AboutLondon Laura – August 2023 Newsletter

I got through quite a lot of my “What’s planned?'“ list from July so have plenty to tell you about this month. Whatever the weather, there’s always something to do in London, isn’t there?

Buckingham Palace

The summer opening of the state rooms at Buckingham Palace is an annual treat. This year’s special exhibition is about the coronation but it’s quite sparse. What’s there is good, there’s just not a lot of it. But the exhibition is really just a bonus as the main reason to visit is for the chance to stroll through the palace and admire the rooms.

Speaker’s House

Talking of state rooms, there are tours of the state rooms at the Speaker’s House available too. This is at another London palace as the Palace of Westminster is the proper name for the Houses of Parliament.

Garden at 120

I went to see the City of London’s largest public rooftop space and I really liked it. It’s 15 storeys up, free to visit and there’s no booking required.

City Wall Vine Street Museum

A short walk from Garden at 120, is London’s newest museum. A section of the Roman wall that once surrounded the City of London is now preserved and on display. There are also lots of archaeological dig finds to see too, and it’s free to visit.

Herzog & De Meuron

I had high hopes for this Royal Academy exhibition about the Swiss architecture practice. It’s three rooms covering models and making, a video room and an AR (augmented reality) way to see a current hospital project. You are advised to download the app when you arrive and it’s supposed to work in the first room too but I didn’t have any luck with it. The model captions are simply names and no further information. Sadly, I was disappointed and felt this exhibition was lacking. It would be a good free visit for under 30 minutes but not recommended with a £13 admission fee. (I stayed for 15 minutes.)

Sotheby’s 

Did you know, anyone can go into Sotheby’s on New Bond Street? You don’t need to be looking to buy to see the viewing galleries for upcoming auctions. Recently, I saw works by Andy Warhol and French artist Thierry Noir plus some lovely pencil drawings. 

John Merrick Elephant Man

The BBC has reported that a plan to raise the funds for a John Merrick statue in Leicester has failed. I have an article about the ‘Elephant Man’ in case you’d like to know more about his life. And there is a Michael Jackson story included.

Buckingham Palace Guards

Eek, I spotted some mistakes in this guide so it’s been updated. Here’s the new (and now accurate!) guide to recognising the different foot guard regiments outside Buckingham Palace.

What’s Planned This Month?

I’ll be heading back to stay with friends in Wales soon. Thank you for all the messages; I will be writing an update on their home inside a church. See the story so far.

An excellent tip from Ian Visits is the free Modernist at the Mall exhibition at the Isoken Gallery. It tells the story of the Isoken Flats which were home to some of London’s leading artists in the 1930s including Barbara Hepworth, Piet Mondrian and Henry Moore.

Henry VIII’s Joust is on at Hampton Court Palace from 2 to 6 August. You can experience the pomp, ceremony and splendour that reigned supreme through Henry VIII’s jousting tournaments. This popular event will see knights tilting for the right to be hailed a hero while visitors can cheer, jeer and follow all the fun of the epic face-off.

I’ve still not been, but I’ve heard good things about the Paul McCartney photography exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64 Eyes of the Storm is on until 1 October. Next time I’m in that area, I want to time my visit to also coincide with a trip to see the Notre Dame de France church off Leicester Square as it has paintings by Jean Cocteau – his only murals outside France.

And Bartholomew Fair is back at the end of the month. From 31 August to 16 September, the City will become the stage for an array of exciting, unique entertainment, and live performances taking place across the Square Mile.