This major new exhibition reveals the scale of the capital's 'hidden' international port. London: Port City runs from 22 October 2021 to 8 May 2022 at the Museum of London Docklands, itself originally part of West India Docks – London's first enclosed dock system and a hive of activity packed with valuable cargoes from around the world from 1802 until its closure in … [Read more...] about London: Port City – New Exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands
Events
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
London Marathon: 30 fun new world records set at 2021’s London Marathon
A fun runner who is now the fastest woman to finish a marathon dressed as a cake said it was a “amazing” to have competed in this year’s London Marathon. The effort by Anna Bassil, 42, of St Albans, is among 30 official Guinness World Records (GWR) titles which were broken as the Virgin Money London Marathon returned after last year’s event had to be scrapped due to Covid-19 … [Read more...] about London Marathon: 30 fun new world records set at 2021’s London Marathon
Exploring London’s Freud Museum and a Fascinating New Exhibition – Code Name Mary
Along an unassuming residential street in the north London suburbs, there's a house whose famous 1930s resident is still a household name. The Freud Museum in Hampstead was where the father of psychoanalysis lived with his family when he fled Nazi persecution. The Jewish neurologist lived and worked for the majority of his career in Vienna. But he spent his final year in … [Read more...] about Exploring London’s Freud Museum and a Fascinating New Exhibition – Code Name Mary
Open House London: Exploring The Old Deanery – City of London
The Old Deanery is a Grade I seventeenth-century mansion house close to the West Front of St Paul’s Cathedral. Set back with its own courtyard, it is among a small handful of surviving secular buildings erected in the aftermath of the Great Fire of 1666. It is the office of the Bishop of London and recently underwent restoration. It's not somewhere we could usually see inside, … [Read more...] about Open House London: Exploring The Old Deanery – City of London
London’s Natural History Museum new photo exhibition to highlight a ‘planet under pressure’
A blood-spattered lioness, a gecko wrestling for its life in the grip of a snake, and a slick of dead and dying herrings are among the photographs submitted to a prestigious exhibition. The Natural History Museum has released a selection of the highly commended images for its Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, which show a “planet under pressure”. Among the … [Read more...] about London’s Natural History Museum new photo exhibition to highlight a ‘planet under pressure’
Notting Hill Carnival boss ‘confident’ of 2022 return
The decision to take the Notting Hill Carnival off the streets for the second year running has affected the “hearts and minds” of those who love the event, its organizer has said. Matthew Phillip, executive director of Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, said canceling Europe’s biggest street party has hit those involved hard – but he is “confident” it will return next year. The … [Read more...] about Notting Hill Carnival boss ‘confident’ of 2022 return
An Overview of Open House London
Open House London is an annual festival meant to celebrate the city’s architecture. It’s part of the larger Open City charity, an organization made up of fifty charities in various cities that focuses on architecture and design and how these affect our lives. Throughout the year, Open City puts on educational programs in schools, hosts a podcast, publishes books, and engages … [Read more...] about An Overview of Open House London
A Brief Overview of the Lord Mayor’s Show
A city such as London certainly enjoys a high level of pageantry, and even a municipal change of power can’t go without a great celebration. Such is the case for the Lord Mayor’s Show, the parade that marks the beginning of the annual term for the head of the City of London. The Lord Mayor is different from the Mayor of London as the City of London is different from Greater … [Read more...] about A Brief Overview of the Lord Mayor’s Show
Paddington: The Story of the Bear – New Exhibition at the British Library
The famous polite bear from deepest darkest Peru is the feature of a new exhibition at the British Library. Paddington: The Story of a Bear is a family-friendly exhibition celebrating one of the world's most beloved fictional bears over 60 years on from when he was first published. As it's summertime, you may not need your duffle coat, but a marmalade sandwich packed lunch … [Read more...] about Paddington: The Story of the Bear – New Exhibition at the British Library
Picnic in the Queen’s Private Garden – Laura Porter Visits Buckingham Palace’s Garden
When attending the annual summer opening of Buckingham Palace, you do get to exit along the side of the garden. But for this year, there is a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to freely explore the garden for the first time. And to enjoy a picnic on the lawn overlooking the Palace from July to September 2021. As I noted in my long-read about Buckingham Palace, the palace … [Read more...] about Picnic in the Queen’s Private Garden – Laura Porter Visits Buckingham Palace’s Garden
Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits – New Major Exhibition at The National Maritime Museum
This royal portraits exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich looks at the kings and queens who have shaped British history for over 500 years. There are many loans from the National Portrait Gallery, which has been made possible while that gallery is closed for redevelopment until spring 2023. For me, this was a real delight, and not only because it was my … [Read more...] about Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits – New Major Exhibition at The National Maritime Museum
Princess Diana’s wedding dress to go on show at Kensington Palace
Diana, Princess of Wales’s famous wedding dress is to go on show at Kensington Palace for the first time in more than 25 years. The Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex have agreed to lend their mother’s romantic full silk taffeta bridal gown to Historic Royal Palaces for a temporary exhibition. Royal Style In The Making will open in the orangery of the princess’s … [Read more...] about Princess Diana’s wedding dress to go on show at Kensington Palace
The London Fiver – Five Things to Look Forward to in London During 2021 Post-Pandemic
While we can agree that 2020 was a collective dumpster fire of a year, we look to 2021 with a renewed sense of hope now that the COVID-19 vaccine is among us. As the vaccine continues to be meted out to the citizens of the US and UK, there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel of lockdown restrictions in London. With that sense of hope comes the possibility that some … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five Things to Look Forward to in London During 2021 Post-Pandemic
Interactive Doctor Who Experience Coming to London – Advance Booking Opens Soon
This showed up in the inbox today and will delight Doctor Who fans who have been hungry for a Doctor Who themed attraction since the exhibition in Cardiff closed a few years ago. Though, I'm really surprised anything this far in advance has been announced when no one really knows what travel will look like in 2021. Still, it sounds fun. Might be worth booking anyway, even if … [Read more...] about Interactive Doctor Who Experience Coming to London – Advance Booking Opens Soon
Out of Austerity: The Festival of Britain 1951 – A History and Examination
The 1951 Festival of Britain was a post-war state-sponsored exhibition. At the time, rationing continued and austerity gripped the nation. London was shabby, rundown and gloomy so this bright and playful spectacular was a 'tonic for the nation' to promote the feeling of recovery. The city was scarred with bombsites and buildings hadn't been painted for ten years so the Festival … [Read more...] about Out of Austerity: The Festival of Britain 1951 – A History and Examination
London Fiver: Five of London’s Strangest Annual Events
London certainly sees its share of annual parades, festivals, and events from its Carnival to the Lord Mayor’s Show. Many of them highlight the history and cultural heritage of the city, though some are a little on the weird side. Certain events in London might seem odd to observers at first, but they can be just as fun. From annual traditions with a long history to races … [Read more...] about London Fiver: Five of London’s Strangest Annual Events
Laura’s London: Special Exhibition Report – Andy Warhol at Tate Modern
A new major exhibition at Tate Modern looks at Andy Warhol from his childhood in Pittsburgh through to his one of his final works. It's a fresh look at the extraordinary life and work of the pop art superstar and offers a rare personal insight into how Warhol and his work marked a period of cultural transformation. Featuring over 100 works, the exhibition shows how this … [Read more...] about Laura’s London: Special Exhibition Report – Andy Warhol at Tate Modern
Florence Nightingale in 200 Objects, People and Places – New Special Exhibition at the Florence Nightingale Museum
Florence Nightingale (12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was born in Florence, Italy, to a wealthy British family. In her bicentenary year, London's Florence Nightingale Museum is celebrating the life and legacy of the lesser-known aspects of her life with a special exhibition. The museum tells the story of this deeply religious woman who broke social conventions. Nightingale in … [Read more...] about Florence Nightingale in 200 Objects, People and Places – New Special Exhibition at the Florence Nightingale Museum
The London Fiver – Five Things to Do in March
Once March rolls around, the weather starts being a little warmer and friendlier, leading to a number of London festivals and other events throughout the city. Of course, the big event for the month is the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade and festival, but there are plenty of other events you should check out if you’re going to find yourself in London during this time and don’t … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five Things to Do in March
Exhibition Report: David Hockney – Drawing from Life at the National Portrait Gallery
There's a new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery featuring one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century. David Hockney: Drawing from Life is the first major exhibition devoted to David Hockney's drawings in over twenty years. There are around 150 works from public and private collections on display. The exhibition traces the trajectory of his … [Read more...] about Exhibition Report: David Hockney – Drawing from Life at the National Portrait Gallery
Special Exhibition Report: Viewing the Armada Portraits at Queen’s House in Greenwich – Faces of a Queen and The Woburn Treasures
For the first time ever the three surviving versions of the Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I are on display together in the Queen’s House in Greenwich (13 February – 31 August 2020). And a major collaboration with Woburn Abbey means even more significant works from their private art collection are on display in Greenwich too. If you do one special exhibition in Britain this year, … [Read more...] about Special Exhibition Report: Viewing the Armada Portraits at Queen’s House in Greenwich – Faces of a Queen and The Woburn Treasures
Exhibition Report: Meet Vincent van Gogh in London
From 7 February to 21 May 2020, the award-winning Meet Vincent van Gogh Experience is on display on London’s South Bank. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has found a new approach with this touring 3D experience. The museum's collection is quite small and vulnerable so this idea makes art accessible to a wider audience. It's an interactive and multi-sensory experience that … [Read more...] about Exhibition Report: Meet Vincent van Gogh in London
The London Fiver – Five Things to Do in London in February
Past the winter wonderland of the holidays and not yet into the warmth of Spring, London sees a number of events in February that get people out into the streets and into its venues. Several festivals take place during the month along with a couple of major events that provide just about anyone something fun to do. Whether you’re into cars, art, sport, or food and drink, … [Read more...] about The London Fiver – Five Things to Do in London in February
Londontopia is simply the website for people who love London. It was founded by Jonathan & Jackie Thomas from Anglotopia.net as a place to post articles solely focused on London and its environs. Keep up with all the latest London news at Londontopia! This site is geared towards people who love to visit London and our primary audience is North American but everyone is welcome!