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WC2,
Tube: Westminster/Embankment/Temple/Blackfriars,
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Opened in 1874, Joseph Bazalgette's Thames promenade was part of an ambitious project to relieve
congestion along the Strand whilst simultaneously extending the Metropolitan District Railway
between South Kensington and Mansion House (now the District line Tube).
The embankment's most famous (and oldest) monument is Cleopatra's needle, an
Egyptian granite obelisk that dates back to 1475 BC. With the route following the curve of the
Thames passed Waterloo Bridge and up to Blackfriars, the embankment runs behind a number of
historic buildings including Portcullis House, the Ministry of Defence building, Adelphi Theatre,
Savoy
Hotel and Somerset House.
Part of the design also included the Victoria Embankment Gardens (just off
Villiers Street and reached from Embankment Tube). Interestingly, the gardens contain a water gate
which, having been built in 1626, used to be located on the river's edge. However, once work on the
embankment had been completed, the gate found itself stranded some 330ft from the Thames.
 Bank End, SE1 9BU, Tel: 0870
241 4040, Website: www.vinopolis.co.uk, Tube:
London Bridge,
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Hidden in vaults below street level, Vinopolis - City of Wine - was created as an 'interactive tour' of the world's wine
regions. Covering the great wine producing countries of Europe, as well as the 'New World'
of America, Australia and New Zealand, Vinopolis features 20 themed rooms, each
of which highlight the grapes and wines
of a particular country or region. In addition, you can learn about the history of wine growing
in general, whilst also finding out how London has played a major role in the wine trade over the
centuries. And, for Champagne lovers, there's a room dedicated to the splendours of the bubbly
stuff.
As a finale (and included as part of the entrance fee), you'll have the chance
to taste five wines from a list of over 200. Tasting notes for your choices are also included
should you wish to know more about each one (other wines can also be tasted for an
additional charge).
Vinopolis also has a large on-site shop selling not only fine wines, but
numerous items to help enhance your imbibing pleasure, such as specially created wine glasses and
decanters. Wines can be purchased by the bottle or by the case.
The exhibition is situated along the rejuvenated Bankside between
Southwark/London bridges
in Clink Street and is open from midday-9pm (Mon, Fri, Sat) and midday-6pm
(Tue-Thu, Sun). London
Pass Accepted Here.
 Hyde Park Corner, W1J 7JZ, Tel: 020 7930 2726, Open: 30
Mar-30 Sep, Wed-Sun, Bank Holidays 10am-6pm, 1-31 Oct, Wed-Sun, 10am-5pm; 1
Nov-29 Mar, Wed-Sun, 10am-4pm. Closed 24-26 Dec, 1 Jan, Admission: £3.30
Adults, £2.60 Concessions, £1.70 Children, Website: www.english-heritage.org.uk,
Tube: Hyde Park Corner,
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A recent renovation by English Heritage has allowed the arch, marooned on a
traffic island at Hyde Park Corner, to be opened to the public for the first
time. Once home to London's smallest police station (in the 1960s), the Arch was
originally intended as a ceremonial entrance to Green Park and Buckingham Palace.
However, spiralling costs (and the subsequent death of George IV in 1830), left
many of the design's ornamental embellishments on the drawing board.
Later acquired by a Committee organising the national memorial to the Duke of
Wellington, it was topped with an equestrian statue of the Duke before being
dismantled and moved to its present location at Constitution Hill. At the same
time, the Duke's statue was removed and transferred to Aldershot, instead being
replaced by Adrian Jones' depiction of The Angel of Peace descending on the Chariot of War.
For visitors, a small but interesting exhibit details the monument's chequered
history, while an observation platform offers pleasant views over Hyde Park and down
to the Houses of Parliament. London
Pass Accepted Here.
 Deans Yard, SW1P 3PA, Tel: 020 7222 5152, Website: www.westminster-abbey.org, Open:
9.30am-4.45pm Mon-Fri and Sat 9.30am-2.45pm, Sun worship only, Admission: £10 adults, £7
concessions, £24 family ticket (one or two adults and two or three children. Children can be up to 17 years old as long as they are accompanied by an adult),
Tube: Westminster,
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Westminster Abbey is always regarded as one of the "must see" sights for visitors to London, being
known across the world as the setting for the coronations of British kings and
queens (and the
eventual resting-place for a number of them).
Over the years, it has also been the setting for Royal weddings and other
elaborate ceremonies, while most recently, it was associated with the funeral and remembrance
service for Diana, Princess of Wales. Her untimely death on 31 August 1997 triggered an outpouring
of emotion and grief rarely seen (or associated) with the normally reserved, stiff upper-lipped
British.
Historically, there's been an abbey on the site since the 8th century,
although the original building has been rebuilt or extended over the years, on some occasions by
some of the most important monarchs in English history (such as Edward the Confessor and Henry
III).
All but two coronations since the reign of William the Conqueror have taken
place here, the most recent being that of our reigning monarch, Elizabeth II in 1952.
As well as being the final resting-place of many monarchs, other famous historical figures are
honoured here, including Winston Churchill for whom there is a commemorative tablet in the
Nave.
 Ashley Place, SW1, Tel: 020 7798 9055, Website: www.westminstercathedral.org.uk, Campanile Bell
tower lift open daily 9am-5pm (Apr-Nov), 9am-5pm
Thu-Sun from Dec-Mar, Tube: Victoria,
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Although languishing behind the modern (and rather unattractive) office blocks of busy Victoria
Street, Westminster Cathedral is an interesting, albeit slightly wacky example of neo-byzantine
architecture. Built in 1895, on the site of a former market owned by Benedictine monks, the land
was also previously used for a 17th-century prison before being purchased by the church in
1884.
Constructed of terracotta bricks and white Portland stone, the extravagant
exterior also boasts a 274ft bell tower which, when accessed by lift provides excellent
views of the London Eye, Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Elsewhere, John Francis
Bentley's elegant interior features detailed marble and mosaic work, while Eric Gill's dramatic
reliefs of the Fourteen Stations of the Cross were sculpted during World War I.
Synonymous with the machinery of government in Britain, Whitehall takes its
name from the Whitehall Palace which was constructed here for Hubert de Burgh in the 13th century
(before being rebuilt and enlarged for Cardinal Wolsey during the 16th century). Although by and
large, tourists simply use Whitehall as a thoroughfare from the Palace of Westminster down to
Trafalgar Square, the area plays hosts to Downing
Street, the ornate Banqueting House and the
Cenotaph war memorial.
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