See Sir John Soane's Hogarth collection

The Sir John Soane Museum at Lincolns Inn Fields is a treasure trove of items, and among the most celebrated are the ones that hang in the picture room at the rear, Hogarth’s A Rake’s Progress and An Election.


Over a number of pictures, the two collections tell two stories, firstly in A Rake’s Progress that of Tom Rakewell, a man who becomes consumed by a life of vice and self-destruction after inheriting vast wealth from his miserly father, and secondly in An Election, the story of an Oxfordshire contest at the General Election of 1754, which was mired in controversy. Best of all, you can view them for free right in the centre of London.

For more see here for A Rake's Progress and here for An Election.

_{^Picture © Copyright R Sones and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence.^}

Try star-spotting with the Baker Street Irregular Astronomers

Back in March, your author spent an amazing night star-spotting with the Baker Street Irregular Astronomers, a group of telescope-owners who meet in Regents Park on a week night once a month to stare off into space.


The night in March was fantastically clear and attendees were easily able to see Mars, Venus and Saturn with the naked eye, offering some great views through the telescopes on offer, and admirable amounts of passion and wonder from those in attendance.

The group are set to meet again tonight, with an open invitation, providing the weather is good, to the Hub in Regents Park. If cloudy, they're off to the pub.

For more, see http://www.bakerstreetastro.org.uk/

Buy wines at Gerry's

A well-stocked little off license on Old Compton Street in Soho, one of the best areas for London off licenses, Gerry's was founded in 1984 by Michael Kyprianou, the former manager of the now closed Del Monico's off-licence further down the street.


Today, the shop boasts a fantastic range of wines and spirits, interspersed with hand-written labels, and pictures of those who appreciate the shop and other bits of paraphernalia accumulated over the years.

For more, see http://www.gerrys.uk.com

Find London's first drinking fountain

Built into the railings of St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, on Holborn Viaduct, London's first Metropolitan Drinking Fountain can still be seen, complete with two cups retained on chains and marked with the words 'Replace The Cup'.


Originally installed in April 1859 and paid for by Samuel Gurney, the fountain was moved in 1867 as Holborn Viaduct was built, and then reinstated in its original position in 1913. Though no longer functioning, it is an interesting anomaly.

For more, see http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2653851

Explore the Hogarth Roundabout Meadow

As part of the fantastic Chelsea Fringe series of events taking place around the Chelsea Flower Show, the Hogarth Roundabout in Chiswick has been transformed into a wildflower meadow designed for the benefit of local people and wildlife in the area.


We are told that this is particularly important because the piece of land that many of us have crawled around on the way out to the West along the A4 sees tens of thousands of vehicles at rush hour and is rarely a pleasant place to be.

So, the meadow has been planted to combat that, using native and non-native annual flowers, set to bloom all summer and on into November in an attempt to increase biodiversity and inspire joy in visitors, with work sponsored by the old Chiswick Preservation Society.

For more, see http://www.chelseafringe.com/event/hogarth-roundabout-meadow/2012-05-27/

_{^Picture © David Smith and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence^}

Celebrate the reopening of HMS Belfast

Despite it actually reopening more than a week ago, this weekend sees a family weekender on HMS Belfast to mark its reopening after six months of refurbishment works after its walkway to the shore collapsed late last year.


We are told to expect simulated gun firings, Arctic assignments, family events, live music and a barbecue, on board a ship which is well worthy of a visit whenever it is open, and a welcome reopening for London.

For more, see http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast

Attend Speakeasy & Swing at the Half Moon

Tonight we are told to expect the Half Moon in Herne Hill to be transformed with the sounds and tastes of the 1920s, as big band Le Chat Creole entertain us with swing, Dixieland and jazz.


Your author will be there, and not just because a former flatmate is singing, but also because it offers the chance to sip on a Sidecar, feast on fried chicken and pretend that we are back in the 1920s, which were apparently terribly fashionable.

It promises to be a good night and tickets are available at http://www.wegottickets.com/event/168823

Wander on Mitcham Common

During one of your author's regular aimless wanders in South London, he stumbled across Mitcham Common as part of a survey of large green spaces in the A to Z and was not disappointed.


Once dominated by oak woodland, the massive 460 acres of common land are thought to have been cleared as early as neolithic times for grazing, and today the common has a real gritty suburban charm, and is wilder than many green spaces in London, with overgrown scrubland and ponds dominating, and living alongside a full 18 hole golf course.

We are told that the soil here is acidic, and has also suffered from frequent rubbish dumping, but yet the views across the surrounding neighbourhoods and patches of trees and scrubland make it an interesting environment.

For more, see http://mitchamcommon.org/.

Maintain your bike with Islington Cyclists' Action Group

Your author's poor yellow bike is on its last legs, but with a little maintenance it manages to struggle on, and the great news for anyone needing to get a second opinion on their bike woes is that London has a strong network of cycle user groups full of friendly sorts who are willing to offer advice and assistance.


Tonight, as every fourth Wednesday of the month (except August and December), the Islington Cyclists' Action Group is meeting at North London's Sunnyside Community Centre for a session of bike maintenance from 7pm – 9.30pm for which a very reasonable £1 is charged. Expect the session to be full of friendly faces and an unrivalled range of tools you didn't know existed.

For more, see http://www.icag.org.uk/events/maintenance-workshop/

Attend London Reads at the Deptford Lounge

Tonight at Deptford's new Deptford Lounge library-community-leisure-space-thing, Londonist Editor Matt Brown is hosting a London book event with two very talented London writers and one lightweight chancer speaking about their books on London.


Your author is joined by Craig Taylor, author of Londoners and we are told erstwhile writer of the Guardian’s One million tiny plays about Britain, and Christopher Fowler, author of am amazing 30+ London novels, notably thrillers such as the Bryant and May mysteries.

For more on all this, see http://londonist.com/2012/05/londonist-presents-london-reads-deptford-lounge.php

Visit Portsoken Street Garden

Created with the support of the King George's Fields Foundation, which created many public gardens in memory of King George V up until the 1960s, Portsoken Street Garden is a pretty little public space in the City of London just a short distance from Tower Hill.


The smallest King George's Field in the country, the garden was re-landscaped in the 1980s, and again in 2010, when a new play area was created, with we are told, an emphasis on natural play.

For more, see http://www.londongardensonline.org.uk/gardens-online-record.asp?ID=COL039

Watch the Cavalry Memorial Parade

As per advance warning given by Ian and other websites the 88th Combined Cavalry Memorial Service and Parade takes place today in Hyde Park, as it does every May.


The event kicks off at around 10.45am, forming up on the Regimental Marker on the Broad Walk in Hyde Park. We are told to expect music from two marching bands and the saluting of an international golfer.

For more, see http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/calendar/detail.php?uid=18861

_{^Picture © Dave-F used under a Creative Commons license and actually of the trooping of the colour but you get the idea^}

See some Museums at Night

We're already onto day two of the annual Museums at Night weekend, but there are still some fantastic events taking place this evening, and even a few tomorrow.


Tonight sees a late opening at the Royal Observatory's Astronomy Centre in Greenwich, late talks at Apsley House, art by candlelight at the London Canal Museum and late steam engines at the Kew Bridge Steam Museum, amongst others.

For more, see http://www.culture24.org.uk/places+to+go/museums+at+night

_{^Picture © Will668 used under a Creative Commons license^}

Find the Robert Stephenson statue

In Victorian times father and son engineering teams seemed fashionable, and though many have heard about great train man George Stephenson, creator of the world's first public steam railway, it is his celebrated son Robert Stephenson who is commemorated by a statue outside Euston Station.


Stephenson junior was a renowned civil engineer and locomotive designer, working on the designs of the Rocket and bridges including the Conwy railway bridge and Britannia Bridge across the Menai Straits in North Wales and the Royal Border Bridge across the Tweed in Berwick-upon-Tweed.

It is presumably as Chief Engineer for the London and Birmingham Railway - the first main line to enter London - that Stephenson is commemorated at Euston, however, being one of many posts he held, including MP for Whitby.

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

_{^Picture © ell brown used under Creative Commons^}

Attend Late Shift at the National Portrait Gallery

Your author is a big fan of late openings at our museums and galleries, and tonight, as every Thursday and Friday night, the National Portrait Gallery is holding Late Shift, a chance to wander round after work and enjoy the gallery in a more informal setting.


Tonight, we are told to expect poetry readings in Memory of Lucian Freud, and guest DJ Edward Otchere, whereas tomorrow night, Draw the Line offers us an opportunity to take part in a life drawing class led by Sophie de Stempel, one of Freud's former models, and various other drawing-related activities.

For more, see http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/lateshift/late_shift_home.php