London Getaway

Question of the week: London is a big, bustling city full of small, peaceful surprises. Where is your favourite London getaway?

"Camden Passage in Angel is one of my preferred London getaways. Hidden behind noisy and crowded Upper Street, Camden Passage is a tiny, quiet village full of antique stores and vintage shops. You can either stroll through the passages and please your eyes with the shop dispays or sit at one of the delectable cafes where a late brunch is ideal."- Christina

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

London Getaway

Question of the week: London is a big, bustling city full of small, peaceful surprises. Where is your favourite London getaway?

"My favourite type of getaway to a quiet, secluded place in London is to visit churchyards. Two such lovely places of repose very close to the London Centre are the churchyards of St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden (the ‘Actors’ Church’), and St James’s Piccadilly."- Prof Kucich

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

London Getaway

Question of the week: London is a big, bustling city full of small, peaceful surprises. Where is your favourite London getaway?

"It’s not exactly small, but my favourite moving meditation in London is to walk the Thames path – even on busy days and even in the centre of the city, it’s not uncommon for me to have a good stretch of path – or beach – to myself, and walking by the water is my great escape from the stresses of London. If you take the South Bank path upriver, past the Houses of Parliament, you’ll find yourself in Battersea Park – the pagoda there is a beautiful place to sit and breathe. The Chelsea Physic Garden, just across the river, is a smaller gem, but beautiful and peaceful with it."- Miss Alice

* Photo by a shadow of my future self, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London Getaway

Question of the week: London is a big, bustling city full of small, peaceful surprises. Where is your favourite London getaway?

"What amazes me about London is that you find these little sanctuaries of peace and tranquility just a stone's throw from some of the busiest places in the city. Two that spring to mind (joint favourites perhaps) are Golden Sq., which is about 30 seconds walk from both Piccadilly Circus and Regent's Street, and the garden of St. John's Waterloo. For those Conway Hall residents who haven't visited the latter yet, you really should!"- Jamie

* Photo by Gary Simmons, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London Getaway

Question of the week: London is a big, bustling city full of small, peaceful surprises. Where is your favourite London getaway?

"One of my favourite things to do to get away from it all in the city is to head to a quiet gallery and spend time in a peaceful cafe. One of best in London is the cafe at the Wallace Collection. The gallery itself (which is just a stone's throw north of Oxford Street) is open daily 10am-5pm and entry is free. The cafe is in a beautiful, tranquil courtyard - a really wonderful, relaxing spot. Glorious!"- Clare

* Photo by Rain Rabbit, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Museum Waiting To Be Seen

Question of the week: Can you name a museum you have yet to visit but would like to visit very soon?

"I would like to visit the All Visual Art Gallery in the King’s cross area (2 Omega Place). It specialises in highly innovative contemporary art, now featuring an installation on intricate interior living and library spaces by the French artist Charles Matton, which is commended in this week’s Time Out as the ‘Exhibition of the Week’. The King’s Cross area, once very run down, is going through a stunning transformation with new galleries, performance spaces, and cool restaurants emerging at such a rapid pace that some have dubbed it (you will get the joke) ‘North Bank’. At the heart of it all is the British Library, which offers in addition to its world renowned book and manuscript collections a striking (free) public gallery displaying such rare items as an original Magna Carta, a Shakespeare First Folio, illuminated Chaucer manuscripts, antique maps, of course manuscripts by JOHN KEATS (!), and many other riches."- Prof Kucich

* Photo by 303db, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Museum Waiting To Be Seen

Question of the week: Can you name a museum you have yet to visit but would like to visit very soon?

"I’ve never been to the Canal Museum. Although it is not a very popular museum, I am driven to believe that it must be fascinating and have wanted to visit for a while. A very short walk from King’s Cross station, the museum focuses on a London resource that we can all appreciate, both in beauty and function. It houses an interesting history on how canals came to be built and how they work, the lives of the waterway workers, and you can even look inside a massive ice well where ice imported from Norway used to be stored.

The Canal Museum is certainly not a top priority on any tourist’s list, but for those who have the chance to live in London, even for a short four months, it is worth a visit; if not for intellectual gain, at least for the sake of visiting an obscure museum that is probably full of Londoners!"- Christina

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

Museum Waiting To Be Seen

Question of the week: Can you name a museum you have yet to visit but would like to visit very soon?

"As ashamed as I am to admit it, I have actually never been to the Victoria & Albert museum, which has gone from strength to strength over the past decade. They always seem to have interesting stuff on now."-Jamie

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

Museum Waiting To Be Seen

Question of the week: Can you name a museum you have yet to visit but would like to visit very soon?

"The Museum of London.

Given that it's completely free and just a short walk north of St Paul's Cathedral, I'm totally ashamed of myself for not having made it there. The museum follows the history of London from prehistoric times right through to the present day. At weekends they even have free tours. As a fan of nice museum shops, I'm also disappointed because I hear they have a good gift shop with excellent prints and stationery with a London theme.

You could easily walk there from Conway Hall, or take out a Boris Bike - there's a docking station right by the museum."- Clare

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

Museum Waiting To Be Seen

Question of the week: Can you name a museum you have yet to visit but would like to visit very soon?

"I have to confess – I’ve never been to the Horniman Museum.

It’s an anthropological museum, which has grown out of the personal collection of Victorian tea trader Frederick John Horniman, who began collecting specimens and artefacts from around the world in the 1860's, full of musical instruments and stuffed beasties and all sorts of wonderful masks and artefacts, and surrounded by some beautiful gardens.

I really have no excuse since the London Overground opened up, creating a direct link from east London (where I live) down to south London – there are also direct trains from London Bridge, which is convenient for Conway Hall.

I’m determined to get down there some time before the end of the year, while it’s still their 110th anniversary!"- Miss Alice

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

London Tour on a Budget

Question of the week: Sightseeing routes organized by tour buses/companies can be quite expensive. At TFL’s unbeatable price of £1.30 per journey, which bus route would you recommend for sight-seeing purposes?

"Take the northbound number 8 bus by Victoria Station on Buckingham Palace Road and it will tour you around Green Park and Hyde Park, on to Piccadilly and Mayfair, Holborn, and the Old Bailey. You can also catch a glimpse of St Paul's Cathedral and see the Bank of England and Spitalfields Market. Certainly beats a tour bus!"- Christina

* Photo by Chris JL, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London Tour on a Budget

Question of the week: Sightseeing routes organized by tour buses/companies can be quite expensive. At TFL’s unbeatable price of £1.30 per journey, which bus route would you recommend for sight-seeing purposes?

"For sightseeing, it’s got to be the RV1, which was designed to link up 35 near-to-the-Thames sites, running from Covent Garden, past Conway Hall to Waterloo, and then south of the river, past the Tate Modern, the Globe, Southwark Cathedral and City Hall, before driving over Tower Bridge to the Tower of London."- Miss Alice

* Photo by Paul Simpson, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London Tour on a Budget

Question of the week: Sightseeing routes organized by tour buses/companies can be quite expensive. At TFL’s unbeatable price of £1.30 per journey, which bus route would you recommend for sight-seeing purposes?

"Definitely either route 9 or route 15 for the old routemaster buses. Not only is it an experience in itself to ride on one of these old 'hop-on, hop-off' buses, but they also cover shortened versions of two fantastic routes, both from Trafalgar Square: the heritage 15 goes past St Paul's to Tower Hill; and the 9 goes to Kensington High Street via Picadilly Circus, Hyde Park and the Royal Albert Hall. You can't get a more classic ride in London!"- Clare

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

London Tour on a Budget

Question of the week: Sightseeing routes organized by tour buses/companies can be quite expensive. At TFL’s unbeatable price of £1.30 per journey, which bus route would you recommend for sight-seeing purposes?

"Why purchase an expensive ticket on a sight-seeing bus tour of London when you can hop on a number 11 bus and see many of London’s greatest tourist attractions? Starting its journey in Fulham (with its trendy bars and pubs), the bus plies it route up the King’s Road in Chelsea, past designer boutiques and the Saatchi Gallery. Taking in Sloane Square, with Cadogan Concert Hall, The Royal Court Theatre, and the south end of Sloane Street (London’s Rodeo Drive), the bus makes it way to Victoria, passing the stunning Byzantine-style Roman Catholic Cathedral of Westminster. It then heads on to Parliament Square, with excellent views of Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. It then proceeds up Whitehall, past the great departments of state and Downing Street, and on to Trafalgar Square, the natural habit of Notre Dame students. It then passes along the Strand, past the Royal Courts of Justice and down Fleet Street (once the centre of Britain’s newspaper industry). It then rises up Ludgate Hill, past St Paul’s Cathedral and on to the Mansion House (The Lord Mayor of London’s residence), the Bank of England, and the Old Stock Exchange. The bus terminates at Liverpool Street Station, just a stone’s throw from Spittalfields Market and Brick Lane, an ideal place to end your journey with an authentic curry. What more could you ask of a single bus route!"- Prof O'Boyle

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

London Tour on a Budget

Question of the week: Sightseeing routes organized by tour buses/companies can be quite expensive. At TFL’s unbeatable price of £1.30 per journey, which bus route would you recommend for sight-seeing purposes?

"I'm going to cheat and say for slightly more money you should take the TFL River Bus down the river from Festival Pier to Greenwich. Best views of the city imaginable!"-Jamie

* Photo by Jake Miller, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Architecture in London

Question of the week: London houses diverse and interesting architecture in every corner. In your opinion, which London building is most beautiful and why?

"Tough question: I'm not sure I could ever have just one favourite building in London... One building I find stirs my heart every time is the Queen's House in Greenwich. Built by Inigo Jones in the early seventeenth century, it is a masterpiece of beautifully proportioned classical architecture. Jones had been to Italy and been mesmerised by the work of Antonio Palladio, and this was the commission where he brought all those ideas back to England. The glorious tulip staircase inside is thought to be the first unsupported spiral staircase in England - and was also the location for one of the most famous photographs of what looks like a ghost, taken in 1966. The house is now an art gallery with free entry as part of the Greenwich National Maritime Museum complex. Greenwich makes for a great day trip - take a boat down the river and enjoy Queen's House, the National Maritime Museum and the Royal Observatory, as well as views of Canary Wharf and the redeveloped Docklands area.

If you're interested in finding out more about Palladio's influence in Britain, the Royal Institute of British Architects has a fascinating online exhibition."- Clare

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

Architecture in London

Question of the week: London houses diverse and interesting architecture in every corner. In your opinion, which London building is most beautiful and why?

"St Paul's Cathedral is an obvious choice, but my reasons for finding it the most beautiful might not be so obvious! The cathedral itself is a marvel. What I find most amazing about St Paul's Cathedral is not just the majestic dome, which happens to be one of the largest in the world, or the glorious Nave. It is the fact that it is located inside urban London, surrounded by modern buildings, and standing the test of time and history with its breathtaking presence. The juxtaposition between past and present is simply fascinating."-Christina

* Photo by Tom Stamp, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Architecture in London

Question of the week: London houses diverse and interesting architecture in every corner. In your opinion, which London building is most beautiful and why?

"Probably needs to be a church, and probably needs to be one built by Christopher Wren. St. Paul's Cathedral is too obvious a choice (and not really small enough to be beautiful), so lets go for St. Bride's with its wedding cake tower."- Jamie

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

Architecture in London

Question of the week: London houses diverse and interesting architecture in every corner. In your opinion, which London building is most beautiful and why?

"I’m not sure I can pick just one, which is why events like London’s Open House weekend are such a treat for me – so many buildings to visit!

For historic architecture, maybe St Paul’s, which is stunning inside and out, from almost every angle. For modern architecture? I do have a certain fondness for the Gerkin – 30 St Mary Axe to give it its proper name. I’ve never been inside, but you catch glimpses of it from all over London, and it always seems to improve the view. For a blend of old and new? The Great Court at the British Museum."- Miss Alice

* Photo by Keven Law, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Question of the week: Autumn is fast approaching, and leaves are slowly falling. What is your favourite thing to do on a crisp, London afternoon?

"As a fan of this season and its multifarious colours & climates, I find the best place to observe such a beautiful period of chance is Kenwood House in Northwest London. The nearest tube is Hampstead on the Northern Line and the walk is well worth what lies at the end. It’s free entry to the public and The Spaniards Inn nearby provides a fitting refreshment as one of London’s oldest pubs, in particular the site where Highwayman Dick Turpin evaded his captors by jumping a five bar gate. Or rather, his horse did, since motorbikes were fairly sparse back then."-Hal

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

Local Cinemas

Students have asked about local cinemas, so: here's a list of some local cinemas – all under 1 mile from Conway Hall


If you’re looking for more cinemas, Time Out has a great search engine: http://www.timeout.com/film/


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‘MAINSTREAM’
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Leicester Square is the traditional heart of cinema in London, and many film premiers are hosted here.


Vue West End – 3 Cranbourn St, Leicester Square
http://new.myvue.com/home/cinema/west-end-%28leicester-square%29

In the north east corner of Leicester Square
Student tickets are £10.70 with your ID.
If you go back to the cinema within 2 weeks, you can get £1.50 off your ticket.


Empire Leicester Square – 5-6 Leicester Square
http://www.empirecinemas.co.uk/index.php?page=cinemainfo&id=27&tbx_site_id=5
On the northern side of Leicester Square
Nine screens of various sizes: screen 1 seats 1330, but screen 6 has just 26 seats.
Student tickets are £11.95 (Circle) or £9.95 (stalls and other seats) – with ID (preferably ISIC, but they might well take your ND card – try it).


Odeon Leicester Square – the huge cinema on the east side of the square.
http://www.odeon.co.uk/fanatic/film_times/s105/London__Leicester_Square/

This is the famous cinema in Leicester Square, but you pay for it… Tickets are cheaper Mon-Thurs before 5pm.
Mezzanine (student): £8.30 (off-peak), £11.45 (peak)
Stalls (student): £9.90 (off-peak), £12.50 (peak)
Rear circle (student): £11.45 (off-peak), £14.60 (peak)
Royal circle (student): £14.55 (off-peak), £18.75 (peak)


Odeon Panton St – 11-18 Panton St, SW1Y 4DP
http://www.odeon.co.uk/fanatic/film_times/s117/

This is just around the corner from the London Centre.
Student tickets: £6.80 (off-peak) and £8 (peak)
They also have special screenings (art-house, independent and foreign films) for £4.


Odeon Covent Garden – 135 Shaftesbury Ave, WC2H 8AH
http://www.odeon.co.uk/fanatic/film_times/s81/

Also an Odeon, this boasts 4 screens (most seating about 120, one seats 230) and is MUCH cheaper than Leicester Square and, it seems, the cheapest ticket in this area.
Student tickets are £6.35 (off-peak) and £7.50 (peak)

BFI Imax – the big round building in front of Conway Hall
http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/bfi_imax

The biggest screen in Britain, 500-seat cinema. This is luxury cinema-going.
IMAX DMR and digital titles: peak time (Mon - Fri from 17:00 and all weekend)
Premium: £18.50 (adult); £15 (student)
Standard: £16 (adult); £11.50 (student)

IMAX DMR and digital titles: off-peak (Mon - Fri before 17:00)
Premium: £17 (adult); £13 (student)
Standard: £15 (adult); £10.50 (student)

Buying tickets
Telephone: call 020 7199 6000. Open daily 10:30 - 19:30
Online: book tickets online at bfi.org.uk/imax
In person: the ticket desk opens at 10.30 and remains open until 15 minutes after the final public screening of the day commences
There’s a £2 booking fee if you buy online or over the telephone, so it’s worth walking 20m to the box office! No matter how you book, you’ll need to take your student ID with you.

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‘QUIRKY’
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BFI Southbank – just on the river, next to the National Theatre.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/bfi_southbank

Film seasons (often focusing on specific actors or directors), premieres and special screenings, as well as some classic British films. This calendar year they’ve committed to showing all 50 animated Disney films – on the big screen.
Generally you should book in advance: online or why not just pop in there on your way to class. Once booked, you can’t get a refund on a ticket. Membership is £40 for the year – you don’t have to be a member to go, but you get a discount of tickets and invitations to special events.
Evening show (except Tues) and all shows on Saturday/ Sunday
Concessions: £5.25
Non-Member concessions: £6.75
Tuesday - all shows
Concessions: £5.00
Non-Member concessions: £5.00
Weekday matinees
Concessions: £5.00
Non-Member concessions: £6.50
Concessions are available to students with ID.

Standby tickets
Subject to availability, there may be standby tickets available for sale half an hour before each performance – but only in person at the box office.


The Prince Charles Cinema – 7 Leicester Place, north east corner of Leicester Sq
http://www.princecharlescinema.com/

If you’re tired of Odeon, try this place! They play ‘repertory’ films as well as new releases. The rep films are cheaper. Tickets are also cheaper if you become a member. You don’t have to be a member to go, but annual membership is just £10, or a mere £5 for concessions!

New releases:
Weekday Matinees - £8/£6 Mem
Eve/Wkend/Bank - £10/ £6 Mem
Rep films:
1st Weekday Matinees - £5.50/£1.50 Mem
2nd Weekday Matinees - £5.50/£2.50 Mem
Eve/Wkend/Bank - £6.50/£4 Mem

Roxy Bar and Screen, London Bridge
http://www.roxybarandscreen.com/listings.php

Fancy dinner and a cocktail with your film? Then head to the Roxy, who offer an eccentric selection of themed double-bills, art-house, and live sport on the big screen, with comfy sofas and table service to boot. Membership gives you free entry and the ability to book tables, or just turn up early to get a good seat. Screening prices start from £3.

* Photos by Andrew Woodyatt and Ard vd Leeuw, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Question of the week: Autumn is fast approaching, and leaves are slowly falling. What is your favourite thing to do on a crisp, London afternoon?"

"The Jubilee Walkway. If it's a lovely (dry!) afternoon, what better than to wander London on foot, and few itineraries can beat the Jubilee Walkway which links all the main attractions and sights in London. It was first laid out as part of the celebrations for the Queen's silver jubilee in 1977 and it was rejigged slightly to mark her golden jubilee. Part of the walk between Conway Hall and the London Centre is on the route - but it's only a small part of the whole thing. Starting and ending by Leicester Square, if you're feeling energetic the 9-mile route is a great way to spend an afternoon and really gives you a view of London. If you don't fancy the whole thing, every part of the route is easily accessible by public transport so you can do sections of it as you like. The entire route is marked out by silver 'Jubilee Walkway' discs on the ground about every 30m so it's hard to get lost. The Walk London website even has audio guides to download for free.

If you're inspired by this walk, check out that website for other led walks that will be offered free over the weekend of 24-25 September as part of Walk London's 'Autumn Ambles Weekend'."- Clare

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