15 Things to do at London 2012
Image by : Copyright: National Portrait Gallery, London
1/14
The world's biggest collection of portraits includes iconic images of those who helped make Britain great. Look at British-Indian relations through oil paintings, such as the one of Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey. The modern history section features a portrait of dancer-choreographer Ram Gopal. There are images of VS Naipaul and Sir Christopher Ondaatje, whose name comes from South Indian ancestors. A special exhibition for the Queen includes two slightly eerie lenticular prints of Her Majesty—one with her eyes closed. There’s also a rooftop restaurant with panoramic views. Sir Mark Tully suggests the NPG.
Image by :
2/14
A discreet entrance in a cobbled side alley takes you to the 17th century inn which opens out onto a wide terrace with a commanding view of the Thames. Bar Manager Matt England will serve you excellent Fuller’s Beer in one of the most famous pubs in London. A cosy bar serves traditional and classic food, and you can dine alfresco on the terrace. The words to Rule, Britannia, were written here by 18th century poet and pub regular James Thompson. Ernest Hemingway and King Charles II were past customers
Image by : Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
3/14
The most frequently-asked question after “Where’s my train?” is “Where’s platform nine and three quarters?” The departure point for the magical Hogwarts Express train in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books and films is marked by a sign and half-trolley sticking out of the wall (ask a Potter enthusiast to explain). Legend has it that Queen Boadicea fought her last battle near this station, which processes 47 million passengers a year. David Grigson recommends King's Cross, quaint, historic Marylebone and busy Liverpool Street and Waterloo for railway enthusiasts
Image by : Justin Sutcliffe
4/14
It’s science city, where you can spend half a day having fun with an enthusiastic array of explainers without realising how much science you’re absorbing. See Stephenson’s rocket locomotive and the 1969 Apollo 10 command module that took three astronauts around the moon. In the interactive ‘Who am I’ gallery, explore how your genes and brain create your unique identity. Soar with the Red Arrows in the Fly Zone simulator, and in Launchpad you can launch a rocket or turn your head into a soundbox with the educators' help
Image by : Adrian Dennis / Getty Images
5/14
Platinum and VIP tours give you access to areas reserved for players and officials. Visit the Stamford Bridge dressing room where John Terry and Frank Lampard get ready for matches, then go down the tunnel to pitch side and feel the roar of the crowd. After lunch, sip champagne in one of the luxurious millennium boxes. Manchester United fans can cruise to Old Trafford on a city barge before a Legends Tour with an iconic player like Alex Stepney. Check availability as the stadium is an Olympic Venue.
Image by :
6/14
Have a private party 135 metres high with stunning views of London on the world’s largest cantilevered observation wheel. You get half an hour in a luxury transparent capsule for two or 20 with Pommery Brut Royale Champagne and a gourmet 120-piece canapé menu. This package is exclusive to summer 2012
Image by : Copyright: National Maritime Museum
7/14
Stand astride the Prime Meridian at the Royal Observatory, then visit the Maritime Museum's exhibits on the East India Company before climbing aboard the Cutty Sark, the only surviving tea clipper
Image by :
8/14
Don a wetsuit and life jacket and charter a high-speed Rigid Inflatable Boat (used by Special Forces and carrying up to 12) to Canary Wharf or the Thames Barrier. Or be an agent for an hour; learn about the British Secret Service and international espionage. Sail past the headquarters of MI5 and MI6 and hear about author Ian Fleming and his master-agent creation James Bond. Hold on as the skipper opens up the throttle and speeds at 35 knots towards the mighty O2 arena and bomb around to Bond music—exhilarating!
Image by : Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London
9/14
How often can you get your nose this close to a Michelangelo or a Rembrandt? In a hidden oasis of calm off the bustling Strand, have an intimate experience viewing world-class paintings at The Courtauld Institute of Art, where the head of the gallery might show you the lopsided table and disproportionate head sizes of Cézanne’s The Card Players himself. Currently on display are line drawings so fragile they are only exhibited every couple of decades. Sir Mark Tully likes the Courtauld Gallery and restaurants near the “magnificent” Somerset House courtyard for lunch or tea
Image by :
10/14
The India Club in the Strand is one of London's oldest Indian restuarants, started in 1946 by Krishna Menon, India’s first High Commissioner to the UK. Jawaharlal Nehru and Lady Mountbatten were founding members, and images of Indira Gandhi, Dadabhai Naoroji and President Radhakrishnan adorn the walls. Chef Purushattam Krishnaswamy has cooked his large, no-nonsense meals for 35 years. Heiress Bridget Steinway loved the club so much she waitressed there for £1.00 a week
Image by : Copyright: Imperial War Museums
11/14
Churchill’s wartime bunker is an underground maze of rooms where planning and strategy decisions happened during the Second World War. Make friends with a supervisor or take a private tour with Director Phil Reed and you can step behind the glass doors to see the Map Room as it was on August 16, 1945, with thousands of pinholes charting the progress of the Allies. Check out the Transatlantic Telephone Room where Churchill had secret conversations with Roosevelt, and the War Cabinet Room, where he presided over meetings. See the scratch marks he made on his chair when the pressure got too much for him.
Image by :
12/14
This museum houses the Victoria and Albert Museum’s national collection of objects celebrating childhood, dating from the 1600s to the present. There are toys, dolls and dolls’ houses, games and puzzles, and many more objects related to play and learning. The earliest surviving English rocking horse sits alongside 20th century toys which show how children have played all over the world. Baroness Susan Greenfield calls it “a special place. With all the modern technology that is around today, it reminds you of how children used to be.”
Image by : Richard Booth
13/14
Get personal access to luxury retailers in Savile Row, Bond Street and other parts of Mayfair with a luxury brand historian to escort you on a bespoke experience visiting wine makers, jewellers, watchmakers, perfumers and 'By Royal Appointment' craftsmen. Previous guests have seen the archives of Garrard & Co., jeweller to the royal family, and indulged in a chocolate master class
Image by :
14/14
Book a tour of the ancient home of modern democracy, or ask a Member to host you. The despatch boxes where MPs take their oaths of allegiance now contain the Gita. The Commons Speaker may urge agitated MPs to stay behind the red lines, two-and-a-half sword-lengths apart—the origin of “toeing the line”. The comfy seat of the Speaker of the House of Lords—"the Woolsack"—contains 500-600lbs of wool from all the Commonwealth countries. Find Indian references around the estate, like the portraits hanging in the Queen's Robing Room that once belonged to Duleep Singh. Anxious new peers are occasionally found in elder statesman Lord Dholakia’s office, seeking his advice.
More Photo Gallery
X