaudens), and was erected in 1920, with a ceremony involving the American Ambassador and David Lloyd George, who was Prime Minister at the time.

Go and take a look at it - it's really something. And It's always nice to know that there's a little bit of US culture in the heart of London."
- Kris

(see also these posts for more favourite sculptures)

* Photo by US Embassy, London, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Public art - Prof Kucich

Question of the week: London's full of public artworks - do you have a favourite?

"One of my favorite forms of public art in London is "Poems on the Underground." The project began over 20 years ago and still thrives with new poems appearing regularly on underground trains. One of Keats's great sonnets (as my students will know), "On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer," regularly rattles at high speed underneath London. Keep an eye out next time you're on the tube!"
- Greg Kucich

* Photo by sharkbait, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London churches - Prof Kucich

Question of the week: London has hundreds of historic churches - are there any particular jewels you would recommend?

"One of my favourite churches in London is St Paul's Church in Covent Garden. It was designed by Inigo Jones, Shakespeare's contemporary and partner in stage settings, and it has always been associated with actors. The striking façade faces Covent Garden market, and the entrance on the other side looks out onto a beautiful, sequestered churchyard, which is a lovely spot for lunch, just a few minutes walk from Trafalgar Square. A must visit for all lovers of London churches and theatre!"

- Greg Kucich

* Photo by bortescristian, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.