A Day Out in London

Yesterday I went to London.  I was going to the theatre but I'd also discovered it was Open House London, which is part of Open City, where buildings not normally open to the public open their doors to visitors.  The first one I tried to visit was 201 Bishopsgate.

It's 2 towers, joined by some amazing diagonal stainless steel work with a roof garden.  Sadly there were about 100 people in front of me and they were only letting 20 people in every 1/2 hour and I didn't have that much time (see the people abseiling on the left tower?).

So I went to 10 New Burlington Street instead; a new build behind the facade of both Regent Street and New Burlington Street.  I was lucky enough to join a tour of 10 people led by one of the architects.  No photography was allowed so I've used the images from this website (which also explains more of the detail if you're interested).

Behind the facades (which were either kept in place and propped up during the build, or taken down brick by brick, stored and rebuilt to level the floors up)

is this - 

not what you'd expect to be there at all!

Inside they'd used limited materials - the ceilings are polished plaster and the walls white oak.

There is a large central atrium to bring in light and the handmade porcelain tiles were the only colour.

We went into the listed vaults underneath, which were originally wine cellars and had been sensitively restored with lime mortar and now store bike racks for the people who work there.

It is an absolutely stunning building,  and from Regents Street the only thing you see is this gate - designed to represent the clockmakers who used to be on the site in the past.

After leaving here, a spot of lunch, and a sense of direction failure that had me walking the wrong way up Charing Cross Road for quite a while, I went here.

Kenneth Branagh was fantastic, as were all of the cast.  His daughter was played by Sophie McShera who is known to many of us as Daisy from Downton Abbey.

It's on for another few weeks and it's worth a visit if you're in London.

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A Day Trip to London

On Wednesday I left Suffolk in torrential rain and headed to London.  When I got out of the tube at Tower Hill I was mightily relieved that, whilst still grey and overcast, the rain had stayed in Suffolk.

After a short walk I was at the Fashion and Textile Museum to see the Liberty in Fashion exhibition. 

The exhibition worked through time and I particularly liked the dresses from there 1910s, 20s and 30s  (very Downton Abbey).

This child's dress from the 1930s with beautiful smocking is so similar to those still worn by little girls today. 

It then moved though the 1940s and 50s.

I remember wearing dresses similar to these of the 1970s, especially the one on the seated mannequin at the front!

Although I never had anything as bright as this 1960s number!

It's a lovely exhibition although I was sad I couldn't be there for the guided talk as they are always excellent and add an extra dimension.  But I couldn't stay.

By the time I had walked back up to the Thames the sun was coming out so I decided to take a river bus from Tower Hill up to the Embankment.

After a quick lunch in the crypt of St Martin's, I walked up to Cambridge Circus to the theatre to see Matilda.

Mum had bought me the ticket back in April and I really enjoyed it - the cast of children were amazingly talented, the set was stunning and to see a child launched into space by her pigtails was very clever (no children were injured!).

I can highly recommend both the Liberty exhibition and Matilda - all in all a very good day, and I didn't get wet!

A List of Nice Things

I have a note on my phone titled ‘Nice Things for Me to Do’.  About 18 months ago I decided to try and do something nice, just for me, each month.  They didn’t need to be big things, just nice things that weren’t work or business related (all work and no play etc etc). 
Looking back at the list I can see that I managed to do something most months; some were planned in advance and some just happened, some were with friends and some were by myself. 

They included 3 theatre visits (I also saw Billy Elliot but didn't have a photo), 2 exhibitions, finding a dragon, the Sudbury Light Night, walking in a blue bell wood, discovering a lovely new garden, trips to Snape and the seaside, our annual trip to the Knitting & Stitching Show and a lovely evening in London meeting up with my cousin and his family over from America who I hadn't seen for 10 years. (I also did a wonderful 'bat walk' one evening with a friend but didn't take any pictures!)

I already have some things planned for 2014, including 2 trips to the theatre in London (going last year reminded me how much I love this), going to the Textile in Focus exhibition in Cottenham (I couldn’t go last year as it was during a work week) and a possible visit to the fashion museum. I also know that we’ll go to K and S again and that many other things will just happen spontaneously throughout the year.

Writing them down has made me realise what a lovely year I’ve had - here’s to another lovely one next year, for all of you as well as me.

When in London I Walk

When I go to London I walk. I always have done. Stems from 2 years of living as a student in London and having to walk due to lack of finances, but you see so much more! Yesterday I had a trip to London (an early birthday present to myself) and I caught the tube to Embankment and then walked.

First I walked to Covent Garden, where I was a little disappointed.

Most of the nice artisan shops had gone, there was hardly anything apart from national chains and places to eat.

I did find this lovely macaroon shop though (didn't buy any as I wasn't sure they'd survive the day) so I decided to walk to Trafalgar Square to St Martins in the Fields.

My parents got married here and I didn't think I'd ever been in.  The ceiling is stunning.  Needing a rest and some refuelling I had lunch in the crypt.  

Great food, lovely setting and various 'odd' tombs/memorials in the gallery - I loved this one of the first Pearly King.

Then I walked to here, the reason for my being in London.

I bought the ticket last November as a birthday present to myself and it was worth every penny.  A mix of hand sprung puppets, a very simple set, english folk music and hand drawn animations - amazing.

After the theatre, more walking. Through Piccadilly Circus, to Regent Street - and beyond!

I had a lovely day, although my legs are a little tired today - can't think why!