Climb Big Ben

This year, Big Ben celebrates its 150th birthday, and though everyone knows that Big Ben is the name of the bell rather than the tower itself, your author feels comfortable calling it that anyway.


But did you know that you can go on a tour up Big Ben? Tours run between Monday and Friday at 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am and 2.30pm, and are free.

The tower was built along with the new neo-gothic Palace of Westminster following a fire which virtually destroyed the original Houses of Parliament (except for Westminster Hall) on the night of 22 October 1834, and was designed by Augustus Pugin. The tower stands 96.3 metres tall beside the Thames and has four identical faces.

Whilst tours run regularly, the website carries the intriguing statement that "During the 150th anniversary year demand for tours is expected to be high. Therefore, preference will be given to those with a proven interest in clocks, watches and bells", though how you can prove that is not made clear.

Tours must be booked through your Member of Parliament, and you can find out who that is (if you don't already know) and how to contact them through http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/

Your author has climbed the tower and it offers great views. Be sure to take som ear plugs, however, as tours aim to be at the top when the chimes sound. For more information, visit http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visitingandtours/bigben.cfm.

_{^Picture from Flickr courtesy of Shashwat_Nagpal^}.

Visit the home of alternative comedy

Though The Comedy Store is named after a comedy club in California, it is a very British institution, has been in existence since it was formed above a Soho strip club in 1979, and is still very much a centre of stand up comedy in the UK.


London is undoubtedly the world capital of stand up, and The Comedy Store became a heart of alternative comedy scene in the 80s and has remained so ever since. Anyone who is anyone in stand up has performed in the comedy store, including Mike Myers, Alexei Sayle, Adrian Edmondson, Ben Elton, The Mighty Boosh, Mark Thomas, Jo Brand, Bill Bailey, Rik Mayall, Phil Jupitus, Paul Merton, Keith Allen, and Rich Hall, and hundreds more.

It's home to both the Legendary Comedy Store Players and Cutting Edge, who offer a more satirical slant, though both have changed their line ups as time goes by.

Unlike much of the West End, it's not even prohibitively expensive, though you will generally pay around £15-£20 for a ticket. Nevertheless, it's usually good value, but try not to fall asleep in the midnight as some of your author's friends have been known to do.

For more information, visit http://www.thecomedystore.co.uk.

_{^Picture from a flickr original courtesy of wonderferret^}

Go shopping in Exmouth Market

Whilst our city is famed for its history, your author, as a relatively new addition to the nation's capital, is sometimes concerned when he learns how new some nice things are. Exmouth Market has only been running a since 2006, and whilst it used to be every Friday and Saturday, Wikipedia tells us that it now runs only weekdays with food stalls running primarily 11-2.


Now that the Guardian has moved to Kings Cross, taking the organic cous-cous eating Guardianistas with it, and it's no longer open when the rest of us have time off, how much longer will it last? Well for now the market is intact, but how can any twee slow-food establishment fare in an economic downturn? We will see.

It will probably be fine. Exmouth Market, has, after all been a market place since the 1890s and is a lovely little street with a range of independent retailers and good bars and pubs.

For more information, visit http://www.exmouth-market.com/.

_{^Picture from Flickr courtesy of Phillie Casablanca^}

Get back to nature in Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park

Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park, perched on the side of the Thames about a mile South of the Millenium Dome (or 'the O2'), is a four acre wetland area which attempts to recreate wetland habitats in an urban setting.


The Park has two lakes, with raised walkways for visitors, and hosts a variety of wildlife including frogs, toads and newts. In spring and summer, we are told, the Park also has significant numbers of dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies.

Entry is free, and there is a small visitors centre with exhibits on the wildlife in the area. The Park is open Wednesday - Sunday, 10am - 5 pm or dusk, whichever is earlier.

For more information, visit http://www.urbanecology.org.uk/gpep.html.

Click here to see the location on a map.

Catch the Shepperton to Weybridge Ferry

With the exception of a twenty year gap until 1986, there has been a ferry between Shepperton and Weybridge for around 500 years. It was also famously featured in H. G. Wells' novel War of the Worlds.


The current ferry enables people walking or cycling the Thames Path to continue their journey past Shepperton Lock without being diverted by the Wey Navigation.

The ferry runs from 8am on weekdays, 9am on Saturdays, and 10am on Sundays, until 5.30pm, and a single fare costs £1.50 or £2 with a bike. The ferry runs every 15 minutes and you should ring the bell on the quarter hour if coming from the south side to ensure the ferryman knows you are waiting.

Click here to see the location on a map.

Be confused by the Traffic Light Tree

Oh look...someone has created something vaguely interesting in Docklands. Let's all talk about it like it's the most amazing thing that's ever happened and pretend that Docklands isn't bland and tedious...


Created by French artist Pierre Vivant in 1998, the Traffic Light Tree mirrors the Plane Trees next door and apparently, "The Sculpture imitates the natural landscape of the adjacent London Plane Trees, while the changing pattern of the lights reveals and reflect the never ending rhythm of the surrounding domestic, financial and commercial activities".

For more information, visit http://citynoise.org/article/4212.

Click here to view the location on a map.

Go shopping in Camden Markets

Battered an bruised by fires and property developers, and frequently bringing about a feeling that it's not quite as good as it used to be, the Camden Markets are still a London institution, and are officially Europe's largest gathering of teenage kids dressed in as goths*.


Camden Lock Market was established in the 70s as a temporary market on a site which was intended to have a road built over it shortly afterwards. The road never came, however, and the market has been there ever since. The markets cover a vast range of tat, from second hand clothes, to art, food, glowsticks, furniture and many other things which you don't really need.

Whilst the nearby Hawley Arms has already recovered from the 2008 fire, the Canal Market *edit* largely reopened this weekend *edit*. The rest of the markets, with the exception of the area being redeveloped in the Stables Market, escaped the fire and you can still easily while away a couple of hours there, and if you get bored of the smelly goths, it's only a short walk to Regents Park.

For more information, visit http://www.camdenmarkets.org/.

<sub>*this may not be true, but it certainly seems like it

^Picture from Flickr courtesy of Wolfiewolf^</sub>

Have a drink with a ghostly Grenadier

The Grenadier in Belgravia is difficult to find. It's only a couple of hundred yards from Hyde Park Corner, but situated as it is in the private Wilton Mews, it can sometimes put off pub-seekers before they arrive.


It's also reputedly one of London's most haunted pubs, having been used during the Napoleonic wars as an officers mess and as a drinking and gambling den, in the cellar, for the lower ranking soldiers. Apparently, even the Duke of Wellington once drank here.

The hauntings come from the legend that a junior soldier who was playing cards here was beaten to death, or almost beaten to death before he fell down the stairs, and subsequently returned to haunt the establishment. Legend has it that customers frequently feel chills in the bar, and one former policeman turned to find a cigar smoking itself in thin air beside him. Apparently there is even a crucifix in the cellar to warn off bad spirits. September is the big month for hauntings, so pop by then.

Footsteps, silent spirits and more have been sighted. For more information, visit http://www.fancyapint.com/pubs/pub384.html, or for more on the ghosts click here.

Click here to see the location on a map.

Climb Primrose Hill

Primrose Hill rises 256 feet above sea level at the north end of Regents Park, and, whilst that isn't a huge feat, it is notable for being a public hill in open space in central London, which makes it virtually unique.


Perhaps now more famous amongst Heat-readers for the 'slebs who live in the surrounding streets of upmarket houses, the hill was once part of Henry VIII's hunting ground, and did not officially become designated as public open space until 1842.

There are great views into Central London and it's handy for Camden, St John's Wood and Chalk Farm...and the Zoo, so get climbing.

**********Update - 2pm**********
TFL's London Loop are also in Primrose Hill this lunchtime, with the following local suggestions:
1. Trojka Tea Restaurant & Room - A Ukranian and Polish restaurant.
2. Sardo Canale - Sardinian food by the canal.
3. The Engineer - A public house which attracts aforementioned 'slebs.
4. Marine Ices - A decent ice cream parlour.

Click here to see the location on a map.

_{^Picture from Flickr courtesy of bortescristian^}

Find Little Ben

You've all heard of Big Ben, but how about Little Ben? The smaller Ben is situated in Victoria, where the Vauxhall Bridge Road meets Victoria Street in Westminster, effectively at the opposite end of Victoria Street to it's larger brother.


The clock was first erected in 1892, then removed in 1964, and subsequently re-erected by Westminster City Council in 1981, with the help of a french oil company, as "a gesture of Franco-British friendship".

For more information, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Ben.

Click here to see the location on a map.

_{^Picture from Flickr courtesy of tobiashm^}

Shunt Vaults

*********Edit - July 2010 - Shunt has now closed*********
Shunt is a bar, lounge, theatre company and artspace which lives in the vaults below London Bridge Station. If you've never been then you're really missing out as it's an unrivalled venue in Central London.


You never really know what to expect when attending, and whichever performers and artists are in residence, they always put on a good show in various different ways, but the place itself is really entertainment enough. Entrance is via a small doorway in London Bridge Tube Station.

There's an ulterior motive for writing about this one, as Shunt manages to maintain such an air of mystery and confusion that your author is never quite sure what is going on.

Gossip was rife before Christmas that the organisers were no longer able to have amplified music, and now your author hears frequent rumours that Shunt will close altogether in June, though characteristically they are not backed up by a formal announcement on the website, just an announcement that the organisers are "pleased to announce a further membership period of the Shunt Lounge starting during May [and are] still looking for new & exciting spaces". If you know anything more, or just feel like speculating, please do feel free to leave a comment or send an email.

Shunt is (probably still) open on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. It gets very busy nowadays, however, so it you are going on a Friday or Saturday aim to be there before 9pm. As it is a member's club you have to buy day membership on the door.

********Update February 2010 - following closure in the autumn, Shunt has reopened on Friday and Saturday nights. See http://www.shunt.co.uk/shuntvaults.htm********

**************
Update - 9th June (scroll down for main article)

The kids at Shunt Lounge are clearly mind (or blog...?) readers. By way of clarification, this popped into your author's inbox this afternoon:

"Dear Shunter

Shunt Lounge Extension!

As you may know we are looking for a new home for the Shunt Lounge due to the re-development of London Bridge Railway Station and the surrounding area. The search continues for a new building for the Lounge and various exciting opportunities have come up which the company is currently investigating.

The latest news is that the Shunt Lounge will be open at the vaults in London Bridge until 12th September 2009. This means that we will be putting another 8 week membership period of the Shunt Lounge on sale in July for the period 22nd July - 12th September.

There is a possibility of the Shunt Lounge continuing here at the vaults in London Bridge beyond the 12th September, but this is dependent upon building work taking place next to us as part of the re-development of the station area. We will keep you informed of any further news regarding this.

In the mean time, we hope you can join us throughout the summer for further curations of the Shunt Lounge at the vaults in London Bridge."

********************
Your author's attention has been drawn to articles here, here, here, and here, which all back up the closure rumours, and an intriguing twist in the possibility that Shunt is planning a move to a warehouse in Bermondsey on the London Se1 website, which includes a statement that:

"The company has plans to present a new show to the public but needs another building for this production so that the existing operation at the vaults (the Shunt Lounge) can continue unaffected".

So what does that mean? Various closure conspiracy theories seem to involve the Olympics, London Bridge Station redevelopments, a Superclub and a shopping centre, but all are unconfirmed at the time of going to press.

*********Further update*********
The latest Shunt Newsletter has just popped into your author's inbox, stating the following:

"Shunt are pleased to announce a new period of membership starting on the 20th May until 18th July. The Shunt Lounge will be closed for maintenance on Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th May but we are open as usual on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th May. We will open on 20th May with slightly less space than before. We will keep you informed via our website of these changes."

Clearly it will now remain open until July, but with 'slightly less space'. The plot thickens...

For more information visit the website at http://www.shunt.co.uk.

Click here to see the location on a map.

Explore model London

The centrepiece of the New London Architecture galleries in Bloomsbury, the Pipers Central London Model is a scale model of Central London, built to a scale of 1:1500.


At 12m by 5m, it shows Central London between the Royal Docks in Docklands and Paddington, Battersea and King's Cross. The rest of the centre also houses range of changing exhibitions covering subjects like London's History, Energy, Water, Environment, Hotels and Retail. These change throughout the year to keep the centre fresh.

The centre itself is situated at 26 Store Street, London WC1E 7BT, and is open Monday to Friday from 9.30 am to 6pm and Saturdays, 10am to 5pm.

For more information, visit http://www.newlondonarchitecture.org.

Click here to see the location on a map.

_{^Picture from Flickr courtesy of philliecasablanca^}

Celebrate freedom of speech at Speaker's Corner

Sure, it's full of crazies shouting at you, but you do get to shout back and occasionally someone is actually talking sense.


Sundays in Speakers Corner have been a hotbed for independent thought since the 19th century. Situated on a spot where the Chartists held mass protests against the suppression of worker's rights, including the right of assembly, in 1872 an Act of Parliament allowed Park Authorities the right to permit public gatherings and Speakers’ Corner was born.

Nowadays, it's populated by a mix of political and religious radicals, the unhinged and the odd ordinary person who just likes public speaking, united only by their dedication to standing on step ladders and boxes. It is, however, still an entertaining experience, and is a testament to London's rich history free-thought, and the fact that we, unlike many people in the world, are basically allowed to say whatever we want without fear of being rounded up and shot.

For more information, visit the page on wikipedia here.

Click here to see the location on a map.

_{^Picture from Flickr courtesy of xpgomes2^}

Go skittling

In rural Gloucestershire, where your author grew up, there are still a number of places where you can play a nice game of skittles - there are even a number of leagues in which teams play. In London, however, skittle alleys are much fewer and further between.


There is, however, a skittle alley in the cellar of The Freemasons Arms in Hampstead, and the Hampstead Lawn Billiard and Skittle club meets there regularly to play a good few games.

Club nights are Tuesdays from 8pm (and occasionally on Saturdays 6pm-9pm), and new players are welcome. The club also allows group bookings for a fee, if you fancy a skittles party. If you want more information on this, email the club via the website at http://www.londonskittles.co.uk.

Click here to see the location on a map.

_{^Picture from Flickr courtesy of Dave Haygarth^}.

Get sceptical

Skeptics in the Pub is a lecture series in a number of cities around Britain, founded by Dr Scott Campbell in 1999, and it meets in London at 7pm in The Penderel's Oak, Holborn on the third Monday of every month.


The aim of the lectures is to rationally examine the more controversial aspects of pseudoscience and the paranormal and lectures take in subjects as broad as alternative medicine, psychic powers, UFOs, alien abductions, creationism and lost civilizations.

Entry is only £2, and it's in a Wetherspoon's so drinks are cheap as well. For more information and a fuller picture of the lectures on offer, visit the website here.

Click here to see the location on a map.

_{^Picture from Flickr (of a Canadian Skeptic's poster) courtesy of wburris^}