Sit with Roosevelt and Churchill

At the point where where Old Bond Street meets New Bond Street in Mayfair you can share a bench with Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt, who have been locked in silent conversation now for more than fifteen years.


The statue, designed by Lawrence Holofcener, is known as 'Allies', and was given by the Bond Street Association to commemorate 50 years of peace. It was unveiled on 2 May 1995 by Princess Margaret.

For more information, click here.

Watch the Royal Wedding

Two people will get married in Central London today.


Some people will watch.

For more information, see http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/

Play pétanque at Hay's Galleria

The traditional game of pétanque is big news in France, with many millions of people said to play every year, particularly in summer. In London, it is less popular, but there are still a few keen players, and one of the most prominent pitches is at Hay's Galleria, in Southwark.


This is, we are told, the only permanent pétanque pitch in the area, and is pretty unique in that it is covered, so there is no risk of rain stopping play. The pitch is owned by Ball's Brothers, an upmarket wine bar chain, and is free to hire.

If you are particularly good there is also an upcoming opportunity to enter a competition, for on the evening of 10th June, 16 teams will fight it out to become City Pétanque Champions.

You can book the pitch by calling Balls Brothers at Hay’s Galleria on 020 7407 4301, or emailing haysgal@ballsbrothers.co.uk. For more details, see http://venues.ballsbrothers.co.uk/petanque/index.htm

Hunt for books at the London Review Bookshop

Opened by the London Review of Books in 2003, Bloomsbury's London Review Bookshop claims to offer 20,000 titles, and is a haven for bookish types, with books packed into every nook and cranny over two floors.


The shop also offers a range of readings, discussions, talks and debates instore and elsewhere for a fairly reasonable basic price of £7 (with free wine afterwards), and a well-appointed - if a little expensive - neighbouring cake shop, but more of that another day.

The London Review Bookshop is situated at 14 Bury Place, London, WC1A 2JL, and is open most days. For more information, click here, or visit the website at http://www.lrbshop.co.uk/


_{^Picture © the fantastic RachelH_ used under Creative Commons^}

Visit St Pancras Old Church

Thought to be one of the oldest places of Christian worship in England, St Pancras Old Church was rebuilt in 1847 on a site believed to have been home to a Christian church since at least 314 AD.


The Victorian structure which stands today apparently contains some remnants of the older church, and both Roman bricks and tiles and Norman masonry have been traced in the North wall of the nave.

The tomb of Sir John Soane can be found in the graveyard, along with those of composer Johann Christian Bach, sculptor John Flaxman, and William Franklin, the illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin.

For more information, see http://www.victorianweb.org/art/architecture/london/77.html

Meet the ducklings at the London Wetland Centre

Today is the final day of the Easter egg-stravaganza at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Barnes, with the Trust inviting visitors to see their duckling displaysand follow the progress of 'real-life Easter eggs'.


April, we are told, is the time when wild ducklings start to hatch, and the Trust allows young and old to learn about them and see them taking their first swim in their very own pool, with wardens on hand to explain how the ducklings have developed and about their behaviour and habitats.

For more information, see http://www.wwt.org.uk/visit-us/london/events/easter

_{^Picture © Jim Linwood used under Creative Commons^}

Watch Zippos Circus

This weekend, Zippos Circus brings its new 'Horsepower' show to Blackheath, under the direction of legendary ringmaster Norman Barrett, who was last year awarded an MBE for more than 60 years in the ring.


We are told that Horsepower is a brand new act, mixing three new equestrian acts, featuring equestrian presenter Yasmine Smart, grand-daughter of the legendary Billy Smart, with the the metaphorical horsepower of motorbikes. The circus has been running since 1986, and continues to attract punters as it travels around the country.

Adult tickets are between £7 and £18, and Zippos will be at Blackheath until May 3rd, before moving on to Sidcup, East Ham, Mile End and Wallington, all before the end of May.

For more, see http://www.zipposcircus.co.uk/

_{^Picture © MattLake used under Creative Commons^}

Celebrate St George in Trafalgar Square

If you're an Englishman, and you're feeling suitably patriotic this afternoon but not feeling like the pub, there is good news. Trafalgar Square is hosting a concert to celebrate the day of our patron saint.


The day features World in Motion drummers, opera tenors, West End stars, young musicians playing classical, gospel, big band and pop, and the best of buskers from around London. There are also to be tunes from folk guitarist and former Green Day tribute band member, Newton Faulkner.

It's all free and goes on from 1pm until 6pm. For more information, see http://www.london.gov.uk/stgeorges

_{^Picture © John Pannel used under Creative Commons^}

Witness the Distribution of the Butterworth Charity

It's Holy Week, and today is Good Friday. Whilst your author is not religious, he does like to have a look at the interesting religious ceremonies in London, and today at 11.30am the parishioners of St Bartholomew the Great, West Smithfield, take part in the Distribution of the Butterworth Charity.


The ceremony marks a custom of giving 6d to twenty one of the poorest widows of the parish and of giving buttered hot cross buns to the children who attended. It takes its name from Joshua Whitehead Butterworth, a Victorian antiquarian from a family of law publishers, who created a charity to continue the custom.

For more information, and pictures, see here

_{^Picture © Gruenemann used under Creative Commons^}

Visit the Stephen Lawrence Gallery

Established in 2000 at the University of Greenwich, and named after the former student of the university from Eltham who was stabbed to death in 1993, the Stephen Lawrence Gallery was put together by Paul Stigant, then dean of the Woolwich faculty at the University of Greenwich, in conjunction with Stephen’s mother.


The Gallery is found in a space in Queen Anne Court at the stunning Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, which is now home to the University. The aim is to showcase for contemporary art, and to promote cultural diversity in visual art, which is a fitting tribute considering Stephen's story, and the findings of the Macpherson report into the police handling the murder inquiry.

The gallery is free to enter and is open Monday - Friday from 10am until 5pm and Saturdays from 11am until 4pm. For more information, see http://www.gre.ac.uk/pr/slg/

Pretend to be a sailor on HMS Belfast

Upon recovery from a rather debilitating hangover last Friday, your author was persuaded out of the house to finally tour HMS Belfast, the Second World War large light cruiser which is moored up a stones throw from Tower Bridge.


It was a good idea to go, because the ship is fascinating. Originally built in Belfast and launched in 1938, it remained key to the Royal Navy until 1963, famously protecting the Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union, but also taking part in Operation Overlord to support the Normandy landings, serving with the British Pacific Fleet, and taking part in combat action during the Korean War.

The HMS Belfast story is told through helpful guides, first hand accounts of those who served on it, and a chance to poke around the various cabins and engine rooms to try to understand what life was like aboard. We are told that it was a rather happy ship, where crew were more at ease with each other, and that it even had a special bridge to allow it to carry an Admiral, who could direct the entire fleet without getting in the way of the Captain.

The ship was saved from destruction and towed to London in 1971, where it opened as a museum on Trafalgar Day, 21 October. It was transferred to the Imperial War Museum in 1978, and they operate it to this day, currently charging visitors £13.50 to have a look round, which seems fair enough.

For more information, see http://hmsbelfast.iwm.org.uk/

Pop in to Orleans House Gallery

The Orleans House Gallery is Richmond Borough's municipal art gallery. It is based in what remains of Orleans House, built in the 18th century, by Secretary of State for Scotland James Johnston.


The house was owned by various members of the establishment through the ages, and was also rented by Louis Philippe Duc d’Orleans, who later became King of France, whilst he was exiled from France. Today, the Gallery occupies a wing off the house's famous Octagon, which is available as a wedding venue, and also the 19th century stable block to the rear of the house. The rest of the buildings were demolished in 1926.

The remains were bought by a Mrs Levy, who later became Mrs Nellie Ionides, who was an avid collector and subsequently, when she died in 1962, she left the property and her art to the Borough.

Richmond now hosts five temporary exhibitions a year in the main gallery and seven contemporary and community exhibitions a year in the stables, attracting over 56,000 visitors a year.

For more see, http://www.richmond.gov.uk/orleans_house_gallery

Drink at the Anchor Tap

There are many reasons your author should have mentioned the Anchor Tap, a short walk from Tower Bridge, before. It is a great little Sam Smiths pub, with various cosy little rooms, a beer garden, plentiful bar games and Humphrey Smith's trademark attention to pub interior detail.


Previously, the pub was apparently synonymous with the Courage Brewery, having first been acquired by John Courage, the brewer, in 1787, and remaining the base of their operations until 1981, when the Anchor Brewery finally closed. When the Brewery was running, the pub was the place where brewery employees came to drink the fruits of their labour, and that's perhaps why it's such a comfortable place.

Your author also feels somewhat duty-bound to correct misleading articles elsewhere which suggest this was where Samuel Johnson had a room to formulate his dictionary. It seems much more likely that that was the Anchor further up the South Bank, which Ed Glinert confirms was owned by Johnson's friends Henry and Hestor Thrale. So, you shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet.

For more on the Anchor Tap, try here.

Hire a pedalo in Greenwich Park

If you're off to support a loved-one in the marathon this morning, and looking for a quick distraction while they run the Woolwich bit, you might consider hiring a pedalo in Greenwich Park.


Sure they're a bit large for the pond, but next year the pond will become a water jump for the Olympic horse prancing which will take place in the park, and will be lost for an uncertain amount of time.

For more, click here, or to read very sketchy details about the Olympic plan for the park, click here.

Let the kids roam at the Herne Tavern

Your author likes pubs, but one of his golden rules is that a good pub is one that allows dogs and forbids children. However, it takes all sorts, so let's take a look at one pub which makes a point of embracing the shouty little people with open arms.


The Herne Tavern, in the heart of the East Dulwich breeding area, opened in September 2006, and was set up by the same people who run The Palmerston on Lordship Lane. Presumably the plan was to keep all the running-about-and-screaming out of the Palmerston whilst allowing tired parents to see their friends for a couple of hours, and it does seem to work.

The pub offers a nice playground area and plenty of outside space, and it has received great reviews in Time Out, The Observer and The Independent, which either means it is very good, or it means that journalists from Time Out, The Observer and The Independent live round here and have kids. For a childless twenty-something on a Sunday afternoon, it is probably best avoided, however, even though it is pretty and the beer is good.

For more information, see http://www.theherne.net/