London – Around Town : Westminster, the South Bank and Southwark (part 1)

by

Here there is a rich mix of
things to do. Sights range from Westminster Abbey and the Houses of
Parliament to the Tate’s stunning art institutions, the Southbank Centre
and Shakespeare’s Globe. In between there’s the spectacular London Eye
and other entertainments around County Hall, former headquarters of the
Greater London Council. Two new footbridges have opened – one at
Hungerford Bridge, the other at Tate Modern – helping to bring the two
sides of the river together.

Whitehall and Horse Guards

The wide
street connecting Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square takes its name
from the Palace of Whitehall built for Henry VIII in 1532. The palace
was guarded on the north side at what is now Horse Guards, where the
guard is still mounted every morning at 11am (10am on Sundays), with a
dismounting inspection at 4pm.




Statue of Queen Boadicea, near Westminster station





Sights

  1. Westminster Abbey

    London’s
    most venerable and most beautiful church, the scene of coronations and
    royal weddings and the resting place of monarchs.




  2. Tate Modern

    One
    of the world’s great contemporary art galleries. A boat service
    connects Tate Britain and Tate Modern. It leaves from Bankside Pier
    outside Tate Modern every 20 minutes.





  3. London Eye


    The second highest observational wheel in the world (after the
    Singapore Flyer) offers amazing views of the city. While waiting for a
    flight, visit the attractions in County Hall – the London Aquarium,
    Namco Station and the Dalí museum .




    View from London Eye towards Big Ben and Westminster Abbey



  4. Houses of Parliament

    The
    ancient Palace of Westminster is the seat of the two Houses of
    Parliament – the Lords and the Commons. A Union flag flies on the
    Victoria Tower when the Commons is in session. Night sittings are
    indicated by a light on the Clock Tower – the tower that houses Big Ben,
    the 14-ton bell whose hourly chimes are recognized around the world.




    Houses of Parliament

  5. Tate Britain

    The
    best of British art is held at the Tate and works range from 1500 to
    the present. Look downstream to see the home of British Intelligence
    (MI5). This large building, known as Thames House, is built inside a
    bug-proof “Faraday cage” .




  6. Downing Street

    The
    official home and office of Britain’s Prime Minister is one of four
    surviving houses built in 1680 for Sir George Downing (1623–84) who went
    to America as a boy and returned to fight for the Parliamentarians in
    the English Civil War. The building contains a State Dining Room and the
    Cabinet Room, where a group of 20 senior government ministers meets
    regularly to formulate policy. Next door, No. 11, is the traditional
    residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Downing Street has been
    closed to the public for security reasons since 1989.

    • Downing Street SW1

    • Closed to public




    No. 10 Downing Street

  7. Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum

    During
    the dark days of World War II, Winston Churchill and his War Cabinet
    met in these War Rooms beneath the Government Treasury Chambers. They
    remain just as they were left in 1945, with sandbags outside and
    colour-coded phones. Take a guided audio tour through the rooms where
    ministers plotted the course of the war, or visit the Churchill Museum
    which records Churchill’s life and career.

    • Clive Steps, King Charles Street SW1

    • Open 9:30am–6pm daily

    • Admission charge




    Cabinet War Rooms

  8. Southbank Centre

    The
    most accessible arts centre in London still has the air of friendly,
    egalitarian optimism that brought it into life in the 1950s and 60s. The
    Royal Festival Hall’s three concert halls have diverse programmes,
    while the Hayward Gallery is a major venue for art exhibitions. The BFI
    Southbank, run by the British Film Institute, has a varied programme of
    movies. The National Theatre’s three theatres (Olivier, Cottesloe and Lyttelton) are to the east along the river .


    • Southbank Centre SE1

  9. Shakespeare’s Globe

    To
    see a Shakespeare play at the reconstructed Globe is a magical
    experience. Seated in three tiers, open to the skies, the audience
    heckles and shouts as they did in Shakespeare’s day. Except when a
    matinee is playing, visitors to the exhibition next door are given
    guided tours of the theatre by staff .

    • New Globe Walk, Bankside SE1

    • Bookings (plays from May–Sep only)

    • 020 7401 9919

    • Exhibition/theatre tour: May–Sep: 9am–5pm daily; Oct–Apr: 10am–5pm daily

    • Admission charge




  10. Imperial War Museum

    It
    is well worth the effort to visit this museum, which documents the
    social effects of war as much as the technology involved in fighting it,
    with displays on food rationing, censorship, air-raid precautions and
    morale-boosting strategies. Concerned mainly with conflicts in the 20th
    century to the present, it has changing exhibitions and an excellent
    shop that will appeal to those with a nostalgia for wartime London .




    Exhibits in the Imperial War Museum