IMAX Cinema (British Film Institute)
 1 Charlie
Chaplin Walk, South Bank, Waterloo, SE1 8XR, Tel:
0870 787 2525, Website: www.bfi.org.uk,
Admission: £8.50 adult, £6.25 concessions, £5 child (aged
4-14), children under 3 free,
Tube: Waterloo,
Show Map
Walking southwards across Waterloo Bridge it's virtually impossible to miss the large glass
cylindrical building that's home to Britain's first IMAX format cinema. Surrounded by the Waterloo
Roundabout, and accessed by a series of underground walkways, the
cinema is specially designed to show IMAX movies on a massive 20 x 26 metre screen - the largest in
the country.
The IMAX format originated in Canada and most of the films produced are
documentaries (with an emphasis on nature) lasting around 30 minutes. However, the sheer quality of
the projected images, coupled with fantastic sound, gives the audience a feeling of being immersed
within the film. Indeed, where motion is involved (i.e. aerial sweeps) you can feel slightly dizzy.
There are also some amazing 3D films which are viewed using special glasses. With the buzz of up to
482 people viewing a movie at any one time, it's certainly a trip worth taking.
Jewel Tower and Victoria Tower Gardens
 Abingdon Street SW1, Tel: 020 7222 2219, Website: www.english-heritage.org.uk,
Open: 10am-5pm daily (24 Mar-31 Oct), 10am-4pm daily (1 Nov-31 Mar), Closed 24-26 Dec, 1 Jan, Entry: £3
adults, £2.40 senior citizens/concessions, £1.50 children, Tube: Westminster,
Show Map
Along with the Westminster Hall, the Jewel Tower is the only surviving part of the original Palace
of Westminster.
Built as a medieval vault to house Edward III's treasure, it was later used to
store records from the House of Lords, while most recently (between 1869-1938) it served as the
weights and measures office. Despite being ignored by many a tourist on their way to Westminster
Abbey, the tower contains a well put together exhibition 'Parliament Past and Present'. London
Pass Accepted Here.
 Kensington Palace Gardens, W8 4PX, Tel: 0870 751 5170, Website:
www.hrp.org.uk,
Ticket
Information and Secure Online Booking, Tube: High Street Kensington,
Show Map
Bought by William III following his accession to the throne in 1689, Kensington Palace not only has
a rich and varied history, but is also a fine example of a Jacobean brick mansion. Enlarged and
improved over the years, it has been a favoured residence of sovereigns and royals right up to the
present day.
With the move from Whitehall Palace originally dictated by a need to counter
the king's increasingly bad bronchitis and asthma, Sir Christopher Wren, along with other renowned
architects such as Hawksmoor (and later William Kent) were given the task of converting Nottingham
House, as it was then, into a royal property. Among the improvements were the addition of the Clock
Court and south façade, as well as the 96ft long King's Gallery and Orangery.
Although following William's death in 1702 the palace served as the royal
court of Queen Anne, George I and George II, it was Queen Victoria (who had not only spent her
childhood here, but also learnt about her accession to the throne in the palace following William
IV's death) who first set up residency in the larger, more imposing, Buckingham Palace.
In 1912, the palace's empty State Apartments were temporarily used to exhibit
a large collection of royal memorabilia, costumes and coronation robes to the public. And, although
the event (which King George V and Queen Mary attended) was a resounding success, the exhibition
later moved to nearby Lancaster House. Remaining largely unused until the outbreak of war in 1939,
the palace then suffered sizeable bomb damage during the Blitz, with the State Apartments only
being restored and reopened again to the public in 1949. Moreover, Kensington Palace was once again
used as an exhibition venue, this time displaying artifacts and relics of London life under the
auspices of 'The Museum of London'. Though a larger, more modern home was eventually found at the
Barbican in 1976, tours of the State Apartments and Court Dress Collection remain open to the
public.
The Palace does, however, remain a firm seat of royal life, with the Duke and
Duchess of Kent and Duke and Duchess of Gloucester having residences here. Indeed, Kensington was,
in the recent past, most famously associated with the late Diana, Princess of Wales who occupied
apartments here from 1981 to 1997. London
Pass Accepted Here.
King's Cross Station
Euston Road, N1, Tube: King's Cross,
Show Map
Although situated in one of London's most notorious drug-pushing districts, both King's Cross
Station (along with the even grander St. Pancras) give good insight as to the importance that
Britain placed upon its railway system during the Victorian era. Penned by Lewis Cubitt as the
Great Northern Railway's London terminus, the station is said to stand on the site of a former
smallpox hospital. Even more intriguingly, it's also believed to be the last resting place of Queen
Boudicca following her battle with the Romans in AD61. And, though the area eventually came to be
known as Battle Bridge, a monument erected in the honour of King George IV led to its name being
changed to the current "King's Cross". Unfortunately for George, the monument was later removed,
although of course, the name stuck.
Despite the building's façade rarely being seen as Cubitt intended
(most recently it has been scarred by a hideous 1970s passenger concourse) it remains an elegant
and impressive piece of Victorian railway architecture. With a yellow brick exterior, the station's
front features a central 120ft high clock tower, together with arched windows blending into the
design of the station's two long train sheds. To the left of the station is the Great Northern
Hotel (also by Cubitt), which is among the oldest 'station hotels' in the world.
Back to Top
|
