London – Around Town : Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia (part 1)

by

Literary, legal and
scholarly, this is the brainy quarter of London. Dominated by two
towering institutions, the British Museum and London University, and
bolstered by the Inns of Court, it could hardly be otherwise. It is an
area of elegant squares and Georgian façades, of libraries, bookshops
and publishing houses. Most famously, the Bloomsbury Group, known for
novelist Virginia Woolf
lived here during the early decades of the 20th century. Fitzrovia’s
reputation as a raffish place was enhanced by the characters who drank
at the Fitzroy Tavern, such as the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914–53) and
the painter Augustus John (1878–1961).


Bloomsbury Connections

Many Bloomsbury streets and squares are named
after members of the Russell family – the Dukes of Bedford. The first
duke features in Shakespeare’s Henry V.
In 1800, the 5th Duke sold the mansion in Bedford Place and retired to
the country. The current Duke has turned the family seat, Woburn Abbey, into a huge tourist attraction.



Sights


  1. British Museum




  2. British Library

    Located
    in the heart of St Pancras, the British Library holds copies of
    everything published in Britain, as well as many historical publications
    from around the world. Members have free access to these, while
    non-members can enjoy the magnificent space and the regular exhibitions
    put on here. A dazzling, permanent display in the John Ritblatt Gallery
    includes the earliest map of Britain (1250), a Gutenberg Bible (1455),
    Shakespeare’s first folio (1623), Handel’s Messiah
    (1741) and many breathtaking illuminated manuscripts. The glass walls
    in the core of the building reveal the huge leather volumes from the
    King’s Library, donated by George III. There are regular talks and
    events, a café, restaurant and, of course, a well-stocked bookshop.

    • 96 Euston Road NW1

    • Open 9:30am–6pm Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, 9:30–8pm Tue, 9:30am–5pm Sat, 11am–5pm Sun & public hols

    • Permanent exhibitions are free.




    British Library

  3. Sir John Soane’s Museum

    A
    particular pleasure of this unique museum is watching visitors’ faces
    as they turn a corner and encounter yet another unexpected gem. Sir John
    Soane, one of Britain’s leading 19th-century architects, crammed three
    adjoining houses with antiques and treasures, displayed in the most
    ingenious ways. The basement crypt, designed to resemble a Roman
    catacomb, is particularly original. The Rake’s Progress (1753), a series of eight paintings by Hogarth, is another highlight.

    The
    houses are on the northern side of Lincoln’s Inn Fields, the heart of
    legal London, where gowned and bewigged lawyers roam. Lincoln’s Inn, on
    the east side of the square, is one of the best preserved Inns of Court
    in London, part of it dating from the 15th century.

    • 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields WC2

    • Open 10am–5pm Tue–Sat, 6–9pm first Tue of month

    • Free




    Sir John Soane’s Museum

  4. Charles Dickens Museum

    Home to Charles Dickens from 1837–39, during which time he completed some of his best work (including The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby),
    this four-storey terraced house offers a fascinating glimpse into the
    life and times of the great Victorian author and social reformer. Some
    rooms have been laid out exactly as they were in Dickens’ time. Nearby
    Doughty Mews provides another step back to Victorian times.

    • 48 Doughty Street WC1

    • Open 10am–5pm Mon–Sat, 11am–5pm Sun

    • Admission charge




  5. University College London

    Founded
    in 1836, UCL is the oldest college of London University and owns
    several fine academic collections. In the Petrie Museum is one of the
    largest collections of Egyptian archaeology in the world. Etchings,
    engravings and early English Mezzotints from the college’s art
    collection are exhibited in the Strang Print Room. Check out
    performances at the college’s Bloomsbury Theatre in Gordon Street.

    • Gower Street WC1

    Petrie Museum

    • open 1–5pm Tue–Fri, 10am–1pm Sat

    • Free

    Bloomsbury Theatre

    • 020 7388 8822

  6. Wellcome Collection

    The
    medical collection of American businessman and philanthropist Sir Henry
    Wellcome (1853–1936), who founded one of the world’s leading
    pharmaceutical companies, explores the connections between medicine,
    life and art. Exhibits include Charles Darwin’s walking stick and
    Fakir’s sandals.

    • 183 Euston Road NW1

    • Open 10am–6pm Mon–Fri, 10am–4pm Sat

    • Free

  7. British Telecom Tower

    At
    190 m (620 ft), this was the tallest building in London when it opened
    in 1965. Sadly, the revolving restaurant on top has been closed for
    security reasons, but the Tower Tavern in Cleveland Street has a good
    large-scale diagram explaining the tower’s constituent parts (as well as
    hand-pulled beer).

    • Map D2




    Telecom Tower

  8. Pollock’s Toy Museum and Shop

    This
    delightful child-sized museum is a treasure-trove of historic toys. The
    shop below is crammed with old-fashioned playthings including Victorian
    toy theatre sheets, originally published by Benjamin Pollock.

    • 1 Scala Street W1

    • Open 10am–5pm Mon–Sat

    • Admission charge

  9. St George’s Church

    This
    church was described in a 19th-century guide book as “the most
    pretentious, ugliest edifice in the metropolis”. The steeple is topped
    with a statue of King George I posing as St George.

    • Bloomsbury Way WC1

    • Open 10am–5:30pm Mon–Fri and for services on Sun




  10. St Pancras International Station

    One
    of the glories of Victorian Gothic architecture, this railway terminus
    was designed in 1874 by Sir George Gilbert Scott. Most of the frontage
    is in fact the Midland Grand Hotel. The Eurostar International Terminal
    moved here from Waterloo Station during 2007, when the Channel Rail
    Tunnel Link was completed.

    • Euston Road NW1




    Façade, St Pancras International Station



    Carved figures, St Pancras Parish Church