A Premier League club has unveiled a new shirt inspired by London Underground seats. The design of the new Arsenal shirt was influenced by the bold pattern which appears on Piccadilly line trains that run past the club’s north London stadium. The shirts were created following a collaboration between the club, Transport for London and sportswear manufacturer … [Read more...] about Arsenal unveils shirt inspired by London Underground seats
Culture
What is Cockney Rhyming Slang?
In any language, a kind of sub-language can develop. These are words or phrases in the parent language that develop amongst a group of people who share a common location or culture. It might form a kind of short-hand or act as a code to keep the information a secret from outsiders. One such group in London are Cockneys. The term had been around for centuries, but came to … [Read more...] about What is Cockney Rhyming Slang?
London Aquarium Does Annual Count – includes a 27-year-old turtle named Boris, 298 clownfish, and four tropical milk frogs
Sea Life London Aquarium has dived into its annual “count and clean” stocktake of its creatures in preparation for the year ahead. Expert aquarists have plunged into the water with calculators in hand to kick off their count of the attraction’s 6,000 creatures, including a 27-year-old green sea turtle named Boris who measures 1.5 meters (five feet) in … [Read more...] about London Aquarium Does Annual Count – includes a 27-year-old turtle named Boris, 298 clownfish, and four tropical milk frogs
Ten Interesting Facts about the Lord Mayor’s Show
The Lord Mayor’s Show is one of the top annual events that takes place in the City of London each year. Separate from the Greater London Authority and its Mayor, Sadiq Khan, the City of London selects its Lord Mayor every year from the Aldermen with a vote conducted by the City of London’s 110 livery companies. The Lord Mayor is then sworn in as part of the Lord Mayor’s Show, … [Read more...] about Ten Interesting Facts about the Lord Mayor’s Show
Scaffolding Begins to Come Down on Big Ben and plans to chime on New Year’s Eve as restoration nears its end
Big Ben will bong on New Year’s Eve, with all faces of the Houses of Parliament’s famous clock tower on display for the first time in four years. The bell will be struck 12 times to mark the start of 2022, as a project to restore the Palace of Westminster’s Elizabeth Tower nears its end. In the days running up to December 31, the bell will be heard chiming, as engineers … [Read more...] about Scaffolding Begins to Come Down on Big Ben and plans to chime on New Year’s Eve as restoration nears its end
London’s Natural History Museum closes for a week amid Covid-related ‘staff shortages,’ Some Theatre Shows Close
The Natural History Museum is being forced to close its doors for a week due to “staff shortages” related to coronavirus. The South Kensington visitor attraction has had to make the “difficult decision” to shut from Tuesday after front-of-house staff were “impacted by Covid-19 infections and isolation requirements”. In a statement, the museum said: “We will remain closed … [Read more...] about London’s Natural History Museum closes for a week amid Covid-related ‘staff shortages,’ Some Theatre Shows Close
Life Between Islands: Caribbean-British Art 50s to Now – Latest Exhibition at Tate Britain
This Tate Britain exhibition explores Caribbean-British art over four generations. There is an open admittance that, like much of the mainstream British art world, Tate was late to recognize many of the artists included. But that is being rectified now with this celebration of this cross-cultural genre of art. Over Forty Artists This is the first time a major national … [Read more...] about Life Between Islands: Caribbean-British Art 50s to Now – Latest Exhibition at Tate Britain
The Fiver – Five London Books as Christmas Gifts
Around this time of year, the question arises of what to get your family members for the holidays. While books can seem about as sexy a gift as socks, they can be enticing to the bibliophiles in your life. In fact, if you know someone planning to take a vacation trip to London, they can help inform their trip and give them new things to do or a better understanding of what … [Read more...] about The Fiver – Five London Books as Christmas Gifts
London Couple use thousands of lights to create elaborate charitable Christmas display
A man who was diagnosed with leukemia is raising money for a blood cancer charity by creating an elaborate Christmas display outside his and his partner’s house. Peter Elliott, 71, has spent a month putting up thousands of lights on his home in Romford, east London, to raise money for Leukaemia Care and Great Ormond Street Hospital. He creates the display each year to … [Read more...] about London Couple use thousands of lights to create elaborate charitable Christmas display
Christmas Comes to the Charles Dickens Museum in London
Visiting the Charles Dickens Museum at Christmas time is a real treat as the place is transformed with Victorian-style decorations. This year, the Museum has lots of winter events, including a production of A Christmas Carol streamed from inside Charles Dickens's only surviving London home. There are also spooky ghost stories and 'A Search for Father Christmas' for families … [Read more...] about Christmas Comes to the Charles Dickens Museum in London
Palace of Westminster Christmas Tree Officially Chosen – Westminster Christmas tree is one in 150 million
A Christmas tree picked to stand at the foot of Big Ben is one in 150 million, Forestry England has said. The 42ft Sitka spruce, selected from the 60,000-hectare Kielder Forest in Northumberland, has been despatched to central London to be put up outside Parliament at the weekend. Kielder is England’s biggest forest and one of the few places in the UK that can supply such … [Read more...] about Palace of Westminster Christmas Tree Officially Chosen – Westminster Christmas tree is one in 150 million
The Courtauld Gallery Reopening after 3 year closure for renovations – Here’s a look at what’s changed
The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House has been closed since 2018 for the largest transformation project of its history. It reopens on Friday, Nov 19, 2021, allowing us to enjoy not only the magnificent Impressionist and Post Impressionist collection but so much more with the extra gallery space. The Courtauld is home to one of the greatest collections of art in the UK, … [Read more...] about The Courtauld Gallery Reopening after 3 year closure for renovations – Here’s a look at what’s changed
New sculptures of Queen and Philip to complete Royal Albert Hall for 150th Anniversary
The Royal Albert Hall has commissioned two new life-size sculptures of the Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh to mark its 150th anniversary. The bronze figures – along with two new statues of the Queen Victoria and Prince Albert – will be permanent additions to the historic London venue and will be unveiled next summer. The artworks of the Queen and Philip, depicting … [Read more...] about New sculptures of Queen and Philip to complete Royal Albert Hall for 150th Anniversary
London launches Christmas celebrations with world’s biggest light switch-on
London has kicked off its Christmas festivities with the world’s largest light switch-on. The capital’s most well-known hotspots including Mayfair, Piccadilly Circus, and Leicester Square have been decked with more than one million LED lights ahead of Christmas. Shoppers buying their loved ones gifts on Oxford Street and Regent Street are also able to see the lights from … [Read more...] about London launches Christmas celebrations with world’s biggest light switch-on
The London Fiver – Five Bookshops to Visit in the City of Westminster
Westminster is one of London’s largest and most important boroughs. A city in its own right, it contains the Houses of Parliament, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, Whitehall, Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus, and many more. With all there is to see here, you might not be thinking about finding a good bookshop, but that’s where we come into the picture. We have found five … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five Bookshops to Visit in the City of Westminster
Hogarth and Europe – New Exhibition at Tate Britain
Understanding the time a famous figure worked in can help us to know them better. The latest exhibition at Tate Britain showcases works by the eighteenth-century English artist William Hogarth (1697–1764) alongside works by his continental contemporaries. Hogarth and Europe explores the parallels and exchanges that crossed borders and the cosmopolitan character of Hogarth's … [Read more...] about Hogarth and Europe – New Exhibition at Tate Britain
Selfridges unveils ‘Christmas of Dreams’ 2021 window display, in October
It's a bit early, to be honest, I mean it's still October! But Selfridges has unveiled its Christmas window display with an “enchanted dream world” drawing on the Golden Age of Hollywood. With just under two months until the big day, the department store’s “Christmas of Dreams” campaign has been launched at its London, Birmingham, and Manchester stores and … [Read more...] about Selfridges unveils ‘Christmas of Dreams’ 2021 window display, in October
Exhibition Report: Late Constable at the Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts's latest exhibition presents the first survey of the late work of John Constable (1776–1837). Late Constable opens on 30 October 2021, exploring the last twelve years of the artist's career, from 1825 until his unexpected death in 1837. The exhibition brings together over 50 works, including paintings and oil sketches as well as watercolors, … [Read more...] about Exhibition Report: Late Constable at the Royal Academy
English Football League Teams in London
The English Football League is the oldest football association in the world, having started in 1888. It was the highest level of English football until the point that twenty-two teams broke away to form the Premier League in 1992. You’d recognize plenty of the Premier League teams that still inhabit London such as Chelsea, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Wimbledon, and Tottenham. … [Read more...] about English Football League Teams in London
London’s V&A and National Trust unite to explore ‘extraordinary legacy’ of Beatrix Potter in 2022 Exhibition
The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) has joined forces with the National Trust for an exhibition telling the life story of author Beatrix Potter. Drawn to Nature will feature more than 240 personal objects, including rarely seen letters, manuscripts, sketches, coded diaries, and family photographs drawn from the two collections. Potter, who lived between 1866 and … [Read more...] about London’s V&A and National Trust unite to explore ‘extraordinary legacy’ of Beatrix Potter in 2022 Exhibition
Foundling Museum – Fighting Talk: One Man’s Journey From Abandonment to Trafalgar
The Foundling Museum is a wonderful place to visit and has really well chosen temporary exhibitions. The latest looks at a first-hand account of the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar. And the connection is that George King had started life at the Foundling Hospital, the UK's first children's charity). Who was George King? George King (10 June 1787–31 July 1857) was child number 18,053 … [Read more...] about Foundling Museum – Fighting Talk: One Man’s Journey From Abandonment to Trafalgar
British Museum to display ‘world’s oldest surviving map of the stars’
The British Museum is to display what it says is the world’s oldest surviving map of the stars. The Nebra Sky Disc is 3,600 years old and will go on show at the London museum next year. The 30cm bronze disc with a blue-green patina is decorated with inlaid gold symbols thought to represent the sun, moon, stars, the solstices, and the Pleiades constellation. The Nebra … [Read more...] about British Museum to display ‘world’s oldest surviving map of the stars’
London’s Hamleys unveils most wanted toys for Christmas
Toys that encourage imagination in children are tipped to be top sellers this Christmas as parents seek to counter a “year on screens,” retailer Hamleys has said. This year sees the most-wanted toys encouraging role play and creativity and allowing families to play together after last year’s Covid-restricted celebrations, the store said. The top 10 list includes racing … [Read more...] about London’s Hamleys unveils most wanted toys for Christmas
Check out ‘Enigmatic images’ in Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest
A French biologist and underwater photographer has been named as this year's Natural History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year, the annual contest put on by the London museum. The photos will be going on public display at London's Natural History Museum. Laurent Ballesta was selected as the winner of the competition following the submission of his "enigmatic image" … [Read more...] about Check out ‘Enigmatic images’ in Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest
Behind the Scenes at Berry Bros & Rudd – Oldest Wine Merchant in The UK
Berry Bros & Rudd is one of the oldest wine merchants in the world and is the oldest wine and spirit merchant in the UK. Even after more than 300 years, it is still a family-owned and family-run business. And yes, this is where the Queen gets her wine. As a business, it started off as a coffee merchant, went into wine 100 years after that, and, in its second century, it … [Read more...] about Behind the Scenes at Berry Bros & Rudd – Oldest Wine Merchant in The UK
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