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The Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England will reopen to the public on Tuesday 16 May 2023
Hunterian Museum © Hufton+Crow
One of London’s most unusual museums is due to reopen after a six-year closure, the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England will reopen to the public on Tuesday 16 May 2023. Entrance will be free.
Hunterian Museum © Hufton+Crow
The £4.6 million museum re-design, by award winning design studio Casson Mann, is part of a larger redevelopment of the Royal College of Surgeons of England’s headquarters at Lincoln’s Inn Fields in central London.
Hunterian Museum © Hufton+Crow
The Hunterian Museum includes the display of over 2,000 anatomical preparations made by the 18th century surgeon anatomist John Hunter, from whom the museum takes its name.
Hunterian Museum © Hufton+Crow
The specimens are displayed alongside instruments, equipment, models, paintings and archive material, which trace the history of surgery from ancient times to the latest robot-assisted operations.
Concourse (2) by Barbara Hepworth, 1948; Barbara Hepworth © Bowness
The artistic homage to surgery, Concourse by artist Barbara Hepworth will be on permanent display in the museum for the first time. Part of Hepworth’s Hospital Drawings series, made in 1948, the same year the NHS was born, Hepworth wanted to portray the ‘extraordinary beauty of purpose and co-ordination’ of surgical teams.
Hunterian Museum © Hufton+Crow
Teamwork is also at the heart of a newly commissioned film of an orthopaedic operation performed at the Wirrall University Teaching Hospital. With the use of time-lapse editing a 90-minute operation is condensed to just ten, revealing a ballet-like choreography as the surgical staff give all their attention to the patient, centre stage.
Hunterian Museum © Hufton+Crow
These and many other new audio visuals and objects on public display for the first time can also be found on the Hunterian Museum’s new website. Designed by Brighton based digital agency Cogapp, the new platform rolls out the Hunterian Museum to a global audience, opening up new opportunities for debate and engagement with one of the world’s most influential medical collections. The new website is rich with recently digitised collections material, online exhibitions, films, talks, games and key visitor information.
Visitor Information
The Hunterian Museum
The Royal College of Surgeons of England,
Lincoln’s Inn Field,
London.
Entrance is free.
For more information, visit the Hunterian Museum website here
London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in January 2014, we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
We have sections on Museums and Art Galleries, Transport, Food and Drink, Places to Stay, Security, Music, Sport, Books and many more.
There are also hundreds of links to interesting articles on our blog.
To find out more visit the website here
Christmas display opens at Windsor Castle from 24th November 2022
Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2022.
From 24 November 2022, visitors to Windsor Castle will see the State Apartments transformed with Christmas trees, twinkling lights, festive garlands and a spectacular table display in the Waterloo Chamber, one of the largest and most impressive rooms in the Castle. The Semi-State Rooms, the private apartments originally created for George IV, open for the winter months.
Some of the highlights of Christmas celebrations at Windsor Castle include:
Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2022.
A 20-foot-high Nordmann Fir tree in St George’s Hall, grown in Windsor Great Park and dressed with 3,000 lights, hundreds of iridescent jewel-shaped ornaments, and purple velvet and satin ribbons.
Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2022.
A resplendent Christmas tree in the Crimson Drawing Room, one of the Castle’s most ornate Semi-State Rooms.
Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2022.
A festive table display of decorations and items from the Royal Collection in the Waterloo Chamber, one of the largest and most impressive rooms in the Castle.
Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2022.
Spectacular garlands on the Grand Staircase and festive wreaths adorning gates and lampposts in the Castle Precincts, featuring hand-gilded fruits and foliage inspired by the Grinling Gibbons carvings found around the Castle’s State Apartments.
Local school and community choirs performing beneath the Christmas tree in St George’s Hall on 8, 9, 12 and 15 December.
Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2022.
Festive family activities on weekends in December and throughout the Christmas holidays, including craft activities and workshops themed around Victorian Christmas traditions.
An online evening lecture on 6 December, which will see Royal Collection Trust Curators delving into the history of royal Christmas traditions and will include an exploration of rarely seen royal Christmas cards and journal entries from Windsor Castle’s Print Room.
A festive menu in the Castle’s Undercroft Café throughout December.
New Christmas products in Royal Collection Trust’s shops, including festive home accessories, charming tree decorations, food hall favourites and luxury hampers.
Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2022.
Christmas at Windsor Castle is from 24 November 2022 to 2 January 2023. Windsor Castle is open to the public five days a week, Thursday to Monday, remaining closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
For more information, visit the Royal Collection website here
London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in 2014 , we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
We have sections on Museums and Art Galleries, Transport, Food and Drink, Places to Stay, Security, Music, Sport, Books and many more.
There are also hundreds of links to interesting articles on our blog.
To find out more visit the website here
A Summer of Special Events at the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret
In its bicentenary year, Europe’s oldest operating theatre is welcoming visitors by day with new activities and by night to explore fascinating subjects in one of the most affecting and atmospheric historic settings in the country. As well as staging events on subjects wedded to its history, such as Victorian surgery and medicine and female health and anatomy, the stepped wooden theatre attic of St Thomas’ Church next to London Bridge station will become a venue for late events, talks and theatrical performances.
The Museum has launched a year of special bicentenary events, projects and new developments, including new installations, a full programme of events for visitors, a new guidebook and a research project designed to unearth the stories of the surgeons, nurses, students and patients who worked, studied or found themselves on the operating table at the theatre between 1822 and 1862.
From this summer, visitors to the Museum during daily opening hours will discover the stories of a series of historical characters, each of whom played their own varied roles on the site. Each visitor will be given their own character card on arrival and can choose to follow the lives and destinies of their adopted figure as they make their way around the Museum. Among the people featured are Ward Matron, Sarah Elizabeth Wardroper, patients Elizabeth Raigen and Amelia Jones, surgeon Benjamin Travers, medical student Hampton Weekes and porter James Smith.
The Museum will present a collection of medical exhibits from the collection of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital Trust. Chief among this collection of syringes, nipple shells, prescription spikes, medicine kits and apothecary bottles is a 16 th century pewter plate likely to have been used for feeding patients in the earliest days of the old St Thomas’ Hospital.
By day and after hours, the Old Operating Theatre becomes one of the most thrilling and unusual performance venues in the capital. Among the newly confirmed events:
Surgery & the Victorian Operating Theatre Live Event
Join us in the Old Operating Theatre, as we return to the Victorian era and reveal the surgical
procedures that happened before a large and noisy crowd in the attic space of an 18th centurychurch. You will explore the origins and history of Old St Thomas’ Hospital, before sitting in on demonstrations of the most common surgical procedures that too place in this original operating theatre 200 years ago, in the days before anaesthesia and antiseptics. Delve into the visceral horrors of surgery that helped pave the way to our modern medical procedures, in the oldest surviving surgical theatre in Europe. Dates: 30 th July, 27 th August, 24 th September, 29 th October, 26 th November.
10-11am. £12.
Vagina Obscura: How medicine “discovered” the clitoris
Female anatomy hasn’t changed much in the past two millennia—but our understanding of it certainly has. Join award-winning science journalist and author Rachel E. Gross on a journey into the past, present and future of perhaps the most-misunderstood organ in the human body: the clitoris.
Join us as we explore what scientists are finally learning about it, as well as how new insights about female genitals are helping medicine to better study and treat all bodies.
Date: 17 th August 2022. 7-8pm. £12.
Trephination for the Twenty-First Century
A one-woman exploration of invasive surgery combines psychological theory and theatrical technique to create an ardent and authentic performance of care. Amanda Grace’s work as a scholar of empathy and performer of care has been staged in fringe venues, around abandoned estates, and on proscenium stages across multiple continents. Date: 7th September 2022. 7-8pm. £20.
The Artificial Womb: In Conversation with Lisa Mandemaker. Virtual Event
An in-conversation event with Lisa Mandemaker, the designer of speculative project, the Artificial Womb. In the future, artificial wombs could replace incubators as they mimic the natural environment of the female uterus. But how will they look? And how should we respond to such technology if it comes knocking on our door? Date: 8th September 2022. 6-7pm. £5
MUSEUM LATE
A Quirky Evening at the Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret
Come and explore the Museum after dark, encounter the exhibitions at night (creepiness guaranteed!), grab a drink at the Apothecary Wine Bar, discover the tales of the bodysnatchers and participate in mysterious interactive experiences. Musical performance from Lunatraktors. A Museum late to celebrate the upcoming Autumn Equinox. Date: 21st September 2022. 7-9pm. £20.
Scenes from the City: A Civic Education
A new theatrical performance by Edward’s Boys, the all-boy company from King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon. Scenes from the City: A Civic Education explores how merchants were involved in the worlds of education and entertainment in early modern London. Edward’s Boys will present
ten scenes and songs from works by Thomas Middleton, Ben Jonson, and John Webster, ranging in tone from the celebratory to the bitterly satirical. Much of the material has not been publicly performed since the early seventeenth century. Date: 28th September 2022. 6.15-8.30pm. £20.
Circumcision on the Couch: The Cultural, Psychological and Gendered Dimensions of the World’s Oldest Surgery
Join us for a talk by Jordan Osserman about his recent book, Circumcision on the Couch. Penises, and the things people do with them, have been subjects of controversy for a long time. In this event, Jordan will make use of the surgical setting to bring to life some major themes of his book, including
the nineteenth-century transformation of circumcision from a religious rite to a medical procedure designed to cure ‘nervous illness’. The event will include a short performance, ‘The Foreskin Warriors’, by Greek performance art duo FYTA, and a panel discussion with scholars and clinicians.
Date: 29th September 2022. 6.15-8.15pm. £12.
Visitor Information
Address: Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret, 9a St Thomas Street, London, SE1 9RY.
Opening hours: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10.30am – 5.00pm. Access is limited as
the Museum is in the attic space of a 320-year-old church. The entrance is via a 52-step narrow spiral
staircase. Admission: Adult: £7.50; Concessions: £6.00; Child 6-16 years: £4.50; Children under 6
years: Free; Family (2 adults, 2 children): £18.00.
For more information and tickets, visit the Museum website here
London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in January 2014, we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
We have sections on Museums and Art Galleries, Transport, Food and Drink, Places to Stay, Security, Music, Sport, Books and many more.
There are also hundreds of links to interesting articles on our blog.
To find out more visit the website here
Summer Events 2022 at the Charles Dickens Museum
This summer, the Charles Dickens Museum at 48 Doughty Street puts on a series of special events celebrating the stories and characters created by one the world’s greatest ever authors and exploring life at the only surviving London home of Dickens and his family.
Twists & Turns
Oliver Twist is one of the most famous novels ever written, yet it was not entirely a work of fiction. Join the Museum for a Twists & Turns walking tour and discover the real-life events, happiness, tragedy, people and places that shaped the tale of an unlikely hero. Uncover the criminal underbelly of Victorian London, from the real site of Fagin’s den, to the remnants of London’s most shocking slums. An immersive tour bringing the book to life.
Dates: 28th August, 25th September at 11am. £12.
Evening tours of 48 Doughty Street
Experience the magic of Charles Dickens with an intimate guided tour of his home. Begin your evening with a complimentary glass of wine in our courtyard garden and café, before stepping back in time to experience the Georgian townhouse. Hear about Charles Dickens’s rise to fame, the lifestyle of early Victorians and pick up some family gossip along the way.
Dates: 24th August & 21st September at 6pm. Adult: £20; Concession – £15; Child (Under 16) – £15.
Pickwick’s Incredible Family Adventure
A day of adventures inspired by Charles Dickens’s first novel, The Pickwick Papers. Play Victorian games, tackle the Pickwick Museum trail and finish with a goodie bag. Over three consecutive days in the summer holidays, the Family Adventure will send families back in time to discover what life was really like in Victorian England.
Dates: 17th, 18th & 19th August from 10am until 5pm. Adult: £13.50; Child: £12.50.
Oh, Poo!
Quite the invitation, this…come and join the Museum as we dig through some Victorian ‘poo’. You’ll explore the Victorian diet, learn about how the rich and the poor ate different foods and once you’ve pondered all aspects of the ‘poo’, follow the new Toilet Trail (we’re so proud) around Dickens’s home to uncover the delightfully dreadful facts about how the Victorians kept clean and went to the loo! A wonderfully weird and fun family day.
Dates: 3rd August & 24th August. 10am, 11am, 12pm, 2pm and 3pm. Adult: £15; Concession: £12; Child: £10
The Great Dickens Adventure
Charles Dickens is one of the most famous writers of all time, but while his stories are so well known, how much do we know about the man? Join us as we explore the London of Dickens’s day, uncovering the places and people who helped shape the great writer. Beginning at the Museum and ending at Fleet Street, you’ll be immersed in the past as you discover Dickens’s route to fame and find out how his early years shaped his best-loved books. Date: 20th August at 11am. £12
The Housemaid’s Tour
She’s a busy woman, but if you promise to be clean and tidy, she might let you in for a sneaky tour! Step back in time to 1838 and enjoy a tour of Charles Dickens’s London home led by his own housemaid. Hear tales of Victorian life and Dickens family gossip, with a healthy dose of dry wit. An intimate and atmospheric tour – groups are kept at no more than 15 people – showing how the Dickenses lived and worked in London.
Date: 18th September at 10am, 11am or 12 noon. £15 Adult £12 Conc £8 child
For more information or to book tickets, visit the Charles Dickens Museum website here
London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in January 2014, we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
We have sections on Museums and Art Galleries, Transport, Food and Drink, Places to Stay, Security, Music, Sport, Books and many more.
There are also hundreds of links to interesting articles on our blog.
To find out more visit the website here
A Short Guide to Canary Wharf
If you walk amongst the shiny skyscrapers of Canary Wharf today, you may find it hard to believe that only forty years ago this was the derelict site of the once great West India Docks. However, although the cranes of the construction sites have taken over from the cranes in the docks, the transformation into Canary Wharf was not without its problems and setbacks.
The creation of an enterprise zone in the Isle of Dogs in the 1980s made the area attractive for potential investors, but finding the Investment to finance one of the largest schemes in the UK proved elusive. In 1987, the master building agreement was signed between Olympia & York and the LDDC for a 12.2 million sq. ft. development at Canary Wharf. Although building commenced and firms were beginning to move into some of the completed buildings, this progress was halted when in 1992 Olympia & York Canary Wharf Ltd went into Administration.
Olympia & York Canary Wharf Ltd came out of administration the following year and created a new company that would be eventually called the Canary Wharf Group. The next few years progress was slow until around the turn of the millennium (2000) when the completed DLR and Jubilee connections solved one of the great problems of the project namely transport for the increasing number of workers to the site.
The increase of high-profile businesses coming into Canary Wharf in the years since 2000 has seen considerable growth both in office space and the retail space that now numbers over 300 shops, bars and restaurants. The number of workers has also increased from 7.000 in 1994 to 120,000 people in 2012.
The Canary Wharf Group has created 18 million sq ft of superior office, retail and leisure space and the recent opening up of Wood Wharf as a mixed retail and residential may signal a change of emphasis and the creation a mini city in the Docklands.
Looking at the skyscrapers, visitors many think there is little to attract them, however if you look beyond the tall buildings there is plenty to explore as you wander around the estate.
Canary Wharf has over 20 acres of outdoor space and over 70 pieces of public art. The old docks are still there and provide a natural break to the large buildings and attract a wide range of ships throughout the year.
At certain vantage points like Westferry Circus, you get wonderful views of the Thames and the skyscrapers of the the City of London.
At the other end of the estate you get more views of the O2 and North Greenwich.
As well as 300 shops, cafes, bars and restaurants, Canary Wharf has a year-round events programme and one of London’s biggest roof gardens.
You can find a quiet oasis from the hustle and bustle of the estate in Westferry Gardens, Jubilee Park and Wood Wharf boardwalk.
A visit to West India Quay illustrates the way that the old warehouses and buildings of the old docks have been used for new purposes including restaurants, shops and the Museum of Docklands which tells the story of the Docklands and Canary Wharf.
Getting to Canary Wharf could not be easier with access from the Jubilee line and Dockland Light Railway that winds its way around the estate before going to the City of London, Stratford, Greenwich and other points of interest in East and South London. London City Airport is only a few miles away and you will often see planes over the top of the buildings making their way to and from the airport. The arrival of the Elizabeth Line in late 2022 will bring even more improved connections.
Canary Wharf is not on many tourist maps but is an intriguing mix of old and new, visitors will be surprised by the range of amenities and the green spaces and wonderful views.
For more information and tickets, visit the Canary Wharf website here
London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in January 2014, we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
We have sections on Museums and Art Galleries, Transport, Food and Drink, Places to Stay, Security, Music, Sport, Books and many more.
There are also hundreds of links to interesting articles on our blog.
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Christmas in Borough Market
One of the delights of the pre Christmas period in London is to take a trip to Borough Market and sample some of the festive fare to get into that real Christmas spirit.
Borough Market is a wholesale and retail food market in Southwark on the South Bank of the Thames, It is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London and over the last few years has gained a reputation as one of the finest markets in London.
Part of that reputation is due to the quality of food and drink available and many of the market’s most famous traders have become brands in their own right.
The market generally consists of around 70 stalls at which fresh produce is sold this includes fish, meats, vegetables, ciders, cheeses, breads, coffees, cakes and patisseries. As well as produce grown in the UK, other stalls specialise in quality produce imported from abroad.
A Borough Market has existed in one form or another since 1014, although has moved to various sites around the Borough and London Bridge area. The present buildings are mostly from the 19th century when the market was one of the most important in London for fresh produce.
The Market is run by a charitable trust who maintain a commitment to quality and high standards, only stall holders that reach these standards are allowed to sell at the market.
In recent years the Market has become the haunt of celebrity chefs and a trendy place to buy food, it also features in a number of TV and films.
One of the joys of visiting the Borough Market is to wander around the various stalls and tasting the often delicious produce and take in the wonderful fragrances of the street food. Some of the food is expensive but the quality is usually excellent and the stall holders are very knowledgeable about their products and are happy to impart that knowledge if you are interested.
OPENING TIMES FOR CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR
Monday 22 November: 10am – 5pm
Tuesday 23 November: 10am – 5pm
Wednesday 24 November: 10am – 5pm
Thursday 25 November: 10am – 5pm
Friday 26 November: 10am – 6pm
Saturday 27 November: 8am – 5pm
Sunday 28 November: 10am – 4pm
Monday 29 November: 10am – 5pm
Tuesday 30 November: 10am – 5pm
Wednesday 1 December: 10am – 5pm
Thursday 2 December: 10am – 5pm
Friday 3 December: 10am – 6pm
Saturday 4 December: 8am – 5pm
Sunday 5 December: 10am – 4pm
Monday 6 December: 10am – 5pm
Tuesday 7 December: 10am – 5pm
Wednesday 8 December: 10am – 5pm
Thursday 9 December: 10am – 5pm
Friday 10 December: 10am – 6pm
Saturday 11 December: 8am – 5pm
Sunday 12 December: 10am – 4pm
Monday 13 December: 10am – 5pm
Tuesday 14 December: 10am – 5pm
Wednesday 15 December: 10am – 5pm
Thursday 16 December: 10am – 5pm
Friday 17 December: 10am – 6pm
Saturday 18 December: 8am – 5pm
Sunday 19 December: 10am – 4pm
Monday 20 December: 10am – 5pm
Tuesday 21 December: 10am – 5pm
Wednesday 22 December: 10am – 6pm
Thursday 23 December: 8am – 6pm
Friday 24 December: 8am – 3pm
Saturday 25 December: Closed
Sunday 26 December: Closed
Monday 27 December: Closed
Tuesday 28 December: 10am – 5pm
Wednesday 29 December: 10am – 5pm
Thursday 30 December: 10am – 5pm
Friday 31 December: 10am – 5pm
Saturday 1 January: Closed
Sunday 2 January: Closed
Monday 3 January: Closed
Tuesday 4 January: 10am – 5pm
Wednesday 5 January: 10am – 5pm
Thursday 6 January: 10am – 5pm
Friday 7 January: 10am – 6pm
Saturday 8 January: 8am – 5pm
Sunday 9 January: 10am – 2pm
For more information, visit the Borough Market website here
London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in 2014 , we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
We have sections on Museums and Art Galleries, Transport, Food and Drink, Places to Stay, Security, Music, Sport, Books and many more.
There are also hundreds of links to interesting articles on our blog.
To find out more visit the website here
Christmas at Hay’s Galleria
After the difficult last couple of years, London is pulling out all the stops to bring Christmas cheer to the capital.
As part of the Christmas by the River event that runs from London Bridge to Tower Bridge, Hay’s Galleria has entered the festive spirit with trees and decorations filling the impressive complex.
Hay’s Galleria is a Grade II listed building in Bankside which is a mixed use complex that includes restaurants, shops, offices and apartments.
The Galleria has been developed using the warehouse and associated wharf (Hay’s Wharf) that was created in 1859. The wharf had an enclosed dock which in the 18th century was a major wharf for bringing Tea into London. Damaged by the Great Fire of Southwark in 1861 and by bombing in the Second World War it was often rebuilt, however it was the demise of the London Docks that led to Hay’s Wharf closing in 1970.
In the 1980s the area was developed by the St Martin’s Property Corporation and Hay’s Galleria was created by closing the dock gates, covering the dock and covering the entire space with a glass roof.
The centrepiece of the Galleria is a 60ft moving sculpture of a ship called ‘The Navigators’ by David Kemp which was unveiled in 1987.
With stunning views of Tower Bridge, The Tower of London and the iconic City skyline nearby, Hay’s Galleria attracts many visitors who walk along the South side of the Thames.
For more information, visit the Christmas by the River website here
London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in 2014 , we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
We have sections on Museums and Art Galleries, Transport, Food and Drink, Places to Stay, Security, Music, Sport, Books and many more.
There are also hundreds of links to interesting articles on our blog.
To find out more visit the website here
The Garden at Buckingham Palace from 9 July to 19 September 2021
Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2021. Photographer John Campbell
If the idea of a stuffy museum fills you with post-lockdown dread, perhaps a wander around one of the most famous gardens in London will provide some attraction.
Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2021. Photographer John Campbell
The garden at Buckingham Palace opens to visitors from 9 July and will be open to September, the grounds of Her Majesty The Queen’s official London residence can be explored through a self-guided tour for the first time. Following exceptional demand, additional tickets have been made available on dates throughout July to September.
Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2021. Photographer John Campbell
Visitors will be free to explore a route through the garden that encompasses the 156-metre Herbaceous Border, plane trees planted by and named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and views of the island and its beehives across the 3.5-acre lake.
Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2021. Photographer John Campbell
The unique opportunity to enjoy a picnic on one of the sweeping lawns will be part of the visit. Features in the south-west of the garden, including the Rose Garden, summer house and wildflower meadow, can be viewed through one of the guided tours that will run each day.
Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2021. Photographer John Campbell
The historic 39-acre garden dates back to the 1820s when George IV turned Buckingham House into a palace. The garden is home to a remarkable array of flora and fauna, including rare native plants seldom seen in London. The garden has more than 1,000 trees, the National Collection of Mulberry Trees and 320 different wildflowers and grasses.
Daily talks by Visitor Services Wardens and trails for families are included as part of the visit. Art and craft activities will be available in locations throughout the garden for visitors with children on Mondays in July and August (from 19 July) and as part of two Family Festival days on 26 and 30 August, where Warden-led family tours will also be available.
Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2021. Photographer John Campbell
Unusual Buckingham Palace Garden facts
In 1762 Queen Charlotte established a menagerie in the garden. It included an elephant, monkeys and one of the first zebras ever seen in England.
The Queen hosts three Garden Parties a year at Buckingham Palace. Each is attended by 8,000 guests, who consume around 27,000 cups of tea, 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 slices of cake.
Since 2008 the island in the lake has been home to five beehives, which produce around 160 jars of honey a year for use in the royal kitchens.
There are more than 1,000 trees in the garden, including 98 plane trees, 85 different species of oak and 40 different types of mulberry tree.
The Rose Garden contains 25 beds of roses. Each bed is planted with 60 rose bushes of a different variety, and no two adjacent beds are of a similar colour.
The garden’s Waterloo Vase weighs an estimated 19 tonnes and is an impressive 5.5m (18ft) tall. It was commissioned by the French Emperor Napoleon after his defeat at Waterloo in 1815 it was presented to the future George IV.
The garden’s meadows, which were once grazed by cows and goats, are now home to more than 320 different types of wildflowers and grasses.
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The Garden at Buckingham Palace opens from Friday, 9 July. Tickets are priced at £16.50 for adults. Garden Highlights Guided Tours should be booked with the main ticket and are priced at £6.50 for adults. Tours will run 12 times a day.
For more information, visit the Royal Collection website here
London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in 2014 , we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
We have sections on Museums and Art Galleries, Transport, Food and Drink, Places to Stay, Security, Music, Sport, Books and many more.
There are also hundreds of links to interesting articles on our blog.
To find out more visit the website here
THE END by Heather Phillipson on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square
© 2020 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean
THE END, a new artwork by artist Heather Phillipson was unveiled on Thursday 30 July, on the Fourth Plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square.
© 2020 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean
It is the 13th Fourth Plinth commission since the programme began in 1998, it is also the tallest to date, measuring 9.4m and weighing 9 tonnes, and follows on from The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist by Michael Rakowitz. Both artists were selected in 2017 by the Fourth Plinth Commission Group, following an exhibition at the National Gallery where 10,000 people voted for their favourite shortlisted artwork.
© 2020 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean
Heather Phillipson’s sculpture tops the Fourth Plinth with a giant swirl of whipped cream, a cherry, a fly and a drone that transmits a live feed of Trafalgar Square. The sculpture Entitled THE END illustrates Trafalgar Square as a site of celebration and protest, the live feed of Trafalgar Square picked up by the drone’s camera is visible on a dedicated website giving a sculpture’s eye perspective.
© 2020 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean
Heather Phillipson was born in London, where she lives and works. Her works include video, sculpture, web projects, music, drawing and poetry.
© 2020 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean
THE END is the first fully accessible commission on the Fourth Plinth. There is a braille panel included on the plaque, a tactile image of the work, and an audio description of the work on the GLA’s website
The Fourth Plinth as it is known has quite an unusual history, it was intended to be used for a equestrian statue of William IV astride a bronze horse to match the statue of George IV which is on the other side of the square. However George IV spent so much money during his reign that there was not enough funds left for the statue.
Remarkably, considering the square is a major public area, the plinth was empty for more than 150 years. Eventually it was decided that temporary modern pieces of work would occupy the plinth. The final choice is often controversial but is a focus of interest which generates considerable media interest.
London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in January 2014, we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
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ZSL London Zoo reopens to the public – June 15th 2020
Photographs (c) ZSL London Zoo
Visitors arrived at ZSL London Zoo on Monday 15 June 2020 to enjoy the official reopening of the attraction, three months after it closed to the public for the first time since WW2.
Lucky visitors who secured one of the 2,000 sold-out tickets to the reopening formed a socially-distanced queue to enter the iconic 36 acre park, before safely following one of three mapped out nature routes laid out across the site.
Photographs (c) ZSL London Zoo
Standing 2 metres apart, the public enjoyed visiting the Zoo’s popular zoo residents, including Critically Endangered Western lowland gorillas Mjukuu, Effie, Gernot and Alika, Sumatran tiger Asim and Asiatic lions Heidi, Indi, Rubi and Bhanu alongside the lively Humboldt penguin colony at Penguin Beach.
Photographs (c) ZSL London Zoo
The Zoo is limiting visitors to 2,000 people per day, with pre-booked tickets only. A one-way system is in place, with three prescribed routes ensuring guests remain socially-distanced, while getting to explore the whole zoo. Catering outlets are takeaway only, and all payments will be contactless. Some indoor exhibits, including the Reptile House and BUGS House will remain closed for now.
Photographs (c) ZSL London Zoo
ZSL London Zoo will carry on fundraising to recoup the charity’s lost income for the three month period.
Photographs (c) ZSL London Zoo
Safety measures introduced:
All visitors must book tickets in advance
Contactless entry
Limited to 2,000 visitors per day, split into morning and afternoon slots
Takeaway food only available
2m distancing markers in place around the zoo
Three one-way trails to keep visitors flowing in the same direction
Handwashing facilities and sanitiser available throughout the zoo
Outdoor benches and tables cleaned throughout the day
Animal talks have been suspended to avoid gathering crowds
Indoor and walkthrough exhibits such as the Reptile House will not yet be accessible to the public.
For more information or book tickets, visit the London Zoo website here
London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in January 2014, we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
We have sections on Museums and Art Galleries, Transport, Food and Drink, Places to Stay, Security, Music, Sport, Books and many more.
There are also hundreds of links to interesting articles on our blog.
To find out more visit the website here
London Visitors 