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Tag: Christmas

A Very London Christmas

November 27, 2019

London has some wacky Yuletide traditions, a few of which I’ll share with you today. So sit back with your glass of mulled wine, put on a Father Christmas hat and some reindeer slippers, and enjoy… (and press play on the Christmas Hits playlist. You know you want to.) … More A Very London Christmas

4 Comments A Very London Christmas

‘Twas the Night Before Chrissy

December 25, 2016

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and near Hanukkah too,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a roo.
The bottle-o had been raided and the food prepped with care,
And the cookies and milk left for when St. Nick would appear… … More ‘Twas the Night Before Chrissy

1 Comment ‘Twas the Night Before Chrissy

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A wintry London is the perfect excuse for lots of mulled wine! 🍷 And where better than @madisonlondon1 at the top of @onenewchange? They’re kitted out as a frosty enchanted forest at the moment, but my favourite is the delicious mulled wine and the gorgeous view of @stpaulscathedrallondon! • • • #stpaulscathedral #stpaulslondon #onenewchange #londonatnight #madisononenewchange #mulledwine #christmaslondon #winterinlondon #londonwinter #exploringlondon #barsoflondon #todoinlondon #timeoutlondon #londonist #itssolondon #lovemylondon #gorgeouslondon #londontourist #londonguide #londonbylondoners #londontime #artsylondon #nighttimelondon #ramblinglondon #ramblinglondontours
St. Paul’s Cathedral is a stunning building in its own right, but it’s even more impressive this weekend. It’s currently illuminated with artist William Blake’s final work, ‘Ancient of Days’, to mark his 262nd birthday! 🎨 Organised with @tate. Catch it tonight (Saturday) or tomorrow night, 4.30pm - 9pm! Your best view is probably if you start at Tate Modern and cross Millennium Bridge towards the Cathedral. • • • #stpaulscathedral @stpaulscathedrallondon #williamblake #britishart #tatebritain #artinlondon #publicart #beautifullondon #todoinlondon #freelondon #churchesoflondon #londonhistory #arthistory #timeoutlondon #londonist #mysecretlondon #itssolondon #cheapskatelondon #londontourist #londonguide #londonbylondoners #lovemylondon #ramblinglondon #ramblinglondontours
A mysterious Barbican shrouded in fog in the City of London this morning 🏙 • • • #mysteriouslondon #mistymorning #londonfog #thebarbican #thebarbicancentre #cityoflondon #brutalistlondon #brutalistarchitecture #architectureoflondon #londonbuildings #lovelondon #exploringlondon #londontourist #londonguide #londontour #mylondon #itssolondon #ramblinglondon #ramblinglondontours
I absolutely adore the wire sculptures by artist Kendra Haste at the Tower of London! 🐾 They all commemorate the Royal Menagerie which was housed in the Tower for 600 years between about 1235 and 1835. It was the movement of the Menagerie to Regent’s Park in the 19th century which formed the core of today’s @zsllondonzoo! The polar bear was a gift from the King of Norway in 1252. He was apparently allowed to fish in the Thames (while attached to a very long leash). • • • #polarbear #toweroflondon #royalmenagerie #kendrahaste #londonzoo #londonhistory #medievalhistory #londonanimals #urbanjungle #exploringlondon #beautifullondon #oldlondon #londonguide #londontour #londontourist #royallondon #bluebadgeguide #ramblinglondon #ramblinglondontours
🎉New #blog post! 🎉 A Very London Christmas! 🎄 Link in the description. • It may not look like much and it’s currently hidden behind some fencing in Finsbury Square, but this memorial is dedicated to the wife of Tom Smith, the inventor behind the Christmas Cracker! London has some wacky Yuletide traditions, a few of which I’ll share with you today. So sit back with your glass of mulled wine, put on a Father Christmas hat and some reindeer slippers, and enjoy… (and press play on the Christmas Hits playlist. You know you want to.) • • • #christmasinlondon #christmasfeeling #christmastime #londonchristmas #winterinlondon #christmastraditions #christmascrackers #londonhistory #londonfacts #exploringlondon #todoinlondon #beautifullondon #travelwriting #timeoutlondon #londonist #mysecretlondon #cheapskatelondon #freeinlondon #londontourist #londonguide #londontour #femaletravelbloggers #ramblinglondon #ramblinglondontours
Have you ever been to the Sir John Soane’s Museum? It is all centred around the home and collection of architect Sir John Soane (1753-1837). From Ancient Egyptian antiquities to artwork by the likes of JMW Turner, this house is a hoarder’s paradise and it’s absolutely incredible! • He designed the likes of the Bank of England, Dulwich Picture Gallery, and his own home featured in the picture. In 1833, he received his own Act of Parliament, preserving his house and collection, exactly as it was, free and open to the public, in perpetuity. • At the moment you can also catch an amazing exhibition of artist and satirist William Hogarth. ‘Place and Progress’ unites all the paintings and engravings in Hogarth's series for the first time ever! Free and running until 5th January! • • • #sirjohnsoanesmuseum #placeandprogress #williamhogarth #18thcentury #18thcenturystyle #arthistory #museumsoflondon #artoflondon #historyoflondon #todoinlondon #freelondon #freelondonevents #cheapskatelondon #timeoutlondon #londonist #suplondon #mysecretlondon #beautifullondon #oldlondon #lovelondon #londonbylondoners #londonguide #londontour #londontourist #bluebadgeguide #exploringlondon #ramblinglondon #ramblinglondontours
Little Geoffrey Barkington 🐾 Aged 98 dog years. (Although I can’t work out if Mr. Barkington was actually a real dog!) The bench was designed by Patrick McEvoy and installed last year as part of the @londonfestivalofarchitecture Benches Competition. Houndsditch is also an appropriate location because the name is said to have come from a ditch outside the city walls, first dug in Roman times, and known for the disposal of deceased dogs. Thankfully this is a slightly more touching memorial to a departed four-legged friend. • • • #houndsditch #jubileegardens #londonfestivalofarchitecture #publicart #sculptureinthecity #londonart #londonsculpture #londonparks #nationalparkcity #londoneastend #cityoflondon #dogsoflondon #londonmemorials #londonhistory #londontour #londonguide #bluebadgeguide #londonbylondoners #tourguidelife #timeoutlondon #londonist #cornersoflondon #hiddenlondon #ramblinglondon #ramblinglondontours
Less than a week to go until the next ‘Walk with the Wolf’ tour! 🐺 Don’t miss our exploration of Shoreditch, past and present, including the dominating Truman Brewery, once the largest brewery in the world! £20 for tickets, 20% off for 3 or more, DM for availability! • • • #trumanbrewery #oldtrumanbrewery #bricklane #shoreditch #shoreditchstreetart #streetartlondon #trendylondon #londonhistory #eastendlondon #todoinlondon #dogfriendlylondon #dogsoflondon #timeoutlondon #londonist #itssolondon #mysecretlondon #londonguide #londonbylondoners #londontour #londontourist #lovelondon #bluebadgeguide #ramblinglondon #ramblinglondontours
Henry Moore’s ‘Mother and Child’ at St. Paul’s Cathedral. This tender but very simple sculpture was carved in marble by the artist and was one of his final works at the age of 85. Moore is known for his abstract shapes and his exploration of the human form and this piece very cleverly shows the 3 stages of having a child: a mother holding her baby, an embryo, and the moment of conception. Moore created the sculpture for St. Paul’s, but, as an atheist, very deliberately called it ‘Mother and Child’ rather than ‘Mary’, making it more accessible to people outside of the Christian faith. • • • #stpaulscathedral #henrymoore #motherandchild #modernsculpture #modernartlondon #artoflondon #londonchurches #stpaulscathedrallondon #londonarchitecture #beautifullondon #lovelondon #mylondon #londonbylondoners #timeoutlondon #londonist #mysecretlondon #itssolondon #explorelondon #londontourist #londontour #londonguide #bluebadgeguide #ramblinglondon #ramblinglondontours
‘Rock My Soul’ currently on at the Victoria Miro Gallery (not far from Old Street). It’s a collection of artists, but I went for Khadija Saye. She was a 24-year old photographer and friend of mine who died in the Grenfell Tower fire with her mother in 2017. She was on the verge of real recognition in her photography career and was on display at the internationally-acclaimed Venice Biennale exhibition at the time of the fire. Her photos explored British Gambian identity and each of the 9 photos was a self-portrait in which Khadija performed a different Gambian spiritual ritual. I wanted to put this up after Stage 1 of the Inquiry was published. It’s an important step forward and it’s essential that we look at the decisions and steps taken surrounding 14th June 2017, but it’s very easy to lose the human element in that analysis. Khadija was just one of the 72 lives that we didn’t need to lose that night and there is still very much a hole in this community over 2 years on. • There were also some other incredible pieces. You might recognise the second one from Brixton station! It was there at the entrance until very recently. It is called ‘Remain, Thriving’ by Nigerian-born Akunyili Crosby. It features a collection of grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the Windrush generation in a fictional Brixton home. It was a privilege to be able to have a closer look. • And last but not least is ‘She Walks’ by Wangechi Mutu in the foreground and ‘MaID III, Philadelphia’ by Zanele Muholi in the background. • The exhibition only has a couple more days (until 2nd November) so try to catch it before then. Free entry. • • • #grenfellunited #grenfelltower #grenfellsilentwalk #grenfellinquiry #northkensington #londoncommunity #londonart #londonphotography #victoriamirogallery #todoinlondon #galleriesoflondon #londonexhibitions #londonbylondoners #londonguide #londonlife #lovelondon #ramblinglondon #ramblinglondontours
Join us on our next ‘Walk with the Wolf’ tour on Sunday 17th November! I’ll be showing you the secrets and stories of Shoreditch with @wolfdog_of_london. If you like street art, hidden ruins, and secret synagogues (or even just one of those things), then join us in a few weeks time! 🐾 Tickets will be £20 each and 20% off for 3 or more! And please feel free to book on with or without a dog. We like to keep the number of dogs quite small so that it’s a safe environment for the pups, so there’s plenty of space for people without a dog too 😁 For availability please DM or email ramblinglondontours@gmail.com • • • #walkwiththewolf #londontours #wolfdogsoflondon #wolfdogsofinsta #dogsoflondon #todoinlondon #doglover #dogfriendlylondon #londonguide #londontourist #shoreditch #shoreditchlondon #londonstreetart #londonhistory #londonisopen #londonbylondoners #thisislondon #londontips #timeoutlondon #londonist #mysecretlondon #londontour #lovemylondon #ramblinglondon #ramblinglondontours
“Iconic” is a word that gets thrown about pretty liberally, but if there’s one place in London where it’s definitely applicable, it’s here at Tower Bridge. Built 120 years ago to ease road traffic, it is a bascule bridge, meaning that the two sides of the bridge can be raised and lowered with counterweights. It was designed by Horace Jones and the engineer John Wolfe Barry to better connect the two sides of London while also not impeding the flow of river traffic along the Thames! ⛵️ If you’re around this weekend, you can see it opening for yourself on Saturday and Sunday at 8am! • • • #towerbridge #iconiclondon #classiclondon #tbt #yeahthatsnottoday #rainydayinlondon #towerhamlets #victorianhistory #industrialrevolution #towerbridgelondon #riverthames #riverthameslondon #beautifullondon #londonlove #londonbylondoners #londontourist #londonguide #exploringlondon #timeoutlondon #todoinlondon #visitlondon #bluebadgeguide #ramblinglondon #ramblinglondontours
Living the dream guiding from the top of a 1960s Routemaster bus. I used to love these things so much that I genuinely wanted to be a ticket conductor for a brief period of my childhood. ♥️ Happy days 😁😁 • • • #routemasterbus #livingthedream #happyface #happydays #londonbus #parliamentsquare #itssolondon #londonredbus #londontransport #transportforlondon #lovelondon #londonhistory #londontour #tourguidelife #lovemylondon #londoner #londonbylondoners #londonguide #bluebadeguide #ramblinglondontours
It’s not every Tuesday that you get to attend church with The Queen. 👑 Yesterday there was a special service to mark the 750th anniversary of the consecration of Henry III’s Westminster Abbey. It was the third church consecrated on the site - the first goes waaaay back to around 960AD. It is arguably the most important church in this country, especially for royal events. It was best known, most recently, for the wedding of Prince William and Katherine Middleton in 2011, but it’s also the resting place for 17 British monarchs, and the site of every coronation since 1066 (bar a couple), including our current Queen, Elizabeth II’s in 1953. So it was only appropriate that she was there today for such a historic occasion. Happy (one version of your) Birthday, Westminster Abbey 🎉 • • • #westminsterabbey #henryiii #londonwestminster #hermajestythequeen #britishroyals #londonhistory #livinghistory #750yearsyoung #churchesoflondon #londonarchitecture #frenchgothicarchitecture #medievalhistory #medievallondon #londontour #londontourist #touringlondon #londonguide #bluebadgeguide #londonbylondoners #lovemylondon #discoverlondon #londonlife #londonautumn #timeoutlondon #ramblinglondon #ramblinglondontours
And then there’s no way I could forget the Waterlily House 🖤 The greenhouse itself was designed in the 19th century specifically to showcase the giant Amazon waterlily. • Even though the Nights event is sold out, I definitely recommend a trip to @kewgardens during the day to see Chihuly’s glass installations. Until 27th October! • • • #chihulynights #dalechihuly #chihulyart #kewgardens #kewbotanicalgardens #londonart #parksoflondon #greenlondon #londoninbloom #beautifullondon #londonlife #londonbylondoners #lovemylondon #londontour #londonguide #bluebadgeguide #ramblinglondon #ramblinglondontours

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