London Off the Beaten Path Tips by M0B1US

Kew Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage site is one of the most spectacular gardens and collections of plants in the World.

over the years I have had the pleasure of visiting this beautiful place, though one of the best experiences I've had here was this New Year's Day as I had the pleasure of seeing Dale Chihuly's stunning glass exhibition with its numerous installations throughout the gardens - truly stunning!

There are always new exhibitions at the gardens with the new one set to begin: Orchids in Are and Design from the 4th of February.

Kew is a truly massive site and you'll have to figure that an hour or two of your visit will be spent just walking from one attraction to the next!

My favourite aspects of Kew are the huge Greenhouses, representing many different climatic zones, with the hottest being the Palmhouse which also has an aquarium in the basement. The other major greenhouses are the Temperate house, the Princess of Wales Conservatory and Evolution House.

Another favourite of mine is the Marianne North Gallery, which holds literally dozens of paintings of flowers in their natural habitats from the 19th century, so important in a time before colour photography...

Kew is situated in SW London on the District Line just up from Richmond, so it is a bit of a hike to get to but it is well worth it!

Check out the great website for further details!

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Website: http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/

The jewel of SE23, the Horniman Museum is the culmination of a lifetime's work of Frederick John Horniman a Victorian tea trader who began collecting specimens and artefacts from around the World in the 1860's with the purpose of 'bringing the world' to Forest Hill.

One of my favourite London Museums as it blends the old with the new and has a unique personality of its own with a fantastic interactive collection of musical instruments, which is one of the most comprehensive in the World. Really, if you are a music lover, this is worth the FREE admission on its own!;-)

The original museum building opened in 1901 with a dedication of the surrounding land as a free gift to the people of London in the form of an attractive Victorian style park.

A real community resource with a unique range of exhibitions, events and activities concentrating on World Cultures; Natural History and Music. These collections have national importance with the Ethnography and Music collections having designated status. Indeed, the ethnographic collection is rated the third most important in the United Kingdom, after the British Museum and the Pitt-Rivers Museum, Oxford!

Another fantastic feature is one of London's oldest surviving aquaria, which was upgraded in 2001, housing a rich diversity of organisms, including fish, invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians and plants.

An exciting, proactive and innovative museum reminiscent of an upscale and non-tacky Ripley's Believe or Not! Yes that Platypus in the jar with its stomach cut away to reveal an unborn foetus is real!

Forest Hill is only a little over half an hour from Charing Cross or London Bridge with plenty of Eating and Drinking establishments in the area including a rather nice JD Wetherspoon's (London's Pubs #8) in a converted Cinema building.

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Phone: 020 8699 1872
Website: http://www.horniman.ac.uk/index.cfm
Other Contact: 100 London Road, Forest Hill

This is a cool place to 'get away from it all' and still feel like you're right in the thick of everything that London has to offer, with its quiet setting spectacularly perched high above London with amazing panoramic views - day and night!

Built in 1873 as “The People’s Palace”, Alexandra Palace was heralded as a premier Victorian tourist attraction and had already attracted over 120,000 visitors by the time it suffered an untimely demise in a fire just sixteen days later - less than 2 years later the palace was rebuilt.

Covering 7 acres, it has had a colourful and important history including when in 1936 the first public TV transmissions in the world were made.

On 10th July 1980, the Palace caught fire for a second time and an area comprising the Great Hall, Banqueting Suite, and former roller rink together with the theatre dressing rooms was completely destroyed. Only Palm Court and the area occupied by the BBC escaped damage.

The palace was re-opened on 17th March 1988 and is now one of London's premier venues due to its beautiful setting and panoramic views of London, stunning architectural features and well proportioned halls, the Palace is now a very popular choice for both corporate and private events.

As well as the numerous events that are put on here, there is also an Ice Rink, Boating Lake, Children's Playground, Animal Enclosure, Parkland and Conservation Area.

The Jewel in the crown however as far as I am concerned is the Phoenix Pub (proverbially risen from the ashes!) - check my tip under the 'restaurants' page...!

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Phone: +44 (0)20 8365 2121
Website: http://www.alexandrapalace.com/s/ap/index.asp

Situated along the Southbank riverwalk along Clink St in Southwark is an interesting mediaeval archaeological pitstop...

Completed in the 1140s, Winchester Palace was the London residence of the Bishop of Winchester for over 500 years entertaining many important visitors such as King James I who held his wedding banquet at the Palace.

The Bishop was responsible for law and order in the area, administrating and maintaining his own prison which was originally in the palace but later occupied various premises in the area including the nearby Clink jail.

It was itself used as a prison from 1649 to 1660 and was then leased for housing until destroyed by fire in 1814.

The centre piece of the Palace was the Great Hall, and its Rose Window still stands on Clink Street. Part of the south wall also still stands and that is now incorporated into one of the modern buildings bordering the site.

These remnants are the only obvious remains of the palace, which would have been a sprawling complex of many buildings in its heyday...

If you're not careful you will miss this site, there's not much to see - but the important thing when viewing it is to imagine that one of the most powerful men in the region once occupied a huge and sprawling palace at the very place you stand!

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Other Contact: Clink Street SE1