How many London landmarks and tourist attractions can you name that start with the Letter Q? Blue Badge Tourist Guide Emily Lawrence Baker continues our Guide London A-Z video series and provides insights on the historical events, famous and not-so-famous landmarks in London starting with the Letter Q.

London landmarks and tourist attractions that begin with the Letter Q

This is the Guide London A to Z. I’m Emily Laurence Baker, a London Blue Badge Tourist Guide looking at the Letter Q.

Queen Victoria’s Statue

Queen Victoria’s image appears at several sites in London but this statue outside Kensington Palace is the most evocative of her style. She’s shown here at age 18, dressed in her coronation robes of 1837. The statue was created by Queen Victoria’s fourth daughter, Princess Louise who was a talented and respected artist. Victoria’s pose clearly resembles her coronation portrait painted by Sir George Hayter, her official painter of History and Portrait.

Queen’s Chapel

Across town and not far from Buckingham Palace, where Queen Victoria moved after her coronation, is our 2nd Q – Queen’s chapel. Located adjacent to St James Palace in central London. The chapel was completed in 1625 for Queen Henrietta Maria, the French wife of King Charles I. The building is open only to worshippers. Church of England services are held on Sundays and during the week from Easter through July. Queen’s Chapel was designed by the architect of the day, Inigo Jones, famous for his Palladian style-buildings.

Queen’s House

The Queen’s House in Greenwich is another classic Palladian building by Inigo Jones Located about 5 and 1/2 miles to the east of central London, it was one of Jones’ first commissions in 1616. Queen’s House is often referred to as the “first classical building in England, because of its conscious derivation of classical Roman and Greek styles. The building’s harmonious proportions are truly breathtaking.  The house’s most unusual feature is the road running through it. Rather oddly, the building was constructed along the main route between Woolwich to Deptford, the two important royal docks. Jones carefully bridged the road using geometrically measured spaces. Today, the remnant of this original road makes a stunning and imminently photographable walkway. Another highly photographable feature is the Tulip Staircase. This architectural marvel is the first geometric self-supported stairs in Britain. Queen’s House is free to visit. The splendid art collection and dramatic interiors are truly delightful.

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

The 2012 Olympics were hosted in East London. The area is now the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is a giant playground for east London that has rejuvenated the area and brought millions of visitors. You can rent bikes and cycle or stroll along the super-wide pathways, Scale the climbing walls or explore truly innovative children’s areas with an eye towards imaginative play amidst natural resources. The park’s waterways are one of its best features. How about cruising around in a giant swan in the shadow of the London Aquatics Centre. You can visit other venues too, the Velodrome, an architectural marvel, or the Olympic stadium now home to West Ham United, one of London’s premier football clubs. For a great view of the London skyline, you can climb the Arcelor Orbit, the UK’s tallest sculpture at 114 meters.   The truly courageous come down via the world’s longest tunnel slide.

Queen Anne’s Gate

Queen Anne’s Gate is a supremely elegant street located near St James Park Underground Station in the heart of Westminster. Many of the houses boast elaborate canopies over their front entrances like these shown here. The street was laid out during the reign of Queen Anne in the early 1700s and her statue overlooks the street named for her. Also, be sure to have a look at the interesting and amusing stone faces that are carved into many of the buildings.

Queen’s Gallery

Our last Q is an often overlooked gallery that showcases spectacular art from the Royal Collection, one of the largest and most important art collections in the world. Themed, special exhibitions provide a chance to see paintings and other objects that reflect the personal tastes of monarchs over the past 500 years. Located just behind Buckingham palace on Buckingham Gate, the gallery is easy to get to and well worth a visit.

These are just a few of the tourist attractions you can find, which begin with the letter Q.  My name is Emily Laurence Baker, check out my profile on the Guide London website guidelondon.org.uk. You can also subscribe to our Youtube channel and join us as we explore the A-Z of Guide London