Londontown by Susannah Conway

Author:Susannah Conway [Conway, Susannah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC
Published: 2016-04-10T04:00:00+00:00

CENTRAL

Central London is jam-packed with landmarks, all much closer to each other than the Underground map would suggest. Many of London’s most popular attractions can be found along the bustling Southbank, including the London Eye, Southbank Centre, Tate Modern, and Globe Theatre. Head farther along for the Design Museum and explore the converted warehouses lining Shad Thames. Keep walking ’til you reach the riverside Mayflower pub then enjoy a drink while imagining the Pilgrims setting sail in 1620.

Trafalgar Square provides endless opportunities for people-watching outside the National Gallery, and at some point everyone takes a walk down the Mall to see Buckingham Palace. Similarly, Westminster has enough big-ticket items to be checked off a to-see list—the policemen outside the Houses of Parliament are surprisingly good-natured.

The West End is for playing, with high street and designer labels along Regent, Oxford, and Bond streets, late-night bars and eateries in Soho, and grand old theatres along Shaftesbury Avenue. Covent Garden and Carnaby Street are firmly established shopping havens while Chinatown is small but mighty, focussed in and around Gerrard Street.

Bookish Bloomsbury lies between Euston Road and Holborn and is filled with garden squares and famous literary addresses. The first national public museum in the world, the British Museum holds a staggering eight million objects, including the Rosetta Stone, while nearby Lamb’s Conduit Street is home to Persephone Books, a small publishing house championing forgotten women authors.

The Barbican Centre and surrounding housing estate are powerful examples of Brutalist architecture. It’s a surprisingly peaceful oasis and just a short walk from the Museum of London. Those in the know head to Bermondsey’s Maltby Street market at weekends to sample foodie delights from traders who’ve moved on from nearby Borough Market (which is definitely worth a visit during the week).

Of all the skyscrapers that have appeared in the last decade or so, none is more loved than Norman Foster’s 30 St Mary Axe, or The Gherkin, as it’s informally known. The Lloyd’s Building on Lime Street is even more impressive when viewed from the ground, and for the best view of the city head to the top of the Shard over at London Bridge. You can stay on the viewing deck for as long as you like, so get there before sunset to enjoy a spectacle that never gets old.

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