Royal London - Miss Alice

Question of the week:Can you suggest somewhere to visit with a Royal connection?

"For somewhere not a palace, how about the Enlightenment room at the British Museum; a fascinating collection in the room built to house The King's Library, over 60,000 books collected by King George III (1760–1820), and given to the nation by his son.

The nation, in the form of the British Museum, was running out of space, so the beautiful quadrangle building that houses the museum today was commissioned. The King's Library room was the first wing to be built, and in 2004 was re-launched as the home of the Enlightenment Room, an exhibition examining both the past and the Enlightenment's relationship to that history"- Miss Alice

* Photo by Seriykotik1970, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Royal London - Miss Alice

Question of the week: Can you suggest somewhere to visit with a Royal connection?

"I was hoping to come up with something a little less obvious, but I was over at Kensington Palace on Friday, at their Enchanted Palace exhibition, and it was fantastic. A wonderfully creative response to working around the building work that's going on, telling some of the more personal stories of the Royals - specifically the princesses - who have lived their through the centuries. The costumed 'Explainers' were very good, and the blend of modern and historical artefacts was spot on. If their basic premise of enchantment and telling stories about the past appeals to you, then it's worth every penny of the admissions charge (Afternoon tea in the Orangery is similarly worth the investment.)

If you're less convinced by the Enchanted Princess concept, simply take a turn around Kensington Gardens, the palace grounds now turned public park. As well as the Peter Pan and the Diana Memorial, you could visit the Serpentine Gallery (Anish Kapoor's Turning the World Upside Down, in the gardens themselves, is stunning), or feed the (very tame) birds on the Round Pond."- Miss Alice

Royal London - Ric

Question of the week: Can you suggest somewhere to visit with a Royal connection?

"Somewhere with a Royal connection -
take a tour around Smithfield - the location for show trials and executions by Queens Mary and Elizabeth in the C16th

Every Friday at 2 o’clock, a trained City of London guide conducts a tour that encompasses the Church of St Bartholomew the Less, the hospital Square, North Wing – including the Great Hall and Hogarth’s famous biblical paintings – the Church of St Bartholomew the Great and Cloth Fair in Smithfield. The hospital, churches and locality are all interwoven and have shaped each other’s changes and growth. It is well worth taking the time to join one of the Friday tours which take place every Friday at 2pm, starting at the Henry VIIIth Gate in West Smithfield. They cost £5 (£4 concessions)."- Ric

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

Royal London - Kris

Question of the week: Can you suggest somewhere to visit with a Royal connection?

"The Tower of London: I know that it's an obvious choice, but so many people spend all semester in London and never go into the Tower of London. I think that it might be my favourite English castle, and it is certainly one of the oldest castles still in regular use. It was begun by William the Conqueror, probably in the 1070s, and was used by the Royal family as a primary residence until the reign of Elizabeth I. It was also used as a prison, mainly for important or valuable prisoners, and that function extended until the Second World War, when Rudolf Hess (Hitler's Deputy) was held there.

You can still see the Crown Jewels, and the Yeomen Warders who have served as the Royal Bodyguard since the 15th century. But as far as Royal connections go, you can't do much better than the Tower of London."- Kris

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

Non-fiction London books - Miss Alice

"Just a quick PS to the week, with a book that I'm reading at the moment - London lore : the legends and traditions of the world's most vibrant city by Stephen Roud. I can't claim itas a favourite when I've only just started, but Roud's both a local studies librarian, and Honorary Librarian of the Folklore Society, so knows what he's writing about.

So far it's been an interesting read, touching on dozens of locations and documenting and untangling the stories - true and less true - that have grown up around them. The stories people create to patch together half-remembered history and to explain things that don't make sense are fascinating. There's a copy in the LUP Library here."- Miss Alice

* Photo by Aloha Orangeneko, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Non-fiction London books - Hal

Question of the week:Do you have a favourite non-fiction book about London?

"Highgate Cemetery:Victorian Valhalla by Felix Barker, photos by John Gay.

I was given this book at the age of 13 by my Grandfather and I found it massively captivating. It’s regarded by a number of people as one of the best books or collections of iconic images relating to the world-famous cemetery and is packed with atmosphere. It also goes a fair distance in explaining many of the more significant sites & attractions of the site. Well worth a look-in and it doesn’t take long to absorb."- Hal

(NB - Request a copy via ILL if you're interested - our partner library has a copy. Purple ILL sheets are in the library. - Miss Alice)

* Photo by Nick Garrod, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Non-fiction London books - Ric

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite non-fiction book about London?

"David Long, Tunnels, Towers and Temples: London's 100 Strangest Places.

100 places most of us don't know about, or haven't spotted or should know more about but don't. Best of all most of them can be visited, and often without an admission fee. Top secret tunnels, exotic architectural survivors, hidden courtyards and plenty of weird or grisly stuff about the people who built them, lived in them or died there."- Ric

There's a copy in the LUP Library here.

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

Non-fiction London books - Miss Alice

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite non-fiction book about London?

"Dozens of them, but if forced to pick just one, In the City: A Celebration of London Music by Paul Du Noyer.

It's not a flawless book, but it is a great starting point, bringing together a lot of information about an aspect of the city that's hugely important to me, in a very readable style, complete with playlists. There's a copy in the library here "- Miss Alice

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

non-fiction London books - Kris

This week we're celebrating the launch of the new edition of Violent London: 2,000 years of riots, rebels and revolts, by one of our faculty, Clive Bloom, so this week's question is: do you have a favourite non-fiction London book?

"London's Disused Underground Stations, by JE Connor.

When walking around London have you ever noticed the unused tube stations? Some of them look like they could be opened up and used tomorrow, and some of them you can hardly see any more. But you'll recognize them from movies and TV, and possibly glimpse them through the windows as you ride on the tube. The pictures show what the stations now look like, and chronicle the changes in tube design and decoration. The book is fairly dry, but informative if you want to know about the changes that prompted the closing of the stations (industrial, social and otherwise) or if you just want to learn some random facts to impress your parents when they come to visit. It's a fun book." - Kris

(NB - If you want to read this, there's a copy on the way - keep an eye on this search to see when it comes in, and to find other related books.

* Photo by Ben Sutherland, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Houses that are now museums - Ric

Question of the week: There are so many museums in London it's hard to know where to start - can you recommend one that used to be a house?

"The Horniman Museum, 100 London Rd, Forest Hill, London, SE23.

The museum was founded by Victorian tea trader Frederick John Horniman and contained his collection of natural history, cultural artefacts and musical instruments. One of its most famous exhibits is the large collection of stuffed animals. It also has an aquarium noted for its unique layout. The museum sits in 16 acres of parkland in the - appropriately named - Forest Hill area of South London."- Ric

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

Houses that are now museums - Miss Alice

Question of the week: There are so many museums in London it's hard to know where to start - can you recommend one that used to be a house?

"It's a little bit off the beaten track, but if you make your way to the eastern end of the Victoria line, to Walthamstow, and then walk or take the bus the length of Hoe Street, you'll find Water House, William Morris's family home from 1848 to 1856, and now home to the William Morris Gallery.

Perhaps the most famous member of the Victorian Arts and Crafts movement, Morris' influence, both as a designer and as a thinker, persists to this day. The William Morris gallery celebrates his work, and it's a gem of a collection - well worth the trip."- Miss Alice

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

Houses that are now museums - Dr Holt

Question of the week: There are so many museums in London it's hard to know where to start - can you recommend one that used to be a house?

"My favourite house museums are those whose architecture and especially collections reveal something of the people who lived there. My first choice would be the Wallace Collection in Manchester Square, which Kris wrote about yesterday, and my second Sir John Soanes House in Lincoln's Inn Fields.

The façade of Sir John Soane's house suggests yet another Georgian row house. Inside, however, the visitor is nearly overwhelmed with the wondrous imagination and therefore collection gathered and displayed by Sir John Soanes. Especially noteworthy are the special sliding walls to permit display of surely countless paintings. Notice too how the beautifully proportioned rooms upstairs contrast with the cozier warren of smaller rooms packed with their bits of ruined ancient sculptures. I noticed with some delight two left ancient marble feet -- you'll find your own favourites."- Dr Holt

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

Houses that are now museums - Kris

Question of the week: There are so many museums in London it's hard to know where to start - can you recommend one that used to be a house?

"The Wallace Collection is one of the embarrassing number of free museums in London, but, tucked away in Manchester Square, it doesn't seem to get the publicity of its bigger brothers and sisters like the British Museum or the Tate Modern.

The Wallace Collection is just that, the collections of the first four Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, the son of the 4th Marquess. It was bequeathed to the British nation by Sir Richard's widow, Lady Wallace, in 1897. And it is all contained, jewel-box like, in Hertford House, their former London residence.

The collection is varied - from a vast collection of arms and armour to Rococo furniture, and a little bit of everything in between. There are a number of famous paintings, among them the Laughing Cavalier by Hals and Fragonard's The Swing, but the house has retained enough of a 'house-like' feeling to give a good impression o fwhat it might have been like to live surrounded by such amazing objects."- Kris

* Photo by Su-Lin, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.