Join the Hillingdon Skyride

The first in a series of three London Sky Rides this summer kicks off in Hillingdon this afternoon, giving cyclists their first chance to cycle car-free streets in the borough as part of the event.


Your author has joined the Central London skyride in previous years, and it is usually great fun (unless you want to leave the designated route). Hillingdon's looks very good as well, even if they have inexplicably asked father-of-the-late-Jade-Goody's-children-and-famous-for-very-little else Jeff Brazier as a 'special guest'. Christ knows how much Brazier can demand for a public appearance. Your author hopes they have not paid more than the 78p he is worth.

For more information, see http://www.goskyride.com/Hillingdon

Watch the London Triathlon

This year's London Triathlon takes place this weekend, with tens of thousands of competitors gathering around the Royal Docks in East London to take part, or support those who are.


The swims take part in the Docks themselves, whilst cycle and running legs are in the vicinity of the ExCeL exhibition centre. Spectators are actively welcomed, and unusually for a London event there is even car parking.

Just a shame for participants that bikes aren't allowed on the DLR. For more, see http://www.thelondontriathlon.co.uk

_{^Picture © Nick J Webb used under Creative Commons^}

Drink at Bar Polski

An odd little bar in the winding alleyways behind Holborn Station, Bar Polski is a reasonable spot for a quick drink in passing. Your author was coaxed in by a friend who recently told him that they did vodka that was 'actually nice', and the convincing barman was very persuasive in his selling of something that 'tasted like apple crumble'.


Inside, the bar is quite plain, with metal chairs and very few features except one wall full of pictures of cockerels. The clientelle was a heady mix of group-drinkers, those on early-in-the-relationship dates and groups. There was food, but it didn't look particularly special.

Timeout says they have fifty vodkas and fancyapint give them three out of five. That seems about right. For more, click here.

Visit the Kings Head Theatre Pub

Founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, the Kings Head Theatre Pub, on Upper Street, claims to be the the first pub theatre founded in England since the days of Shakespeare.


The pub itself is, we are told, much older, and has the backroom which now houses the theatre was previously a boxing ring and a pool hall. Indeed, a Kings Head Pub was apparently mentioned in Samuel Pepys' diaries, and is rumoured to have been called the Kings Head after Henry VIII began stopping in for a pint on his way to see a mistress.

Whilst Crawford died in 2005, the Theatre continues, and offers regular performances in various genres. The pub, meanwhile, offers free music on most nights.

For more information, see http://www.kingsheadtheatrepub.co.uk/

Mourn the Himalaya Palace

The Himalaya Palace was the UK's biggest Bollywood Cinema, like a genuine piece of the Subcontinent in the heart of Southall. First constructed in 1912, as the 300 seat New Paragon Palace, its Chinese-style exterior dates from 1929.


The cinema began showing Bollywood films around the 1970s, and reopened as the Himalayan Palace in 2001, billing itself as the 'most luxurious three screen cinema in West London'.

However, it closed last year, and plans are apparently afoot to convert it into an indoor market. For more, click here.

_{^Picture © Ewan Munro used under Creative Commons^}

See the Government's Art Collection

The Government Art Collection is owned by everyone and comprises around 13,000 works of art, dating back to 1898. However, the bureaucrats have imposed such punitive visitation rights that it impossible to see much of it. Tours are fully booked until January 2013, when pre-booked tours for established groups might be available, but only thrice monthly on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings, for up to an hour. You would get better access if your paintings were in prison for armed robbery.


However, help is at hand, for this summer some bureaucrats and politicians - including Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, Sir John Sawers - have chosen a select few works to be displayed at the Whitechapel Gallery, in a free exhibition in Gallery 7 upstairs.

The works include Lancashire Fair: Good Friday, Daisy Nook, by Lowry, Elisabeth Frink's Homme Libellule II and David Dawson's Lucian Freud painting the Queen, and the exhibition continues until 4th September.

For more information, see http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/government-art-collection-at-work

_{^Picture © Steve Cadman used under Creative Commons^}

Admire the London Central Mosque

Built on a 2.3-acre site given by the British Government following the Second World War, the London Central Mosque was completed in 1977 to a design by Sir Frederick Gibberd, and cost £6.5 million.


The large copper dome which sits atop the Mosque is based on the design of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, and it is certainly imposing. Inside, the Mosque has capacity for around 5,000 worshippers, but during Eid it has been known to attract up to 50,000.

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

Attend TurkishFest

The annual Turkish Festival began yesterday on Potters Fields, between Tower Bridge and the GLA Building, and continues today until 6pm.


We are told that there will be entertainment, a Turkish bazaar, an art fair, and Turkish food, drink and spices. The weather looks pretty good as well.

For more, see http://www.pottersfields.co.uk/event.html?event_id=53

_{^Picture © Andrew Crump used under Creative Commons^}

Find the memorial to DC James Morrison

A memorial to DC James Morrison is found on Montreal Place, just off the Strand in Central London. Morrison was killed in 1991 when - whilst he was off duty - he chased a thief in Covent Garden, and was fatally stabbed whilst trying to make an arrest.


With all the scandal surrounding the Metropolitan Police in recent weeks, it's easy to forget what dedication many ordinary police officers like Morrison show to their jobs. Morrison was posthumously awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal, and the memorial was unveiled to him in 1994.

For more information, click here

Visit the Tower Bridge Exhibition

Tower Bridge is probably London's most iconic, but it is nowhere near as old as some might imagine, designed by City architect Sir Horace Jones in 1884 and opened after his death in 1894.


Originally, the Bridge's high walks were designed to allow pedestrians to cross the river when the huge hydraulic bascules of the bridge were raised to allow ships through, but the walkways closed in 1910 due to lack of use, and since 1982 have formed part of a museum about the bridge known as the Tower Bridge Exhibition.

The Exhibition tells the history of the bridge and explains how it works, as well as offering stunning views over Central London from the walkways. Admission is £8.

For more information, see http://www.towerbridge.org.uk

Borrow books from Manor House Library

Your author is a big fan of the work and staff at Manor House Library, in South East London. You can go there, pick out loads of books, and take them home with you. It's fantastic. Sure, it costs a lot in terms of council tax every month, but they're always so friendly.


The Manor House itself is a Grade II* listed building, and if the rough illustration above doesn't do it justice - or include the huge guns which stand at the front - your author must apologise. You can see a real picture here.

For more from the Society who protect the surrounding area, see http://www.librarylondon.org/localgroups/lewisham/manorhouse.htm

Drink at the Island Queen

An attractive little Mitchells & Butlers pub near the canal and Boris' house in Islington, your author has never had a disappointing visit to the Island Queen.


The pubs high ceilings, central bar, food and ales make it a pleasant spot, and the front area is especially nice on summers evenings. Though this isn't important on the autumnal evenings we are having at the moment, it's worth considering for next April.

For more, see the new rent-a-website which appears to have been rolled out to all M&B pubs at http://www.theislandqueenislington.co.uk/

Visit Golders Green Jewish Cemetery

Founded in 1895, the Jewish Cemetery, on Hoop Lane in Golders Green is divided into different areas, with Orthodox Sephardic Jews buried in the Eastern section, with the feet of the dead facing Jerusalem, and the upright headstones of Reform Jews in the Western section.


Famous people interned in the Cemetery include early twentieth century barrister and biographer Philip Guedalla, pianist, conductor and composer Sir Frederic Cowen, and cellist Jacqueline du Pré.

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

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

Drink at the Dial Arch

Opened last year as a Young's pub, the Dial Arch, at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, is significant for a number of reasons. The Arch itself is a listed structure and was built around 1720.


The Dial Arch and the square in front are significant not only for their association with the Royal Arsenal but also as the foundation spot for the Arsenal Football Club, which began life in 1886 as the Dial Square Football Club for workers from the Arsenal and did not move to North London until 1913.

Inside, the pub has done its best to be loyal to its history, but has more of a bar feel, which is completely understandable. For more, see http://www.dialarch.com

Buy beads at Beadworks

For your author, most shopping is pretty dull, and shopping for beads seems like about the most pointless idea in the world. However, it is important to cater for all, and some will want to buy beads. If they do, they could find few better outlets than Beadworks, in Covent Garden.


The Covent Garden Bead Shop has been operating from its current location on Tower Street since 1977, making it the oldest Bead Shop in Europe. It is, we are told, a worldwide pioneer of bead retail, and stocks around 6,000 beads. There probably is a reason why someone would need that many beads...

For more on Beadworks, see http://www.beadworks.co.uk/