AboutLondon Laura – July 2023 Newsletter

This has been a slightly different month as I left London for half of it! I’ve been housesitting and then staying with friends in a converted church in Wales. I’ve written about the building’s transformation on Anglotopia but it’s due an update. Would you like me to write something on my website so you can see the changes? The home is almost complete and the family are just working through a snagging list.

I’ll return in the summer so can write it for you then, if there’s interest.

Buckingham Palace Guards

You may think all guards at Buckingham Palace dress the same. But once you start looking you can see the differences that help you recognise each regiment.

Scotney Castle

If you’re looking for a National Trust day trip from London, I can recommend Scotney Castle. It’s got heritage buildings to explore, gardens to admire and wander through, plus woodland for longer walks. And tea and scones at the cafe, of course.

What’s Planned This Month?

Firstly, I need to see the newly-reopened National Portrait Gallery. The place has been transformed with a complete rehang so it’s worth many visits. And if I still had a child of the right age, I’d be dashing to the Young V&A (previously called the Museum of Childhood) in Bethnal Green as it reopens on 1 July.

I’m looking forward to the Herzog & de Meuron exhibition at the Royal Academy. And my annual visit to the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace for the summer opening. This year’s exhibition is a special display celebrating the Coronation.

I’m taking the teen on a tour of the Speaker’s House at the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament). I went on the tour last year when it was first trialled so it’ll be good to see how it has evolved. I last took the teen when she was 11 years old so she is definitely due a return visit. And we’re hoping to also go to the Bank of England Museum together to see the Slavery & the Bank display to help her with her history project.

At the end of the month, the Freud Museum has a new exhibition about Sigmund Freud’s one and only trip to Greece and, specifically, the Acropolis. It sounds interesting so I’ll try and get to that too. And an annual traditional ceremony I’ve actually never seen is also later this month. The Cart Marking Ceremony is held outside the Guildhall and is on Saturday 22 July 2023.

A few extra tips… While a visit to the Sir John Soane’s Museum is free, there is now a Private Apartments Tour you can book to see the rooms where he lived. It’s best to book ahead as space is limited so there can only be eight people on a tour. And a free tip I spotted in the new Londonist newsletter, is for character-led walking tours to find out more about John Nash and the Marble Arch area.