Blog

Blog Posts

Charterhouse Museum. Photo Credit: ©Isobel Durrant

The Charterhouse Museum & Cafe Opens in January 2017

A new museum designed by Eric Parry will give an overview of the history of Charterhouse in London which since […]

Read more
City of London Boundary Dragon. Photo Credit: ©Ursula Petula Barzey.

Top 10 Facts About The City Of London

London covers 600 square miles and has a population of 8.6 million, but only its oldest part, just one square mile in size, is called the City of London. That is where the Romans founded the city of Londinium shortly after they arrived in 43AD. Today, the City of London – or simply “the City” – is the centre of London’s finance industry. The City is where you find the Bank of England, the London Stock Exchange, the investment banks, insurance companies and financial markets. It combines the most modern headquarters buildings with Roman remains and medieval churches, and it is great to explore on foot.

Read more
The Map Room at Churchill War Room. Photo credit: © Imperial War Museum.

10 Reasons To Visit Winston Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms

The Cabinet War Rooms are the actual wartime headquarters of Winston Churchill, combined with a large museum devoted to his life. Housed in the basement of the magnificent Treasury building, the War Rooms are the actual conference and communication rooms used by Churchill and his Chiefs of Staff during World War II. In 2005, an extensive museum was added documenting the long and eventful life of Sir Winston Churchill.

Read more
Sheep drive over London Bridge. Photo Credit: ©David Jagger.

Annual Sheep Drive Across London Bridge

Granted Freedom of the City of London in 1993, I have often been asked whether I had ever exercised my right to herd sheep or cattle across London Bridge. This ancient privilege to bring animals into the City without payment of tolls had long since been abandoned when the livestock markets closed and in any case was of no special importance once the gates and a single river crossing were replaced by the modern landscape we all know today.

Read more
Robert Owen Blue Plaque. Photo Credit: © Dafydd Wyn Phillips.

New Blue Plaque for Robert Owen – the Father of the Co-operative Movement

On 5 September a Marchmont Association commemorative plaque was unveiled at 4 Burton Place, Bloomsbury, in the 1830s the former […]

Read more
Man Ray 1860-1970, Glass Tears (Les Larmes) 1932. Photo Credit: Collection Elton John © Man Ray Trust/ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2016.

The Radical Eye: Modernist Photography from the Sir Elton John Collection Exhibition at Tate Modern

The Radical Eye: Modernist Photography from the Sir Elton John Collection exhibition is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see one of […]

Read more
Royal Academy of Arts - The Intrigue, 1890: James Ensor by Luc Tuymans exhibition. Photo Credit: Hugo Maertensl © DACS 2016.

Intrigue: James Ensor by Luc Tuymans Exhibition at Royal Academy of Arts

The theatrical, the satirical and the macabre come together in arresting fashion in the art of James Ensor exhibition at […]

Read more
Oxford University. Photo Credit: ©Gianfranco De Bei/Pixabay.

10 Facts About Top Ranked Oxford University

Oxford University is a favourite on a day trip from London often on the way to Stratford-upon-Avon or Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill. A stop at Oxford would normally include a walking tour and a visit to one of the Colleges such as Brasenose or Christchurch. Some people, however, might prefer to spend the whole day there visiting more than one college and seeing the place of learning which was home to such famous writers as Lewis Carroll, J.R. R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis, all of whom taught at Oxford University. Below are 10 facts about Oxford University which was recently ranked at the best in the world.

Read more
London Rock N Roll - Abbey Road. Photo Credit: ©Nigel Rundstrom.

Top 10 Facts About The Beatles In London

The Beatles are the best-selling band in history and – with 17 No1s – hold the record for the group with the most No1 singles in UK chart history. The Fab Four shot to fame in 1963, the year they left their native Liverpool in the north of England for the nation’s capital London, which was to play a major part in the band’s career over the following seven years until their break-up in 1970. Below are 10 facts about the Beatles in London, facts that can be brought vividly to life through a London Beatles Tour with a Blue Badge Tourist Guide.

Read more
Leadenhall Market, main arcade. Photo Credit: ©Mark King.

10 Top Things That May Surprise You About Harry Potter’s London

London has lots of links to Harry Potter whether it be the numerous locations used for the films or the links to the folklore behind the stories. Blue Badge Tourist Guides regularly lead Harry Potter tours around London and as a teaser here are the 10 top things linking London to Harry Potter.

Read more
Windsor Castle. Photo credit: ©ihimali/Pixabay.

Top 10 Facts About Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is the largest and oldest inhabited castle in the world. It is located about an hour from central London and visitors can see the sumptuous State apartments, the spectacular display of heraldry in St George’s Chapel and even take a peek at the Royal residential apartments.

Read more
New Plastic £5 banknotes.

Bank of England Launches New Plastic £5 Notes

The new banknotes released on Tuesday 13 September represent a break from the Bank of England’s current paper notes, they […]

Read more