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London Travel Guide: 23,056 reviews and 47,246 photos
I've been to London several times over the years. First when I was 17 or so.....and yes, it seemed an amazing place to a girl from an industrial town in the Midlands. Since then I've been for odd days out, a conference or two, quite a lot of theatre and other trips when I lived in Brentwood and Bedford (Sir Peter Hall's 'Midsummer Night's Dream' remains the most stunning thing I have ever seen on stage).
But, if I'm honest, I really do not like the place much. I'm not keen on cities anyway but I love exploring other European ones. So why have I never enjoyed London?
It's the dirt, I think. It is still a dirty city, whatever one says, and we Brits should be ashamed. The griminess, and the gum, and the litter; the grubby and claustrophobic Tube, its dusty soot-smelling air foetid with more than a century of skin cells; the barging and pushing of the throng, where manners have long gone and self-protection is all; the disinterest and rudeness of many officials (entirely understandable, given their probable working conditions and living standards)......
Yet I know that thousands of people love London, find it massively exciting and *the* most vibrant place to live/work. And that hundreds of thousands of visitors also love it.
It's just that I don't, and can't however much I try. It exhausts me within minutes, and quickly depresses me. I feel trapped by its vastness. I need more visible green than London can provide. So I have avoided visiting London (even when I lived in Brentwood, which is much nearer).
But in recent years, my children and my 'substitute' children have been based there, so I have visited more often. I've stayed overnight for two VT meeting, have enjoyed two brilliant V treasure hunts (daytrips) and have made a few separate day visits to meet up with visiting VT-ers.
Now we have the whizzy Virgin Pendolino train, London is only an hour or so away from me (pretty good for 100+ miles!). So I am premared to visit and explore more frequently than I have done in the past.
I've discovered, quite without intending to, Dickens' 'Old Curiosity Shop' which gave his novel its name. Built in 1567, survived the Great Fire of London and is still standing, tucked away in Holborn (although now selling clothes rather than curiosities, sadly).
I've discovered that there are some streets (like Gower Street) where almost every house has a blue plaque telling which important person lived there in the past (mostly in Victorian times).
I've started to notice oddities, as is my way. My tips are likely to reflect this: you are unlikely to find tips about the major sights on my London pages (although there will inevitably be one or two).
The VT Treasure Hunt in September 2010, most ably thought out by Planxty helped me to visit many places of which I'd previously only heard, and find out about lots more. I really enjoyed exploring the East End. And the 2012 Treasure Hunt, also designed by Planxty, taught me about the Southbank area...somewhere I'd only previously visited for theatre and galleries.
It was on a fairly recent visit (immediately after the wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton, organised to meet Paris92) that I finally, finally went to see the Tower of London. The White Tower is by far the oldest building in the city (and the City) and it may seem odd, given my interests, that I have never visited before. Simple: it has always been expensive to enter, it has always tended to be crowded and there are many, many wonderful similar Norman castles and later palaces in England and Wales (many of which I *have* visited).
I thought it was time to 'tick the box' for the Tower, so I gritted my teeth and paid the entrance fee. I went very early, so the crowds were minimal at first (they start to build around 11am). I've never been interested in wealth, so didn't bother with the Crown Jewels, but it was fascinating to see the Beauchamp Tower, where so many were imprisoned, and to wander the Medieval palace. Although the armoury display in the White Tower is impressive I'd have much preferred to explore the building as it actually was, seeking out the garderobes (toilets) and solars (private chambers), visiting the kitchens and looking at the view from the battlements.
See the travelogue about the Tower below.
I also visited the Museum of London, another 'first' for me. It has a very well-displayed selection of artefacts and gives a clear explanation of how the city has developed over the millennia. I was much impressed, and was very pleased to finally see the wonderful Iron Age 'Battersea shield' in reality.
But mostly I spend my London time just wandering around, looking at the architecture, going into any church which is open (sadly, very few in the UK are now open outside service times due to a combination of theft, vandalism and simple lack of people to open and close up). London has little in the way of ancient architecture (apart from the Tower, a bit of the Roman city wall and one or two pre-Fire (1666) buildings. But it does have some of the most wonderful Victorian architecture, as well as many a row of Georgian terraces (and some rather lovely Georgian crescents as well).
But when you look at the wonderful Victorian edifices of our capital city (such as St Pancras' station in the photo) remember that every single brick was made using child labour. Children worked in the English brickfields from as young as 7, both boys and girls, carrying 40 pounds of clay on their heads back and forth to the brickmaker, treading the wet clay in their bare feet to find and removed the stones, stacking bricks to dry, loading and unloading the kilns.
George Smith finally brought this to an end (at least, he managed to bring about a law which said boys should be over 10 and girls should be over 16 to work in the brickfields of England). But what they did (and paid for with their health, strength and lives) still stands.
Info about George Smith here
One of the most frequently asked VT forum questions is 'what shall I wear in London?'. The answer is: whatever you like, because no-one cares what you look like.
Honestly. No-one will give you a second glance unless you are dressed in a truly bizarre fashion (and often not even then). The British no longer bother about such things.
The only time anyone will be concerned about what you are wearing is if you go to upmarket restaurants or pubs/clubs (which sometimes have a dresscode). Otherwise, just dress to be comfortable (layers are always sensible, the weather really is as unpredictable as we say it is).
How to avoid looking like a tourist?
Don't take photos, don't carry a guidebook/map in your hand, don't wear a bum-bag (fanny-pack), don't stop on the street to look at your map, don't walk round with a camera slung on your neck/shoulder.
You can't visit without doing some/all of these? Of course not! so stop worrying, because the minute you open your mouth everyone will know you are a tourist anyway.
It really, really does not matter what you wear. Have a look at my 'what to wear' travelogues. They may reassure you, and I keep updating them every time I visit the city. Things don't change much and we're certainly not suddenly going to start looking down our noses at you just because you are wearing jeans or white sports shoes! :-)
'What to wear' travelogues:
October07, February08, August08, December08, September 09
September 2010
October 2012
- Pros:History and architecture
- Cons:Grime, crowds, traffic (even now)
- In a nutshell:All the world seems to visit London...
Reviews (33)
Walk the shoreline
Off The Beaten Path
(17)
It may seem an odd thing to do, but if you have any interest in history then the Thames shoreline is an incredibly... more travel advice
London Stansted airport
Transportation
(1)
Please note: Stansted *not 'Stanstead'! Stansted airport is quite some distance away from London but, as it is used by... more travel advice
We do not abbreviate streetnames.
Local Customs
(5)
In some parts of the world it is common to abbreviate streetnames. For example: 'We found the shop on Smith'. In the UK... more travel advice
The first woman......
Off The Beaten Path
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...to be registered as a medical doctor in England was Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (the first Welsh female doctor was... more travel advice
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Comments (16)
The links work now.
J, fabulous page with brilliant photos and very interesting tips. I especially like your "Local Custom" tips.
Jane, thank you so much for the off-the-beaten-path tips, I'm always looking for these lesser known sights which make London so special.
theres a pub there i think-- newish but old fashioned looking if ive got the right place--i walked round there one sunday-- fairly quiet-enjoyed it
Hi J Nice pic's from the London Treasurehunt I love looking at VT meeting pic's
nice memories of the treasure hunt carolyn will be pleased to see these as she will soon be emigrating to Oz
Nice photos from the tresure hunt :O)
Just browsing in anticipation of my upcoming trip!! will be making notes of these great off the b track tips! getting ready for the last night of 2009!! CHEERS to the NEW YEAR!
Your tips are quite a good guide even though you don't like London! I was wondering what to wear, and here it is! I'm afraid I won't be able to hide I am a tourist ;-)
Wow, yes, you are quick :-))) I would be happy if I manage to upload at least one homepage photo :-))) Hugs and smiles to the north, erm... northwest...