Alternative Things to do in London
Posted by Jackie Hewett on Sun 18th November 2007 at 03:05 AM, Filed in Europe
We all know about the ‘obvious’ list of tourist attractions in this great city, so here is a list of more unusual things to do that you may not have thought of. Most of them won’t break the bank either!
Visit New Covent Garden Market
If you want to see some of the real London and don’t mind getting up a bit early go and visit the New Covent Garden Market. There are two sections to the market – the fruit and vegetable section and the flower market and they both moved to the current locations (Nine Elms Lane SW8 5NX) in 1971. My father was a green-grocer and in the school holidays I use to love occasionally getting up at 3am to go with him. It was fascinating. You don’t have to get up quite so early – the market is open from 3.00am - 11.00am Mon-Friday and 4.00am - 10.00 Saturdays but generally the earlier you can go the better as there will be more produce and more buyers. The flower market is housed in a purpose built structure and for me is the best bit, but the fruit and veg section is more ‘earthy’ with colourful language.
Visit the Old Operating ‘Theatre’ / Museum
No doubt most of you will have heard of the London Dungeons, but how about visiting this tiny museum where 18th century operations took place without the use of anaesthetics and where observed by students and visiting dignitaries seated around three sides of the operating table. Hence the term operating theatre came into play! The museum is situated in the attic of the old St Thomas’s church, St Thomas Street, SE1 9RY, close to London Bridge station. Entrance is £5.25 for adults, £3 for under 16’s and the museum is open daily from 10.30am to 5pm.
Speakers Corner
If you haven’t heard of it – Speakers Corner is at the North-East corner of London’s Hyde Park. It is a place dedicated to public speaking where people may exercise their right to freedom of speech, so long as their speeches do not break the law (such as inciting a riot etc). Since 1872 it has been a designated area for speeches and debate in the UK and has more recently become a main site of protest and assembly. There are no prescribed subjects, it is pot-luck regarding what you will hear from whom, but can be entertaining and thought provoking. Best times to go are Sunday Mornings and early weekday afternoons. On a Sundays you can also visit the Bayswater Road market which is open from 10.00am to 5pm which sells paintings, crafts and touristy tat, but adds to the day out.
Visit Camden Market
Camden Lock market was established in 1974 and is situated between Camden Town and Chalk Farm Underground stations – along the canal. The market was originally a craft market, and has quite ‘hippy’ leanings regarding the good on sale, however there is much more there than that. There are 6 different open air and indoor market areas, all with their own distinctive flavour, and many restaurants, bars and often street entertainment. The market is now open every day of the week – but on week-days not all of the stalls will be open. It is at the week-end when the place really comes alive, but it does get very busy. When we go we often go to eat at Belgo’s – the excellent Belgian seafood bar that serves a huge variety of fruit beer, great moules-frits and often have great seafood ‘specials’.
St Paul’s Cathedral
Whilst you possibly know this cathedral was designed in 1673 by Sir Christopher Wren, did you know that you can go up into the dome to get a close up look at the fabulous interior, and great views of the surrounding area too every day except Sunday? The whispering gallery has some interesting audio effects and you can see Nelson and Wellington’s tomb in the crypt. There is a visitors charge for the cathedral.
Jack the Ripper Tour
There are many companies offering Jack the Ripper tours in London, but be careful as some cram too many people onto a tour so you may find it difficult to hear the guide and struggle to keep up with the guide. Most of the tours are walking tours that will show you where bodies were found and where the prime suspects lived. The better tours will try to add something extra by making the tour more atmospheric. Richard Jones is highly acclaimed as is Donald Rumbelow who is a former curator of the Police Crime Museum and distinguished crime historian.
Take Afternoon Tea (at the Churchill Hotel)
There are many places you can go to for this great British tradition, but the Churchill Hotel (part of the Hyatt Group) is my all time favourite. Many other places (such as the Ritz) require you to book weeks, if not months, ahead and you will have an allotted time and be expected to finish promptly so they can fit in more sittings. Not so at the Churchill. It is still central (Portman Square just north of Oxford Street), you don’t have to make a reservation and can stay there all afternoon if you like. They have large comfy sofas and arm chairs, all the newspapers and I can highly recommend the champagne cream tea. You will start with a glass of champagne, smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and caviar on toast and follow with a 3 tier selection of sandwiches (including cucumber!), cakes, scones (with obligatory jam / clotted cream) and a speciality tea of your choice – I especially like the ‘oolong’. You do won’t get much change from £30 per head, but you will be pretty full. It’s an extremely civilised way to spend an afternoon, especially pre-theatre.
Evening at the Comedy Store
Doors open at the London Comedy store at 18.30 every evening. There are usually two stand-up performances per evening. One starts at around 20.00pm and the late show at around midnight (exact times depend on the particular day of the week). Whenever I have been the quality of the comedians has been very high and audience participation (heckling etc) is very much the order of the day. There is no dress code, a bar and basic food available, and tickets can be bought in advance (over the internet) or on the day on the door (a limited number of tickets are available daily so you’d have to get there early to be assured of getting in).
Watch a Trial at the Old Bailey
Why not go and watch part of a trial at probably the most famous criminal court in the world? The public galleries are open Monday to Friday between 10.00am and 1.00pm and between 2.00pm and 5.00pm (closed bank holiday Mondays and the day after with reduced sittings in August. The nearest tube station is St Paul’s and you have to be over 14 to visit. There are tight restrictions about what is allowed into the court room (No cameras or other recording equipment and no food / drink). There is no provision for storing such articles at the court so either don’t take them with you that day or you will have to make arrangements to store them somewhere else.
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