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| London Eye |
At 135 metres high, the British Airways London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel, is the world's largest observation wheel. London Eye offers fine views of the city of London - extending to around 25 miles.
London Eye can carry 800 passengers at any time in its 32 capsules. A single revolution of the wheel (and the duration of your ride) takes approximately 30 minutes.
LONDON Eye has become a very popular London tourist attraction since opened to visitors in 2000
London Eye operating from 9am to 10pm in summer and from 10 am to 6pm in winter. Opening times may vary without notice. Each flight last 30 mins.
Nearest tube Westminster. The Eye is a 10 min walk across Westminster Bridge and along the South Bank
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| Madame Tussaud's |
Madame Tussaud's is one of the top 5 UK attractions with over 2.7 million visitors per year. Tussaud's has been established for over 200 years.
Marie Grosholz, later known as Madame Tussaud, born in Strasbourg in 1761. Marie's mother's employer, a doctor called Philippe Curtius, opens an exhibition of life-size wax figures at the Palais Royale in Paris. Marie learns the art of wax modelling from him.
Between the ages of 19 and 28 Madame Tussaud was art tutor to the sister of King Louis XVI. During the French Revolution she created death masks from the decapitated heads of prisoners who died on the guillotine. When Doctor Curtius died in 1794 he left his wax model exhibition to Marie. She moved to England 8 years later. The Madame Tussaud's exhibition moved to its present location in 1884.
The Madame Tussaud's exhibition includes celebrities from around the world and some models now include animatronics for even greater realism.
www.madame-tussauds.co.uk
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| The Tower of London |
The Tower of London is one of the most famous buildings in the world and with over 2.6 million visitors per year, is one of the UK's top 5 attractions.
William I of England (better known as William the Conqueror 1066-87) began building a castle, which was to be a forerunner to the Tower of London, on the north bank of the river Thames in London, only three months after conqeuring the Anglo-Saxons. It began life as a simple timber and earth enclosure tucked in the south-east angle formed by the joining of the original east and south stone walls of the old Roman town of Londinium Augusta.
The White Tower was added later and was then known as The Great Tower. Additional towers, buildings and walkways were added over the Tower of London's 900 year life to make it suitable for use as a castle, fortress, prison, palace, and as we know it today; a museum.
The Crown Jewels have been on public display at the Tower of London since the 17th century in a number of locations including the Martin Tower and the Wakefield Tower. Today they are housed in the Waterloo Barracks.
www.tower-of-london.com
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| St Paul's Cathedral |
St Paul's Cathedral is one of the worlds great religious buildings, with its instantly recognisable dome. Four previous St Paul's have stood on this site since the first built in 604 by Bishop Mellitus. The Great Fire of London destroyed the Cathedral in 1666, and it wasn't until 1675 that work on the present building began, under the personal supervision of Christopher Wren, to be completed in 1710.
Many famous people are buried at St Paul's Cathedral including Sir Christopher Wren, the Duke of Wellington and Lord Nelson.
St Paul's has hosted many major events including Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill and the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.
Visit the Whispering Gallery, Crypt and Dome, which is decorated with scenes from the life of St Paul on the inside, and from above affords you fine views of London.
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| Buckingham Palace |
Buckingham Palace was first occupied by a British Sovereign in 1837, 3 weeks after Queen Victoria accended to the throne. After her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840, a fourth wing was added to the Palace to provide more accommodation for both family and guests.
Originally known as Buckingham House when King George III bought the property for his wife in 1761, the house soon became known as the 'Queens's House'. George III, George IV and William IV remodelled the house extensively, employing the skills of John Nash, and later Edward Blore.
The Palace contains many priceless works of art, fine furniture and decoration, which form part of the Royal Collection. The 155 foot long, top lit, Picture Gallery was desgined to house George IV's collection of Dutch and Flemish Pictures. The Gallery also now displays the work of Steen, van Dyck, Frans Hals, Rembrandt, Canaletto, Ruebens, Poussin, Vermeer and several other renowned aritists.
The Marble Hall at Buckingham Palace was designed as a Sculpture Gallery by John Nash and is clad with Italian marble along its 137 foot length.
www.royal.gov.uk
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| The Natural History Museum |
The Natural History Museum is one of the UK's top 5 attractions and quite deservedly so. The quality of the displays, presentation and lighting are superb, with an educational value second to none.
The life and earth science collections of the Museum comprise some 68 million specimens or items. The collections cover virtually all groups of animals, plants, minerals and fossils.
The Museum is divided into Life and Earth Galleries. Earth Galleries deal with the planet, how it was formed, its history, why it's still chaning shape etc. The Life Galleries cover the creatures that have lived on the planet. This includes some excellent displays that include dinosaurs and an awesome life-size model of a blue whale, suspended from the gallery ceiling.
The Natural History Museum also has a very informative website to whet you appetite
www.nhm.ac.uk
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| Westminster Abbey |
Westminster Abbey is a magnificent example of gothic architecture, a church dedicated to regular worship, the setting for every Coronation since 1066, and ultimately, where the Royal and famous finally come to rest.
The interior of Westminster Abbey is stunning, the main features being: The Nave, The Choir and Sanctuary, Shrine of King and St. Edward the Confessor, Henry VII's Chapel, The South Transept and Poets' Corner and The Cloister and Chapter House.
The Abbey's website is very informative with details covering subjects from services to its long and dignified hisotry. There are also some 360° VR panoramas.
www.westminster-abbey.org
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| The British Museum |
The British Museum houses the world's greatest collection of antiquities in 94 galleries. The range of exhibits is vast; The Museum's Egyptian collections are unequalled in the world for their range and quality, there are two permanent galleries displaying objects from the Greek Bronze Age, the Weston Gallery displays the finest treasures from Roman Britain, the Later Bronze Age and Celtic Europe Galleries, and the list just goes on and on, with the galleries extending to around 2 miles.
The British Museum's website is very interesting and informative - well worth a visit.
Wheelchairs are available for the disabled and a special programme of Touch Tours are available for the visually impaired. Guide dogs are welcome. Sign-interpreted and sound enhanced tours are available for deaf and hard of hearing visitors once a month.
www.british-museum.ac.uk
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