The best cultural and historical sights in London, Madrid and beyond.
Located near Plaza de Colon, the Jardines del Descubrimiento recall the discovery of America by the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus on 12 October 1492, landing at El Salvador in the Bahamas. Voyages of other Spanish-funded ventures during the ‘Siglo de Oro’ are commemorated on the brutalist plinths by architect, Joaquin Vaquero Turcois. Opened in 1970 [...]
The Royal Botanical Garden is a stunning city-centre oasis and base of scientific research in Madrid. Conceived by Charles III in the late 1700s it was deliberately located next to the Prado Museum (originally the Museum of Natural Sciences). The garden has around 5500 species of plant (many brought from former Spanish colonies) – outstripping [...]
On Sundays and bank holidays, Madrid’s famous flea market kicks off at 8am, lasting until around 2pm – stretching one kilometre down Calle Ribera de Curtidores. Owing to its location near a former slaughterhouse, ‘El Rastro’ derives its name from the entrails and blood of the slaughtered livestock. During and after the market, there are [...]
Madrid has over 80 churches, so selecting five to visit is tough. We’ve gone with prioritising beauty and historical importance. The list excludes Madrid’s cathedral (La Almudena), which will be described in a subsequent post – although many Madrilenos (regarding its newness, funding and architecture as inappropriate) have a take it or leave it attitude [...]
Around three kilometres west of the city centre of Madrid an enormous rural park, twice the size of London’s Richmond Park, dominates the landscape. Originally a royal hunting ground established by Philip II (and retained by subsequent royals until the Second Republic finally opened it to the public in 1933) it’s a favourite weekend retreat [...]
Plaza del Rey is home to the curiously named Casa de Las Siete Chimeneas (House of the Seven Chimneys) - apparently each representing one of the seven deadly sins. Completed in 1577, it’s one Madrid’s oldest buildings, and is now home to the Ministry of Education and Culture. Plenty of lore is associated with the [...]
Weaving through central Manchester are the Irwell and Medlock rivers feeding a myriad of canals connecting to the Manchester Ship Canal and the ocean beyond - all key arteries of the city’s rich (and sometimes contentious) trading history. Manchester’s zenith was in the nineteenth century, when it became the world’s first purpose-built industrial metropolis prospering [...]
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is renowned as the 'mother of all parliaments' This post is a self-guided walk through the heart of political Westminster, taking in Parliament and associated sights. The walk starts in Smith Square, Westminster, home to party HQ's, lobbyists and political associations and ends in Trafalgar Square. It will take [...]
In 1896, Charlie Chaplin, his mother and brother presented themselves at the door of the Lambeth Workhouse in south London. Charlie’s father had left them and with no secure earnings and they were destitute. Making matters worse Charlie’s mother, Hannah, also suffered from mental problems. Over the next few years the family passed in, and [...]
The history of Hatfield House starts in 1485, when the Bishop of Ely (Cambridgeshire) constructed Hatfield Palace, today known as the Old Palace. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536-41), Hatfield Palace was acquired by King Henry VIII, passed down in sequence to his children; Edward, Mary and Elisabeth and then inherited by King James [...]