Essential History | The people, places and events that have shaped our history and culture
The people, places and events that have shaped our history and culture
That’s what Margaret Thatcher called the City of London Guildhall - in comparison to the United Kingdom's national parliament; itself often called the mother of all parliaments. Near Gresham Street in the City of London (the City), the Guildhall has been the centre of municipal government in the City since medieval times. In fact, it [...]
Stroll around a seventeenth apothecary’s garden, followed by afternoon tea at the café. The Chelsea Physic Garden is a micro climate tucked away in Chelsea. It is the oldest in England (after Oxford) and is open to the public (closed Nov-Jan). If you’re near the King’s Road, take a cab for the 5 minute journey [...]
The European Tour A short walk from Victoria Railway Station is the smart, cosmopolitan Orange Square in Pimlico. This is the former neighbourhood of the eight year old Mozart in London. In the square there is a small statue of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart commemorating this. In 1764, this was an open area with sheep and donkeys [...]
The ‘Darkest Hour’; directed by Joe Wright and starring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill is an account of Churchill’s early days as Prime Minister, machinations in 'Whitehall' and the Dunkirk evacuation. The film is set over one month in May 1940. It concludes with success at Dunkirk and Britain resolved to stand strong over Nazi [...]
Here is self-guided tour of 12 key portraits at the National Portrait Gallery for Americans in London. The National Portrait Gallery (NP)G is a haven of peace compared to its next door neighbour; the National Gallery. It also has a rather nice rooftop cocktail bar with views over London. Both galleries are on Trafalgar [...]