Take a tour of the Royal Opera House

The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden has had a difficult history. Originally built in 1732, it was subsequently ravaged by fires in 1808 and 1857. Whilst the current Opera House retains the façade, foyer and auditorium of the 1858 rebuild, almost every other element of the present building dates from an extensive refurbishment in the 1990s.


The current Opera House auditorium is a Grade 1 listed building seating 2,268 people and has four tiers of boxes and balconies and an amphitheatre gallery. The stage has probably played host to some of the finest names in ballet and opera, whose names escape your author.

If you can't face sitting through hours and hours of Opera (or even worse ballet) you can still have a poke around on an official tour. Tours usually Monday to Friday at 10.30am, 12.30pm and 2.30pm, and on Saturdays at 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm and 1.30pm, but this is understandably subject to changes and rehearsals to you should contact them to check. They take about an hour and a half and cost £10.

For more information, see http://www.roh.org.uk/whatson/tour.aspx

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Drink in a Bavarian Beerhouse

Established in 2005 in a basement on City Road, between Shoreditch, Farringdon and Angel, the Bavarian Beerhouse claims to be the UK's only authentic German/Bavarian Restaurant offering a wide selection of German beers, Bavarian food and unique entertainment in a rustic bier keller environment.


The Beerhouse is open daily for drinks and a range of traditional Bavarian food including meat, pretzels and bread imported from Germany. The Restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner, closing at at 10pm.

The Beerhouse is open til 11pm Monday to Thursday, til 1am on Friday and Saturday, and until 9pm on Sundays. For more information, see http://www.bavarian-beerhouse.com/

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Visit the Chapel of St Peter and St Paul, Greenwich

The Chapel of St Peter and St Paul, at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, is opposite Thornhill's famous Painted Hall, and is just as impressive.


Originally completed to the designs of Thomas Ripley in 1751, the chapel was gutted by a fire in 1779, and was redesigned and rebuilt under James ‘Athenian’ Stuart, in the ‘Greek revival’ style, with detailing by his Clerk of Works, William Newton.

The chapel reopened in 1789, and though it has since undergone changes, a 1950 refurbishment means it stands today almost exactly as it did then.

The chapel is open to the public, for free, every day, and is also known for its acoustics so it can be a good idea to try to visit during a choral or organ recital. For more details, see http://www.oldroyalnavalcollege.org/the-chapel/

Have a light lunch at the Markfield Park Cafe

The new cafe in Markfield Park, in Seven Sisters ward, Haringey, opened its doors to the public on Saturday 19th September 2009. The cafe is also known as Pistachios in the Park, as it is run by a franchise with the same name, which runs a number of park cafes and specialises in healthy eating and selling educational wooden toys.


The cafe sits in an extension to the Pump House in the park, which stopped working in 1964 and has undergone extensive restoration by the Markfield Beam Engine and Museum Trust who occupy the building and open it to the public every month, but more about that next Sunday.

The cafe has free wifi, a free car park and sits on the edge of a 7.6 hectare park by the River Lee with football pitches, a children's playground, a BMX park, a bowling green and a rose garden (in season).

The cafe is open 9am-5pm daily and 9.30am-5pm on Sundays. For more, see http://www.pistachiosinthepark.org.uk/page9.htm

See the new minaret at the Brick Lane Mosque

The Swiss probably wouldn't like it, and some ridiculous people have been talking about it aggravating racial tensions, but your author thinks the new Minaret, winched into place in mid-December, beside the Brick Lane Jamme Masjid is brilliant.


Towering above the corner of Fournier Street and Brick Lane, and topped with a bright crescent moon, the new minaret is 90ft tall, and is right in the heart of the Brick Lane area in every sense.

The Mosque itself is a converted former synagogue and Huguenot church, and as such is a symbol of how the area has changed. The Minaret is part of an £8.6m regeneration project which will also see new arches erected along Brick Lane, all paid for with money from the Bishops Square development near Liverpool Street Station.

For more, see the East London Advertiser.

_{^Apologies for the awful picture, taken on your author's phone ^}

Drink Champagne at 590ft in Vertigo 42

Sadly, it's a bit beyond your author's means, but if you're looking for a drink at the top of a skyscraper in London, you're in luck. Vertigo 42, the champagne bar on the 42nd floor of Tower 42, is open to anyone who has made a reservation and can stump up the cash.


The bar is open Monday to Friday, 12 noon - 3pm and 5pm - 11pm, and Saturdays 5pm - 11pm only. The cheapest drink on the example menu is an £8 a glass wine (175ml and exclusive of 12.5% service charge, of course), but it would be an experience and bottles are from £32.

There's also good news if you're looking to host a party. The champagne lounge can be hired exclusively from Monday to Friday, but your author has a feeling it will cost you.

Vertigo 42 is in Tower 42, Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1HQ. For more on Vertigo 42, see http://www.vertigo42.co.uk/

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Play netball in the shadow of the Gherkin

It may not feel like the sort of weather you want to be outside in playing netball, but your author has it on good authority that the London charities netball league is in full swing, so if you're looking for somewhere to play with a bit of history, you could contact the good folks at St Botolph without Bishopsgate, a living church in the heart of the City of London.


Their courts are in the gardens behind the church, which as the name suggests is just off Bishopsgate. The courts operate for netball only in the winter and for tennis and netball in the summer. Bookings are possible between 8 am and 9 pm, Monday to Friday in 1 hour sessions, between 12 noon and 2 pm as half hour sessions, starting on the hour and at half past the hour.

Your author thinks a full court is around £40 an hour and floodlights might be available if you have enough £1 coins to feed the meter, but this isn't clear. Best ask when you contact them.

For more, and to contact the Verger and Court Manager, see http://www.botolph.org.uk/hall-court-hire/

Visit the Albert Memorial

London has many royal memorials, but the grandest and most impressive is surely the Albert Memorial, opposite the Royal Albert Hall, in Kensington Gardens.


Your author tries to give a bit of variety with his suggestions, but sometimes the originals are the best. The Albert Memorial was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her late husband Prince Albert, after his death in 1861. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, it finally opened in 1872, but the seated statue of Albert, by John Henry Foley, wasn't added until 1875.

The huge memorial has a range of features including allegorical sculptures at each corner, depicting the Victorian industrial arts and sciences - agriculture, commerce, engineering and manufacturing - and the Victorian continents - Europe, Asia, Africa and The Americas.

For more, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Memorial

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Learn about the War on Photography, with David Hoffman

Your author is often behind the curve, so after missing recommending last week's mass gathering in Trafalgar Square, he might suggest you can still find out about the "I’m a Photographer, not a Terrorist" movement tonight at the Frontline Club with co-founder and veteran filmmaker, David Hoffman.


Hoffman has been a key campaigner against legislation and police restrictions on photography, and is speaking at the Frontline Club, London's club to promote independent current affairs and journalism, to talk about the campaign in more depth, and reflect on the challenges facing the photography profession, particularly the ready availability of free substitutes for photojournalists’ work .

The event costs £12.50 and is followed by a question and answer session moderated by photographer Chris Steele-Perkins. For more information, see http://frontlineclub.com/events/2010/02/in-the-picture-with-david-hoffman-war-on-photography.html

_{^Picture by Dr John2005 under Creative Commons licence^}

Take the London Insider Tube Tour

Your author was treated to a free tour on the London Underground recently by the good people at Insider London, and it was very pleasant. Their two hour tour takes participants through 150 years of tube history, teaching them about various aspects of the construction and development of the world's first underground railway.


The downside, however, is that at £34.50 the cost is steep and your author isn't sure it is worth that much, even though you do get to learn some interesting titbits along the way, and even get the chance of spotting a 'ghost station' or two along the route.

For the money, the tours are also private, held in small groups, and they run whenever you want, beginning at Farringdon and ending at Westminster. For real enthusiasts there is also a six hour option which costs £79.50, and doesn't include lunch because they 'like to let guests choose exactly what they would like'. In truth these tours are both prohibitively priced for anyone but the most ardent cash-rich underground fan, and your author suggests you might be better off buying a book and doing it yourself.

For more on the tour, see http://insider-trends.com/london-underground-tours/ or to book email contact@insider-london.co.uk.

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Hunt for bargains at the Battersea Car Boot Sale

The weekly car boot sale held at Battersea Technology College is one of only a few proper car boot sales in central London. It’s held every Sunday afternoon from 1.30pm - 5pm, so unlike some Sunday Markets you don’t have to rush out of bed.


It’s not a fancy sale, but you can pick up a few bargains and there is plenty of proper old-fashioned car boot tat to sort through.

When a correspondent popped by recently she spotted old cameras, record players, DVDs, CDs, bathroom products, sunglasses and more. There was also a bakery stall, an ice cream van and a burger van, for all your culinary needs.

The sale is open all year round except two weeks over Christmas, but sellers must book in advance on 07941 383 588, and there is a fee.

For more on London car boots see a helpful article on the Time Out website here.

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Go to a wine tasting at Harrods

Harrods food halls are as famous as the rest of the store for the depth and breadth of their offerings. You can get almost anything in the world you want if you have enough money to spend, so it should be no surprise that their wine cellar is also well stocked, and they want to show it off.


The wine tasting events at Harrods are monthly, and offer you the chance to taste a different type or region of wine each month, with a selection of canapés and the chance to pick up certain wines at an exclusive 10% discount. Your author still thinks it will all still be terribly expensive.

Tickets to wine tastings cost £25 per person. For more information, and to book, call 020 7893 8777, or see the Harrods website here.

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Free Friday lunchtime concerts at the Royal Festival Hall

Great news! On Fridays until March, the Royal Festival Hall will be running weekly free concerts at lunchtime, in case you feel like getting out of the office and watching some music.


The Friday Lunch series showcases a range of musical styles, with an focus on small-scale classical and contemporary music, and today's concert features Skip 'Little Axe' McDonald. Born in Ohio in 1949, 'Little Axe' is an American blues musician, who is today playing a special acoustic duo set in advance of his new Realworld album release.

In other weeks you can catch a diverse range of acts, often featuring students from music colleges or in association with Southbank Centre's Resident Orchestras. The concerts also feature jazz, folk, and non-Western music. So take some time out and enjoy some great music in interesting surroundings.

For more, see http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/festivals-series/friday-lunch

***Update - your author popped along today and, though he had to sit behind the stage, and his friend kept wanting to talk about how her mum wouldn't let her have a key to her home even though she is 26, it was very pleasant. Little Axe is definitely worth seeing***

_{^Picture by Matt From London under creative commons^}

Have a drink in the Bull's Head, Pratt's Bottom

As you get further out towards the M25, whilst you are still technically in London boroughs, it feels much less like London. The Bull's Head pub, in delightfully-named Pratt's Bottom, is a perfect example of a village pub that's technically still in a London borough, but is basically in the countryside. Still, that's enough to earn it a place here.


The village gets its odd name from the Pratt family, who lived in the valley from the 14th century onwards. The village was unremarkable until it became a key stopping off point for stagecoaches on the toll road from London to Hastings or Tunbridge Wells. The Bulls Head has stood on its current site for roughly 400 years, so was perfectly placed to take advantage of passing trade.

The stagecoaches were a unique selling point, but also had negative consequences, as the village soon became the haunt of smugglers and highwaymen. It is even rumoured amongst locals that the infamous highwayman Dick Turpin frequented the Bull’s Head Inn until he was caught horse stealing in 1739 and hanged for his crime. Local folklore has it that he slept in Pear Tree Cottage in the village, and moved between it and the pub through a tunnel which was long since bricked up.

For more from the pub's eccentric landlord Vern, visit http://www.thebullsheadpub.net

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Go scuba diving in the London School of Diving pool

The London School of Scuba, in West London, is a PADI Scuba Diving centre, with on-site facilities to allow you to experience diving without venturing outside the M25.


For £25 you can take the first step towards being a diver with a try-dive in their heated dive training pool. This allows people to experience breathing underwater for the first time with a professional scuba instructor or divemaster.

Sure, this is thousands of miles away (literally and metaphorically) from diving on a tropical coral reef, but it can help you to develop the necessary skills so you wont have to waste money on the basics if you do find yourself on holiday and wanting to swim with the fishes.

The school can also arrange PADI courses at various levels and even diving holidays to places like Mozambique, Sharm el Sheikh and the Galapagos Islands.

London School of Diving is located a short walk from Gunnersbury tube in West London. For more information, and opening hours, visit http://www.londonschoolofdiving.co.uk