Road Load

Question of the week: “What is your favourite road in London?”

"My favourite road is the central high street of Southall called the Broadway. It is the hub of London's 'Little India' and has incredible Indian and Pakistani food, fabric shops and so much more. It is an incredible experience visiting Southall, I recommend it to everyone!"-Heather

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

Road Load

Question of the week: “What is your favourite road in London?”

"I have so many favourite roads all over London, but I will pick one very close to the London Centre: Cecil Court. It is a one-block courtyard street lined with bookshops and print shops, located just off Charing Cross Road a few minutes walk up from the National Portrait Gallery. It’s the best single block in London for concentration of wonderful book and print shops. At Story’s Antiquarian Prints, you can still buy eighteenth-century prints for reasonable prices (they make fabulous gifts!). Travis Emery Music specialises in musical scores and early as well as contemporary books on many different types of music. Stephen Poole’s Fine Books offers many first editions of great literary works. Drummond’s Theatrical Bookseller is the best place in London for books, posters, advertisements, and all kind of paraphernalia connected with London’s theatrical world from the early nineteenth century to the present. This is just a taste of the pleasures of Cecil Court. You could spend hours there. Charing Cross Road is not what it used to be in terms of long rows of bookshops, but it still features a substantial assortment of bookshops running up from Cecil Court. "- Prof Kucich

* Photo by ulle.b, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Road Load

Question of the week: “What is your favourite road in London?”

"It isn’t particularly pretty, but Whitechapel Road, which turns into Mile End Road and then the ubiquitous ‘High Street’ as you head east. It’s been the main road home to everywhere I’ve lived in London for the past decade, and there’s just something about sitting on the night bus watching the familiar blend of history, modernity, and the ordinary slide past.

It’s a wonderful mix of personal and public landmarks for me – the side road to the studio where the band used to rehearse, the campus where my best friend went to uni - jumbled up with public history and current culture, like the Whitechapel Gallery, Altab Ali Park, Mile End’s Green Bridge, the East London Mosque, and the bell foundry where Big Ben and the Liberty Bell were cast. I wouldn’t recommend it for a picturesque tourist stroll, but if you’re heading east to Brick Lane for a curry, do take a little time to explore a little further along Whitechapel Road."- Miss Alice

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

Road Load

Question of the week: “What is your favourite road in London?”

"One of my favourite roads/streets is Great Russell Street. Surely the imposing British Museum and its majestic front entrance is a valid reason for liking this street, but it's also the petite and quiet subtlety that make it memorable. It is decorated with shops and cafes opposite the museum, along with charmingly built residential flats. The street is almost always crowded with sounds of cameras and flashes of light, but if you care to stroll after the museum closes, the experience of walking through transforms from crowded to restful. And the fact that Oxford Street is just around the corner, doesn't hurt ;-)"- Christina

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

Road Load

Question of the week: “What is your favourite road in London?”

"If you look on a map you'll see that The Mall, The Strand, Fleet Street, and Ludgate Hill form essentially one long road that runs all the way from Buckingham Palace at one of its majestic end to St. Paul's at its equally majestic other. If we could count that as continuous whole then I think it would take some beating. Not the prettiest road in London perhaps, but certainly the grandest!"- Jamie

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

London Calling

Question of the week: When traveling outside the UK, what do you miss about London the most?

"What I miss about London is how a mere walk on the street can spur intrigue because of some historical fact posted on a wall, or a sign, or a plaque. Every garden has a story, practically each building is entrenched in history, and even benches have engraved memorials to someone or something. I guess what is mesmerising about the history is not so much how extensive it is (considering other, older countries), but rather, how the history is engraved into the city itself, in a modern and commemorative way. Since history, literature, and quotes are constantly around you, it’s hard not to learn something new every single day."- Christina

* Photo by Steve Hunnisett, 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.

Looking forward to in London - Miss Alice

Question of the week: What London thing or things are you looking forward to most over the next few weeks?

"I'm a dance fan, as well as a London-lover, so there are two summer events I'm really looking forward to at the end of June: Greenwich and Docklands International Festival (24 June – 2 July 2011 ) and the City of London festival (26 June - 12 August)". Both give me the chance to see a wide range of world-class dancers and performers, for free, against a backdrop of London's streets and sky scrapers - highly recommended.

I'm also looking forwards to trying out the London Green Fair (June 4th and 5th), which looks like it will be a lot of fun. Also, Walk London's 'Spring into Summer' this weekend: the guided walks I've done with them before have always been really interesting, so I'm hoping to catch a couple more.

And then there's the Sci Fi exhibition at the British Library, and I need to squeeze in a trip to the British Museum's Afghanistan exhibition before it closes, and ... so many things!" - Miss Alice

* Photo by me, showing Avent Garde Dance Co performing 'The Silver Tree' at last year's Greenwich and Docklands International Festival

London walks - Kris

Question of the week: Walk London's Winter Wanders weekend is coming up, which makes this a topical time to re-visit the question - is there a walking route in London that you'd recommend?"

"I have recently discovered a website that has a number of really good London Walks, but my favourite is the one (or two, depending on how you count) that get into the history of the area around the flats. It's fascinating, and starts close to home - what could be better! If you're up for it (and it's a nice day) try to do both walks together - they'll give you a real sense of the history of Holborn, Clerkenwell and the City of London. If not, do them in chunks when you have the time and energy. But do check them out! Part 1 &Part 2. (Other walks on the same site here)"- Kris

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

London walks - Miss Alice

Question of the week: Walk London's Winter Wanders weekend is coming up, which makes this a topical time to re-visit the question - is there a walking route in London that you'd recommend?"

"The route I walk several times a week is along the Thames path, from Embankment down to Tower Bridge, and it's a route I love. You're walking through the heart of the city - past universities, galleries, theatres and churches, not to mention countless statues and some really beautiful street furniture - like this aquatic lamppost. Everywhere along the route, you're surrounded by beautiful buildings ancient and modern, ending with the Tower of London. And you're walking with the river as your constant companion - there's always something different to see at high tide or low."- Miss Alice

* Photo by Sarah G, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London walks - Kris

Question of the week: Walk London's Winter Wanders weekend is coming up, which makes this a topical time to re-visit the question - is there a walking route in London that you'd recommend?"

"What about the Alternative London Tour?

The area around Spitalfields is one of the most vibrant in London - the market is a big draw but the whole area is a hotbed of creative talent, including well-known artists Tracey Emin and Gilbert & George. To explore this area, why not check out the Alternative London Tour, which will show you street art, Banglatown, and give you an insight into the history of this really fascinating area."- Kris

* Photo by David Green, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London walks - Miss Alice

Question of the week: Walk London's Winter Wanders weekend is coming up, which makes this a topical time to re-visit the question - is there a walking route in London that you'd recommend?"

"I'm usually one for recommending free things, like most of the guided walks taking place as part of this weekend's festival, and there's an almost infinite number of routes around the city I could point to that you can explore for free, but... To break with tradition: if you're looking for a walking guide once the festival's over, then it's London Walks, hands down, no question.

A guided tour might sound touristy, but - with the possible exception of the Jack the Ripper one - London Walks' walks are anything but. I do a few each year and I've never been the only Londoner in the group: the guides are excellent and very open to questions, the groups are usually friendly, and if you want another lens to help you see London differently and more deeply, this will be £8/£6 well spent.

Want to tie a guided walk into one of your classes (or get a taster of something that didn't fit your schedule?) - take a look at their Archaeology series, their London film walks, or one of a range of literary walks. If you're already getting bored of heading to the same pubs with the same people, why not try one of their pub walks, which are, as they say, an easy and natural way to meet people as well as to explore an area of the city in detail."- Miss Alice

* Photo by Crystian Cruz, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London walks - Ric

Question of the week: Walk London's Winter Wanders weekend is coming up, which makes this a topical time to re-visit the question - is there a walking route in London that you'd recommend?"

"I'd like to commend a walk along the canal tow-path from near Angel, Islington westward thru' Camden Lock and Market, and along to Primrose Hill, Regent's Park and London Zoo (where, incidentally I will taking a group of students next Friday, 28th). This site illustrates the route well." - Ric

(Follow this link for previous walking recommendations)

* Photo by Dave Catchpole, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Looking forward to in London - Miss Alice

Question of the week: What are you looking forward to in London for the first part of 2011?

"Next weekend (29th and 30th) is Walk London's Winter Wanders weekend, which is always an opportunity to explore new places with great guides.

Further ahead? Today's post had several tickets in it, so I am full of anticipation for so many wonderful things - Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller in Frankenstein at the National Theatre (I just scraped in - it's sold out and day-tickets only now, or you could catch it at a live cinema screening). Bartabas combining horsemanship and dance at Sadlers Wells, as well as les ballets C de la B and Rambert Dance Company (tickets from £10, £8/each if you book two shows at the same time.) And the re-start of the London Rollergirls season, of course."- Miss Alice

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

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.

Last weeks of summer in London - Dr Holt

Question of the week: Do you have any recommendations for things to do to take advantage of the last weeks of summer?

"Take advantage of the daylight and walk! Walks I would walk from the Centre would take us

- down through the bottom of Trafalgar Square, through Admiralty Arch, along the Mall into St James Park to Green Park to Hyde Park to Kensington Gardens

- down through the bottom of Trafalgar Square, down Whitehall, to Parliament Square, to Westminster Abbey, into Dean's Yard and out the other side into the maze of streets to Smith's Square, then along Milbank to Lambeth Bridge, and then along the South Bank as far as you can manage -- perhaps even as far as Tower Bridge"- Dr Holt

* Photo by Tony3, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

On and over the river - Miss Alice

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite bridge, path, or other spot along the river?

"Just the one? Then I'll pick the daddy of them all:the Thames path. This national trail runs all the way from the river's source to the sea, but the sections through central London - roughly Tower Bridge up to Battersea Bridge - run right through the heart of the city, and are delightfully modular, with well-signed paths on both sides of the river, and all the bridges in relatively close order so you can loop around very easily. The stretches between Embankment and Tower Bridge on the North or South side are the section I walk several times a week.

For a longer exploration, though, head away from the bridges entirely, taking the South bank path from Tower Bridge down to the Greenwhich Foot Tunnel, the next pedestrian river crossing. I've said this before, but that stretch really gives a fantastic cross-section of London life, from council estates to very swishy apartments, from the Dickensian warehouses of Shad Thames to the glittering 21st century towers of Docklands, past posh boats, working boats, waste boats and discarded boats, past the Design Museum, Mudchute Farm, the Dome, and the Trinity Buoy Wharf Lighthouse - plenty to see and explore and to think about. (The path does occasionally part from the river, though, so take an A-Z or some other decent map as a back up to the signs.)"- Miss Alice

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

London Walks

Question of the week: London Walk's Winter Wanders 2010 are coming up this weekend, so do you have a favourite walking route around London?

"Normally, my advice to anyone coming to London is to look up - so many of the beautiful details of the city are above ground level. This time, though, I'm going to say 'look down'. If you're walking near the London Centre, or coming from the flats, your quite likely to see round metal symbols embedded in the pavements you're using. These roundels define the Jubilee Walkway around central London - the cross of the crown pointing in the direction of travel, and they join up to form a set of interlocking loops around many of London's treasures. The Camden Loop especially might provide you with some interesting variations on your route home, around Bloomsbury and the City of London. (You might assume from the name that it would take you further north than that, but this is Camden for the council, not Camden for the tube station and markets)"
- Miss Alice

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

London Walks

Question of the week: London Walk's Winter Wanders 2010 are coming up this weekend, so do you have a favourite walking route around London?

"Oops running a little late here, so this will have to be a brief post. One of my regular walking routes is along the Greenway in east London, which is as much because it's local as anything else. One of the really neat things about the stretch around Stratford, though, is that it gives you a sneak-peak of the central Olympic Park where the main venues are being built for the 2012 Olympics. The pace of work is ferocious, so there's plenty to see.

If you're interested in the Olympic site, you might want to check out the Lower Lea - Hackney Wick to Limehouse Basin walk on Saturday, part of the Winter Wanders events.

"Park and pass Fish Island to reach Old Ford Lock. A diversion provides a panoramic view of the Olympic Stadium and a Bowback channel leads to Britain's oldest tidemill at Three Mills. The Limehouse Cut takes the walk to the navigation's River Thames entry at Limehouse Dock."

Category: Urban Amble - Special walk - Under 5 Miles
Meet At: 13:00
Meeting Point: Hackney Wick Station
Nearest Tube Station: Highbury and Islington (take North London Line to Hackney Wick)
Finish: Limehouse Station 4.5 miles, approx 2.5 hours

If you want to get still closer, and more of a work out, you could always apply for the Newham London Run and be part of the first run in the Olympic Park!"
- Miss Alice

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

London Walks

Question of the week: London Walk's Winter Wanders 2010 are coming up this weekend, so do you have a favourite walking route around London?

"Peter Ackroyd, the prize-winning author and historian, has put together a walk around Covent Garden. I will attempt to give a brief description of each bit, in the hope that you'll download a copy for yourself and try it out!

The walk starts at the corner of the Strand and Wellington Street, with the Lyceum Theatre (where the Lion King is now playing), and leads you up Wellington Street, past the Charles Dickens Coffee House (which used to be the offices of Dickens' magazine), near the Theatre Royal and the Theatre Museum.

Continue straight along the street (whose name now changes to Bow Street) where you'll find the Royal Opera House and the Bow Street Magistrates' Court. The Court is gone now, but the building remains - it was nearby in the 18th century that the Bow Street Runners, the forerunners of the Metropolitan Police, were formed.

Then look left down Floral Street,connecting buildings from one side of the street to the other you'll see a bridge - it runs from the Royal Ballet School to the Opera House itself, and is one way performers get between the buildings. Continue up Bow Street and turn left onto Long Acre - this has been an area of trade and settlement since Anglo-Saxon times.

Turn left again at the Covent Garden Tube Station, built in 1907; the journey from Leicester Square to Covent Garden is the most expensive in the world (for the distance) - it's only 0.161 miles! At the end of James Street you will see the famous Market Building, and the two pubs that you will pass (one on either side of the street) were originally there for the early-morning market workers, when Covent Garden was the hub of the fruit and vegetable trade in London.

Turn right before you go into the market proper and head towards St. Paul's Church. This is known as the 'Actors' Church' and the ashes of many famous British stage actors are interred here.

Make a slight diversion to your left, and walk down Southampton Street and then turn right down Maiden Lane. This street is home to two places of interest, Rules, possibly the oldest restaurant in London and frequent haunt of the Prince Regent, and the building that now houses the Porterhouse pub, which was the birthplace of the artist Turner. Turn right up Bedford Street and Right again on Henrietta Street, making a special note of Number 10, where Jane Austin stayed when she visited London.

Now walk along the South Piazza towards the Transport Museum (which was once the flower market), and go down Russell Street to number eight. This is the site of the bookshop where Samuel Johnson (of dictionary fame) first met his great friend and biographer James Boswell.

Make your way back to the Market Building and enjoy the architecture and shops inside. The building as it stands was erected in the 1830s, but the area has been used for trade for more than 1000 years.

Take a look around, enjoy the atmosphere, and know that now you can say that you have really seen Covent Garden!"
- Kris

(PS - click for a list of Peter Ackroyd books in the LUP Library. Miss Alice)

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